Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

A restaurant version of warm chocolate cake (I am so there!) Photo by Lummmy @ flickr

From Denny: Just recently discovered Kraft Food's Chocolate Lovers' Center, no kidding. This struck my eye today since the weather has turned cooler, even here in Louisiana where it gets down to the 40's at night. (yay!) I haven't made this kind of cake in quite a while and have always made it from scratch in the fall and winter. It will be fun to try out this easier version.

A warm pudding cake is so easy to make even from scratch. They use a cake mix here which makes it even easier and faster! I like how you can take this simple idea and do your own variations to suit your personal taste. You can make a warm lemon pudding cake or a banana one. Your choices are only limited by what you can create!

The only thing about this site is they haven't figured out to make their videos easy to embed and require a link. So, if you desire to see what the cakes look like you will need to take a hike on over there via this link. You won't regret it! :)

Here's the recipe:

Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr 35 min
Makes: 16 servings, 2/3 cup each

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix
2 cups cold milk
1-1/4 cups water
2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (or real whipped cream)

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside.

POUR milk and water into large bowl. Add pudding mixes and sugar. Beat with whisk 2 min. or until blended. Pour over batter.

PLACE baking dish on baking sheet to catch any sauce that bubbles over sides of dish as dessert bakes. Bake 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center of cake layer comes out clean. Cool 20 min. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools). Spoon into serving dishes; top with COOL WHIP.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Prepare as directed, using JELL-O Vanilla Instant Pudding.

Note

There is no need to reheat leftovers - this cake is also delicious cold.

Here's the link so you can see the photos, go here.

*** Thanks for visiting and come back often for your chocolate fix! :)

Video and Recipes: Lobster Grits Polenta, Turkey Andouille Sausage Grits Casserole

From Denny: In the South grits (polenta to the uninitiated) are popular food around the clock. They are satisfying on the tummy, easy and quick to make, real crowd pleasers in the form of a casserole and chock full of calcium. Now if we could just change the name to something more pleasing to the ear like "polenta." :)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Lobster cheese grits

From: Barbara Smith, author of "B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style." She specializes in reducing calories of favorite Southern food without sacrificing the flavor.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3.5 cup seafood broth or stock, or bottled clam juice
• 0.75 cup old-fashioned stone-ground grits
• 0.25 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 0.5 cup Fontina cheese, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon, or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 cup cooked diced lobster
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
• Chopped scallions, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, bring the seafood broth to a boil and slowly stir in the grits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 12 to 14 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in butter, paprika, cheese, tarragon and lobster. Continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped scallions.

Note: For thicker grits, decrease the amount of liquid; for thinner grits, increase the amount of liquid.

Turkey Andouille sausage and cheese grits casserole

From: Barbara Smith, author of "B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style"

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 0.5 pound cooked crumbled turkey Andouille sausage
• 3 cup low-sodium chicken stock or broth
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup uncooked quick grits
• 1.5 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoon butter, plus more for greasing pan
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Hot pepper sauce to taste, optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the inside of a 2-quart casserole or 8-inch square baking dish, or coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In large saucepan, heat chicken broth and salt to boiling over high heat. Slowly stir in grits and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; stir in 1 cup of the cheese and the butter, stirring until melted. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the eggs, sausage, parsley and hot sauce, if using. Pour the grits mixture into the prepared casserole and spread evenly.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining ½ cup of cheese. Continue baking until the center is slightly puffed and set (when a knife comes out clean or it springs back when lightly pressed), and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

*** Thanks for visiting, everyone, have a great weekend and come back often!

How Kindness Develops Your Strength - and Power to Attract Love

From Denny: Kindness is often a hard sell in an aggressive Western society like America and parts of Europe. Kindness has been derided as a weakness, especially by the Republicans and other conservative fundamentalist cultures worldwide who consider kindness undesirable.

The conservatives in America claim to hold to Christian principles and "What Would Jesus Do?" T-shirts, forgetting the whole point of Jesus was about kindness. Jesus was also humanity's strongest person ever to walk this Earth! He is known for his profound teachings that span the centuries.

Quote

Kindness in words creates confidence
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness
Kindness in giving creates love.

Lao-tzu, Chinese philiospher


*** Thanks for visiting and come back often! :)

*** For more quotes like this, please visit Beautiful Illustrated Quotations, go here.

6 Ironic Grinners! Cheeky Quote Day at The Social Poets - 4 Nov 2009

Ironic funny quotes comin' at ya, hard and fast! :)

From Denny: Found a lot of witty quotes for the Cheeky Quote Day! segment over at The Social Poets today! They will definitely get you thinking while you are laughing, a real two-fer to keep the brain cells in stellar fitness shape. :)

Witty quotes also make great writing prompts as they expose your mind to thinking about a subject from a different angle. Construct your own writing exercises for your blog or journal. Riffing off of quotes really does a lot to improve your writing. Give it a try and see for yourself!



Here are a few funny quotes for your tasty mind candy today (while you are detoxing from your Halloween candy high):

Quotes

* All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

* Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley

* The sinning is the best part of repentance. - Arab Proverb

* Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same. - G.B. Shaw, "Maxims for Revolutionists," 1898

* It's pretty hard to be efficient without being obnoxious. - Kin Hubbard

* Is a stolen copyright a copywrong? – Anonymous

*** Thanks for visiting, much appreciated and come back often for a grin!

*** To get to Ironic Grinners - Cheeky Quote Day! 4 Nov 2009 - go here.

Calorie Monster Chocolate Truffle Cake with Raspberry Sauce

From Denny: This is a flourless chocolate cake from a famous Atlanta restaurant. Like many people in Louisiana we lived in Atlanta for a number of years when the economy nose-dived here. We enjoyed discovering the fast-paced trendy restaurant scene. There was no shortage of chefs who knew how to "romance the chocolate" and create the most awesome desserts! (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!)

There were times when we only went to an upscale restaurant for appetizers, a glass of wine and then demanded the dessert cart be wheeled out, saving our calories for the grand finale. The staff always grinned as that was a common customer behavior after a while. (I could have sworn we pioneered it...)

Other people would spy out our choices as they were brought to the table and start ordering the same. (We looked like we knew what we were doing.) Sort of like that Harry met Sally movie where she is enjoying some ice cream a little too loudly and hedonistically that a woman sitting nearby remarks, "Wow, I'll have what she's having! It must be good!"

Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake with Raspberry Sauce

From: Chef Rex Horrell, executive chef at the McCormick and Schmick restaurant (CNN Center location in Atlanta, Georgia)

Hands on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 sticks) butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 eggs
6 egg yolks

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees on a convection setting. In a saucepan, heat butter, milk and sugar to scalding, stirring frequently. Make sure butter is melted. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk eggs and yolks together. Gradually whisk eggs into chocolate mixture, beating until completely combined.

Line an 8-by-2 1/2-inch springform pan with buttered parchment paper, making sure the paper circle comes up 1/2 inch on the side of the pan to seal. Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The sides will be puffy and slightly cracked. The center will be soupy but will set as it chills. Refrigerate overnight. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and release springform.

Notes:

Chef Horrell bakes the cake in a convection oven. If using a conventional oven, bake at 350 degrees and add 20 to 30 minutes to the cooking time. The cake is served with a sweetened raspberry sauce.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 609 calories (percent of calories from fat, 76), 9 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 56 grams fat, 269 milligrams cholesterol, 356 milligrams sodium.

*** Thanks for visiting and come back often!