Old-fashioned Berry Chocolate Cake

Based on this molasses cake. (Hold the molasses, add chocolate ;))

Trick-or-Treat

Happy Halloween from the Barefoot Contessa!

Actually, a Contessa IMPOSTER!
But who better to dress up as than the amazing Ina Garten!

Happy Halloween!

Mozzarella-basil-tomato tart

Fresh Tomato Tart at Ezra Pound Cake
from The Completely Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

Oeufs en cocotte (Baked eggs)

Oeufs en Cocotte
from Julia Child

Per ramekin:

1/2 teaspoon butter
1 ramekin 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches high
2 tablespoons whipping cream
A pan containing 3/4 inch of simmering water
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter ramekin/s. Break an egg into the ramekin. Pour in a spoonful of cream over the egg and top with a dot of butter.

2. Place in middle level of preheated oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. The eggs are done when they are just set but still tremble slightly in the ramekins. They will set a little more when the ramekins are removed, so they should not be overcooked.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve. The ramekins may remain in the hot water, out of the oven, for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. To prevent overcooking, remove eggs from oven when slightly underdone.

Ina's Berry Pavlova

Mixed Berry Pavlova from Ina Garten

This gorgeous confection was my birthday "cake" this year. I wasn't feeling the traditional birthday cake, and once I saw Ina make this, I knew I had to have it. I'm a huge fan of Barefoot Contessa and I just love Ina. I also saw a Martha Stewart recipe for pavlova that also looked beautiful and delicious, but ultimately I had to be loyal to my contessa. ;)

My mom took on the task of making this. I know it was time-consuming and I am so grateful to her for doing it for me - and it turned out amazing. She did an awesome job.

Pavlova is basically a dessert made from a giant circle of meringue. I've never been a fan of meringue, but this was different. After you bake it, you let it cool, then cover it with a massive amount of homemade whipped cream, and then finish it off with a berry sauce made from fresh berries and a raspberry-flavored beer. (We actually sipped on the beer before lunch and it was very good - it tasted more like a raspberry champagne.)

This combination of creamy flavors makes the pavlova sweet, luscious, melt-in-your-mouth yummy. I loved it.

Actually, we all loved it. And if you need proof - this is what was left of the pavlova after 10 minutes:

Breakfast can make or break you...

Today I had a family breakfast and my portion totaled about 1350 calories. ???! This left me with hardly any calories for the rest of the day and led to me being hungry and desperate by evening.

What have we learned from this?

1. Don't eat huge breakfasts without considering the calories BEFORE YOU EAT. Don't wait til after you've eaten bacon and donuts to consider the calorie count.

2. When you've had a lot of calories earlier in the day, eat smaller meals the rest of the day. DON'T GIVE IN TO PIZZA JUST BECAUSE YOUR SISTER IS MAKING IT HOMEMADE.

3. Don't eat something in a hurry. Don't grab ice cream or a dessert on a whim. Especially when it's a food you don't even really like. (ugh)

4. Don't eat chocolate several times a day. It just leaves you hungry for MORE. MORE MORE MOOOOOORRREEE CHOCOLATE!

Dark chocolate (Nutella) almond cookies

Chocolate Nutella Cookies


I made these dark chocolate cookies almost two months ago. Talk about a delay. :)

We had some dark chocolate spread in the house (knock-off Nutella), and I really wanted to make cookies with it. The above recipe is the one I chose, but I tweaked it a little. Instead of using chocolate chips and only 3 tablespoons of chocolate spread, I omitted the chips and used about 6 oz of chocolate spread, or almost half a container of the stuff. I also added almonds and sprinkled powdered sugar on the finished cookies.

These cookies would go perfectly with morning coffee. They are extremely dense but they are small, so they make the perfect bite. Nutella (hazelnut spread) or any other chocolate spread would work for this recipe. I know World Market carries a variety of flavors, like caramel, white chocolate, and the dark chocolate kind.