Oh yes, mouth watering happening as I look at that photo. So quick and easy.

The other day I discovered an ancient package of pork spare ribs (not baby backs) in my freezer, back when my DH and I bought a part of a Berkshire pig. It had unique wrapping, so I knew – and it had a date on it. 2011. Wow. It’s been in my freezer for nearly 8 years! I didn’t hold out much hope that it would be all that good, but guess what? It was wonderful. Maybe because it was packaged well to begin with!

With my new instant pot sitting on my kitchen counter, I scanned websites to find a recipe that would work. Sure enough, found one at the blog called iwashyoudry. Shawna had used baby backs, but I presumed the cooking time would be similar. First I removed the thin tissue along the back of the ribs. It’s a bit of a nuisance to have to do that, but I did it anyway, knowing the dry rub would reach all the inner meat if I took the time. Then I combined the dry rub – a little bit of brown sugar and a bunch of spices. A very good mixture, I think! Into the IP they went, to rest on top of the IP rack, leaning up against the sides of the pot.

Once the meat was in, you add some water, apple cider vinegar AND a tiny jot of liquid smoke to the bottom of the pot, making sure you don’t wash off any of the spices sticking to the ribs. Having used liquid smoke in the past I wasn’t altogether sure I’d like it – but  using just 1/4 tsp gave the ribs just a hint of smoke. The meat cooked under high pressure for 23 minutes (Shawna cooked her for 25, but spareribs have less meat on them, so I chose 23). It rested for 10 minutes, then quick release.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler during the last couple minutes of resting time and prepare a baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and have at the ready your favorite bottled BBQ sauce. Lay them on the baking sheet and brush that on. Broil just until beginning to get crispy brown. Remove and dig in! For mine, the ribs were nearly falling off of the meat, so I just took the bones out and had a nice little plate of just meat. And sauce. And spices. All good tasty stuff! My thanks to Shawna for a great recipe that works!

What’s GOOD: you can have ribs on the table in a little over 35 minutes or so, that taste like you’ve spent hours smoking and tending to them. When you haven’t!! Loved the combo of spices in the dry rub and with using just a little bit of BBQ sauce to finish them off; these were perfect! A keeper.

What’s NOT: really nothing, other than ribs have a lot of fat, so for me, they’re a real treat. Not something I’d fix on a regular basis.

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I’m really enjoying these sheetpan dinners. So EASY and tasty. This one is no exception.

It’s been awhile (at least 6 weeks ago) that I made this, but it was so good, and worth it, that I didn’t want to NOT post it. I had a recipe to start from, but I was a bit creative with it, adding a few extras, just because.

The original recipe was in Sunset Magazine in the December/January issue, but because my cousin Gary doesn’t like brussels sprouts, and because I had a sweet potato on hand, I changed up some of the ingredients, but kept to the main idea of the Sunset recipe. I added broccoli, more onion and I had multicolored small bell peppers. I bought some really good quality chicken sausages at a butcher shop first, then embellished with all the other ingredients. EVOO (or avocado oil) is used at the beginning and then tossed with all the raw veggies and into the oven it goes for about 30 minutes. The Fuji apple is a game-changer – it adds a lovely bit of sweetness to it all. Loved that part.

I think the original recipe started with pre-cooked sausages. Not me – mine were raw, and I just made sure they were cooked through before serving (they were). The vegetables were perfectly cooked and the sweet potatoes slightly crispy on a few edges, and the onions were certainly cooked through too. I served it right from the pan, with aged balsamic drizzled over the top. I think I probably used more than a tablespoon – probably 1 1/2 T at least so that nearly every item had a bit of the vinegar. I like aged balsamic (you do NOT want to use regular grocery shelf quality balsamic on this as it’s way too acidic – you need the syrupy style of aged balsamic to do this justice). My cousin who was visiting doesn’t much like balsamic (I didn’t know that or I’d have drizzled it on half of the pan) so he was a bit put off by it, but me? Loved it. Would have been happy to drizzle a bit more over it, except for the fact that aged balsamic is quite dear and not something to lavish on one sheet pan dinner! If you don’t have aged balsamic, might I suggest you use a fruit balsamic (I have several – – pomegranate, strawberry that I recall) because the ordinary/cheap stuff wouldn’t be good.

What’s GOOD: overall healthy, tasty and EASY. Love that last part. I ate the left overs about 5 days later and enjoyed it almost as much as the first time around. If you want to make it more original, use Brussels sprouts and no yellow squash or sweet potato. I loved the apple in the mix.

What’s NOT: nothing that I can think of. So easy!

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 This recipe should have been posted before the holidays – in case you wanted to serve such a side dish when you had guests. The combo of parsnips and potatoes is really a good match.

It’s been some months ago I went to a cooking class where these were served, and I loved them. But then, I like parsnips in any way, shape or form. I forget about them, however, as they’re not a common produce item at my markets. Are they at yours? Over the holidays I saw them, but didn’t buy any – should have, because I’d like to make these now.

These aren’t anything unusual in the making of them – other than the addition of mascarpone and crème fraiche to them. A lot, actually, but the recipe makes a lot. Fresh sage adds just a lovely, subtle hint of the herb, and the freshly grated nutmeg is just perfect in them – some in the potatoes and a bit sprinkled on top when it’s served. IF you like these ingredients, save this recipe for next winter, perhaps, or for Easter dinner maybe?

What’s GOOD: the parsnip flavor is just so yummy-good. The cream products add a lovely lushness to the mixture. Altogether delicious and a keeper of a recipe.

What’s NOT: maybe only finding parsnips?

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A stellar recipe – with the mushrooms playing a star role, but all the comforts, too, of a simple, home cooked kind of casserole with chicken and rice.

This recipe has legs. Well, maybe I should qualify that – this recipe, which makes a lot – can be made into 3 different meals if you’re not feeding 8-10 people at the beginning: (1) the first, a casserole; (2) with more mushrooms as a 2nd serving (microwaved); and (3) mixed with broth, more mushrooms and peas, as SOUP.

The original, which supposedly feeds 8, makes a bunch. The pan above in the photo is a 5” high sided nonstick pan I use a lot. Since I’m a family of one, it was probably more than I needed. But my cousin Gary was visiting over Christmas, and before he got sick and only wanted soup, I made this. I’m glad I did, as he ate lunch from it twice when I was off with family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Then, a couple of days later I took a bunch from it and gave it to my dear friend Gloria and her husband for a dinner. She had enough for a dinner AND a lunch portion. Once Gary flew home, I re-invented it once again. I bought another 8 ounces of fresh brown mushrooms and made another batch of the mushroom topping and ate it as a reheated plate (microwaved) with more hot-water-rinsed peas on top. When there was STILL a small amount left, I made it into soup with more of that mushroom broth concentrate stuff. Oh, was that good, too.

I think this dish would feed 10 (unless they’re hungry teen-agers). The recipe came from the New York Times, and was designated as one of the top 10 for 2017. It may not look like anything special, but it was really, really good. For me – since I added more mushrooms to it (because I like them) – it was comfort food, for sure. It was filling and it was pretty. The making of it is easy enough – most of it is done in the one big pot (chicken, mushrooms and rice with lots of added flavors like wine, thyme, onion). Then it’s baked for a brief time and while that’s happening, you sauté some additional mushrooms (the more varied the mixture, the better). I didn’t go shopping to different stores to find oddball mushrooms (I used brown and shiitake), and when I re-made it with the leftovers, I used only brown crimini mushrooms.

Thinking about this . . . if I make this again I think I’ll use some of the riced cauliflower as the “rice” in this dish. I’d need to adapt the cooking times, but it would be a whole lot less carbs. Just food for thought.

What’s GOOD: the overall flavor is marvelous. One might not think such simple ingredients could yield such umami flavor (must be the mushrooms?) but it did. If serving to guests, I’d double the amount of mushroom topping too (it gives it a really pretty “look”). Read recipe for how to use the left overs. Just know that this dish is very rice-centric.

What’s NOT: nothing, really. Altogether good recipe, worth making.

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A lovely tasting cheese ball, suitable for anytime. The little bit of horseradish in it gives it a different and subtle hint of it – not at all overpowering.

Cheese balls are so appropriate for the holidays. I made this a few days before Christmas and took it to daughter Sara’s house. We were spending the afternoon making tamales, but we ended up eating this and a big pan full of nachos (with the leftover pork and red chile tamale filling and a bunch of jack cheese sprinkled on top) as dinner. After the tamale fest, everyone was fatigued with the process, and the last thing Sara wanted to do was prepare a sit-down dinner. So out came the cheese ball and we just noshed.

For the last several months I’ve subscribed to the New York Times’ daily food section email. And of course, they want me to subscribe (the pay type, and no, I’m not doing that), and every day they remind me that I’m not subscribed, but yet I am able to access the recipes they include in those emails. Most of the time there isn’t anything all that noteworthy, but occasionally they rave about something. And the last week of December they mailed out links (and photos) of the favorites of 2017. This is one of them. And they particularly mentioned the hint of horseradish gave it really great flavor.

There are two steps to making this: (1) the nut coating; and (2) the cheese ball. You use a stand mixer for the cheese – maybe it could be done with a hand-held mixer (try it and see) but the stand mixer made it easy to combine the ingredients. The nut coating (walnuts, maple syrup, butter and salt) is roasted in the oven until just golden brown, then you chop up the nuts and set those aside. The cheese  ball needs to be refrigerated for a few hours (I did mine overnight) and just before serving you roll the ball in the nut mixture and onto a serving platter it goes. Very simple, and nice to make ahead if you’re having a group over and want minimal fuss at the last minute.

The recipe calls for cream cheese, cheddar and Gruyere. I didn’t have the last one, and Trader Joe’s was out of Gruyere (darn) but I found another Swiss type cheese that was similar. I do not recommend you use a domestic Swiss cheese in this – whatever it is American cheese producers do to our Swiss cheese, well, let’s just say I don’t want that flavor profile in the cheese ball. I used Emmental and it was perfect. The herbs add a nice little green hint throughout, and of course, the horseradish, to me, is the subtle star of the show. Also liked the nut coating.

What’s GOOD: loved the horseradish hint in the mixture, and enjoyed the cheese combo too. Very tasty. Easy to make, really, and I like that it all can be made ahead except for rolling the ball in the nuts. A keeper. I see why it made the best of 2017 at the N.Y. Times. I will say, that there is another cheese ball in my life, Bombay Cheese Ball, and I may just like it the best but if you’re not into Indian-style spices (i.e., curry), then this one would be a better choice.

What’s NOT: nothing!

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So, maybe many of YOU asked for this little gem for Christmas. No, it’s a big sized kitchen gem.  Or maybe you already have one. I was late to the parade because I already have a pressure cooker (2, actually); a slow cooker (1); and rice cooker (1); and a Breville multi-cooker (1). But the idea of doing more one-dish meals interested me, plus I particularly liked the suggestion that I could get rid of all of those other kitchen appliances. The only thing this new I.P doesn’t have is a risotto function. I did see a recipe for risotto, so will have to try it and see if it does it as well as the Breville. If so, I’ll get rid of that also.

Daughter Sara wants my pressure cookers, so I’ll be happy to give them to her. Don’t know if she has a rice cooker, but I’ll take that along too, when I see her next. I may keep my slow cooker only because it’s a really big one and perhaps I’ll be sorry to not have that for some large function in the future.

Some years ago I bought a new electric skillet. Those of us of a certain age will remember the old 1960s era electric skillet as a kind of a one-dish frying pan, but it plugged into the wall, had 4 legs on it, was square shaped. Anyway, my original one died (photo at right, from ebay), so bought a new fangled one, but found that I almost never used it. And it was a good one – Cuisinart, I believe. Anyway, I gave that to my granddaughter Sabrina (the one attending Clemson Univ.) and she’s already used it in her dorm room to make chicken tortilla soup. She was so proud to tell me that she was really happy with the results. Being a Southern California girl, she really misses Mexican food, a regular staple for almost anyone who lives in this neck of the woods.

Out of the box, the IP suggests running it through a test pressure cooker run. I did that. No problem. I’ve also subscribed on FB to the IP page, and have been reading recipes from there. And it was there that I saw the link to an IP rice pudding at PressureCookingToday.  Also in amongst my received Christmas gifts was a cookbook for the I.P. (Henceforth I’ll just call it the IP).

My cousin Gary (who lives in Santa Clara and has been spending Christmas with me for decades) was here over the holidays, and on day 3 of his visit he came down with a very bad cold. And he was sick with it for the entire remainder of his 8-day visit. Poor guy! He didn’t get to participate in any of the usual family Christmas festivities. We drove to San Diego to have a get-together with daughter Sara and her family on December 23rd, and it was while he was there that he realized he was coming down with the cold. He went into their guest room and slept the rest of that day’s visit. Sara and the family (and me) all made home made tamales that afternoon (my job was to spread masa onto the damp corn husks). We made 124, and I have 6 tamales in my freezer, waiting for an occasion to steam them. The tamale recipe belongs to my daughter’s mother-in-law, Jean, and I don’t know that she would share the recipe, but there are plenty of them out there on the ‘net if you’re interested. Sara’s family always makes (1) pork in a mild red sauce and (2) cheese and jalapeno.

Anyway, all that to say that Gary has been sick enough to not even feel up to preparing any food for himself, so I’ve been feeding him meals throughout his illness. And I asked him how he felt about rice pudding. He said “yum.” So, that was my first dish in my new IP.

As I’ve learned with the brief amount of time I’ve had my IP, there’s a special lingo to IP cooking. If you’re really preparing and providing a recipe (as below) you start off with the quick list of cooking. In this case it’s the following:

• Total time – 20 minutes
• 2-4 minutes prep
• 3 minutes pressure cook high
• 10 minutes slow release, then quick release
• About 7-8 minutes sauté

That how you inform a reader how much time is required and what functions you’ll be using on the IP. Adding rice (Arborio, the kind you use for risotto), water and salt to the IP, it’s pressure cooked on high for 3 minutes. Then you turn off the IP and let it just sit – it’s not on, but still under pressure. This allows the rice (I’m guessing) to continue to cook very slowly – and to develop that extra special creaminess that accompanies anything with Arborio rice. Then you release the pressure (and remove lid, of course), stir in sugar and milk, stir, turn IP to the sauté function, then mix up 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk and whisk well. Pour it through a sieve into the IP and allow the pudding to just come to a boil (that took about 5-7 minutes I’m guessing) and it’s done. Add raisins if desired. And vanilla. Stir and pour into individual ramekins or into a large storage bowl. Allow to cool to room temp and serve. It’s best warm, but it’s also yummy once chilled.

Now, I’ll grant you, making rice pudding isn’t exactly gourmet cooking!! BUT, in this case, the use of Arborio rice makes for a really creamy consistency. I think more creamy than regular rice.

What’s GOOD: the overall flavor – I think the amount of sugar – rice – milk ratio is absolutely spot-on. And the texture is so smooth and creamy. Loved it. This will be my new go-to rice pudding. Rich tasting. I did use whole milk – no cream.

What’s NOT: not a single thing. A keeper.

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There’s nothing to it, but to laugh. Me? Power tools? Or tools. I mean – – – I’m in my 70s, and do I really need power tools? Well, yes and no. If you’re looking for a recipe, today’s not the day – – – you can skip this one. But if you want to enjoy my once-in-awhile humor, a little widow-humor, perhaps you’ll have a laugh too.

First thing was a few months ago when my car gave me a warning that my tires were low. This was something I’d have had my DH do for me – I’d have told him about it and he would have taken it somewhere and fixed the problem. So, he’s not here to help me; I need to solve the problem myself. I’m not much of one to get down on my knees anymore (it hurts), so to go to a gas station that HAS a tire and water source, well, it’s not much fun for me – bending over to read the darn gauge, etc. is awkward. I could have taken the car to the dealer, but it’s 15 miles away, so I said no – I did do it myself. A few days later I got another warning, and my friend Cherrie said, well, come to our house and Bud will do it – we’ve got a home one, tire pressure gadget. Okay. Did that. Bud filled them all up. Two days later I got another warning – even though it SAID the tires were low, they were actually high. But, this made it obvious that I needed a new solution to this problem. My daughter Sara suggested I take my car to any tire place and they’d likely check the tires for me. BUT, she said . . . maybe there is a Christmas present in your future. So, I let it go then since Christmas was but a month or so away.

My son-in-law John did a bunch of research about these things, and finally settled on this one, a solution to my problem. It’s a battery-operated one that I can use by sitting on a garden bench thing that Dave used to use. I haven’t used it yet, although my car is presently giving me a warning (still says they’re low, but I know they’re too high because the warning came minutes after I left the dealer after having had a check-up and they did fill all 4 tires). So there’s one power tool. Haven’t used it yet . . . and I’m still getting that darned warning every time I start the car. Need to do this, though.

Then, in December, when my cousin was visiting, I had a list of honey-do items for him. He started on them when he was still well, before he came down with a monster cold. One job was to install a speaker sound bar underneath my TV in my study. I didn’t want a big speaker system in the room (you know, surround sound) because the room isn’t that big. Anyway, Gary started on the project and went out to the garage to gather tools. He came back in and said where’s the power drill. Oh. I knew I didn’t have one because after my DH passed away, John had gone to our sailboat and took off all the tools. I have some of them, but he also gave them to some of our other guy family members. Both power drills (battery type) were on the boat and John threw them out, saying they were “shot.” Okay. Dave had still been using them, but oh well. So, Gary and I had to make a trip to a big hardware store to scope out power drills. We settled on this one:

Fortunately, a sales person was able to guide us to an inexpensive one that would be suitable. It’s not battery type, but a real, corded drill. I suppose I might be able to use it myself if I tried. It wasn’t all that much money (about $35 I think), and if I don’t use it there’s no battery loss with a corded drill.

In the meantime, though, I’d done a bit of research myself (during the last year) about toolkit tools for women – with a smaller shape, etc., but still they’re regular tools, not toy ones. I’d researched brands and colors (pink, red and lavender are popular). What I really needed was a second hammer – to live in the upstairs of my house so I wouldn’t have to trek down a flight of stairs, then up a half flight to get to the garage, then back up in reverse to use a hammer. Anyway, after reading reviews online (mostly at Amazon) I came away without buying any of them. None seemed like a good deal or there were complaints about some of the tools – made in China and not well designed. But I asked, when we were at Lowe’s for the power drill, about toolkits for women – he led us right to it. Sure enough, there were two – pink and lavender. Pink just didn’t seem like “me,” so I bought the lavender one. And it wasn’t all that much money. But, I assumed the tools were going to be slightly smaller for a woman’s hand. Uh, no. It was all packaged up, so I really couldn’t hold or see the size and shape of the tools. Darn. Regular sized,  just fancy colored handles. I should have bought just a new hammer. Oh well, now I have a fancy toolkit, which I will put upstairs in my house for whenever the tools are needed.

Lavender toolkit What do you think? Are you laughing yet?

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Do you have family members who are just nutso about hot chocolate? I do, and when I saw this recipe, I knew I needed to make them to take to my grandson JohnJohn (age 17). I kept two of the balls and they’re in my refrigerator as I write this. They’re calling my name.

Since Chris Kimball was ousted from America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated, he’s started up his own new organization with a magazine (Milk Street Magazine) and also is taping TV shows. I like the magazine a lot and read it cover to cover every month. It’s a similar layout, but lots of color photos and interesting comments about products. This recipe came from a one-page article about the quality of chocolate we’d use for baking. The #1 winner was Ghiradelli’s, both their bittersweet bar chocolate or the chocolate chips (and I have bags of them in my  pantry since they’re my go-to choice for chips for baking or grabbing to eat).

Alongside the review (also acceptable were Hershey’s unsweetened bars, Dove milk chocolate and Hershey’s cocoa powder) was a gorgeous picture of a bunch of chocolate pieces and some chocolate sauce dripping all over it plus this recipe for chocolate balls. It was the photo that sucked me in!

So, these balls . . . they’re something you make ahead and chill, then form into balls (as above), wrap in plastic wrap (and keep chilled), and when you’re ready for a hot chocolate you merely plop one of the balls into a mug of milk and microwave it about 2 minutes, stirring several times until it’s completely melted. EASY! My cousin Gary was visiting over the holidays and we enjoyed the last 2 balls as I was in the middle of writing up this post. That’s his hand in the photo. I topped both mugs with a squirt of whipped cream from the aerosol can.

The chocolate concoction is nothing but good quality chocolate chips (yes, I used the Ghiradelli ones), heavy cream and a dash of salt. That’s melted in the microwave, allowed to cool to room temp, then chilled for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Don’t attempt it at 1 1/2 hours chilling time – it needs the full 2 hours. I used 2 spoons to make the each ball (about 2” thick). I put on plastic gloves as it was quite messy. I only got 9 chocolate balls from the mixture, and I thought I was doing skimpy 2” balls.

When you melt the chocolate ball in the milk, in the microwave, do stir it frequently and try to break up the ball a bit (you could cut the ball in half) – it’ll melt/heat better that way. Using a whisk would be good at the end. Top with whipped cream if you really want to make it decadent.

What’s GOOD: this would make a really nice gift for a chocoholic friend, no question about that. Kids love it as it’s different. BUT, I will remind you, the chocolate is rich, so kids might not drink an entire mug. Flavor is marvelous – rich and chocolaty, which is the object, right? Loved the new way of doing it. I’m not a hot chocolate fiend, but I do enjoy a mug or two a year, I’d guess. I had a mug when I took it to my daughter’s family (mostly for young JohnJohn) and thought it was delish and then my cousin Gary and I enjoyed the last 2 balls the day after Christmas. It does need to be kept refrigerated. Shelf life, it says, is 5 days. I think you could get a week out of it. It’s the cream that’s at issue with the freshness, but heavy cream keeps well.

What’s NOT: only that it’s very rich – and not everyone likes bittersweet chocolate. If you have milk chocolate fans in your family make it with that. Am certain it makes no difference in how it’s made. Be sure to keep it refrigerated – wouldn’t be good for a long trip unless kept chilled.

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Every year I give you a short list of Carolyn’s best (this year it’s 12) I posted during the previous year. Click on the link if you’d like to go take a look again, or if you missed it the first time around! It’s interesting (to me anyway) to note that 2 of the 12 are sheetpan dinners! And one is a lowly, but elegant baked potato!

A very elegant dessert, a Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle made with angel food cake, pumpkin stuff and whipped cream.

Lovely salad – for a special dinner, or could be an entrée salad: Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Arugula.

Roasted vegetables – oh gosh are these good – nothing more than bell peppers and onions with some Indian type spices (not hot). Worth making: Bell Pepper and Onion Roast.

The first of the sheetpan dinners for the year – this one with chicken thighs and wedges of cabbage. Cabbage never tasted so good. Sheetpan Roasted Chicken and Cabbage.

Did you think there could be such thing as a “perfect” baked potato? New techniques, but oh, so worth the effort. It may be the star of your dinner plate. The Perfect Baked Potato. After I posted this my friend Joan’s husband Tom made it for himself – he liked it!

The photo is kind of blah – but the dish is NOT! A salad, that sort of, kind of, tastes like potato salad, but made with saltine crackers. I took it to a potluck and many of the folks thought it WAS potato salad. A southern tradition. Georgia Cracker Salad.

Scampi at its finest. Never had it so good. Done on the barbecue, believe it or not. Grilled Shrimp Scampi.

A very tender applesauce cake to remember, made in a bundt pan and drizzled with icing. Oh so good. Applesauce Bundt Cake with Caramel Icing.

A dessert so easy you just won’t believe it. Fresh raspberries and brown sugar made into a quick gratin. Raspberry Brown Sugar Gratin.

A soup of green stuff, but enhanced with some Parm. SO very delicious and healthy. From my friend Darci who had never given it a name, so I call it Eat Your Greens Soup.

The second of the sheetpan dinners. I made this twice and want to make it again. Soon. Sheetpan Chicken Dinner with Bacon and Sourdough Croutons.

And last but not least, a so-flavorful mushroom soup, made with tons of umami flavor, but without a speck of milk or cream. And you won’t miss it. Mushroom Soup without Cream.

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Oh, mouth watering going on here. As I write, I have 2 pieces left over in my refrigerator. They won’t last long . . . what you see is a kind of cheese layer on the bottom, a chocolate cake in the middle, plus a “frosting” that starts with an instant chocolate pudding mix.

Now that my bible study group is back to normal weekly meetings again (after a break for Christmas), we met at my house, and that meant DESSERT. Sara (daughter) had mentioned making this cake and that her family had loved it. So I looked up the recipe, and read all kinds of different reviews of it (not everyone was successful at baking it correctly) but nearly everyone raved about how GOOD it was, plus the unusualness of it. Sure enough!

Most likely you’ll need to make a trip to the grocery store for 28 ounces of whole-milk ricotta cheese and about 14 ounces of mascarpone cheese. And perhaps a chocolate cake mix box AND a package of chocolate instant pudding.

What happens here: first you mix up a chocolate cake mix according to the box directions (eggs, oil or butter, water) and it’s poured into a 9×13 pan. Then you mix up a batch of the kind-of cheese layer consisting of mascarpone cheese, eggs, ricotta cheese, sugar and salt. Once it’s smooth and sort-of light, that gets poured all over the top of the raw cake batter in the 9×13 pan. Into the oven it goes and bakes for nearly an hour. In that time, the heavier cheese layer sinks to the bottom and the lighter chocolate cake rises to the top. Here is where the directions online (recipe comes from Valerie Bertinelli) are incorrect and so far no one at the Food Network has seen fit to correct the recipe info. The cake must bake nearly an hour to get all of it done in the middle. Mine took 60 minutes.

Then the cake has to be allowed to cool completely – and I’m just telling you – it takes longer than you think. Because of the denseness of the cheese layer (the most likely reason) it took at least 1 1/2 hours for mine to cool to a bit warmer than room temp. THEN, you mix up the frosting. Which consists of a small box of chocolate instant pudding, 10 ounces of mascarpone cheese and a cup of milk. It makes a lovely spreadable consistency which you put on the top of the cake. And serve it right away. Everyone who had it that night raved about it. Me included.

It does keep – but it must be refrigerated because you’re dealing with milk and cheese products that could easily make not-nice bacteria.

VARIATIONS: So I read, this cake can be made in many flavors – you’re only limited by the types of cake-mix flavors and instant pudding flavors. So, lemon-lemon, spice-butterscotch (maybe), vanilla-vanilla. Use your imagination. But since I’m a choco-holic, this may be the only flavor combo I’ll try.

What’s GOOD: well, the flavor and texture of this cake is just so different. Good-different. Delicious! The cheesy (kind of like cheesecake) layer is smooth and tasty, the chocolate cake layer is well, like a chocolate cake, and then the frosting, which isn’t very sweet, has a lushness about it too. Altogether wonderful. Don’t let the more savory frosting lull you into thinking this is a lower calorie dessert. Nope. Very high, likely from the mascarpone and ricotta cheese. But worth it – yes, indeed. I’ll definitely make this again!

What’s NOT: only that you do have to make 3 layers of stuff, so a bit more work than just mixing up a boxed cake mix and a frosting. But I’m just sayin’ . . . it’s worth it, in my opinion.

printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook 15/16 file (click link to open recipe)

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