Edible Breadibles-- Baked Bread Bowls for Spicy or Grilled Chicken Salad (or Soups + Stews)

See, I've got a most delicious recipe for spicy popcorn chicken, but it's fried, so recently we've just pan-grilled strips of salt+pepper seasoned chicken in extra-virgin olive oil. (If you want it, though, the recipe for spicy popcorn chicken is yummier, and mum will be the word.)

Either way, these bowls filled with salad and chicken strips are one of mine and John's favorite meals. Perfect texture, perfect taste. Fill them with salad and chicken, prepared the way you favor, after they're removed from the oven. They're ideal for stews and soups, too.

BREAD BOWLS

1 cup warm water
2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Four small ovenproof bowls (I use stainless steel mixing bowls, and they work fine, but small casserole dishes or something similar would be best.) Experiment with bowl size and dough thickness to reach your preference. Ours usually turn out crunchy in the thin parts and chewy in the thicker parts. Mmmm.

1. Combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, and salt, and let sit until foamy.

2. Combine with flour and knead until smooth and elastic.

3. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

4. Shape over 4 small, greased, overturned, metal or ovenproof bowls and let sit, covered, until puffy.

5. Mix egg yolk and water and brush over dough.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.** 

7. Remove bread bowls from ovenproof bowls, turn right-side-up, fill, and munch.

**Note-- for soups and stews, I usually bake for about 12-15 minutes before taking them off the bowls and placing the bread bowls (without the bowls) back into the oven for three more minutes.  This bakes and hardens the inside of the bowl so that the bread bowls are more firm and stable for stew.

Chicken and Mushrooms in Ale

I used a big bag of delicious shittake mushrooms I found for 69 cents on a reduced rack, but I later discovered they were @ $7.00/lb. normally, so regular mushrooms must do from now on. If you can find flavorful mushrooms for a good price, though, wild or in a store, those would work best. I cut back on the amount of chicken (because it's just the four of us),
but I increased the corresponding amount of mushrooms, onion, salt, pepper, and ale, and I may have cut down a bit on the thyme. I just used regular Worcestershire sauce, but in a lesser amount and only to taste. If you have white wine, that would probably work as a substitute, too.
--------
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves (1 and 1/2 lbs.)
1/3 cup chopped onion (more)
4 tsp. olive oil
2 and 1/2 cups chopped mixed mushrooms (more) (you could probably use canned mushrooms, even, adding them at a later point, but just use much less b/c they won't shrink when cooked)
1 and 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup brown ale or amber beer (more-- can be non-alcoholic; dark ale is the most flavorful)
4 tsp. white wine worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 tbsp. fresh
1/4 tsp. salt (more)
1/4 tsp. pepper (more)
----
12 oz. fettuccine or other pasta
----
3 tbsp. flour or enough cornstarch to thicken sauce desirably
----
Rinse and pat dry chicken. Brown chicken and onion in oil in a skillet, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Add mushrooms, 3/4 cup chicken broth, the ale or beer, worcestershire sauce, thyme, and salt+pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and cook uncovered about 5 minutes or until chicken is not pink.

Meanwhile, prepare fettuccine or other pasta. Remove chicken breasts from skillet and keep warm. Shake or blend remaining broth and flour (or cornstarch) and pour into skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook one minute more. Place chicken back in skillet and serve with pasta.

Coca Bread

This is a sweet Spanish flatbread that I haven't made in a winter or a two. It's heavenly eaten warm, and I think it's about time for a pairing with tea or cocoa. Now, where's my chef gone off to...

1 tablespoon + 1 tsp. yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
5- 6 cups flour
1/4- 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk, room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Combine yeast and warm water. Let stand 10 minutes till foamy. In bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 4 cups flour, and salt. Stir in yeast mixture, milk, 3 eggs, and 1/2 cup melted butter till combined. Work the rest of the flour into the dough with your hands, 1/4 cup at a time, until it's no longer sticky. Knead until the dough has a smooth, satiny texture and springs back when you poke it, @ 5 minutes.

2. Place balled dough in a buttered bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease two baking sheet with unmelted butter. Cut dough in half. Place each half on a sheet and press into an 8" x 17" rectangle. Allow dough to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Whisk remaining egg with water and brush onto the dough. Generously sprinkle dough with remaining sugar and drizzle with honey. Bake until golden and crispy, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool a bit. Eat, oh, just eat it!

Savory Oven-Baked Fish

1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. crushed basil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder, or more, to taste
1/2 tsp. salt

Italian bread crumbs

Mild, skinless, white fish fillets (pollock, haddock, etc.)

Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs and fish. Roll fish pieces in butter mixture and then immediately coat with bread crumbs. Bake, on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven, or until fish flakes.

Serve with seasoned, oven-baked potato wedges and yummy green beans. Or garlic bread. Or lots of milk.

Beef Bulgogi

This is a spicy Korean dish, made even spicier and more delicious if you double, like we do, the amount of marinating sauce and spices it calls for. This dish is traditionally wrapped in lettuce leaves, but it's also served over white rice. We use brown rice, and it's yummy. We also use a different amount of spices each time and add julienned carrots to it, so I guess what we prepare isn't really beef bulgogi at all, but more of a spicy beef stirfry. Oh, well. It's still good.

1 and 1/2 pounds steak, trimmed of excess fat
---Double ingredients from here on out, if you wish, to strengthen the marinade----
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon hot chili sesame oil (we don't have it-- just use olive or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh peeled ginger (or ground ginger, to taste)
2 medium red onions, cut into wedges (or, if you're lame like us, regular yellow cooking onions)
1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced into 1/2 inch strips (when in season, a mixture of green and red bell peppers is better)
some julienned carrots, if desired
4 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
We add lots of dried red pepper flakes, too. A must to balance out the brown sugar if you're not using the hot chile sesame oil!

And don't forget to cook enough brown (or vitamin-sapped white) rice to eat with the beef mixture.

1. Freeze beef for 20 minutes (or start with already frozen beef). Slice diagonally across the grain into 1/8 inch-thick strips. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Place onions and peppers (carrots, too, if using) in a small bowl and toss with half the soy marinade. Toss steak in remaining marinade. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinade with onions and peppers (and carrots, if using). Cook until softened. Transfer from pan.

3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Cook the meat mixture, turning often, until done. Return vegetable mixture to pan and toss with meat mixture.

4. Serve over brown rice. Skip the lettuce.

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Noodle Balls

One dead and plucked chicken, cooked whole in its skin (reserve broth)
a large onion, diced
carrots, chopped
potatoes, cubed
green beans, cut
celery, if desired, sliced

lots of little noodle balls, recipe found below

ground sage
ground thyme
minced, fresh garlic
salt + pepper, in copious amounts
a dash of cayenne pepper for zip
chicken bouillon, if needed
a dash of parsley
*When in season, use chopped, fresh herbs of your choice. They make it even better.

Boil chicken in its skin. When chicken is cooked, remove and discard skin, then cube the chicken, reserving the fluid (chicken broth) for the soup base. Cook carrots, potatoes, onion, and celery in chicken broth until almost tender (keep skins on the potatoes to seal in nutrition). Add beans and cook another five minutes. Add spices, to taste, and let simmer while you make the noodle ball fixings. Add noodle balls and cook another few minutes until done. Serve with garlic bread if you want to feel too stuffed.

** If you have no whole chicken available to make chicken broth, cook + cube the cut you have and use chicken bouillon, to taste, for the chicken soup base. Even with boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, refrain from discarding any skin or fatty parts and boil them in water to make a type of broth.

Noodle Balls-- The Cheater's Way

To be fair, I'm including the real recipe for noodles, which is quite good, but, at the end, I'll give you my I'm-always-in-a-rush version.

NOODLES

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon oil

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together 1 and 3/4 cups of the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. In a small mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, egg, water, and oil. Add to dry mixture and mix well.

2. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (@ 8-10 minutes). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Divide dough into four equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 12" square about 1/16" thick. Let stand, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Loosely roll up dough jelly-roll style, cut into 1/4"-wide strips. Shake the strands to separate and cut into 2-3" lengths. Pass through pasta machine or hand-cut into 1/4" wide strips. Cut strips in 2-3 inch lengths.

4. To store cut noodles, spread on a wire cooling rack and let dry overnight or till completely dry, place in airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Or, dry the noodles for at least one hour and freeze for up to 8 months.
5. Cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes, a bit longer for dried or frozen noodles. Makes about one pound fresh pasta.

ABIGAIL'S CHEATING NOODLE BALLS

For one large pot of chicken soup, combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, @ 1/5 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil. Dump egg mixture into the well you've made in the flour mixture. Mix well and knead until smooth-ish. Add more flour, if needed, to make an easy "noodle-balling" consistency. Remove small pieces of dough; using your hands, roll lots of tiny little noodle balls; plunk noodle balls into soup; cook for a few minutes.

Voila! In five minutes, you've got Noodle Balls in your Chicken Vegetable Soup!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

I think this is the lost recipe, Leah! It makes three loaves and isn't all that healthy, though it's yummy. You could probably experiment with increased oats and the addition of some whole wheat flour, too.

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. salt
2 cups boiling water
2 scant tablespoons yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
8 cups flour
melted butter

Combine oats, 1/4 cup butter, honey, and salt. Stir in the boiling water. Cool to lukewarm temperature. Sprinkle yeast on 1 cup lukewarm water and stir to dissolve. Add yeast mixture to 2 cups flour and the oat mixture. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the rest of the flour until a soft dough forms that leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and satiny (about 8-10 minutes).

Cover, in a lightly greased bowl, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down dough, divide into thirds, and place in 3 greased 9x5x3 pans. Let rise in warm place until doubled. Beake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes more. Brush with melted butter, remove from pans, and cool on racks.

Drizzle with honey, if desired.

Pizza Stromboli Bread

Ingredients:
Bread:
1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
4 and 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
@ 6 tsp. pizza sauce

Filling: Add, omit, or adjust ingredients to taste
3/4 cup chopped pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese, divided
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. each chopped ripe olives, chopped stuffed olives, and chopped canned mushrooms.
* I used sharp cheddar (and more of it), grated parmesan (and less of it), more mozzerella, more chopped onion, more pepperoni, and NO olives!

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in honey and milk powder until well-blended and let it proof (let sit until it becomes foamy on top). In a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, the whole wheat flour, and seasonings. Add to the yeast mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in pizza sauce. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

2. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 14" by 12" rectangle. Sprinkle filling ingredients to within 1/2 in. of edges, reserving some of the shredded cheeses for topping. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with reserved shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pumpkin Trifle- with or w/o Butterscotch

Ingredients:
2-3 cups cubed spice cake (spice cake recipe here), muffins, or crumbled gingerbread
*reserve some crumbs
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin or the equivalent of cooked, pureed, cooled pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
*I always add more of these spices, to taste
@ 3 cups cold milk
4 packages (3.4 oz. each) instant butterscotch and/or vanilla pudding
*In the past, I've folded melted butterscotch chips into vanilla pudding or used just plain vanilla pudding
1 pint heavy cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
*If, and only if, you're in a real time or budget crunch, use 2 containers of prepared whipped topping
maraschino cherries for garnish, optional

Prepare spice cake and cool OR use muffins, gingerbread, etc. Layer bottom of trifle bowl or large bowl with cubed cake, muffin, or gingerbread, reserving rest for later. (If you don't have a trifle bowl, any glass or punch bowl works well b/c you can see the trifle layers. Or use an opaque bowl and imagine the layers...)

Whip the heavy cream and sweeten to taste. Set aside in refrigerator.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, spices, milk, and pudding. Mix until smooth. If using melted butterscotch chips, fold them into the mixture last. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream.

Layer half of the pumpkin mixture on top of the cubed spice cake, then next place another layer of cake/muffins/gingerbread in the bowl. Make another layer using the remaining pumpkin mixture. Lastly, layer the second half of the whipped cream on top (you can just spread it on, or, if you feel a Martha Stewart spirit astir, use a pastry bag to decoratively pipe it on top). Garnish with reserved crumbs and maraschino cherries, if desired.

Spice Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
* I usually use a bit more of the above spices, to taste.
1/4 cup butter or margerine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 and 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk
*I use a buttermilk substitute: mix a bit more than 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 and 1/4 cups. Let sit five minutes.

1. Grease a 13"X 9" X 2" pan. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking, soda, and spices. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and shortening on medium to high speed until blended. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add dry mixture and buttermilk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just till combined. Pour into pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
Makes 12 servings.
*If you use this for the pumpkin trifle found above, you will have leftover cake to munch on, which can only be a good thing.

Basic Cream Filling

This is a very rich and delicious vanilla filling I found in a Fannie Farmer cookbook. It can be used in cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, or eaten straight from the spoon. Dear Fannie, you rock!

2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten *Make sure that you remove as much egg white as possible, as it will make your filling lumpy.
4 teaspoons vanilla

Heat the milk in heavy-bottomed pan until very hot but not boiling. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt together in a bowl, stir in the hot milk, and beat until well-blended. Pour back into the pan and continue to stir vigorously over low heat for 4-5 minutes until very thick and smooth. Add the egg yolks (pouring in a thin stream while stirring) and cook for a few more minutes. Cool, stirring from time to time, then add the vanilla. Makes enough filling for cream puffs, eclairs, or more than enough for a three-layer cake.


Variation: Banana Cream Filling
Omit the vanilla. Mash two large bananas and beat until smooth, add four tablespoons lemon juice, and stir into the cooled filling.

Variation 2: Chocolate Cream Filling
Melt 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate in the milk and use 2 cups sugar instead of 1 cup.

Variation 3: Add Your Own Flavors
I think chocolate-mint cream filling would be yummy...

Cream Puff Variation: Chocolate Meets Chocolate

I've not tried this recipe, but it looks good on paper...

Chocolate Cream Puff Dough:
Prepare dough as above, only add 1 tablespoon sugar to the milk and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the flour.

Chocolate Pastry Filling:
2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream

Bring milk to boil in a small pan. In a bowl, heat the yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Stir in the flour. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk into the yolks, stirring constantly. Return the yolk mixture to the remaining milk in the pan and cook, stirring until the sauce boils for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until smooth. Strain into a bowl and cover closely with plastic wrap. Cool to room temperature. In a bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff. Fold into the cooled pastry cream, and then fill the cream puffs.

Top with chocolate frosting, eat, and then nurse your bellyache.

Good Ol' Fried Chicken

***OVERCONSUMPTION OF FRIED CHICKEN WILL LEAD TO PERPETUALLY GREASY FINGERS AND A TICKER THAT JUST MAY STOP TICKIN'. ENJOY WITH CAUTION. ***

*The amounts given are only estimates. I can't remember all that I put into the batter, so adjust according to your taste and intelligence.

1 whole chicken, @ 3-4 pounds (or 2 two-pounders)
6 cups buttermilk (I used sham buttermilk; 6 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 6 cups. Let sit 5 minutes.)
2-3 tablespoons salt, separated
1/3 - 1/2 cup hot red-pepper sauce, optional
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon black pepper (more or less)
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (more or less)
2 tablespoons baking powder
garlic powder (probably lots)
onion powder (probably lots)
a bit of paprika
maybe a sprinkle or two of ground thyme and sage (I can't remember)

Electric fryer or a deep pot
Enough oil or shortening to submerge a few chicken pieces at a time (Peanut oil is great b/c is has a higher smoking temp. than other frying oils, but we usually just use veg. oil.)

1. Separate whole chicken into 8 standard pieces (I usually cut breasts into smaller sections, too, otherwise they don't fully cook in the middle). Combine buttermilk, 1 tablespoon salt, and hot sauce, if desired, in a large airtight container. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Combine flour and remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl and retain buttermilk mixture for dredging.

3. Heat oil in an electric fryer (to fill line) or a deep pot (enough to submerge chicken pieces completely). Heat oil to about 360-375 degrees. Also, line a baking sheet with a mattress of paper towels and heat oven to 200 degrees.

4. While oil heats, prepare the first batch of chicken pieces for frying. Prepare and fry only a few pieces at a time. Taking a piece out of the buttermilk mixture, dredge it in the dry mixture (coating well), then dip it into the buttermilk mixture a second time before again coating it with dry mixture. The more you repeat this process, the thicker the fried coating will be. (I usually dredge each piece about 2-3 times in wet and dry before frying.)

5. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time. If too many pieces are added, the oil temp. drops too low. This is the tricky part that made our first few fried chicken dinners less than satisfying. If the oil's too cool, the coating soaks up too much oil and becomes mushy; if the oil is too hot, the coating browns too quickly and the center of the pieces are raw. Fry the larger pieces when the temperature is slightly lower (temperature will drop when pieces are added). Fry the smaller pieces when the temperature is higher, and they will be cooked more quickly. If you see that the coating is browning too quickly, turn down heat or unplug the fryer for a bit. Remove when chicken is golden brown and drain on paper towels. Place finished chicken in the oven to stay warm and crisp while you finish frying the rest

I highly recommend frying only a few pieces first and cutting them open to see if they are fully cooked before going on to the next batch. (Based on sorry personal performance in the past...) If the center of a piece is not cooked, I just pop it in the microwave for less than a minute to finish cooking, but the coating on the bottom of the chicken may turn a bit mushy.

Moist Devil's Food Cake (Triple Layer)

This cake is moist and devilish, and it's three layers of decadent heaven.

1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups sifted cake flour* (I use regular flour; use one cup minus two tablespoons all-purpose flour for every cup of cake flour.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk

1 recipe Melt-in-your-Mouth Chocolate Frosting (found below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with 2 racks centered. Butter (or use vegetable shortening) 3 8"x2" round cake pans and dust with cocoa powder. Sift the 3/4 cup baking cocoa into a bowl, whisk in the boiling water, set aside, and let cool. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar while beating until mixture is fluffy. Beat in vanilla and then gradually drizzle in beaten eggs, beating after each addition until batter isn't slick. Sift flour, soda, and salt. Whisk milk into cooled cocoa mix. On low speed, add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Divide into the 3 pans. Bake for about 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer pans to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes and then remove cakes from pans to cool, top-sides up.

Save best layer for top. Place one layer on platter, top with 1 1/2 cups frosting, and repeat with second layer. Top with third layer and cover outside of cake with remaining 3 cups frosting.

I also added a layer of wild raspberry jam under each layer of the chocolate ganache, and I embellished the top with semisweet chocolate curls and white chocolate cutouts.

To make chocolate curls, melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate with 1/2 tablespoon shortening and spread thinly on a cookie sheet. Let cool until firm but still somewhat yielding. Using a metal spatula, scrape the chocolate off in curls. (I can't explain this very well. Just google it or look in a cookbook...)

For white chocolate cutouts, simply melt one cup white chocolate, spread onto a cookie sheet, and let sit until firm but still somewhat yielding. Cut out desired shapes and let chocolate completely harden. Then, pluck your little shapes off the cookie sheet and press them on your cake, in whatever manner you'd like.

Melt-in-your-Mouth Chocolate Frosting (Chocolate Ganache)

This is the richest, yummiest frosting EVER. DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!!!! It just is, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Makes about 6 1/2 cups, enough to fill and frost a three-layer cake.

Ingredients:
24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (*I sometimes add 1 extra cup chocolate chips to help the ganache firm up faster. Shameful, I know.)
1 quart heavy cream
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Place chocolate and cream in a heavy saucepan. Cook over med.-low heat until combined and thickened. Increase heat to medium and cook about 8 minutes more, stirring constantly and watching carefully to avoid scorching. Remove from heat, stir in extra chocolate chips, if desired, and whisk the mixture until smooth and melted. Transfer to a metal bowl and chill in refrigerator until mixture reaches spreading consistency (a few hours), stirring every 15 to 20 minutes so that it cools evenly.

Boston Cream Pie (Two-Layer Cake)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cup cake flour* (I used all-purpose; just use one cup minus two tablespoons for every cup of cake flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk

1 recipe Cream Custard or Basic Cream Filling
1 recipe Chocolate Frosting (Found below. If this is more than you'd like on the cake, eat the extra plain.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter (I used veg. shortening b/c it doesn't burn) and lightly flour two 8 inch round cake pans. Cream the butter until softened and slowly add the sugar, beating until light. Add the egg yolks and vanilla until softened and beat to blend well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternately blend the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture in three stages. Beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir a third of the whites into the cake batter and gently fold in the remaining. Spoon the batter into the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a straw (or toothpick) inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry.

Cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto racks. Cool completely, and then spread first and second layers with Cream Custard and spoon frosting over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Keep cake refrigerated between munchings, unless it only takes one munch for it to disappear.

Cream Custard

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Heat the milk in a pan until very hot, then briskly stir in the granulated sugar, flour, and salt. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until very thick. Add the egg yolks and cook, continuing to stir, for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and cool, stirring occasionally. Cover well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Frosting (usually for cream puffs and eclairs)

Ingredients:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 tablespoons butter

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a heavy bottomed small pan over moderate heat, stirring constantly until smooth.* Spoon over filled cream puffs or eclairs and let drip down the sides.

*NOTE: I cheat and use the microwave. Don't melt the chips entirely, as they will completely melt if the mixture is stirred smooth after removing it from the microwave. Watch it carefully and stir a few times to avoid scorching the chocolate.
**Note: we have been living microwave-free from some time now. Melting chocolate easily is one of the few things I miss about this.

Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1 cup old-fashioned oats + more for top
1 scant tablespoon yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
3- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine boiling water and 1 cup oats; let stand until warm (110- 115 degrees). In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; add to oat mixture. Add honey, butter, salt, and 2 cups flour; mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl lightly coated with oil, turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Shape into a loaf, and place in a greased 8x4x2 loaf pan. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with additional rolled oats. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: one loaf*

* NOTE: This only makes one loaf. We double it, but I know some will need to quadruple it or more! (This is best eaten fresh from the oven or, later, toasted and spread with sweet butter.)