Two other couples came over yesterday to play Canasta. We went out for dinner, & I made dessert. It was really good & tastes better warm. Despite the length of the recipe, it's easy to make, especially as it can be done a day ahead. There are a lot of apples, but the cake is better with a lot, & I rewarmed the leftover for breakfast this morning. Yum, yum. Brown-Sugar Spice Cake with Cream and Caramelized Apples from Gourmet, March 2006 For caramelized apples 8 Gala apples (3 1/2 pounds) 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar For cake 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1/2 cup dark amber or Grade B maple syrup 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla For cream 1 1/4 cups chilled heavy cream 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons sugar Special equipment: an 8-inch square nonstick cake pan (2 inches deep) Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour cake pan, knocking out excess flour. Make caramelized apples: Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Spread softened butter in an even layer over bottom of a 12-inch heavy skillet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Add apple wedges and cook over moderate heat, without stirring, until sugar is melted and apples start to give off Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are just tender and juices become syrupy, about 30 minutes more. Pour syrup from skillet into a small heatproof bowl, then sauté apples, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and very tender, about 30 minutes more. Return syrup to apples and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Make cake while apples cook: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until combined. Add maple syrup, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, then mix until just incorporated. Spread batter in cake pan and bake until cake is golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Make cream just before serving: Beat cream with sour cream and sugar using cleaned beaters at high speed until it just holds soft peaks. To serve: Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert cake onto a plate and cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with warm apple mixture and cream Cooks' notes: ·Caramelized apples can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat. ·Cake can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature.

After being intrigued with stinky's idea of an Asian meatloaf, I looked up a recipe, and the below this weekend. Prep time is not 15 minutes, it's more like 30. It serves 12, not 6. I couldn't puree as the equipment had gone caput. I loved the way this tasted. Both the sauce (which is completely necessary, a foil against the sweetness of the loaf) and the meatloaf. It filled two meatloaf pans. Will I make it again? Doubtful, unless I can cut down the prep time. Both the loaf and the sauce are very labor intensive. For the amount of time, all you get is meatloaf. Not that that is a bad thing, but it sure isn't boeuf bourginon. Asian Pork Meatloaf with Red Wine-Mushroom Gravy Copyright, 2000, Ming Tsai, All Rights Reserved Prep Time: 15 min -- Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min -- Serves: 6 servings Ingredients  Canola oil, to cook  1 tablespoon minced garlic  1 tablespoon minced ginger  1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and chopped  3 carrots, peeled and 1/4-inch dice  4 stalks celery, 1/4-inch dice  2 onions, 1/4-inch dice  1 zucchini, 1/4-inch dice  1 tablespoon sambal  1/2 cup hoisin sauce  2 cups cooked long grain rice  2 pounds ground pork  4 eggs, lightly beaten  Salt and black pepper, to taste Red Wine-Mushroom Gravy:  1 tablespoon minced garlic  1 large onion, roughly chopped  1 pound button mushrooms, sliced  1 bottle dry red wine  2 cups chicken stock  2 tablespoons soy sauce  2 tablespoons butter  Salt and black pepper, to taste Directions In a large saute pan coated with oil, add the garlic, ginger and black beans. Stir and season. Add carrots, celery, onions, zucchini and stir. Add sambal and hoisin and continue to stir. When the mixture is cooled, mix in the rice, pork and eggs. Season with salt and black pepper. (Test for seasoning by cooking a small piece in boiling water, a frying pan or even nuking it.) Spray a nonstick meatloaf pan and fill with mix. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife/poker comes out clean. For the Red Wine Mushroom Gravy: In a saucepan coated with oil, caramelize the garlic, onions and mushrooms. Deglaze with red wine and reduce by 75 percent. Add the stock and soy sauce and reduce by 50 percent. Check for seasoning. Using a hand blender, puree the sauce and add the butter. Check again for seasoning. Keep warm. Plating: Sauce the plate completely then top off with a thick slab of meatloaf. Wine Suggestion: Rabbit Ridge. California Zinfandel, Barrel Cuvee, 1997

And last night, I made this recipe from the Los Angeles Times Food section. It's rich, good, & not complicated to prepare. I'll make it again. The link has the story that went with the recipe. Jeremy's artichoke and potato au gratin Servings: 12 to 16 Adapted from Jeremy's on the Hill in Julian, Calif. 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 3 cups grated Gruyere cheese 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch), divided Salt, pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 6 cups drained marinated artichoke hearts 1 quart heavy cream, divided 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15-by-11-inch baking dish with butter. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses. 3. Line the bottom of the baking dish with one-half of the sliced potatoes, overlapping the slices and forming rows to make a single layer. 4. Season the potatoes with three-fourths teaspoon salt and one-half teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Sprinkle over the garlic. 5. Add the artichoke hearts, arranging them in a single layer over the potatoes. Scatter one-third of the grated cheese mixture over the artichokes, then drizzle over one-half of the heavy cream. 6. Arrange the remaining potatoes in a single, overlapping layer over the cheese. Season with one-half teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper. Drizzle over the remaining cream, then sprinkle over the remaining cheese. 7. Butter the underside of a piece of foil to keep the cheese from sticking, then cover the baking dish. Bake the gratin until the potatoes are softened and almost completely cooked, 45 minutes to an hour (a knife should easily pierce the potatoes). Uncover the gratin and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack before serving. Note: I made a half-recipe & used russet potatoes & peeled them. I think Yukon Gold would make the dish even creamier. I just tasted them & think they are just as good the second day if not better. Here is a link that might be useful: Jeremy's on the Hill artichoke and potato au gratin

I haven't been cooking much. Too hot and my new field job leaves me pooped at the end of the day. I love it but it still wipes me out. The potato salad I made after having and loving it as Wegman's. The carrot cake I made last weekend for BF's birthday. I had made it once before and liked it, but this time I ran out of carrots and subbed crushed pineapple for some of the carrots and it was fantastic! I just love one layer cakes, they are the perfect size! The baked beans recipe is going to be my new "go to" baked beans. It is the first completely "from scratch" baked beans recipe that I have liked. If you use a crockpot, it is still a cinch to make. Latin Red Potato & Corn Salad Recipe from Wegman's Makes 12 cups. Ingredients 2 bags (24 oz each) Baby Red Potatoes, 1-inch dice 1/2 red sweet pepper, 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup) 3 ears of corn, shucked, kernels removed (about 3 cups) or 1 pkg (16 oz) Whole Kernel Corn, thawed (Frozen Foods) 1/4 red onion, peeled, very thinly sliced 1 Tbsp Tabasco Pepper Sauce 3/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt 1 1/4 cups Cilantro-Lime Pesto (see related recipe) Zest of 1 lime Directions Add potatoes and enough cold water to cover in stockpot. Simmer on MEDIUM about 20 min (don't boil), until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain. Lay potatoes flat on baking sheet to cool 10 min (still warm, not completely cooled). Combine red pepper, corn, onion, Tabasco, and salt in large bowl. Fold in potatoes, pesto sauce, and lime zest. Cilantro Lime Pesto 5 cloves Peeled Garlic 1 bunch cilantro, washed, roots trimmed 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (Bulk Foods), toasted and cooled 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil Juice of 1 lime (about 1-2 Tbsp) 1 1/2 tsp sea salt Directions: Add garlic, cilantro, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lime juice, and sea salt to food processor. Pulse on HIGH until well-combined. Chef Tip(s): Toast pumpkin seeds in skillet on MEDIUM-HIGH, 1-2 min, until lightly browned. Let cool. Great dipping sauce for quesadillas and grilled vegetables. Lpink's notes: Can use regular red potatoes if you don't have the dosh for the pricey baby ones. Just cut them up. Can also use parsley and maybe fresh oregano or some other herb in place of the cilantro if you can't find that either. Add a healthy dash of ground corriander seed to compensate. Torta di Carote del Veneto (Carrot Cake from the Veneto) from "Cucina Ebraica" by Joyce Goldstein Note: Joyce says use fresh young, sweet organic carrots. She's probably right, but subbing a cup of canned crushed pineapple for a cup of carrots adds a note of freshness if you can't afford the fancy carrots. Serves 8 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. almond extract (I omitted this because I added pineapple this time.) 1 tsp. vanilla extract Grated zest of one large lemon 2 cups all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat pastry flour) 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (I used half nutmeg and half ground ginger) Pinch of salt 4 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 lb.) (Thank you again Johnliu for the Cuisinart!!) 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds Confectioners sugar for the topping (I made cream cheese frosting) Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch cake pan, line it with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Beat together softened butter and other wet ingredients. In another bowl sift together flour and dry ingredients. (Or not, Lpink never does!). Fold flour mixture into batter, then fold in the carrots and almonds. Pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake until golden and the top springs back to the touch and the cake tests done. 45-60 min. (I baked it for 45 and it was done). Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Invert the cake onto a cake platter when cool. Sift confectioners sugar over the top of it and serve with a dollop of whipped cream if you want to be Continental. If not, frost with cream cheese icing. Lpink's note: Sub one cup pineapple for one cup of carrots. This greatly improves the recipe. Also, I think I would like it better with walnuts, but I didn't have any so I made as written with almonds. It was very good, but if you don't have almonds on hand, feel free to sub walnuts. You could also add plumped raisins for extra interest, but not needed. Last but not least, a "Cooking Light" baked beans recipe we have been enjoying all week. I didn't use chorizo, I just used some turkey kielbasa we had on hand. Not as sweet as regular baked beans and picante, both good things IMHO. Smokey Baked Beans with Chorizo from June 2011 "Cooking Light" magazine. Ingredients 1 pound dried Great Northern beans (2 1/2 cups) 1 cup diced dry-cured Spanish chorizo 4 cups chopped onion 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4 cups water 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon paprika 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons brown sugar (NO! Use 4 heaping TBLSP) 3 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste 3 tablespoons molasses 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (Lpink subbed a WHISPER of ground chipotle, since she didn't use chorizo) 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/2 cup chopped green onions 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Preparation 1. Sort and wash beans; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Cover; let stand 8 hours. Drain. 2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chorizo; cook 4 minutes or until fat begins to render. Add onion and garlic; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Add beans, water, and next 7 ingredients (through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until beans are just tender. (Lpink made the beans in the crockpot.) 3. Preheat oven to 350°. 4. Stir brown sugar and the next 3 ingredients (through crushed red pepper) into bean mixture; bring to a simmer. Cover; bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are very tender and sauce is thick. Remove from oven; stir in vinegar, black pepper, and ground red pepper. Discard bay leaves; sprinkle with green onions and parsley.