RE: LOOKING for: A Rich Moist Homemade Chocolate Cake clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Thu, Apr 24, 08 at 13:00 Colleenoz's recipe for chocolate cake is excellent. I am no baker and it is perfect every time. Colleen's Chocolate Cake 1 Cup caster sugar (called superfine sugar in the US) 1 Cup brown sugar 2 eggs 250 g margarine (8 ounces) 2/3 Cup cocoa 1 Cup sour milk* 2 Tsp vanilla 1 Cup boiling strong coffee 3 Cup plain flour 2 Tsp bicarbonate of soda Preheat oven to 170C (325F), grease and line two 20cm (8") round cake tins. Put ingredients into mixing bowl in order listed and turn on mixer. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared tins and bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave to stand in tins for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool. Ice with chocolate icing. *If you have not got sour milk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to milk and leave in a warm place. NOTES : This is a very rich, almost black chocolate cake which stays moist for days and freezes well. This is the recipe , from another forum member, I use for the icing. Della Dufour's Chocolate Icing (Dances) 1 1/2 Tbl butter pinch salt 1 1/2 Cup sifted icing sugar 1 Tsp vanilla 5 Tbl cocoa 2 to 3 tbsp hot coffee Cream butter. Add salt and vanilla. Gradually add cocoa. Add sifted icing sugar alternately with the coffee until the right consistency to spread over cake.

It has a cup of butter and only 1 cup of flour!!! Plus a cup of cheese! Try this... PARMESAN BLACK PEPPER BISCOTTI These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper  perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine. 1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns 4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 4 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups) 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 large eggs 1 cup whole milk Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart. Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes. Cooks' note: Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks. Makes 5 to 6 dozen biscotti.

Can you get excessive vitamin K from the amount of EVOO you would get in a bean salad? I'm wondering same with salt, if your beans are homeade. I often make a big pot of beans over the weekend and freeze them in 1 pint jars. Right now I have garbanzoes, red beans and black beans in the freezer, so very easy to throw my own "canned" beans instantly into a dish. I found out the beans thaw pretty fast in the microwave (if I take off the metal lids!). And I use maybe 1 tsp. salt for the whole batch. But I also cook them with an onion, maybe stuck with a few cloves, bay leaf and epazote, all kind of resinous flavors. I also add no salt vegetable bouillon cubes. I save the bean broth for soups. I don't know the sodium content but I'll bet it is 1/2 if not 1/4 what the canned stuff is. Since I cook all the homeade stuff I am like you Lirio, I find most pre-packaged and restaurant food way too salty for my palate. Same with sugar, I almost routinely cut sugar in recipes by 1/4 and often up to 1/3, and never notice it. I don't know for sure, but I think a lot of those dietary guidelines come about because they say "X" is good for you, and then some people eat nothing BUT X, or take super high concentrate supplements thinking that will work. And then they get the bad side effects from the nutrient taken in excess, without the fiber and other nutrients that would go along with it if you found it in a natural form. I know that is the case with vitamin C, and I think if I'm not mistaken some of the B vitamins are toxic, like maybe B6 or niacin? But anyway, I'm sure you've been round the block on all of this! But I can see where a person could overdose on garbanzo beans, I LOVE hummus! Here's Annie's Bean Salad recipe, I know she's at a huge wedding this weekend, where she made hor'doeuvres (or however you spell it) for 600! All Purpose Southwestern Corn and Black Bean Salad from "Cooking Light" magazine Makes 12 servings and keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. Can add shredded chicken and serve as a filling for tacos or enchiladas, tostadas, whatever. Great with baked tortilla chips as an extra chunky dip. Or serve on a bed of lettuce for a salad. 1 lb. dried black beans 11 1/2 cups of water, divided 1 tsp. olive oil (I think you could get away with canola on this part) 2 tsp. cumin seeds 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups fresh corn kernels 2 cups chopped seeded tomato 1 cup vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 cup chopped green bell pepper For the Dressing: 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes) 1 TBLSP chili powder 3 TBLSP olive oil 2 tsp. salt (I'll bet you could get away with one, or 1.5) 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. honey 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and minced 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you don't like cilantro, I love it!) Sort and wash beans. OK, at this point, cook however you like. The directions say combine beans and 5 1/2 cups water in a 6 quart pressure cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 1 min. Remove beans from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain beans; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool. Lpink: "Um yeah, right. Or soak in the water overnight, and then drain off the water before cooking in new water in the crockpot." Heat 1 tsp. oil in cooker over med. heat. Add cumin seeds and 2 garlic cloves, cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add beans and 6 cups water. Close lid, do the whole pressure thing again, adjust heat to maintain cooking at high pressure. Cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat, place cooker under cool water to lower prssure. Remove lid, drain beans and rinse with cold water. Lpink: "Or, use ground cumin instead, and throw the beans and a couple veg. bouillon cubes in the crockpot and cook on high for about 3-4 hours, or on low for about 5. Drain the broth into a tupperware container and label it "bean broth" for chili later." Meanwhile, make the salad with the cooled beans and the chopped veggies. Then make the dressing and pour over the salad. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 min., but I would say longer. I know a pressure cooker is the BEST way to do beans, but I have never gotten the knack of it and can't be bothered. Maybe if I got on of those new fangled ones that are just for cooking I might like it, but no money and no room in the kitchen, so that's not going to happen. I like the slow cooker method though, I can make them over the weekend and forget them until they are done.

Since I was not asking a question thought I had better bump it down. Lois