I love beets. Especially ones fresh from the garden then roasted. Then there's Harvard Beets and pickled beets. I've been craving roasted brussels sprouts, but neither husband nor dd like them...dd used to, but now she's so anti-mom she's sworn off lots of stuff she used to like. Grits I learned to like when I was in Grad school in Billsburg, VA. I liked to go to the Chickahominy House to have a Virginian breakfast: eggs over easy, a slice of Virginia ham and grits, with a buttermilk biscuit. You could have redeye gravy, but I preferred to smush my eggs into the grits. Then there's egg/cheese/grits casserole. Cornbread is best slathered with butter, or drizzled with honey. I rarely do both anymore, but I used to. I brought rolls for the trip to MI to have Thanksgiving. I was up until 2:00 am on Thursday making them. I intended to make whole wheat "brown and serve" rolls, but I didn't hear the timer ding, and so in a panic, I baked them completely so I could taste test and make sure they were edible (they were, although some were big enough to be hamburger buns). For the young fry I made PIllsbury crescent rolls...as I know that dd and others prefer those. On the way home today she was munching on one and said "Oh, what is is that makes crescent rolls so yummy." "in a word," I said, "lots of fat." I have to say that driving up to Hastings, MI on Thursday morning was wonderful. A typical Michigan Thanksgiving day--misc. flurries and the sun breaking through glowering clouds over golden and russet fields which had been lightly frosted with a diamond dust. Breathtaking.

Cloud swift, I'm short too, under 5 feet by a bit and I don't like the idea of pouring the sugar water either and it is sticky. Not sure about changing the chocolates or the sugar, but hubby was just looking over my shoulder, read what you said and his comment was "don't you dare change a thing in this recipe." Wonder though, if he would notice any changes as long as it was rich enough and tasted chocolate enough. I'll let someone else here on the board attempt the changes. I had enough trouble figuring out the recipe. As for the 9x13 inch roasting pan and the 9 inch cake pan didn't like each other very much. Roasting pan had the last laugh, as the cake pan wouldn't fit in it. So took out my oval deeper roasting pan that is very sturdy but light weight and that worked fine. Only thing is that it is 4 inches deep. So if baking time is affected by how deep the roasting pan is, that explains that the cake was still not done in 25 minutes, just like the first time I made the cake. It took about 45-50 minutes, but that was fine and it was easy to take in and out of the oven. I posted the recipe on the what's for dessert thread and on the recipe exchange forum as well. Loves, here are some pics. 8 oz chopped unsweetened chocolate 4oz chopped semisweet chocloate 1 cup margarine and 5 eggs 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper ready to use oval roasting pan ready for the cake to go in sugar water waiting to boil "cake batter" ready to pour into pan cake pan in roasting pan ready for the oven cake done and cooling on rack cake done and on plate piece of cake before hubby attacked it. Here is a link that might be useful: what's for desert thread, recipe for

I have baked several 12" x 18" cakes successfully. You don't want you pan to be more than 2/3 full of batter, and I lower the temp to 325. (It will take at least an hour, probably more.) The lower temp helps the center cook before the edges dry out. I always use a heating core on cakes that large. An upside down flower nail (from cake decorating supply store) or two does wonders to help the cake bake evenly. Some people also like to use 'Bake Even' strips on the outside of the pan. You can just cut an old towel into strips, wet the strips and clip them around the outside of the pan. The Wilton website has a lot of this type of information. Good luck! Jane Here is a link that might be useful: Wilton website

Never refrigerate baked cakes or breads unless absolutely necessary. The temperature of a refrigerator is the optimum temp for making baked goods go stale as quickly as possible. They actually go stale faster in the fridge than at room temp--that's a scientific fact. Of course, with a cake with custard filling or whipped cream frosting, you have to store in the fridge for safety's sake. Keeping batter: Today's baking powder is formulated to be double acting. That means that it starts to bubble when you add the liquid, then completes the leavening process when exposed to heat. So if your recipe calls for only baking powder, you would get some rise from stored batter, but nowhere near what you would get from fresh batter. If your leavening agent is beaten egg whites or a baking soda/egg white combo, then it will be played out if you keep the batter. But you won't be happy with the results if you make the batter an hold it. Your best bet? Make and bake your cakes now, wrap (without frosting, preferably) and freeze. Then, when you defrost them, leave them wrapped until they're room temp. That way any condensation that forms as they defrost will be on the outside of the wrapping and won't make the cakes soggy. They'll be fine if you do that, and you'll save yourself a lot of work.