I'm about 95% well right now and feeling extremely grateful that I can drink something *and* breathe through my nose!
I'm still playing catch-up today as I just haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. In between catching up on my blog reading, I've done some dishes, several loads of laundry, packaged up some mozzarella and smoked sausage for the freezer, organized my coupons and finished my shopping list for tomorrow. We are having unseasonably warm weather today so I have the windows open and the cats and I are enjoying the fresh air.
I need to go and check if the romaine lettuce I have in the fridge is still good. If so, I'll make Rosie Hawthorne's Caesar salad to go with the leftover spaghetti sauce that I pulled out of the freezer yesterday. (Mr. Hairball and myself do not fall into any of the risk groups so we are okay with the small risk of eating raw or almost raw eggs.) I've got some leftover french bread hanging out in the fridge so I'll make some garlic bread to go with it.
Mr. Hairball has requested that I make him a chocolate cake sometime during the next few days. I thought I remembered where the source was for this recipe but, I can't find it right now.
Mr. Hairball's Favorite Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350F.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) softened butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 TB baking powder
1 TB instant coffee crystals
2/3 cup Dutched process cocoa
3 cups bleached AP flour
1 1/4 cups milk
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, coffee crystals, and salt. Beat at medium speed until combined. Add the baking powder, flour, cocoa, and milk. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured layer pans or one greased and floured 9x13 sheet pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes for the layer pans or 35-40 minutes for a 9x13 pan.
Do not pull a Sandy and put canned frosting on this cake. I will come and haunt you when I die!!
Frosting
6 TBS Dutched process cocoa
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
6 TBS or 3/8 cup softened butter
1 1/2 tsps instant coffee crystals
3-4 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix everything together on lowest speed until combined. Turn mixer to highest speed and whip until fluffy. Frost cooled cake.
