Brownie Cake

Cake:

1 c. butter (2 sticks)

2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate

1 c. hot water

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan. Add water; boil for 2 minutes. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together. Combine with chocolate mixture, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat with mixer for several minutes until creamy. (Batter will be thin.) Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake @ 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool.

Frosting:

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

1/3 c. milk

2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate

4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan. Add milk and boil until it thickens and begins to separate. Add this mixture to powdered sugar and mix with electric mixer until very creamy. Stir in vanilla.

This cake is SO good! My mother-in-law, Nora, got this recipe years ago from a favorite family babysitter, and she often makes it for family birthdays. My daughter Abby and I made it a few days ago for my b-day (as seen above, with Katie too), and I thought I should share it with all of you bakers and chocolate lovers.

{OK, so it's probably dorky to make your own b-day cake . . . but now that we live so far from our families, and since my husband, Luke, does many wonderful things but does NOT cook or bake, I knew it was up to me if I wanted one. And I did! :) }

Chicken Alfredo Pasta from Stephanie Erickson

Melt together:
1 cup butter
4 oz. cream cheese
This will end up looking grainy and you'll think you did something wrong, but you didn't.

Stir in:
1 package of shredded 4 Cheese Italian blend
2 pints cream (heavy or light, depending on how your clothes are fitting)
garlic salt (to taste)
pepper
Stir until it's thick and looks like Alfredo Sauce.

Add:
Grilled Chicken Breast (oh, about 2-3 breasts worth. More or less, depending on your crowd)
1 or 1 1/2 pkgs. cooked pasta

This recipe generously feeds 10 people. I multiplied it by 8 for camp and had plenty, plus some leftovers.

Melba's Note: This is from my friend Stephanie Erickson, who mentored me through planning the menu for camp. She is as amazing a person as she is a cook. This recipe looks intimidating but is very easy and very yummy!

Key Lime Pie by Angie Hyde via Lindsay Kaelberer

1 8 oz. Cream cheese (I use the light, but not fat-free)

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

½ tsp. Vanilla

½ cup key lime juice (not plain lime)

1 Graham cracker crust

Mix all ingredients together and pour into crust. You can add green food coloring so it looks like lime. Chill at least four hours. Serve with whip cream and a cherry (or just plain!) Very yummy!

Melba's Note: This IS yummy! And not too heavy. If you use fat free cream cheese, it makes a nice key-lime soup in a graham cracker crust bread bowl. So, stick to light or regular.

Angie Hyde is a friend of Lindsay's from Charlottesville. She's another great cook and all-around amazing person!