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! :) }

French Mints, from Carrie

French Mints
(A Duncan family favorite--Melba's mom's side of the family)

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 c. butter or margarine
2 c. powdered sugar
4 eggs (I just use the whites)
1 tsp. peppermint extract
2 tsp. vanilla
(1 c. chopped pecans or almonds)
(1/2 c. maraschino cherries, cut into small pieces)

Melt baking chocolate and set it aside to cool. In an electric mixer, beat the butter/margarine until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for about 15 minutes. Continue to beat for 5 more minutes, slowly drizzling in the melted chocolate. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1–2 minutes between each one. Add the peppermint extract and vanilla. Spoon the mixture into small baking cups (about 2–3 Tbsp. in each cup). If desired, top with chopped nuts and maraschino cherry pieces. (At Christmas time, it’s fun to use holiday-themed baking cups and both red and green cherries.) Freeze for at least 4 hours. Serve chilled.

This recipe is the antithesis of healthy, but it's REALLY good for an occasional treat. According to my mom, "The secret to this recipe is to beat the heck out of it!" (You really should beat the powdered sugar and butter for a good 15 minutes, as it says.)

Frito Casserole, from Carrie (Boyer) Linscott

Frito Casserole
(From the Junior League Cookbook)

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 ½ cups water
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 clove minced garlic
½ cup uncooked minute rice
1 package Fritos

Brown ground beef and onion. Stir in water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Add rice. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve over Fritos. Garnish with grated Monterey Jack cheese, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped black olives, chopped green onions, diced avocado, or chopped green pepper. 6-8 servings.

Once when Melba was living in Pennsylvania for her first time, she came home for a few days to visit. Our mom announced that she was making Frito casserole for dinner, and Melba literally started jumping up and down with delight! This casserole got a similarly enthusiastic reaction on the day of our sister Martha's wedding. I invited Martha, her groom (Adam), her photographer (Sammie), and her photographer's lovely assistant (Melba) over for lunch between the ceremony and reception, since I lived right on the way. When I told Sammie I was making Frito casserole for the occasion, he nearly knocked me over with a huge bear hug. Here is a picture of Martha ready to be served her Frito casserole, with her wedding dress carefully protected:



Enjoy the recipe!