Newspaper Page Text
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WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 16, 2005
The chocolate
challenge -
Teens turn out a chocolate'lover’s
dream dessert
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
Jamie Britton and Jessica Moore are busy seniors at
Warner Robins High School, but their faces are familiar at
The Houston Home Journal. Both girls are learning about
newspaper work as interns.
Last Friday we put them to work in the kitchen with the
assignment of trying out a recipe for this food page.
Jessica managed the mixer while Jamie measured ingre
dients and broke the walnuts into pieces, and in no time the
cake was in the oven. Then they went to work on the glaze,
adapting the recipe a little by melting the chocolate and but
ter in the microwave (easier and less pan washing!)
The result? One fantastic cake that was devoured down to
the last crumb by the always hungry HHJ staff.
Jim Hayes of the advertising department said, “I would
kill for this cake!”
Kerri Wright in accounting called it “wonderful and excel
lent when eaten warm.”
Try it yourself and you’ll see.
Choc-aholic Cake
1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package (4 ounces) chocolate instant pudding
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate
morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease and flour 10-inch hundt pan or other tube pan.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, sour cream and
eggs in large mixer bowl.
Beat on low speed just until blended.
Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
Stir in morsels and nuts.
Pour into prepared bundt pan or other tube pan.
Planning a themed dinner party
Trying to plan an evening
so that your guests will be
entertained and enjoy a deli
cious menu can seem over
whelming, but if you plan
ahead, it is even possible to
enjoy your own party.
You must first decide on
the location, date, guest list
and theme.
Most dinner parties are
held in the host’s home.
At times you may wish to
hold it elsewhere due to the
size of your guest list or
when other events preced
ing the party make it impos
sible for you to prepare din
ner ahead of time.
A good example of this is
that I recently planned a
party for my husband,
Master Sgt. Eric Gunn, to
celebrate his retirement
after 21 years of service in
the United States Air Force.
As the formal ceremony
ended well after 4 p.m., it
would have been impossible
for me to prepare a dinner
for 30 in less than 2 hours.
So the decision to hold it
elsewhere was a wise choice.
Choosing the date and
your number of guests often
goes hand in hand.
If the gathering is held in
your home, try to invite
your guests at least two
weeks in advance so they
will be able to RSVP and you
will have time to now plan
the theme and menu.
Often, a simple phone call
is all that is necessary.
As we were planning a for-
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Laura Ingalls Gunn
Homekeeping
designforadime@hotmail.com
mal sit down dinner,
engraved invitations were
placed in the mail or hand
delivered six weeks prior to
the event.
If you choose to entertain
close to a holiday, this often
makes the planning of menu
choices and decor decisions
much easier.
You also may want to
assess your level of cooking
skills beforehand.
Many occasions, such as
super bowl Sunday or the
Oscars make the purchase of
take out and deli foods
absolutely acceptable.
If the weather is warm, a
cookout, potluck or picnic
are all wonderful opportuni
ties to provide a simple, yet
delicious menu.
Make all decisions well
ahead of time and try to pre
pare as much of the food in
advance, if possible.
An unfamiliar dish is a
sure fire recipe for disaster.
Take inventory of your
supplies including seating,
utensils, plates and crystal.
The decorations can be as
simple as napkins and can
dlesticks in the colors of the
season or if you wish for a
more elaborate feel you
could add a seasonal floral
arrangement, tablecloth and
chair covers.
You may use place cards or
dinner menus imprinted
with a decor element, but
they are not a requirement.
As a retirement does not
dictate a theme, our decor
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Jessica Moore and Jamie Britton clean up the pan after
the cake’s in the oven.
Bake in oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick
inserted in cake comes out clean. (Ours took exactly an
hour)
Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife to make
sure edges are loosened before inverting on a cake plate.
Top with glaze:
1 bar (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate bar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Using microwave, melt butter and chocolate together in
medium bowl microwave (2 minutes will probably do the
job) Beat in powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract. This
should be pourable. Spoon over still-hot cake.
Source: This recipe is modified slightly from
a Nestle’ Kitchens recipe.
required a bit of thought.
My husband is very proud of
his Scottish ancestry. When
we learned that First Sgt.
Scott Gunn, of the United
States Air Force Reserve
Bagpipe and Drum Corps
would pipe my husband in to
the ceremony, it seemed nat
ural to go with a Scottish
theme.
Our invitations were
made on crisp white card
stock with black Gaelic
styled lettering. A simple
tartan ribbon was added at
the top to further enhance
the motif.
For the tables, I choose
candles that were unscented
in classic white, so that the
so there would be no compe
tition with the fragrance of
the meal.
The floral arrangements
were red roses and yellow
daisies and also included a
bit of Scottish heather.
Red napkins were folded
to mimic a kilt and tied with
the same ribbon used on the
invitation.
Due to the size of our din
ner, we used large place
cards that included the
menu printed on the back.
Our menu consisted of
salad, bread, baked chicken,
mashed potatoes and car
rots.
A bit of research and
rewriting turned this simple
fare into Forfairshire field
greens, baps, chicken in the
heather, creamed tatties and
Guinness carrots. It was
another element that added
to the flavor of the evening.
As for food preparation,
make sure you check your
pantry for all the ingredi
ents and create a list for the
supermarket. Make sure
there is enough freezer and
refrigerator space to accom
modate all the dishes.
Of course the dreaded “C”
word, cleaning must be
mentioned. A second “to do”
list is helpful so that many
things are done well ahead
of time.
If you are having the
event at another location I
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suggest going over a few
hours beforehand and make
sure the floors, tablecloths
and chairs are clean and in
good repair.
As my husband’s family
came from out of state, it
was still necessary for me to
shampoo my carpets and
clean the windows. The day
prior to their arrival I thor
oughly cleaned the baths
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Jessica’s and Jamie’s Choc-aholic Cake before it was
devoured by the HHJ staff.
and set up a drink and snack
station in the tidied kitchen.
For most dinner parties,
all that is necessary for
entertainment is good con
versation. Some occasions
may revolve around a tele
vised event or perhaps if it is
a birthday, the opening of
gifts.
Other events may include
music or dancing.
6A
ABOVE: Eric and Laura
Gunn try playing the bag
pipes.
LEFT: Party favors includ
ed shortbread and butter
scotch.
We had a humorous roast
in the form of a question
naire regarding my hus
band. In addition, we pre
sented small tokens of
appreciation to our guests
that were involved in the
planning of the ceremony
and thanked those who had
traveled great distances.
Scott Gunn, who is a dis
tant relation, attended the
dinner with his lovely wife
Cheryl. He graciously
See GUNN, page 7A