Cocoa Fudge Ice Cream Sauce

½c cocoa powder

½c sugar

½c sour cream

1t± vanilla

2-4T half & half

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small sauce pan. Add just enough half & half to blend everything but still keep it thick. Heat and serve over ice cream, pound cake, etc. . .Lin   

Millie's Favorite Pound Cake Recipe

I was feeling nostalgic today and in honor of Valentine's Day decided to deviate and BAKE - something NOT healthy.  Unlike most normal sugar-cravers, I'm not big on chocolate.  I've had it from all over the world and if I had to pick, I'd take Dove Milk Chocolate any day.  But, really, VANILLA is my thing. . .real - excellent quality - VANILLA.

This was my Mother-In-Law's favorite Pound Cake recipe, also known as Imperial Margarine Pound Cake.  To me nothing says vanilla quite like wonderful ice cream, creme brulee' - OR - a homemade pound cake with LOTS of real Mexican, Madagascar, Indonesian, or Tahitian vanilla - today I'm using Mexican I got from a friend.  This time I made only a half recipe and baked it in a buttered-floured glass loaf pan.

A word of caution - do NOT use anything other type of margarine - it HAS to be Imperial - sticks - not tub - margarine!  Years ago I tried to make this with Blue Bonnet and it was horrible.  HOWEVER, margarine it NOT allowed in my home anymore, so I now use regular, salted butter - everything's better with butter!  Somehow, even without a leavening agent, this cake remains very dense yet rises and turns out well every time.  :-D

1 lb Imperial margarine
1 lb confectioners sugar
6 eggs 
3 cups cake flour
2-4t vanilla

~ Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat lightly, mixing in well after each addition. Add flour and mix well. Add vanilla before, during, and after adding the flour.
~ Pour batter into a stick-free or greased and floured bundt cake pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours on 325°F. Begin watching the cake at 1 hour. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cake should be cracked on top and golden brown.

~ Cool for 5 minutes on a cake rack. Loosen the sides with a knife. Gently remove the cake from the pan while still warm.

Today I made a chocolate glaze:

1/2c  chocolate chips
1T     butter
1/4c  sour cream
2T     vanilla
4T     powdered sugar

Another variation would be to use the zest of a lemon in batter, then glaze the cake with:

1T     melted butter
1/4±c  powdered sugar
juice of one lemon and a little heavy cream

Hot Fudge Sauce

When I'm going to splurge on something 'not healthy' I like the quality to be good.  I have another recipe for hot fudge sauce that's always been a favorite (I'll post that one soon too).  Today, however, I decided to play around with some unfamiliar ingredients and concoct this.  It's thinner than my usual recipe.

3T  unsweetened (baking) cocoa powder

6T  sugar

Stir these two together, in a 2-3 cup size bowl, until combined.

1/4c  light sour cream

1/4c  half and half (or regular milk)

Stir these two together until blended.  Then slowly pour the sour cream-half and half mixture into the cocoa and sugar.  Stir well then heat in the microwave for 25 second bursts, stirring between each.  Stop (after heating 3-5 times) when the look of the mixture begins to change to avoid scorching.

When sugar is dissolved and mixture is still very warm add:

2T   butter

1t    vanilla (I used Mexican vanilla this time but any good quality REAL vanilla will work.)  Stir this until butter melts and mixture is well blended.  Serve slightly warm over some really good vanilla ice cream. . .Lin 

Nutty Chocolate Squares

1 ½ c nuts (any combination of almonds, walnuts and pecans)
1 t cinnamon – optional
2-3 T melted butter
2 T real maple syrup
a pinch of salt
Grind the nuts in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and pat into an 8” square pan. Bake at 325° 15 minutes then cool.

24 Dove chocolate squares

4 oz Mascarpone cheese

1 t good quality vanilla

Heat and stir the chocolate SLOWLY, melting in a small heavy pan. When all lumps are gone, remove from heat, add Mascarpone and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour over cooled nut crust. Chill, cut into squares and top with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. . .Lin

Chocolate Meringues

Sugar Alert!!! This is NOT a 'Healthy' recipe. I created it years ago. My Granddaughter is here for a visit now and convinced me to make them for her. . .(us). . .She's a bad influence!

These began as individual Lemon Meringues. My daughter-in-law made an incredible lemon curd, while I was visiting them many years ago, and gave me some to take home. I decided to build a dessert around it. I made meringue shells, spooned in the lemon curd and topped them with whipped cream.  It was wonderful. This variation has less of a tart-sweet contrast and is always requested by my chocolate-loving friends. (Don't attempt this in humid weather, the meringues will be a mess.)

Meringue Shells:

3       egg whites - at room temp.

1/4 t  cream of tartar 

1    t  good quality vanilla

6   T  sugar

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium mixing bowl. Add sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until all sugar is incorporated and the mixture forms firm peaks.

Spread into nests on a parchment or brown-paper-lined cookie sheet, creating a center depression in each. Bake 1 hour in a 275° - don't open the door. Shut oven off and leave meringues in the closed oven with the light on 3 hours to dry and cool.

Chocolate Filling:
9 Milk chocolate Dove candies
9 Dark chocolate Dove candies
4 oz Mascarpone cheese

1 t good quality vanilla

Place unwrapped ;-) chocolate in a small, heavy bottom pan over VERY low heat. Stir constantly until soft and almost liquid. Quickly add the Mascarpone cheese and vanilla. Stir together, spoon into cooled, dry meringue shells. Chill 20-30 minutes. Top with whipped cream. . .Lin