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Cupie then and now

See those big brown eyes poking out from that ancient doll buggy? That sweet little dolly is a soft bodied pink Cupie Doll—very popular in the…old days. If you think I’m kidding, brace yourself. This picture was taken in 1959, you know, the stone age. We won’t be discussing how old that makes me.

But this cute baby has made it safely through all these years and is now meeting a new sweet dolly in the “living color” world. She’s waited patiently in an old box for so very, very long.

I suppose after all this time those tiny pokey fingers feel warm and right and familiar somehow.

Laugh if you like, but I’m pretty sure that dolly’s smile is bigger this morning.

And so it should be.

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Molten Chocolate Cake

We’ve discovered something…

“molten” is quite a relative term. But no matter how it is used, if it’s attached to the word “chocolate” well then….

it’s positively glorious.

We’ve tasted Molten Chocolate Cake in many of it’s incarnations, or—various levels of done-ness—and found that each and every version has it’s own unique…charm…

Yeah, charm is a good word. My favorite version is this moist and fluffy but not-quite-so-liquid center darling. If, however you want the molten chocolate to actually be more like lava–then just take it out of the oven a minute or so sooner than I did.

Either way…don’t make any plans.

You’re going to want a moment alone.

Trust me.


Chocolate Molten Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate

3 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Generously butter 4 – 3/4 cup molds, ramekins, or custard cups and dust the insides with granulated white sugar. Place the prepared molds on a baking sheet and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Now, then fold in the melted chocolate mixture.

In a clean bowl whip the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 1 tablespoon of granulated white sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. With a wire whisk gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, just until it is well combined. Don’t over mix or the batter will go flat. Divide the batter between the prepared cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the outside edges of the cakes are set but the middle still looks a little wet. You may have cracks on the top surface of the cakes.

Immediately remove from oven and let them rest for a minute or two. Run a knife around the edge of each cake and then turn it out onto the center of a serving plate.  Carefully remove the mold. Sprinkle the top of each cake with confectioners sugar and serve with Vanilla ice cream.

Makes 4 – 3/4 cup  individual cakes.

Oh, and whatever you do–don’t cook them longer than 15 minutes…or they tend to…ahhhh….blow up.

Yeah. Don’t ask.

Molten Chocolate Cake
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven.
  2. Generously butter 4 - ¾ cup molds, ramekins, or custard cups and dust the insides with granulated white sugar.
  3. Place the prepared molds on a baking sheet and set aside.
  4. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Beat the egg yolks and ⅓ cup sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy.
  6. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  7. Now, then fold in the melted chocolate mixture.
  8. In a clean bowl whip the egg whites until frothy.
  9. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks form.
  10. Gradually add the 1 tablespoon of granulated white sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
  11. With a wire whisk gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, just until it is well combined.
  12. Don't over mix or the batter will go flat.
  13. Divide the batter between the prepared cups, filling about ¾ full.
  14. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the outside edges of the cakes are set but the middle still looks a little wet.
  15. You may have cracks on the top surface of the cakes.Immediately remove from oven and let them rest for a minute or two.
  16. Run a knife around the edge of each cake and then turn it out onto the center of a serving plate. Carefully remove the mold.
  17. Sprinkle the top of each cake with confectioners sugar and serve with Vanilla ice cream.

 

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Highland Fling

Today my dears, is National Tartan Day. Yes, yes–that’s what I said.

So you know, a tartan is the plaid, woven cloth that Scottish kilts are made out of. In the old days Scottish families were distinguished by the different tartans they wore. The richer you were, or the more “noble” your family line–the more colors you were allowed to use in your family cloth.

For those of us with a fair bit of Scottish in our blood–we’ll take any excuse to share some lovely pictures—especially when my cute little daddy is in them.

Here are the two Scotties themselves–“Uncle Joe Johnston,” who really wasn’t our uncle at all–but a beloved adopted cousin, and my dad at the family reunion long, long ago. The green kilt is the Johnston tartan–our family plaid, and the red one is the Royal Stewart tartan–one of the most popular plaids.

Here is the cute guy competing in the Scottish Caber Toss. It’s a real simple sport where all you have to do is take a log the size of a telephone pole–almost–and toss it so that it falls end over end.

Easy–you say?

Simple even…

But with or without a kilt, I’m certainly not doing it.

Happy Tartan day.

Wear plaid.

Throw logs.

Eat haggis…

or kiss a Scotsman.

Gerard Butler

My personal favorite.

heh…

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Rumple House

The first time a neighbor came in and saw my girls playing in a made up “tent” she nearly fainted. I suppose it looked like maybe we’d had a private, one house earthquake. But no–it’s just that we found that the sturdiest and most amazing tents–or Rumple Houses–as Lyndi used to call them, are made from cushions and blankets—lots of blankets, and…

furniture. Yes, that’s what I said.

If you’ve never made one before–oh, what you’re missing!

Yes, that is a chair and an end table in there somewhere sheltering a couple of happy kids and the perfect plate of brownie cookies. We liked our “rumple house” that way. They were a lovely thing and liable to stay stacked up and played in and slept in–merrily–for days. Usually until someone a bit too rational and ordered was on their way over, then down it would would all come…like it had never happened.

Some people just wouldn’t understand.

One of the girls’ little friends came to play once in the middle of our “tenting” adventure and said, “Oooooh…you guys are going to be in trou-ble. Just wait till your mom sees what you did!”

Of course, that’s when one of them piped up–“Oh, she helped us tip over the rocker—it was too heavy for us.”

Guilty as charged.

But she came in and romped and played all afternoon and left saying, “I’m going to see if my mom will let us have a rumple house.”

Good luck with that.

So, if you are one of those staunchy souls who are inclined to say, “No, no. Bad mom,” –be warned. We’ll likely just chuckle…

and invite you in.

You’ll love it…

and…

we have cookies.

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This Moment

A Saturday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember~via Soulemama.

If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for us.