Chocolate Fudge Cake with Ghost Meringues

When the house on the corner of my street pulls out the pumpkins, inflatable Frankenstein, huge tree-covering spiderwebs, and plastic black cats, I know that Halloween is on its way. It's like clockwork. Every year in mid October, the home suddenly becomes a haunted house—eerie lights, creepy noises, and all. I have to admire their fervor, even I don't share the same level of enthusiasm for All Hallow's Eve.

Trick or Treating was easily my favorite part of Halloween (and it's a shame I'm about ten years too old for it). I didn't care for dressing up or even the candy (gasp), it was the simple act of going from house to house that kept me coming back. I looked forward to the anticipation of what awaited on the other side of the door. Snickers? Twix bars? A sneak peek into the lives on my neighbors? I loved it all.

My younger sister and I always fought over who got to ring the doorbell. Arguably my favorite part of Halloween, my sister liked to run up to the door and ring it before me. I imagine it was simply to spite me because that's what younger sisters do. This is all speculation, of course, but I'm certain she wasn't born with the same doorbell ringing affinity as I was. I mean, what are the odds?

At the end of the evening, my family would gather in the living room, the candy buckets would be overturned, and we'd all ooh and ahh over our loot. Then the sorting began. There was very little candy my sister and I actually liked (we were unusual children) and we'd go through our buckets and pick out what we considered edible (like peanut butter cups). I think my father liked this part most of all because he ended up with the bulk of the candy all to himself. Trick or Treating was as much for my father as it was for us.

What is your favorite part of Halloween?

This Chocolate Fudge Cake with Ghost Meringues is a festive Halloween treat. The cake itself is rich, dark, fudgy, and filled with sticks-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth goodness. It features a chocolate cake covered in a thick chocolate fudge frosting with a little chocolate ganache to glaze the top. In other words, this cake means business. If you love chocolate, this is your cake. I thought the ghost meringues were a cute accessory to such a decadent cake and make this cake a fun addition to any Halloween party.

Click to read more ...

Cocoa Almond Meringues

It's cold outside, not that I need to tell you. With winter upon us, it is getting harder and harder to convince myself to leave the house. Tonight it is supposed to get down to -40 degrees F with windchill out here in North Dakota. Can you really blame me? I have a hard enough time convincing myself to leave the house when its above zero. It's so cold I'm afraid my nose might freeze off and wouldn't that just be a sight.

Did you know that -40 degrees is the same in both Fahrenheit and Celsius? It's the only place on the temperature scale where we can finally find some common ground.

I have become a happy homebody in my pajama pants and thick sweaters. By day, I watch the flakes fall from the comfort of my warm home, the smell of hot and fresh cookies filling the house. By night, I snuggle up with a heavy blanket next to the fireplace and watch a movie with a bowl of home-cooked popcorn. Remind me why winter is so bad, again?

Today I made a mug of hot cocoa to complement these cookies. The rich, thick cocoa offsets these little pillows perfectly. With a cookie that's lighter than air, you might just find you don't need those marshmallows anymore.

These cocoa almond meringues are absolutely addictive. They may look like rough, jagged stones but they are lighter than air. The meringues have a rich chocolate flavor with a hint of almond. These cookies are crunchy and chewy, with bits and pieces of chocolate chunks and almond mixed within. These meringues have a deep flavor and texture; it would be a shame not to try these.

Click to read more ...

Candy Striped Meringues

I got into an argument with a squirrel. Not just any squirrel, but the very same cheeky bugger that stole my spatula. Even with all of my verbal acuity and panache for pronunciation, I was defeated. I lost a battle of wits to a squirrel.

Let me explain.

I left a very small bag of garbage hanging out on the balcony. I didn't think much of it, until Mr. Squirrel walked his way around the balcony railing. He was cold and shivering and looked at me with such hopeless eyes that my heart reached out to him. For a brief moment, I seriously considered inviting him for a cup of tea. So when Mr. Squirrel started pawing his way through the trash bag, I almost encouraged him.

That is, until I realized he was going to make a mess.

By then, he had sliced open the bottom of the bag and spilled out graham cracker crumbs. I politely knocked on the door and asked him to leave. He dashed off and I returned to working in the kitchen. I saw him approach out of the corner of my eye, creeping along the balcony's ledge once again. I knocked on the door just as he was back to prancing about in the garbage. This time he didn't scamper off. He looked me dead in the eyes, picked up a banana peel and threw it across the balcony, as if to say What are you going to do about that?

I gasped. He tossed around some egg shells with an air of nonchalance. I was being taunted by a squirrel! I opened the balcony door and yelled at him. He scampered off looking terrified. I felt smug. That's right, Mr. Squirrel, run away, run away.

I underestimated the intelligence of Mr. Squirrel.

Instead of approaching along the balcony's edge (where he knew I'd see him), he trudged silently through the deep snow, keeping out of sight. He was back to making a royal mess. When I finally spotted him, I flung open the balcony door and let out a yell that would make Tarzan proud. Mr. Squirrel glanced up from his meal, but couldn't be bothered to move. I made loud warrior noises. Mr. Squirrel went back to munching. I pleaded a solid argument as to why he should leave using full and complete sentences. He didn't even look my way. Mr. Squirrel made it clear that he was going to do whatever he pleased and there was nothing I could do about it.

And that, my friends, is how I lost a battle of wits to a squirrel. He took away my spatula and then he took away my pride.

I flavored my candy striped meringues with a bit of almond extract. Like a good meringue, the cookies are crunchy with a soft interior. The chocolate ganache filling perfectly complements the almond meringues, providing the meringue sandwiches with a smooth texture. These cookies are small and gorgeous and so easy to make. I dare you not to eat 12 in one sitting.

Click to read more ...