How to (Virtual) Tea

by Robin

The Black Hat Tea must go on, even during Pandemic times! Created by my friend Rox and scheduled in mid-October, it’s our annual way of getting together with friends for tea, traditional noshes, and celebration before the holiday commitments start pulling us in separate directions. Previously hosted in tearooms owned by friends Cindy and Danny, with a gap during 2020, in 2021 Rox scheduled a Zoom tea. Of course, this meant guests were responsible for their own tea and goodies. I can do this, if I work methodically, I hope. Challenge accepted!

Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark

Simply Chocolate, Nuts, and Fruit

Recipe adapted from Kaiser Permanente

It’s Bark!! And according to Kaiser, my health care provider, it’s “food for health.” They’re the experts, right? They offered a version of this healthy-ish treat on their website this holiday season. I tweaked their recipe a bit, by simplifying the process and upping the proportion of chocolate. While it’s not entirely keto-friendly, it is vegan and gluten-free. So it’s a reasonable (and fast!) choice for potlucks. Plus, it’s chocolate!

High Protein Vegan Chocolate Fruit Shakes (Smoothies)

Chocolate and Fruit: A Summer Natural

Recipes inspired by Everyday DASH Diet

What’s better than summer fruit? Summer fruit with chocolate, of course! And better yet, how about a high-protein smoothie that tastes like a decadent milkshake? A delicious and protein-rich smoothie is an excellent pick-me-up for those who, like me, are only allowed short breaks at work. In 10 or 15 minutes, almost any small meal feels like force-feeding. But guzzling a smoothie in 15 satisfies hunger easily. For those who are working up to Green and Pink Smoothies for lunch, adding chocolate to the mix might make joining the smoothie culture more palatable.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cupcakes

Molten Lava Demo

Recipe from Unknown Photocopy

Here’s a fast chocolate-y recipe that has never failed to delight. It’s a hit both at potlucks and at home. Chocolate lava cupcakes require only about 50 minutes of your time including baking and cooling. The only challenging part is that the batter, with its hefty dose of melted chocolate, is thick and sticky and tricky to get into the muffin tins neatly. Scooping with a soup spoon in one hand and a small rubber spatula in the other helps direct the batter somewhat accurately. If you can’t serve these right away, a short zap in the microwave will re-moltenize the cupcakes to gooey deliciousness.

Rose’s Abe Lincoln Cake or Marbled Pound Cake

Recipe adapted from Aunt Rose's

A quick internet search on Abe Lincoln cake brings up numerous recipes for almond cake. But decades before the internet, my husband’s aunt was making this Abe Lincoln Cake from a family recipe for her children and their lucky cousins. Instead of almonds, it’s flavored with a touch of orange and nutmeg. Perhaps in a past generation, someone had a nut allergy, so the almonds were replaced with spices. The perfect proportions of butter, sugar, and eggs make what is essentially a pound cake a moist, dense loaf with thin and crunchy crust. This crust is the magic that makes this cake unusually addictive.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Perfect for Potlucks

Recipe from Melinda

My colleague Melinda brings the most exquisite treats to share with us at the library. Her recent muffins disappeared in record time, being an unusual combination of seasonal pumpkin, spices, and chocolate. I scaled her recipe down to mini muffins, which were a big hit at game night. Their small size works well for holiday potlucks and parties for the same reason—when there’s ample food, just a small muffin (or two) will suffice. Also, the small size makes them easy finger foods for cocktail parties, crowded events, and gaming tables. These muffins are not too sweet, so chocolate and spice take center stage.

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Eight Perfect and Easy Scones

Recipe Adapted from the Savoy Hotel

The Savoy Hotel high tea has been a tradition in London since 1904, and their delicate scones are at the heart of the menu. Although Savoy scones are round, and this recipe makes wedges, Allrecipes members claim that the recipe is altered only slightly from the Savoy’s. Who knows, since the Savoy isn’t about to publish its famous recipe. Certainly, one would not see chocolate chips and orange instead of the traditional currants at the Savoy. Those are my substitutions in honor of Valentine’s Day. These light and tender scones take only about 35 minutes to make. And they’re vastly less pricey than a trip to the Savoy.

Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake

Leftover Cake, But Not for Long

Recipe from Classic Home Desserts

As the year winds down to the solstice, dark days and long nights are upon us. What better time to bake a deep, dark, dense, chocolaty cake? And to keep the light alive during this annual time of darkness, how about adding a thick layer of whipped cream on top? If only this cake had lasted longer at a recent potluck, I could have gotten better photographs of it. But the combination of dark chocolate and light cream is irresistible. The cake itself is lighter in texture than some flourless cakes; the eggs make it rise and stay moist inside, and form a thin chewy (and chocolaty) crust on top. It’s no wonder that Richard Sax features this cake on the cover of his Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes, the best-ever dessert cookbook.

Hot Cocktails: the Snuggle and the Thaw

Double Thaw with Extra Hazelnuts

Recipes by Robin and Penelope

Recently my friend Penelope took the opportunity presented by unseasonably cold weather to create a new hot coffee cocktail. I never drink real coffee (it makes me crazier), but the Thaw—with Godiva chocolate liqueur, Kahlua, and Bailey’s Irish cream sounded too good to pass up. So I bought a handful of decaf beans, ground them, and had hubby Bruce instruct me on the use of his French press. But while I was getting my coffee act together, I couldn’t resist experimenting with the brand new bottle of Godiva chocolate liqueur—a spirit that I’d never encountered before.  Having a bit of experience with hot cocoa toddy-making, chocolate seemed like the perfect foil for more chocolate—laced with a bit of alcohol.

Chocolate Mousse Surprise

Mousse "Martinis" with Strawberries

Recipe by Sheryl Crow & Chuck White

What would you do for money? Would you stick with a job for 15 years despite minimal pay increases? Would you be okay if after 15 years management downsized you into a windowless, and airless office because a telecommuting manager wanted a bigger office with windows? Would you agree, after 15 years of keeping track of your own time, to check in with your boss every time you entered or left the office for your requisite breaks and your bathroom time? Would you believe management when they told you that these changes were for “teamwork?” After 15 years of “outstanding” evaluations as an independent creative professional serving a large group, would you believe that you need to be watched more carefully for your own good? Would you give up your telecommute privileges so that you could sit in a small, dark office every day? Sigh. Neither would I. Goodbye, day job.

Hot Cocoa Toddy

Cow's Milk makes Best Foam Top

Recipe inspired by Don

 

Quite a few years back my friend Don went on a noble quest to create the perfect hot cocoa for grown-ups. In the interest of (culinary) science, Don experimented with all manner of spirits. He tried traditional hot toddy components like brandy and rum. Then, on to assorted liqueurs like Grand Marnier (orange), Crème de Menthe (mint), and Kahlua (coffee). After much experimentation, he and his wife Barbara concluded that Frangelico, the smooth hazelnut liqueur, compliments cocoa best. Frangelico’s flavor hints at cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate along with hazelnut. This tasty but not overpowering blend is ideal in hot cocoa.

Christmas Pie Fail

I Don't Know from Pumpkin Pie

Recipes in Process

Merry Christmas, All! You might imagine that a food blogger’s Christmas fare would be unfailingly delicious and cooked to perfection. That is true…in our dreams and on a good year. This year, not so much. My lofty idea of having a captive audience rate pumpkin vs. squash pie suffered from beginner’s no-luck. Bruce has gently hinted numerous times before numerous events that cooking something for the first time doesn’t lead to predictable results.  “You’ve made this recipe before?” he asks optimistically. No answer. Unfortunately reason plays a very small role in the creative process.

Peppermint Frosted Brownies

These Might Help

Recipe by Robin

The joy of the holiday season and the pain of loss are not comfortable companions. And yet, we as individuals have little control over the timing of events. Sometimes loved ones pass away during the holiday season, and sometimes larger groups are decimated by war or other tragedies. Such losses during this time can cause extreme pain in survivors and trigger a host of mixed emotions, almost none of which feel good. And yet, although we have no control over others’ lives, we do have control of our own actions and emotions, no matter how difficult it can seem to start to heal. It helps to remain open to all types of nurturing. Walking in nature, talking with friends, playing music, or performing routine tasks that we enjoy can help. And there’s also chocolate.

Classic Brownies

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Happy Birthday to Joy

I’m all for healthy eating and adding fruits and veggies to baked goods. But sometimes a chocolatey, sugary treat with no redeeming health value is more appropriate to the occasion. Like on March 24, when we celebrated my dear friend Joy’s 75^th birthday…without her. She passed away suddenly last year, only two months after we moved to a house near hers. We were close during the short years we were friends. She officiated at my wedding. I’d call her up spontaneously and we’d talk about nature, books, art, anything. She would validate me, even when I made stupid mistakes. Her three kids are close to my age, yet she was like my wise older sister. I’ll never forget her 70^th birthday, when she took us to a bellydance show after dinner. Later on, she served us limoncello at her house, and revealed that she owned over 100 Grateful Dead CDs, showing us their jackets in a neat, numbered portfolio.

Orange Basil Chocolate Truffles

Orange Basil Chocolate Truffles

Recipe by Robin

Three years ago today I was married after an 11-year courtship. But something even more amazing happened that day. Kelly, my maid of honor, brought 250 truffles that she had made herself to the wedding. Her husband James assembled the commemorative boxes and they packed up one raspberry and one coffee truffle for each guest. She offered to make them along with her other maid of honor tasks like organizing the shower, shopping for dresses, finding cheap flower source, giving the toast, and being my go-to person for staying somewhat sane while planning all the details.

Chocolate-dipped Strawberries for Potlucks

Chocolate-dipped Strawberries Ready for Potluck

Recipe by Robin

Summertime is the perfect time to bring chocolate-dipped strawberries to a potluck. I can guarantee that both you and your dish will be popular. I recently went to a potluck and emailed the host to ask how many would attend his “small potluck,” so I could bring the right amount. He responded that since I was bringing chocolate-dipped strawberries, plan for about 100 guests (followed by a smiley-winky face). I said I’d just fill up the platter, which turned out to be 30 strawberries.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries for Four

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries & Apricots

Recipe in Honor of Summer Solstice

Wishing all my blog readers some sweetness on this solstice day! Here in the northern hemisphere, this longest day of the year heralds bountiful summer fruits and vegetables: apricots, cherries, squashes, tomatoes, peppers, and basil will all be coming into season soon, at least in California. What other summer crops will you be harvesting?