Here's a cake that's perfect for this time of year. It's totally Vintage, too. Not that many people celebrate Midwinter Carnival any more, but they did when this advertisement was created. This Vintage Ad with Recipe is from Betty Crocker with a nod to Gold Medal Flour (General Mills). This Midwinter Carnival Marble Cake uses Betty Crocker's "Double-Quick new method!"

"Betty Crocker celebrates her Silver Anniversary and the return of Gold Medal Flour with this country-wide Midwinter Carnival"

Life is just a Bowl of Chocolate Covered Cherries! Because there's nothing quite like a chocolate covered cherry, I thought I'd post 4 recipes for Chocolate Covered Cherries Day. Don't have time to make these? Buy your favorite chocolate covered cherries to celebrate the day!

When I was growing up, I always wanted the chocolate covered cherries in the Whitman Sampler Box. Although there was a diagram on the inside lid of the box of the types of chocolates, my sister would often move the cherry ones, our favorites. Then, she'd leisurely eat them, knowing that they were mis-marked, without anyone claiming them. Oh, childhood!

Some history of Chocolate Covered Cherries: According to National Day, in the 1700s in England, cherries were enrobed in chocolate with a little kirsch liqueur. After finding their way to the United States, Americans received them quite well, delighting in the little bit of alcoholic cordial surrounding the fruit dipped in chocolate. Although originally made with the liqueur, cordials/chocolate covered cherries are more commonly made with a sugar syrup flavored with cherries. The pitted cherries have been cooked in sugar syrup and jarred.

I can buy fresh cherries in January at Berkeley Bowl, my favorite produce market here in Berkeley, but if you're a locavore, you may not want to buy Chilean Cherries or maybe they're not available where you live, so I've also provided recipes for dried or maraschino cherries. If you decide to use maraschino cherries, be sure and dry them thoroughly or your chocolate will seize. And, if you're using maraschino cherries, save the juice from the jar to make the Chocolate Covered Cherry Cocktail in this post! My favorite jarred cherries are Chukar Cherries. So many varieties. Any of these recipes would be great for Valentine's Day, so bookmark this page!

1. Chocolate Covered Fresh Cherries

Personally I like dark chocolate with cherries, but if you're a milk chocolate fan, go for it! As always, use the very best quality, organic, fair trade chocolate! Hint: If the melted chocolate starts to harden  before you’re done dipping, put it back on the stove for a few minutes and give it a good stir.

Ingredients
8 ounces chocolate (I use Guittard 65%)
1/2 pound fresh, sweet cherries

Directions
Wash and dry cherries.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt chocolate in top of double boiler or in saucepan over saucepan over simmering water.
Stir chocolate until completely melted and smooth.
Remove chocolate from heat.
Grab each cherry by stem and dip into chocolate. Swirl cherry clockwise, coating bottom 3/4. It's always nice to see the cherry showing at the top.
Place cherry on parchment paper covered baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining cherries.
Place in refrigerator until chocolate hardens.
If not eating right away, put chocolate covered cherries in covered container and keep in refrigerator for a few days.

2. Chocolate Covered Marschino Cherries

Use the above recipe with maraschino cherries. Just be sure and dry cherries thoroughly before dipping.

3. Chocolate Covered Dried Cherries

Ingredients
8 ounces Dark or Milk Chocolate
1 cup dried Cherries (Chukar or Trader Joe's)

Directions
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt chocolate in double boiler as above or glass bowl in microwave. Once melted, remove from heat.
Add cherries to chocolate. Stir until coated.
Remove clumps of coated dried cherries with two forks or slotted spoon (this works very well), shaking off excess chocolate on side of bowl. Transfer to lined baking sheet.
Put baking sheet in refrigerator until chocolate hardens, about 20 minutes.
Store in refrigerator.

Feel like something alcoholic to celebrate National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day? Want to drink your Chocolate Covered Cherries?

And here's a fourth easy recipe for Chocolate Covered Cherries from Santa Barbara Chocolate

4. Easy Chocolate Covered Cherries

Ingredients
60 maraschino cherries with stems
3 tablespoons butter softened
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 pounds candy-making chocolate

Directions
Drain cherries thoroughly on paper towel. Combine butter, corn syrup, and salt. Stir in powdered sugar; knead mixture till smooth (chill mixture if too soft).
Shape 2 teaspoon of the sugar mixture around each cherry. Place coated cherries on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper (or parchment paper), chill.
In a heavy 1 quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly (use the microwave on low to melt more quickly). Holding by the stems, dip coated cherries, one at a time, into chocolate coating. Spoon chocolate over cherries to coat to ensure the center is fully encased. Place cherries on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper (or parchment paper). Chill. Store in refrigerator in a covered container. Let candies ripen in refrigerator for one or two weeks before serving.....If you can wait!
Want to drink your Chocolate Covered Cherries? 

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cocktail

Fill a tall glass with ice.
Add 1/2 ounce Bailey's, 1/2 ounce Kahlua.
Add a few drops maraschino cherry juice.
Shake.
Strain into another glass with ice.
Add a Chocolate Covered Maraschino Cherry for garnish!

If you're like me, you love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The combination of milk chocolate and rich sweet peanut butter can't be beat! I consider Reese's Peanut Butter Cups a comfort food.

I love this Vintage Ad for Frozen Reese's. I always keep my Reese's in the freezer. Want to take it a step further? Following is a great recipe for Frozen Reese's Banana Pops from Melissa Roberts on Real Simple. Frozen Reese's is a treat in itself!



Frozen Reese's Banana Pops

Halve 2 bananas crosswise. Insert a wooden stick into each piece; freeze the bananas and 4 Snack Size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (21 grams each) for 2 hours.

Today is National Gingersnap Day! I love Gingersnaps--or Ginger Snaps, as some spell it! Although they're usually associated with the holidays, they're fabulous all year round. They're also a very versatile cookie, and I often crush them up, add a bit of melted butter, and use them as a crust for various pies, especially chocolate silk pie. If you end up making these gingersnaps bigger, you can also use them for the cookies in a Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich! And, since Fourth of July is this weekend, you might want to do just that!

So here's a great easy Chocolate Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (adapted from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook via About.com Home Cooking) that uses both fresh and ground ginger and cocoa and chopped dark chocolate! How can you go wrong?

Tip: If you haven't used these dried spices since the holidays, you might want to check their freshness. They do have a shelf-life, and it would be sad to ruin these delicious cookies with 'stale' ingredients.

CHOCOLATE GINGERSNAPS

Ingredients
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet butter
1/4 cup molasses
1 Tbsp water
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp Dark cocoa
1-1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
7 ounces high quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
In large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, water and minced fresh ginger.
Combine flour, cocoa, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until easy to handle.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheets.
Bake cookies at 350 F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops begin to crack. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Today is National Tapioca Day. 

Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Chocolate Ice Cream is the # flavor in the U.S. No surprise to me! Want to make your own Chocolate Ice Cream, but don't have an ice cream maker? No Problem! Here's a Vintage Advertisement with recipe from Borden's Eagle Brand from August 8, 1941 for Magic Chocolate Ice Cream. I love Elsie the Cow, and luckily, I have an automatic refrigerator! Gotta love these 'story' ads. "If it's Borden's, it's got to be good."

Today is National Devil's Food Cake Day! Celebrate by making this Baker's Chocolate 1940 Devil's Food Cake! It's still terrific!

Here's a page from the Carnation Easy-Does-It Cookbook by Mary Blake (1958): Baking a Cake is easy as Pie! Want to use these Cake Baking Tips to bake a fabulous chocolate cake?  Go here for a recipe for First-Prize Buttermilk Fudge Cake. I'll post Frosting Facts in another post. Get out there and Bake a Cake today!

Put on your Easter Bonnet and bite into some Chocolate Eggs, Bunnies, and Candy! Have a wonderful Chocolate Easter! Enjoy these Vintage Chocolate Easter Ads from the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

Here's an oldie but goodie for the weekend! Of course you can use any cocoa you'd like but this is a Hershey recipe!

Today is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day. I'm also paying homage today to Mr. Peanut. I grew up with Planter's Peanuts. Mr. Peanut, shaking hands with everyone, would walk the boardwalk in Atlantic City! What a treat. I also loved those hot salty peanuts, roasted right onsite. The original company was called Planters Nut and Chocolate Company, so what's not to love? Planters did make peanut butter, but for a short time. We always had Skippy at our house. 

I've posted lots of recipes for Chocolate and Peanut Butter, but here's an easy Peanut Butter Truffle recipe to celebrate today's holiday!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
This is a simple recipe for a peanut butter ganache truffle rolled in chopped peanuts adapted from a recipe in  CountryLiving.

Ingredients
8 ounces 60-75% dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts

Directions
Place chopped chocolate in medium heat-safe bowl. Set aside.
In medium saucepan over low heat, cook heavy cream until it just begins to boil; then immediately pour over chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in smooth peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt. 

Today is National Chocolate Covered Nuts Day. I don't think I've ever met a chocolate covered nut I haven't liked, especially chocolate covered macadamia nuts. However, I got to thinking about the whole chocolate covered nut thing, and I realized that my love of chocolate covered nuts goes back to Goobers at the Movies! I always bought Goobers or Raisinets from the concession stand. My favorites. Goobers, though, were the best: fresh roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate. Goobers are still made, but I miss the original box, the smell of the box, as much as the product. I just love the crunch of these small covered peanuts. The candy used to be made of just peanuts and chocolate. 

Goobers were introduced in the United States in 1925 by the Blumenthal Chocolate Company. Nestlé acquired the brand in 1984. A large number of other chocolate covered peanut brands exist, but Goobers was the original, at least for me. Peanut M&M's, came much later, and when they were introduced, I liked them, too, but not at the movies. I was a traditionalist. Peanut M&M's are nothing like Goobers. Peanut M&M's have larger peanuts, and a hardy candy shell covers the chocolate and the peanut. Goobers are inconsistent in size which I consider part of their charm and enjoyment. Often you'll just get chocolate without the nut. Occasionally you'll even get a raisinet. Whether or not that's a quality control issue, I don't care. It was always a surprise and a good one.

I'd like to say I've moved on from Goobers, but I really haven't. Oh yes, I love dark chocolate more than milk, and, especially with chocolate covered nuts. Also, the quality of the chocolate as well as the freshness of the nut is very important. As a Judge at this year's San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, I'll be taking all this into consideration when I judge the toffees and chocolate covered nut truffles, but I'll always have a place in my heart for Goobers.

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Drop in shortening. Combine milk and maraschino cherry juice and add ¾ cup of this liquid. Add flavoring extracts and mix with mixer on low for 2 minutes (100 strokes by hand).
2. Add remaining liquid and egg whites and beat for another 2 minutes. Fold in cherries and nuts. Bake in two 9-inch pans or two heart-shaped pans at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. (If you pour all the batter in one pan, bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes)
3. When cool, cut layers with heart shaped pattern, if you didn't use a heart-shaped pan. Spread with frosting, and outline a short Valentine's message with a toothpick and fill in letters and outline of cake with sugar pearls. 
4. For Frosting:
5. Combine shortening, butter, flavorings and salt and blend well. Beat in ½ cup sugar. Add hot cream alternating with remaining sugar, beating well after each addition. Add only enough cream to make a nice spreading consistency. Add a few drops of red or pink food coloring to tint frosting a delicate pink before spreading on cake.

Today is World Nutella Day, and Nutella Banana Bundt Cake is the perfect cake to use up any black bananas and celebrate the day! 

Nutella is an amazing chocolate hazelnut spread. It's great on just about anything. You should have it in your pantry.

NUTELLA BANANA CAKE

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 medium (or 3 large) over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans (optional)
1 cup Nutella, divided
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray bundt cake pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, whisk together banana, sugar, brown sugar. Beat in egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, until there are no lumps. Fold in pecans.
Fill pan with half batter. Add 2/3 of the Nutella, trying not to let it come in contact with pan. Add rest of batter on top, covering all the Nutella.
Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and flip onto dish. 
Dust with powdered sugar.

Fairies at the Bottom of my Garden? More like Dwarfs!  

Some of you know that I'm a big Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fan! I have been since I first saw the Disney movie in the theatre as a child. I have two sets--and a few extra--cement Disney dwarfs and Snow Whites in my garden. One set is painted (but peeling), the other is paint-free. I like to think of the dwarfs as working in my garden, tending the plants, complaining, and sleeping. The statues were made in the 1950s. I found them at various estate sales and flea markets. 

Here's a page from the Snow White Dairy Recipes booklet. I love the recipes for Orange Butter Spread and Honey Butter. Sneezy's Orange Butter Spread is great on toast. I use Sleepy's Honey Butter on lots of things from waffles to Dutch Babies to bagels. Yum!

The Booklet came out in 1955 as an advertising premium for the American Dairy Association. The name and logo of the local dairy sponsor was printed or stamped on the back cover, but some books have no markings. It's a slight booklet--5 x 7 with 14 pages. Lots of fun recipes! I see the booklet's at the Flea Market, and, of course, they're for sale online. 

I grew up baking with Fleischmann's Yeast, so I was thrilled when my husband found this tiny pamphlet in his mother's papers. His mother may not have been a good cook, but she was a terrific baker. I love Vintage and Retro recipes and pamphlets. On this one, you could write for the pamphlet to be sent to friends. This is pre-zipcode. I think the illustrations are adorable, too. This little book was actually printed askew with the city of publication cut off. When I say little, the book is 3 1/2 x 6 1/2.

There were several good recipes in this small cookbook, but I decided to post the recipe for Cocoa Bread. FYI: this recipe does not have a temperature for baking the Cocoa Bread. I guess it was 350. Who doesn't love Cocoa Bread? 

Midwinter Carnival! Here's a cake that's perfect for this time of year, and it's so Retro. Not many people celebrate Midwinter Carnival any more, but they did when this advertisement was created. 

This Retro Ad & Recipe is from Betty Crocker with a nod to Gold Medal Flour (General Mills). This Midwinter Carnival Marble Cake uses Betty Crocker's "Double-Quick new method!"

"Betty Crocker celebrates her Silver Anniversary and the return of Gold Medal Flour with this country-wide Midwinter Carnival"