trifling with chocolate

Please Lord, never let anyone institute Chocoholics Anonymous, 'cause I don't wanna be cured!

Because I wished to show off highlight use my trifle bowl for Christmas Day dessert, I started plotting a few weeks prior what lovely ingredients would be showcased that evening. In the past I'd done raspberry & white chocolate, key lime, strawberries & cream -- even, ashamedly, a Twinkie & cherry trifle (gorgeous, by the way...) Selfishly, I decided to please myself and created a chocolate fantasy. It is chocolate cake, chocolate pudding & cocoa-rum whipped cream:

(Well, if I would've truly realized my fantasies, I'd have added chocolate chips 

and chocolate syrup...)

The cake recipe is from the Depression Era. (Can you believe this is the first time I've tried this recipe?!?) It is egg-less & milk-less. It is incredibly moist & chocolaty without being too sweet. It is called "Wacky Cake" because of the ingredients.
Sift the dry ingredients together into an 8x8 pan. (no need to spray or grease)

Make three holes in dry mixture and put vanilla in one, oil in the next, and vinegar in the last.

Pour cold water over all

and stir.

Bake in 350° oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

After the cake cooled, I cut it into squares. I crumbled about a third of them into the bottom of my dish. I topped that with a third of my pudding.

(yes - this package uses a gallon of milk & makes over 4 quarts of pudding
no - I did not make the entire package
and yes - I very much wanted to!)

Onto the pudding went my cocoa-rum layer.

(sift cocoa & XXX sugar, add to cream, whip, add rum & whip until peaks form)

I repeated this to fill the dish, reserving some of the cake for topping.

I'm linking up to Sheryl's Cast Party Wednesday.

December Embroideries

sooooooooo . . .

Just where did 2011 go?

I managed to get a little embroidering done for a few small gifts. 

First up was a tea cozy made from a vintage (cutter) quilt. It was kinda tough embroidering because the ?batting(?) was balled & bunched up in different places. (When I rinsed out the stabilizer I also dissolved some of whatever fibers were in there -- weird!)

(I'll probably add some more pics of the entire cozy at a later date.)

I love my new flatware design from Embroidery Library! 

I did quite a few towel sets for the various households in the family.

(Also did a simple hand appliqué on some bar towels for a hand towel.)

I embroidered a snuggle-soft blanket/throw for the in-laws. They moved here from Colorado over Thanksgiving and are hoping to close escrow on their new home in Surprise soon.

I did a tea light set for my sweet friend Sara. I used all white felt to mimic a porcelain nativity. 

I trust you had a blessed Christmas season, and are enjoying a fabulous start to 2012.