Powerfully Puckery Lemon Meringue Pie

written by Joy Paoletti & Judy Vig

-Hersam Acorn Publications

The inspiring warm weather is a great time to celebrate with family and friends, preferably outdoors! As we gather around any table, a picnic or kitchen table, we happily reminisce about our loved ones who are no longer with us, and this family gathering is no different. This time our Mom decides to tell the children a story about her father, their Great Grandfather, Papa Tony. He was so kind and jolly and wonderfully huggable! As a young man, he was handsome, tall and very thin, “quite dapper” actually! He always worked long, crazy hours at his grocery store and missed most meals with his family. Nana would always surprise him with her home cooked meals and fancy desserts. That is how he came to be the Papa Tony we all knew and loved, “chubby chubby” white hair, rosy cheeks and a big beautiful smile. Today’s recipe was one of his favorites and will soon become one of yours. The crust for this pie is absolutely amazing and surprisingly easy.

This Lemon Meringue Cream Pie is bright, fresh and powerfully puckery. Combined with Nana’s delicately sweet crust it will be a hit on your table also. The pie is best served chilled and in generous wedges. We suggest making the meringue the day you’re serving the pie but we did prepare the pie dough and lemon filling the day before. There is enough to do the day the guests are coming so preparing ahead of time is crucial!

Lemon Meringue Cream Pie

filling:

1 cup sugar
grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 1/2 sticks butter, sliced into tablespoon pieces

Have an instant read thermometer and a food processor ready. Place the sugar and the zest into a heat-proof bowl. Rub the lemon, with your fingers, into the sugar to release the oils. It smells wonderful! Now whisk in eggs, lemon juice and cornstarch. Set this bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. As soon as the mixture feels warm to your touch, start whisking and cook until mix reaches 180 degrees. Do not stop whisking or the eggs can scramble. The lemon mixture will go from foamy to thick, as it gets closer to 180 degrees. When it does, take off of the heat & pour into food processor. Let cool until 140 degrees, 5-8 minutes. Turn processor on high and add butter a few pieces at a time. When all is added continue beating for 3 minutes more. Pour into baked cookie crust, cover & chill.

Meringue topping:

4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

In mixing bowl, whip whites at medium speed until opaque. With mixer running, add sugar in a slow stream and continue to beat until the whites are glossy and form firm peaks. Spread meringue over pie and swirl making it look pretty. Spread all the way to edge of the crust because it will shrink. Place under broiler until the meringue is golden and the tips/peaks are darker in color. Let cool 15 minutes and enjoy!

Nana’s Cookie Crust

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 tsp. baking powder
4 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix baking powder and flour together and add to creamed mixture along with the milk. Mix and chill 1 hr. Cut in half or use as much as u need for the pie crust rolling to about 1/8 inch thickness and save the rest for cookies. Rolling between 2 sheets of wax paper is neat and quick, no need to flour anything! Bake crust at 350 degrees until golden. After 15 minutes, check the edges of the crust and cover with foil. The crust can burn on the edges!

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Nana’s Ricotta Pie

Finally the beautiful weather makes an appearance, the clocks are set ahead and the days are getting longer. Just one glimpse of the purple crocus peeking through the ground can set off an hour of conversation between us about what flowers we will be planting, what colors we should choose, and the yearly banter about who plants the parsley and who plants the basil. Heaven forbid if we both plant the parsley!
We finally get around to the most important question of the day, “Who’s turn is it to have Easter this year? Since we are all together on this lovely day, we make a pot of coffee and decide to sit around the table with the husbands, which is a mistake, and discuss these very important questions.
‘What are we going to make? Who is going to make Nanas pies? and color the eggs? And fill the the plastic ones? Should we make lamb or ham or both? Should we grill it? Who is bringing who? girlfriends, boyfriends…….How many are we? Do we have enough chairs? Where are they? We realize we should stop obsessing and just relax when our brother-in-law, Uncle Jimmy, gets up from the table shaking his head saying over and over, my sister in laws are crazy, they are driving me nuts, what wrong with them?
We finally decide we will have Lamb, grilled, and a Ham along with all the traditional sides mom and Nana would always make. We will share the duties of making the Easter pies for dessert. Jackie will make the rice pie, Judy will make the wheat and Joy will make the show stopper, the Italian ricotta pie! Joy is the only one in the family who can make it just like Nana, (she is the only one who thinks this) using a special cookie crust for this pie and making little coiled shaped cookies with the left over dough. They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with a little hint of vanilla! Yum!
Enjoy this 90-year-old traditional Italian recipe, we know it will become a part of your Easter table too!

Nana’s Ricotta Pie

Nana’s cookie crust, below
1 1/2 pounds of ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (decorating)

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Combine the ricotta and flour in a small bowl. In a medium size bowl beat the eggs well. Add the sugar and vanilla gradually and continue beating until smooth. Now add the ricotta mixture and beat will again. Pour into prepared pie-crust. Sprinkle the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon over the top of pie and swirl with a sharp knife to make a design. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Nana’s Cookie Crust
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 tsp. baking powder
4 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix baking powder and flour together and add to creamed mixture along with the milk. Mix and chill 1 hr. Cut in half or use as much as you need for the pie crust and save the rest for cookies. Rolling between 2 sheets of wax paper is neat and quick, no need to flour anything! Place in Nana’s Cookie Crust
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 tsp. baking powder
4 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix baking powder and flour together and add to creamed mixture along with the milk. Mix and chill 1 hr. Cut in half or use as much as u need for the pie-crust and save the rest for cookies. Rolling between 2 sheets of wax paper is neat and quick, no need to flour anything!

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Pasta with Caramelized Leeks, Cream & Toasted Pignoli’s

With snow still swirling around us and that furry little creature, telling us we will have six more weeks of winter, all we can think about is being stuck in the house and EATING! Many family gatherings on Sundays are helping pass the time, but that means eating and feeding everyone again! We have tested and tried so many new recipes from the new food trends to the comforting old favorites but our all time family favorite is pasta. There is something about sitting around the table, with the ones you love, and passing that big bowl of yummy deliciousness. It brings warm, comforting thoughts of our grandparents, who spent most weekends with us, and the worry free days of childhood. There was nothing better than playing outside all day in the neighborhood and running home just in time for a big family dinner.

In our family the salad was always passed around first. Mom’s salad dressing is still the most requested by the children (a simple mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar and seasonings.) Mom was making today’s popular vinaigrette and she didn’t even know it. The pasta course came out next. Most often it was Nana’s sauce and meatballs with spaghetti or her treasured homemade manicotti. We thought we would change it up a little, try a different ingredient and WOW, the family loved it!

1 lb percatelli pasta or pasta of your choice
3-4 leeks
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
.1- 11/2 cups cream
1/4 – 1/2 cup white wine
pinch of nutmeg
grated Provolone cheese for garnish, can use parmesan
1/2 cup Toasted pignoli nuts

Directions:

Prepare pasta as directed. Clean & cut leeks. In a large skillet, saute the cut leeks in the butter & olive oil over medium heat, approximately 10 minutes (can take up to 20 minutes) until very soft. Season with salt & pepper. Add garlic. cook 1-2 minutes more. Add the cream and 1/4 cup white wine. Simmer 3 minutes. If sauce is too thick add more cream and a splash of wine & taste it!! Re-season again with salt & pepper if needed. Add cooked pasta to skillet and toss all together. Garnish with the grated cheeses of your choice and the pignoli’s. Enjoy!

Pignoli nuts – bake at 350, on a baking sheet, for 5-10 minutes, checking often.

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A new food trend, who knew?

It is a year filled with new promises, dreams and the next phase in food trends! We are seeing different foods from other cultures popping up all over. One of the top food critics predicted that this years favorite cuisine would be Austrian. Another reported that Indian food was it!
When you think of Austrian food a few things that come to mind are most likely an apple strudel or a schnitzel. What’s a schnitzel? It is a boneless piece of veal sliced very thin and coated with bread crumbs and fried. But to me, it sounds an awful lot like the recipe for a good ol’ piece of veal parm without the sauce!
Austria is filled with people from all around its borders, a sort of multi-ethnic melting pot with Hungary being one of them. My husband is from Hungary. Every so often I try to make a Hungarian recipe for dinner that my mother-in-law taught me when she was here on one of her summer vacations. I have tried all the traditional dishes like Goulash, Chicken Paprikash and lots of different soups. Most dishes were always served with a side of pasta-like, dumpling-ish noodles she called, “Nokedli”. After they were done I realized that they looked a lot like the German spaetzel, pronounced like this: SHPAYT-zlee., and that the recipes are quite the same. The name changes depending on where you are from. It is an egg type batter that is dropped from a sieve or grater directly over and into a pot of boiling water. Its hard on the hands, so I do recommend using a spaetzel maker. You can get them anywhere and they are very inexpensive. They are done in a matter of minutes and ready to serve any way you wish. Some popular recipes are sauteed in butter with onion or served with hot brown gravy.
Here is the recipe my mother-in-law gave me many years ago. It is very quick and easy and comes together in a minute. I must say I was very proud of myself! Who knew what I had been making for years would be the new food trend for 2010. Enjoy!

Spaetzel ( Nokedli)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
a sprinkle of nutmeg (just a sprinkle)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk

Stir together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl
Add milk alternately with the egg to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer
bring a large pot of water to boil and drop from a grater (or maker) directly over and into pot of boiling water. When they rise to the surface they are done. About 2-3 minutes.

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An Italian Tradition

All through the holidays, different cultures have different traditions. On New Years day, our family always prepared lentils or “little coins” for the family meal. The lentil is an annual plant in the legume family. A variety of colors exist ranging from yellow, red, brown to black. We always inspect them for stones or debris then boil them with a type of broth.

Lentils can be used in a variety of ways. They are a great addition to soups and stews, risotto and even hash. As we were doing our research for this article we came across a recipe for a lentil lasagna. Lasagna you ask? Yes, even lasagna! Our Nana would always make a thick lentil soup for Papa Tony, on New Years Day, using a ham bone, to flavor the broth, lots of onions, carrots and tiny pieces of ham. We never really knew why she always served this year after year until we grew older and finally asked why. This is what she said, “your great Grandmother Nelli, always said you must always have a dish containing lentils for the New Year. This will bring a plentiful year filled with lots of good health, happiness and good fortune. The lentils resemble tiny coins or pennies and when cooked they grow in size and become plentiful.” Who couldn’t use that wish for the new year? We would like to share with you great grandmother Nelli’s recipe for this comforting old time tradition. Judy and I wish each and every one of you a safe and Happy New Year!

Great Grandmother Nelli’s Lentil Soup

1 ham bone (previously frozen and left over from Christmas dinner!)
1 pound dry lentils (sorted through)
3 tablespoons olive oil (Grandmother never measured, if you want to use more, go ahead)
2 good sized medium onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
2-3 ribs of celery, chopped
6 cups water or broth, more if needed
salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, carrots and celery about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add the ham bone. Pour the water/broth into the pot and simmer soup for about 1 hour, covered, or until the lentils are tender. If soup is to thick, add more broth. You can serve with rice or a small pasta, such as ditalini or tubettini. Enjoy!!

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Welcome Home Soldier

Welcome Home Soldier

The chocolate chip cookie has been a favorite for decades. Some add oatmeal, M&M’s, peanut butter and nuts. The traditional cookies were invented, accidentally, by Ruth Wakefield in 1934. Ms. Wakefield owned the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts and served these gems to her customers. It is reported that Ms. Wakefield had run out of her baking chocolate and substituted a chocolate bar that was given to her by Andrew Nestle. (sound familiar?)

During WWII, the GI’s from Massachusetts shared these cookies, that they received in care packages from back home, with soldiers from other parts of the United States. Soon hundreds of GI’s were writing home about the crunchy little cookie asking for more. And the nation-wide craze began.
A wonderful young man has entered our lives and our hearts this year…he is an American soldier. With much hesitation and sadness we wait for his orders to deploy. Pride, fear and silent tears overwhelm us as we watch him leave…

Judy and I will be honoring our brave men and women this holiday season as we bake this old, war time favorite waiting anxiously for their safe return. My daughter and I will wait patiently, once again, until we can say the words “welcome home soldier” and until then, may God be with you….

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Is Christmas Crazy? Of Course!

Written by Joy M. Paoletti & Judy F. Vig
It is official, the holidays are right around the corner. There are little reminders everywhere you look. The grocery stores are packing their shelves with nuts, colored sugars, holiday spices and bags of flour. The fresh chestnuts have finally arrived along with the Christmas wreaths and strands of garland and the decision to try a new cookie recipe or serve the “regular old favorites” is constantly nagging at us. The food channels are also filled with recipes from holiday cookies and decadent chocolate cakes to a roasted goose for the family table!
The question in most homes is, “Where are we going this year? Whose turn is it to host the holiday meal? Are we having ham or lasagna? It’s the same questions year after year and yet, we never get tired of hearing them.
We (the three sisters) host the holiday together and share all the responsibilities along with our mother who lovingly keeps a watchful eye. In most ways it is still a very traditional holiday… yet somehow the children have changed things a little. There are nine children between us ranging in ages from 12 to 26. As we begin to take our seats, with Dad always seated at the head of the table, we wait for the Holiday prayer to begin……but there seems to be a singing contest going on between the girls with a little arguing about who sounds most like Brittany or Alicia Keys. The boys are annoyed and hungry and roll their eyes at all the commotion as they are anxiously waiting to eat. One of the boys decides he will lead the prayer and for some reason it sounds a lot like the Pledge of Allegiance! Throughout this whole ordeal there is an annoying clinking and clanking sound growing louder and louder by the minute. It is our Father tapping his fork on his glass, repeatedly, hoping to gain control of the table so we can begin. Finally, he has succeeded.
The meal is always delicious and just when everyone can’t eat one more bite… the coffee starts perking! This changes everything. The aroma of cinnamon and vanilla, and of course chocolate begin to intoxicate our senses… I think I have room for a little nosh, what about you?
The holiday season brings feelings of comfort with roaring fireplaces; mugs filled with hot chocolate, hot buttered rums and roasted beasts of all kinds.

We would like to share one of our favorite holiday cookie recipes for you to enjoy. Please visit TwiceBakedTwins for more holiday recipes… the Holidays are here! Will we be Christmas crazy? Of course!

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
24 maraschino cherries, drained & cut in half – reserve liquid

Frosting
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda; sift to blend perfectly. Now add to the butter mixture and combine. Chill dough for at least 1 hour. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes only! They will look under cooked! While they are baking, finish cutting drained cherries in half and immediately place the half cherry on the hot cookie, gently pressing to adhere it to cookie. Done!!! Let cookies cool completely before frosting. (the cookies can be chilled or frozen at this point).

To make frosting:

Melt chips, sweetened condensed milk and cherry juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally, its easy to burn!! When melted, set aside about 10 minutes until it SLIGHTLY thickens to a frosting consistency and frost around the cherry, into a swirl type peak. Let harden before moving. They also freeze well at this point. Good luck!!

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Holiday Cookie Contest

For most of us, this Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reconnect with our family and friends. Some of us will travel many miles to do this, while some of us will just walk across the street. Every family has their own story, who sits where at the table, who likes the stuffing plain or with cranberries, and who will lead the Thanksgiving prayer this year. We would like to invite you to our table, if only for a minute, and share with you a little bit of our story on this wonderful holiday.
We tried over and over to choose another word but there is only one word to describe it. CRAZY! Here we go!

We (the three sisters) host the holiday together and share all the responsibilities along with our mother who lovingly keeps a watchful eye. In most ways it is still a very traditional holiday… yet somehow the children have changed things a little. There are nine children between us ranging in ages from 12 to 26. As we begin to take our seats, with Dad always seated at the head of the table, we wait for the Thanksgiving prayer to begin… but there seems to be a singing contest going on between the girls with a little arguing about who sounds most like Brittany or Alicia Keys. The boys are annoyed and hungry and roll their eyes at all the commotion as they are anxiously waiting to eat. One of the boys decides he will lead the prayer and for some reason it sounds a lot like the Pledge of Allegiance! Throughout this whole ordeal there is an annoying clinking and clanking sound growing louder and louder by the minute. Everyone finally turns to the head of the table, it is our Father tapping his fork on his glass, repeatedly, hoping to gain control of the table so we can begin. Finally, he has succeeded. We hold hands as the prayer begins and share our thoughts as we circle the table.
The meal is satisfying and delicious and everyone seems to be lethargic and full until… the coffee starts perking! The aroma of apple and pumpkin pies, cinnamon and vanilla, and of course chocolate begin to fill the air. I think I have room for a little nosh, what about you?

We are so happy to introduce our first Holiday Cookie Contest. Please send us your favorite cookie recipe along with its memory or family tradition. You can leave your recipe at Twicebakedtwins .com and click on Holiday Cookie Contest. All recipes will be published online at TwiceBakedTwins.com as well as your local Hersam Acorn newspapers. We will announce the winners (even though all are winners) on December 17th. The winners will each receive a $100.00 American Express gift card.

Here is our very special recipe for traditional pumpkin cookies with a cream cheese frosting. Happy Thanksgiving!

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 c soft butter
Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.

Drop by very rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden and set. Remove from sheet and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting
In a medium bowl whip the cream cheese and the vanilla until fluffy. Beat in butter just till combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Frost an Enjoy!

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Creamy Pumpkin Bisque with Candied Pumpkin Seeds

 

It is official, the holidays are right around the corner. There are little reminders everywhere you look. The brightly colored leaves that made us stop and stare are now falling, with an occasional wind whipping them up into a swirling frenzy. The grocery stores are packing their shelves with nuts, dried fruits, holiday spices and bags of stuffing mix. The fresh cranberries have finally arrived, along with decisions to try a new recipe or serve the “regular old favorites” is constantly nagging at us. The food channels are filled with recipes for pumpkin pies to pumpkin raviolis, and offering every new way possible to cook a turkey from brining to deep frying.

The question in most homes is, “Where are we going this year? Who is cooking the turkey? Are we having the green bean bake? It’s the same questions year after year and yet, we never get tired of hearing them. A lot of us are promising ourselves to be done with the Christmas shopping before we sit at the Thanksgiving table knowing all the while it will never happen. IThe fall season brings feelings of comfort, roaring fireplaces, mugs filled with mulled cider, spicy chilis and stews of all kinds and steaming hot soups. We wanted to share one of our fall favorites, Creamy Pumpkin Bisque with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. It will put you in a great, festive mood and warm you from your head to your toes! You’ll need it, the Holidays are here! Enjoy!

Creamy Pumpkin Bisque with Candied Pumpkin Seeds

2 tablespoons butter

1 large shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups chicken stock

1 (15 oz can) pumpkin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup cream or milk

1/4 cup Brandy (optional)

In a large soup pot, saute the shallots in the 2 tablespoons of butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 2 minutes more. Add the remaining ingredients and bring a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season again. If you like more pumpkin spice flavor, add a little at a time to your liking. Adjust salt & pepper.

Candied Pumpkin Seeds

raw pumpkin seeds (from your Jack o Lantern!!)

3 tablespoons orange juice

pinch of salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Rinse the seeds in a colander. Toss seeds with the orange juice and then the sugar. Spread onto a parchment lined sheet pan and roast for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle on top of the soup and enjoy!

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Can I Just Have a Chocolate Cupcake?

We all are enjoying fall and its weather inspired recipes. Apple pies with cinnamon and sugar, or apple crisps and brown bettys with their comforting crunch and tart interiors. Judy is enjoying every bit of this festive season and baking as many apple recipes as she can. I’m actually sick and tired of hearing about it. It is all very wonderful and delicious but CAN I JUST HAVE A CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE? I haven’t had anything chocolate in weeks! There’s something about that little cake staring at me, all dressed up, sitting in that pretty little paper with its top hat made of rich fluffy icing. Cupcakes are loved by children and adults alike because they can be playful and sweet as well as exotic and charming. The intense flavor and decadent fudginess of a chocolate cupcake is enough to throw me into a frenzy!
Light and airy, dense or fudgy, rich glazes, molten centers, ganache and butter cream! I can’t breath! I love it all. And don’t let Judy fool you with her rolling of the eyes, when I talk about cupcakes, she always eats more than one!
The cupcake recipe I have chosen for you is dark and rich in flavor and paired with my favorite frosting of gooey chocolatety goodness. Judy and I would love it if you would share some of your favorite cupcake recipes with us. Please visit Twicebakedtwins.com , click on share a recipe and let us in on your secret chocolate obsessions!

Decadent chocolate Cupcakes

2 2/3 cups all -purpose flour
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
10 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup corn oil
1 1/4 cups ice-cold water

Preheat oven to 350F. Line the cupcake pan with the papers liners. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. In another bowl whisk together the eggs until blended and now add the sour cream and vanilla extract until blended. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the melted butter and oil together at low speed. Add the cold water and mix to blend. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix for one minute. Add the egg mixture and mix for one minute more, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fill cupcake pans only 2/3 of the way filled and bake for 17-20 minutes. Every oven temperature is different. Keep checking and insert with a wooden toothpick to check.

Decadent Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup hot Fudge topping

Cream the butter and the shortening. Sift the cocoa and the confectioners sugar and add to the creamed mixture. Add 1 tablespoon of milk to keep the mixture smooth (if you need another, add 1 tablespoon more at a time). But wait to it until the end. Now add the hot fudge topping and the vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Fabulous!

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