The Geekish Reader

  **GIVEAWAY WINNER – ERIN!!** Where authors, friends and fellow bloggers share their favorite receipes! ----------------------------------------- Amanda Usen knows two things for certain: chocolate cheesecake is good for breakfast, and a hot chef can steal your heart. Her husband stole hers the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America. She married him after graduation in a lovely French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans, and they spent a few years enjoying the food and the fun in the Big Easy. Now they live in Western New York with their three children, a crawfish, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a new-to-them beagle. Amanda spends her days teaching pastry arts classes and her nights writing romance. If she isn’t baking or writing, she can usually be found chasing the kids around the yard with her very own hot chef husband. Want chimichurri, chocolate cake or Chicken Alighieri? Visit Amanda at http://www.amandausen.com , where you can find recipes for many ...

Earlier this week I pulled out one of my cookbooks – “ Making Bread at Home ” by Linda Doeser.   My Mom gave me this book when I got my bread-maker a few years ago and I haven’t had the chance (until now) to really experiment with some of the amazing recipes! The first one I picked was the “Oatmeal and Potato Bread” on page 30.                   Ingredients: 8 oz/225g floury potatoes (peeled weight) – I used a cup of mashed potatoes generous 7/8 cup hand-hot water  - I used half hot water and half milk Note:  hand-hot means hot, but not too hot 3 3/4 cups white bread flour – I used unbleached whole wheat flour 3 tbsp rolled oats 2 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder – I didn’t use this, I added a half cup of milk – see above 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar 3 tbsp butter, softened or diced 1 1/2 tsp easy-blend dried yeast – I used bread-maker yeast Toppings: 1 tbsp water 1 tbsp rolled oats The How To: ...

This is my FAVORITE Chocolate Cake receipe. I found this through All Recipes  (a site I use quite a bit when I'm looking for something new to try!) Best Moist Chocolate Cake Ingredients 1 cup margarine 1 3/4 cups white sugar 3 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups milk 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. ENJOY!!