I love raspberries. They have always been my favorite. When I was a kid my Dad would buy them for me on special occasions or if I had a big test. Kind of awesome, I know. They were always a treat because in Florida they were on the expensive side. As it turns out, they’re on the expensive side everywhere.

Here in Alaska they grow wild. We have loads of raspberry bushes in the yard. Now I understand why they are so expensive, they’re a huge pain. They are invasive and difficult to harvest. You get scratched with little prickelies  (*scientific term) from the branches and red stains all over your fingers. We don’t put anything on the plants, so at least half the berries rot or have spiders in them. Ick.

Despite my lack of a green thumb or any inclination to work in the yard we still have loads of berries. I froze a bunch and kept a few cups out to make this cake. It’s sort of original. You should know that in case you try to make it. It might not work, I’m not a professional but I’m at least as capable as that loser Rachel Ray.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Adapted from this recipe at Smitten Kitchen

6 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature

1 Cup Sugar, plus 3 Tbs. for topping

1 Egg

3/4 Cup Milk

1 Tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Powder

1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1 1/2 cups Raspberries, all spiders and dirt removed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. The original recipe tested in other types of pans. I’ve made the original several times and have always had great results with the springform pan.

Mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients, then add them to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined.

Spread the batter in the pan and top with a single layer of raspberries. You could use any berry, strawberries would be excellent, especially if you don’t like raspberries. Just make a corner of it with raspberries for me. Otherwise I’m not coming over for dessert.

Sprinkle the raspberries with 3 Tbs. of sugar.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. After the first 40 or so minutes check it with a toothpick to see if it is done. Mine seemed to take forever, I don’t know how long it really was though because I forgot how much time I initially put on the timer. That’s what happens when you drink wine while you bake.

Enjoy!

 

Tantalizing Tuesday? Dinner With Twins? I need a new name for this segment. Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?

Tonight’s dinner is brought to you by the letters D & J, for Dallas and John.

That’s my husband, Elmer Fudd, and my son, the unibomber.

Salmon W/sun-dried Tomato Marinade, Rice Pilaf, and Grilled Romaine

Ingredients

2 Filets of Salmon

1 Bottle of Lawry’s Sun Dried Tomato Marinade

2 Boxes of Rice-A-Roni Rice Pilaf, cooked according to package directions

2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce

Grated Parmesan

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

The bottle says to marinate the salmon for half an hour. I did it for about an hour and a half. Dallas is not a big fan of fish, so I was trying to get it to taste more like sun-dried tomato and less like salmon. It still did not permeate to deeply into the fish, but it was good.

Don’t ask why he went salmon fishing if he doesn’t like fish. He’s an idiot.

The first step is to start cooking the rice. It takes about 20 minutes. I know it’s a shortcut, when I have time to learn how to make rice pilaf from scratch I’ll let you know. Don’t hold your breath.

Next, prepare the romaine. You will want to keep the head intact, so rinse it and then lay it in a strainer with the open part down for a few minutes. Don’t worry if there is still a little dirt near the root, you won’t eat that part anyway. Then cut it in half so that the root part continues to hold it together.

Using a paper towel, dry out any remaining liquid. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and season with garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper. I like a lot. It’s totally up to you, just make sure you use a lot when you have me over for dinner.

Depending on the size of your filets it will take a little more than 15 minutes to cook the salmon on the grill. You could also broil it.

When you think the salmon is less than 10 minutes from being finished you will want to throw the romaine on the grill. It’s just like grilling anything else, don’t freak out.

Once it is nicely charred, flip it over and grill the other side.

It’s really good, trust me.

When it is finished chop off the stem and pull out the yellow leaves. Unless you like the yellow leaves, just don’t tell me about it because it’s disgusting.

The batch of romaine that I had on the top rack did not cook as well as I would have liked. The upside is that even if it doesn’t cook it still tastes great. The sun-dried tomato marinade was good and very easy. It made a mess on the grill though, so use foil.

I’m really serious about renaming this post, so shoot me some ideas. Also, if you have a recipe you’d like me to try send it my way.