Monday, May 12, 2008

Foodie

So I'm not much of one for cooking. I mean, I like to cook, but sometimes I just can't be bothered and I'd rather just have a grilled cheese sandwich or some apple slices with peanut butter. Juston would rather have a bowl of cereal or a frozen pizza than just about anything on earth. Every once in awhile, though, I do whip something up that I find to be pretty dang good and it makes me wonder why I don't do it more often. Yesterday I made a vegetarian lasagna/ziti dish (I sort of meshed the two together) for our vegetarian friends who recently had a baby, and for dessert I decided to delve into one of the ward cookbooks to find a recipe I've never made before. This one came courtesy of the Riverdale 7th Ward, former stomping ground of Juston's brother's family. (People tend to give these cookbooks, little bits of Mormon kitsch that they are, as gifts.) My number one consideration when making a recipe is ingredients on hand, the second is ease; this one was both. So without further delay, I present to you:


Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cake!

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. applesauce
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbls. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (come on, you know that's not enough)
2 c. flour

Topping:
2 tbls. sugar
1/2 bag chocolate chips (6 oz)

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle sugar and chocolate chips on cake. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean.)

I don't have a picture, but trust me, it's good stuff. The chocolate chips on top get really gooey and give it an almost frosting-like texture. I used half whole wheat, half regular flour as usual, and I added extra cinnamon. I thought the batter seemed stiff for a cake batter, but the end result was really fluffy and moist. It took closer to 40 minutes to cook, thanks to my awesome oven, and when it was done I put a little vanilla drizzle and powdered sugar on the top to make it pretty. Delicious!



Edit: Here and here are the recipes for the lasagna and baked ziti, respectively. They're both really, really good.

3 comments:

jenny said...

i am always up for a good dessert recipe, thanks for sharing. what's the recipe for vegetarian lasagna????

Laura said...

Sounds delish. I want to see some pics of you guys at your big race on Saturday. Sounds like it went well!

We made it to Dayton. Its slower than Atlanta, thats for sure. I think we'll be happy though, especially considering that our new place is HUGE compared to what we came from. Of course, nothing beats our Atlanta ward and friends.

Shawn and Alisha Stratton said...

Oooo thanks for the idea! Shawn sounds like Juston - he will eat anything I make (which is good for me cuz I'm not the best cook) - I mean this literally: "Thank goodness for Chef Boyardee"! I'll have to give this a try and work my "new wifee" magic. And thanks for the baby guidance. I'll just keep loving Annabelle (bark and all!).