September BEbabes Party Menu

THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME by Sam Wilde: Mad Housewife Wine and The Best Most Chocolatey Cake Ever

REAL LIFE & LIARS by Kristina Riggle: Parmesan Onion Dip & Wedding Cake Martinis

THE VARIOUS FLAVORS OF COFFEE by Anthony Capella: Chocolate-covered Coffee Beans & Decaf Coffee

BURN by Linda Howard: Hot Artichoke Dip

1. Mad Housewife Merlot

Mad Housewife came into the lives of Book End Babes like all good wines do: as a gift from a girlfriend. Author & founder Malena Lott’s dear GF Tina brought the bottle to a mixer to meet a new mom in town and voila! the rest is history. In addition to being a great tasting wine, Mad Housewife also has mad marketing skills. We adore their pretty web site and they were oh-so-kind enough to provide us some swag, which we will be dispensing via the contest page this month. Check out their distributors so you can grab a bottle for your next BEbabes party!

If you’re a digital babe, fan them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. 

 

The BEST Most Chocolatey Cake EVER (Joy wouldn’t make food, but she sure eats chocolate)
“Charlie’s Afternoon Chocolate Cake”
Serves 8 to 10 (unless you eat it all by yourself before anyone comes home)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces 60% cacao chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions

1

Place a rack at the centre of the oven., Heat oven to 350°F Use the baking spray to coat sides and bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan.
2

In a small saucepan over medium-high , bring butter to a boil, stirring several times to prevent it from burning.
3

Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. Set aside.
4

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Add flour and mix well. Add chocolate and butter mixture, then mix only until just combined. Pour batter into preapred cake pan.
5

Bake cake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300°F and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let cool completely in pan. Unmold and serve.

By the way, I DOUBLE the recipe and the cooking time, watching in the last ten minutes so it doesn’t get too dry. I find it’s far too small otherwise!
(From Francois Payard’s “Chocolate Ephiphany,” Clarkson Potter 2008)

 

From a cookbook collected by my grandmother’s church, The Congregational Church in Charlevoix (the setting of Real Life & Liars, as it happens). The recipe is attributed to one Eleanor Hastie.

 

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup real mayonnaise

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup onion, grated or finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley (cut fine or chopped)

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

 

Mix up and let it chill in the fridge at least two hours or overnight. Plain yogurt with a couple of tablespoons of whipping cream mixed in can be substituted for the sour cream.

Author Kristina Riggle: “I’m not a very good cook and I’m not a purist. I often use Miracle Whip instead of mayo, I’ve used dried parsley every time and sometimes I skip the chilling part if I’m in a rush, and it still turns out delicious. I’ve never tried the yogurt thing so I can’t personally endorse that. Good with Wheat Thins or Triscuits.”

3. Wedding Cake Martini from Recipezaar

Ingredients per glass

• 2 ounces vanilla vodka
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• 1 ounce cranberry juice
• 1 teaspoon artificial artificial sweetener (1 package)

Directions

1. 1Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
2. 2Shake well and strain into martini glass. Enjoy!

3. Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso beans

Also end your evening with your favorite brand of decaf coffee! If you buy a gourmet coffee from a unique region, ask your guests to describe the flavors tasted in the coffee, just like the protagonist does in VARIOUS FLAVORS. 

Get them at Amazon. 

4. Hot Artichoke Dip submitted by BEbabe romance reviewer Kathy Wheeler

Serves 6 to 8

1 lg. can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
1 c. Parmesan cheese (real shredded parmesan)
1/2 c. mayonnaise (not dressing)
1/2 c. sour cream (i used fat free)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
Garlic salt and dill weed to taste

Chop artichoke hearts fine in processor. Add rest of ingredients. Pour into greased Pyrex or souffle pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with bread sticks or chips.