*sold out* 20/20 sale

Today's 20/20 sale (20% off of a colorway, but only for the first 20 skeins sold) features Donegan:

Gotta be Speedy Gonzalez to catch this one!

Sold out, thank you!

let me eat cake.

This is one of those desserts that I make just for me. My hubs does not enjoy chocolate or coffee much (I know, right?), so when I make this, I know I'll get to eat most of it myself. Which is both a reason to make it and a reason not to make it.

I'm not exactly wasting away to nothing up here in Duluth, MN. My clothing could provide shelter in the wilderness for at least one-fifth of the Donner party. But I have decided that I am not going to sit around obsessing about my lack of buffness. I am going to sit around the table with friends eating this chocolate pudding cake. Which really, is more fun than obsessing about my lack of buffness.

Yarnista's Chocolate {Mocha} Pudding Cake

These are individual servings of delectable chocolate cake with a soft, gooey center. I love it with the mocha and without, so make it to your preference.

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

2. Optional, if you want to make this a mocha cake. Omit this step if you want your chocolate straight up. Turn on tea kettle to heat water for French press coffee, or prepare a small quantity of coffee using your preferred method.

3. Spray four ramekins with cooking spray. You can also use one larger 9" round (or heart shaped, aww!) pan.

4. Optional, if you want to make this a mocha cake. Omit this step if you want your chocolate straight up. When water is hot, add coffee to French press and allow coffee to steep.

5. Chop 4oz of good bitter-sweet or semi-sweet chocolate. I made a double batch the other night, so you see the quantity doubled here. Good chocolate makes a difference.

6. Cut 1/2 cup of butter into eight or so pieces, and place the chocolate and butter into a microwave-proof bowl. (Again, these pics show a double recipe.) If you don't have a microwave, you can use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and butter together.

It does help a lot if you have a spare six year old to assist you.

7. Melt the chocolate in thirty second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment.

8. Take 11 pictures that look like this, courtesy of the six year old.

9. In a mixing bowl, beat together until light and fluffy:

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup of sugar

2 tsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

10. To this fluffy mixture, slowly add the melted chocolate mixture, mixing all the while. You don't want to dump all the chocolate in at once, or you risk scrambling the eggs.

11. Optional, if you want to make this a mocha cake. Omit this step if you want your chocolate straight up. Once chocolate is well incorporated, pour yourself a cup of the coffee you've made, and add 2 tsp of coffee grounds to the chocolate mixture. Mix to incorporate.

This is absolutely delicious without the addition of coffee. It's your choice. I said that already. Oh.

12. Distribute batter equally into ramekins or pour into larger cake pan.

13. Bake for 6-8 minutes for individual ramkeins, and for 8-10 minutes for a larger cake pan. Center will be quite soft.

14. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, get out your ice cream.

You have several possible combinations here. In descending order of most mocha flavor to least mocha flavor:

-- Chocolate {Mocha} Pudding Cake with coffee ice cream

-- Chocolate {No Mocha} Pudding Cake with coffee ice cream

-- Chocolate {Mocha} Pudding Cake with vanilla ice cream

-- Chocolate {No Mocha} Pudding Cake with vanilla ice cream

15. I really like this cake served warm, so it makes the ice cream all melty and delish.

When the cake is warm, the center is gooey. As the cake cools, the center firms up slightly.  I sprinkled a little kosher salt on top of my cake. I didn't like it.

So don't do that.

This is one of those desserts that people will think you slaved over, but that really, you can whip up in fifteen minutes with stuff you probably already have in your cupboard.

Let me know if you try them -- maybe for Valentine's Day? (Which is in a week!)

*sold out* 20/20 sale

Post-Super Bowl 20/20 sale!

20% off of one colorway, but only for the first 20 skeins sold.

Today's sale is on Carey, a beautiful gray with splashes of purple and charcoal swirled deliciously throughout.

 When all 20 skeins have been sold, this colorway goes back to regular price.

*Sold out* Thank ya!

what say you?

Yellow is a controversial color.

People are afraid of it.

They fear that they'll be swathing themselves in a college textbook highlighter shade.

They fear their retinas will be scarred and lead to permanent disfigurement.

But yet, yellow used correctly does something no other hue can.

It's vibrant, fresh, energetic, cheerful, and stylish.

It intensifies whatever it's paired with, as yellow is often the lightest and brightest shade in a palette, which helps the deeper, richer shades shine.

Take this rug:

Garnet Hill

The colors would not be nearly as fresh without some yellow to offset them.

I think I might need this rug for the studio.

Garnet Hill

It's wool, naturally. In this case, the yellow is calming, sweet, cheerful, and natural.

This acidic yellow shade makes purple pop.

Boden

The addition of hot pink lends this coat a juicy, sun-ripened feel. And given that there's a 16 week wait for it at Boden, people are craving this combination for spring.

Boden

What say you? Have you had a retina-searing yellow experience?

Be vewy quiet.

You might hear the cracking of the ice on the Big Lake. It's 50 degrees warmer here than it was four days ago. Hello, February!

I think I've reached the pinnacle of curmudgeonliness.

Here's the kind of stuff that I do on Friday night:

1. Knit while watching the John Adams mini-series for the third time. I revel in watching it. Don't get me started talking about it, I will go on for hours. You should watch it too. Then we could talk about it.

2. Eat homemade salsa and guacamole. The chips are merely a vehicle for the salsa and guacamole. 

Last night I tried to make guacamole and realized I had no limes. My husband was not home and the kids were sleeping, so I had no hope of getting a lime. I tasted the guacamole, and it needed something acidic.

I made the mistake of using balsamic vinegar.

Peeps, do not try that at home. Avocados should not be treated that way.

3. Put up blog posts like this one. Ready? Are ya ready?

I Am……a friendly introvert.

I Want……an iPad, and a super amazing camera lens that I've rented twice but cannot bring myself to spend money on purchasing. If you're not a photographer, you would think, "Sheesh, take a vacation instead." If you're into photography, Nikkor 85mm 1.4 AF-S. You pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?

I Should……do yoga or something.

I Wish……that my dog was better behaved.

I Hate……meatloaf, meatballs, and all manner of meat mixed with other ingredients and then formed into some kind of shape.

I Fear…….endeavors that would result in my untimely demise. Such endeavors include rock climbing, sky diving, bungee jumping, flying in a small plane, and eating meatloaf.

I Hear……my huge, brown dog laying on the floor lapping water from her bowl. My children in bed. My husband starting the dishwasher.

I Search……for the keys I lost two weeks ago. I had to borrow keys from my employees to get a new set made. Generally speaking, it's best for the leader of an organization to have keys to said organization, no?

I Wonder……why there are not more hours in my day.

I Regret…….rubbing my eye after chopping jalapenos for the salsa I made.

I Love…….mi familia, mi gato y mi perra. Y yarno.

I Always……wake up thinking about coffee.

I Usually……eat chocolate 73 times per day.

I Am Not……interested in the Super Bowl.

I Dance……during Hip Hop O'Clock in the studio.

I Sing…….frequently and badly. Sometimes on purpose.

I Never…….like meatloaf.

I Rarely……think about meatloaf because I dislike it so much.

I Cry……in the bathroom when my host serves me meatloaf.

I Am Not Always……very good at keeping my opinions to myself.

I Lose……things that I put away to keep myself from losing them.

I’m Confused……about why people would want to make meatloaf.

I Need…….pretty colors, coffee, chocolate, and adequate sleep.

I Have……much to be thankful for.

Including you.

That's my Friday night. What are you up to?

Update on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 9:11AM by Yarnista

Let's all pretend that I can type, shall we?