Death by Chocolate

Here's a recipe that will thrill your tastebuds and clog your arteries. I made it recently for my co-workers....they went back and forth between thanking me for making them and scolding me for bringing them in and making them feel like the "had" to eat them.

Black and White Brownies

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter

Cream Cheese Batter:
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
9 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Chocolate batter:
6 eggs
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt chocolate and 1/2 cup butter and set aside to cool. You can melt it in the microwave or over a double boiler.

To make the cream cheese batter: with a whip attachment, cream 6 tablespoons butter then add the cream cheese and continue mixing. Add the sugar, beat until fluffy, then beat in the eggs, flour, and vanilla. Set aside.

For the chocolate batter: in a separate bowl whip the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and mix into egg mixture. Mix in the melted chocolate and butter and vanilla.

In a rectangular pan, lined with parchment, spread half the chocolate mixture. Spread the cream cheese layer over that to cover. Then drop remaining chocolate batter by spoonfuls on top then swirl with a knife. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Mom's birthday...and Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake

3 C. flour
2 C. sugar (preferably white)
1/2 t. salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained
1 C. chopped pecans
2 C. chopped firm ripe banana

Cream Cheese Frosting:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 C. butter, room temperature
2 lb. confectioners' sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 C. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon into mixing bowl several times. Add eggs and salad oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple and 1 C. pecans. Stir in the bananas. Spoon the batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.


We make this cake every year for Mom's birthday. It is delicious, and especially moist. It's really moist if you forget to read the lable on the pineapple, and add twice as much as it calls for. Needless to say, no one could figure out my secret ingredient.

This is a little late, as our internet had been down. Happy birthday to the world's greatest Mom!
I love you and thank God continually for you. Thank you for helping me continue to grow into a godly, virtuous woman. Especially, for helping me to keep my eyes on Christ, and for learning to trust Him for everything. Your example is the greatest blessing you can give me. You are such a dear Mother, I love you so much.
Thank you for helping me to continue falling in love with Jesus. That is truly the greatest truth you could teach me.