Ways to say "I Love You," and Grand Marnier Cake

Valentine's day is approaching, and it seems appropriate to talk about love.  In January, I took a class which emphasized the essential qualities of a counselor.  The subject matter was largely introspective and reflective, but even so, I think the class could have been alternately titled "How to love others well." 

As I took this class in January and had a proverbial mirror held before me, I realized how little time and effort I spend intentionally seeking to love those in my life.  I think it is easy to go on "auto-pilot" when it comes to loving family and friends.  We let the days and weeks pass us by, while we love one another only clumsily, if we make any effort to love at all.  So, in light of Valentine's day, a day to celebrate love (whether romantic or not), I want to reflect a bit on practical ways to love others intentionally. 

Call, Text, or E-mail.  My tendencies concerning communication revolve around necessity rather than love.  If I need something, or I need to communicate something, I will pick up my phone or computer.  But rarely do I purposefully seek to encourage or love others without prompting.  I hope to be more purposeful in initiating loving and encouraging words using these oh, so easy conveniences!  I know those words will be appreciated and the recipients will certainly feel loved. 

Write a hand-written letter.  This is another area where I struggle.  I want my letters to be heart-felt and well-worded, and so I tend to put off letter-writing for another time when I can invest more time and thought.  But the truth is, hand-written letters will be greatly appreciated, no matter how brief or brilliantly stated. 

Spend time together.  Whether time is spent together studying over books, chatting one-on-one over tea, or savoring the company of friends and a good meal, I am learning more and more the benefits of setting aside time for others.  I find that I am more purposeful about this when I put it on the calendar.  When we do spend this time together, I am learning to make sure that I will not be distracted, so that I can truly enjoy and love those in my company. 

Do something for them.  As I am learning to be more intentional in loving others, I realize that sometimes lives can become hectic and there is little time for tea, much less dinner together.  But loving well might mean going to the store for a friend, or proof-reading a paper, or doing something else that might make their "to-do" list a little lighter. 

Give them a gift.  This is easiest for me, but I still need to strive to seek to love others in a way that they would feel loved.  A trip to a favorite store, a box of a favorite kind of tea, tickets to a movie, or a thoughtful after-school snack will all be sweet reminders that "I love you."  And, of course, chocolate, especially in cake form, being synonymous with love, also expresses that sentiment. 

I hope that my musings and strivings to love others well have encouraged you to think about how you can intentionally love those in your life.  I would love to hear your ideas of how you purposefully show love to your loved ones!

Grand Marnier Chocolate Bundt Cake

Adapted from Mom's Special Company Cake, Cooking Light, September 1998

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
2 large eggs
Zest of one orange

For the Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup stick margarine or butter
1/3 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven 350.

Butter and flour a bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients except the orange zest. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for three minutes. Using a spatula, stir in the orange zest. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Leaving the cake in the pan, prick the cake all over with a fork or wooden pick. Combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil for one minute. Pour the glaze over the cake; allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, remove to a serving plate and store in an airtight container.

This cake is even better on the second or third day, and would be excellent with Frangelico, Kahlua, Amaretto, or other chocolate-friendly liqueurs in place of the Grand Marnier.

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One question...

What do fall Saturdays mean to you?

I think about Fall festivals and produce at the curb market in every color of orange and golden yellow. I think about going for a leisurely walk through the neighborhood, when all of the shops are opening their doors and displaying evidences of the coming season in their windows. There's something serene about the cool nip in the air on a fall Saturday. There's something wonderful about sleeping late, comfortable in the warmth of your bed covers, or waking early to enjoy a good cup of coffee. There are the smells, the flavors, that have withheld themselves since last Christmas; full of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pumpkin, sweet potato, winter squash, and gourds. I think that it is the newness and freshness of everything that is so enjoyable. It has been a whole year since we have enjoyed fall in this capacity!

There is one thing, however, that I have neglected to mention. One very important factor. That would be SEC football. Yes, I know that college football exists across our great nation, but not really in my world. The world of Southern football has been a recent addition to my life. You see, I went to a smaller school, with a football program that is more likened to high school caliber. Don't get me wrong, I went to the games and I enjoyed them, but it's just not the same. I never really experienced a big college football game until after I had graduated. Having married a University of Tennessee graduate, and with a brother in the Auburn University Marching Band, my world has been invaded by SEC football from all sides.

One great thing about not having an alumna allegiance to a particular school is that I can cheer with my friends for their teams. Although I do hold Auburn football closest to my heart, I will cheer with my husband for UT, my dad for the University of Alabama, and, more recently, with new found friends for Georgia.

In case you've never experienced it, a large part of college football is tailgating. It is usually a potluck of everything good. Depending on how serious the tailgaters are, they might drive up with a full trailer carrying a grill, Flat-screen T.V. (or two), large igloo coolers of beverages of choice, and hundreds of sides and goodies, or, like my family, things are a little simpler with a couple of small coolers of fabulous ham sandwiches, kettle chips, and some cookies or brownies.

Although we are too far away to enjoy the tailgating experience of fall Saturdays, we have been able to enjoy watching the football games and excellent food with fellow (stranded) SEC fans. We recently spent an evening watching football with our Georgia fan-friends, enjoying some amazing home-made pizza. I contributed a batch of one of my all-time favorite brownie recipes.

Peanut-Peanut Butter Brownies

27 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, Divided
3 ounces, weight Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
3 sticks Plus 2 Tablespoons Butter, Room Temperature, Divided
1 cup Sugar
3 whole Eggs
1½ Tablespoon Vanilla Extract, Divided
½ cups Plus 1 Tablespoon Flour
1½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
¾ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Divided
1½ cup Chopped Salted Roasted Peanuts
1½ cup Chunky Peanut Butter (not Natural)
1 cup Powdered Sugar
¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1½ Tablespoon Whole Milk

Part 1: Brownies

Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving 1-2 inches to hang over the sides. Grease the parchment paper.

Melt 2 sticks of butter, 1 2/3 cups of chocolate chips and 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Let this mixture cool until warm.

Use a spatula and stir the sugar, eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until just mixed. Mix in the folded chocolate mixture.

Sift the 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined.

Mix together another 1 2/3 cups chocolate chips, the chopped peanuts and the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. The center of the brownies will still be soft, but do not overbake.

Part 2: Peanut Butter Icing

Using a hand mixer, blend peanut butter with 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the powdered sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, milk and 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract. Mix well.

When the brownies have cooled, spread the icing over the top of the brownies with a spatula. This can be a little messy, but just make sure that the icing is evenly spread over the brownies.

Refrigerate until slightly cool.

Part 3: Chocolate Ganache

Microwave the remaining chocolate chips with remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.

Pour the ganache over the top of the icing and spread with a spatula.
Refrigerate until the ganache is set. Cut into squares and serve.

Dinner with the Neighbors

When we were young, we would spend almost all day every day with our next-door neighbors. We would ride bikes in their cul-de-sac and have lemonade sales on hot afternoons. We would jump on the trampoline and choreograph dances to Wilson Phillips' "Hold On." When it was getting close to dusk, our mother would ring a bell and we would come home for dinner. Occasionally, however, we would eat dinner with our neighbors. I don't much remember what we would have to eat at their house, but I do remember having what we thought then was a fabulous treat: Kraft macaroni and cheese.

It was not that our mother didn't make macaroni and cheese. She just didn't make Kraft macaroni and cheese, with all of it's fake-cheesy-ness. She would make what she called "Macaroni Casseroni," with real cheese and real wholesome goodness. To our unrefined pallets, it was just wasn't the same (and, unfortunately, we let her know it). Thankfully, I have grown out of that phase of life.

I tell you this story because, thanks to my mom's love for good food, we very rarely ate any pre-packaged or box-mix fare. I don't mean to be a snob about it, but aside from the fact that home-prepared foods are generally much healthier, they are also usually much, much better tasting!

All of that said, I have to apologize for this recipe. It contains a box mix. Actually, it contains two. Please don't disown me. You know that I wouldn't put it on here if it wasn't wonderful.

I made this (and some of those wonderful molasses cookies) for my little brother's birthday, which is today. He still enjoys Kraft macaroni and cheese. Happy Birthday, little brother!

Black Russian Cake

Cake:
1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 3.9 ounce Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs
1/4 Cup Vodka
1/4 Cup Coffee Liqueur, such as Kahlua

Glaze:
1/4 Cup Coffee Liqueur, such as Kahlua
1/2 Stick Butter (4 tablespoons)
1/2 Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar

Combine the first seven ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute; increase speed to medium, and beat 4 more minutes. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining liqueur, powdered sugar and melted butter, stirring until smooth. Prick warm cake at 1-inch intervals with a long skewer. Brush a third of the liqueur mixture over the bottom of the cake. Wait 10 minutes, and invert the cake onto a serving cake. Prick the top of the cake with a skewer, and brush the rest of the liqueur mixture over the top and sides of the cake. Cool completely. Sift additional powdered sugar over the cake before serving.

Serve with coffee ice cream for a special treat!