Hot Fudge Cake

This cake is a remake of a childhood memory. A long time ago, my mom took my sister and me to Bob's Big Boy and let us order the chocolate fudge cake. It was chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream in the middle, slathered in hot fudge, and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. It was absolutely fantastic! So, of course my sister and I would always ask for this and my mom came up with a brilliant idea to make it at home. It is quite simple and always a crowd pleaser. You simply make a chocolate cake per the directions in a 9 x 13 pan. Let it cool a little so that you can get it out of the pan without it breaking up. Slice the cake in the middle horizontally to make two layers. Next, you need some vanilla ice cream that comes in an unfoldable box so that you can open it up all the way and cut a slab off of it. Cut a slab of ice cream off that will fit on top of your cake, lay it on top of the bottom layer and stack the other layer on top of that. Heat some hot fudge topping in the microwave, (I can not emphasize enough, this is not even close to the same as chocolate syrup, you must get the bottle that says hot fudge). Pour the hot fudge over the top and top with whipped cream and a cherry! This dessert is definitely indulgent. Not much of a recipe, I know, but in this case, it couldn't get any better. Thanks mom!

Pear Toasts

What makes a good Hors d'Oeuvres? For me it's minimal ingredients, quick preparation, tastiness, and most importantly, can it be served at room temperature? This one satisfies all of these. I really like things that can be served at room temperature because that means I can make them ahead of time and not worry about them, a lot less stress when you have a bunch of people coming over. These are simple, and people are always asking me for the recipe, even though they are so easy it hardly seems like a recipe.

Ingredients:

1 baguette

1 pear

blue cheese crumbles

chopped walnuts

Slice the baguette into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick. (Make as many slices as you want Hors d'Oeuvres.) Heat the oven and put on broil. Lay out the baguette slices on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for a minute on each side, browning slightly. This dries them a bit so when you cook them with the pear on top they do not get soggy. Take out of the oven and place a pear slice on top of each baguette (sliced about 1/8 inch thick). Next place a small amount of blue cheese crumbles and chopped walnuts on top. Place back under the broiler for a few minutes, watching them closely (anything under a broiler can burn quickly). Once the cheese has melted take out of the oven and place on a serving tray. I really hope you like these!