Crazy-busy Day.

And I loved it. Canning. Cleaning. Rearranging. Gardening. Hiking. Cooking. De-cluttering. Listening to Ken yammering. OK, that last part- not my favorite part of the day. Gotta say it- the kid's driving me slightly bat-shit. But all in all, good times. He's getting a hang of picking up after himself, a major feat considering how much of a issue it is to try and get Dwight to pick up after himself. Ken even has been helping fold his own clothes and put them away! We still need to work on the folding, but he is only three and a half, right? Plenty of time.

A few things that I've bumped into the past few days and wanted to share (and finally have the time to post). If you'd like a little help wading through the misinformation on health care reform, Consumer Reports Health has put out a concise fact sheet/FAQ's page to start you out.

Feeding America is sponsoring a foodbank competition for Hunger Action Month, so you can go on, find your local (or favorite) food bank and do a little to help them out in their work feeding those in need.

Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings has a great little "contest" going, which I thought I'd spread around (thank you, Mrs. Gamgee for suggesting this!). I really had to- I love hobbits, and I have been meaning to spend more time on my creative side lately, so here goes.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you. I'll even give you a voice- just list a preferred craft in the comment (not too specific- something like knit-work, scrapbook stuff, etc.). You get something you (might) like, and I get a creative outlet, win-win!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.

2- What I create will be just for you.

3-They say I have a year to get it to you. But I promise it will NOT take that long.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It’s a surprise to both of us at this point.The catch? You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

So the first five people who post, and are willing to pass it along,will get a handmade gift in the mail from me.

When you get it, make sure you post a pic on your blog! Let's have some fun! If you want to comment, but don't want to participate, just end your comment with "Thanks but no thanks."

And, to the Kentites, the Plum Creek issue has now been scheduled in front of a council committee on Wedsnesday, Sept. 2 at 7 pm. Bodies there would be helpful and because it is a committee, the public will be allowed to speak (probably 3 min limit), so come out and voice your support for Alternative Three!

To finish up, one of today's projects. Ken's bento lunch box (our first attempt) for his first day at the Kent State Child Development Center.

Without Further Ado!

Chocolate Beet Cake!

Some of you are now laughing your asses off, while others are looking quizzically at what you've just read, or perhaps gagging. But trust me on this one. It's the best dam cake ever! And it has veggies. Nutritious *and* delicious, what more could you want? The recipe is from my grandmother, although I have to admit grabbing the frosting and ganache recipe from another cook book this morning. I've never felt the need to frost this cake, it's amazingly soft and moist already, but they were near where I had tucked the cake recipe, and it just sounds too freaking cool to pass up. :P If you don't feel like cooking it, drop me a line- I'm always up for company over a slice of cake and spot of coffee.

2 cups beet puree (about 3 large beets)
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

To make the beet puree, you can boil the beets for about an hour. Once the beets are soft and cooled, mash them with a potato masher or a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Or don't- uses less energy that way.

Prepare a round cake pan (8-9 inch) by greasing then dusting with cocoa. Flour leaves weird white marks.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs and water, and mix until smooth.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together into a bowl, and then stir in the salt. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture. When it is smooth, fold in the beet puree.

Scoop the batter into a prepared baking pan. Bake for about 35 minutes (but a lot depends on how juicy your beets were, your oven, etc. so be prepared to check often and just go with the flow).

Cool the cake on a wire rack before icing.

For the Icing

2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup beet puree
1/2 lb confectioners’ sugar (or to taste)

Melt one stick of butter in a sauce pan with the beet puree. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then run the mixture through a fine sieve.

Cream the other stick of butter, and then add the butter/beet mix. Beat until it is fully combined. Then, gradually add the icing sugar until it thickens and is smooth.

To make the ganache
1/8 cup heavy cream
2 T Beet Puree
1 oz dark chocolate (~70% cacao)

In a heavy bottom pan, heat the cream and beet puree on medium heat, stirring the whole time. Remove from heat just before it boils. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. Strain into a small cup to remove any beet pulp. Set aside.

Heat water to about 150F and place in a metal bowl, about 1/2 way up. Place another, smaller, metal bowl on top to act as a double boiler. Check the temperature… you should be able to touch the bottom of the top metal bowl. If it’s too hot to touch, add some cold water to the bottom bowl. You want the top bowl to be about 120F when you add the chocolate.

Coursely chop the chocolate and add to the top metal bowl. Set the other chocolate aside for the coating. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until it’s completely melted. Remove it from the heat, and slowly pour in the cream mixture, and whisk until it’s smooth and you can see the whisk lines in the chocolate. Don’t over stir! Spoon into a small cup, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Once cooled, the ganache can be spread over or piped on like icing, or used to fill cupcakes.