Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!  As y'all in Georgia know, the past few days we have been experiencing the Snow Event of the Year here.    So what's one to do when one can't leave the house?   Cook, of course.  So yesterday I made this cake again and it is officially one of my favorites of all time.  It's super easy since it begins with a cake mix base.  The combination of the chocolate and raspberry is just divine and perfect for a day like today!

Ingredients:
· 1 box of chocolate cake mix
· 2 small boxes of instant chocolate pudding
· 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
· 1 1/4 cups water
· 4 eggs
· 1 cup chocolate chips
· 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam
· 1 stick butter, softened
· 4 cups powdered sugar
· 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
· 3-4 tablespoons milk
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· Fresh raspberries to garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water and eggs with electric mixer. Stir in one cup chocolate chips. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan; spread the jam over the batter.
3. Pour remaining half of the batter over jam and bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling.
4. To make the frosting, beat butter with powdered sugar, cocoa powder and milk until creamy. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread on cooled cake and top with fresh raspberries.



We also made these yesterday.  Chocolate Covered Strawberries for my special Valentines!

Oh and these Toffee Blondies, too!

Mozzarella Biscuit Muffins

Ingredients:
1 25 ounce bag (12 biscuits) frozen Southern Style biscuits, prefer Pillsbury
1 stick of butter, cut into 48 small cubes
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes
Garlic powder, optional

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Thaw the biscuits for 15-20 minutes and cut each biscuit into quarters (will have 48 pieces).
3. Spray mini-muffin pans (48 total) with cooking spray.
4. Place 1 cube of butter into the bottom of each muffin.
5. Flatten out biscuit quarter and place mozzarella cube into the center of it. Place it on top of the butter, pressing into the muffin pan.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with garlic powder, if desired.

Cooking with Crevolyn: Valentine's Day Traditions

Check out Crevolyn's latest column in the Gainesville Times about Valentine's Day Traditions here.

Broccoli and Cashew Crunch

Ingredients:

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup salted cashews, lightly chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt
1 pound fresh broccoli, florets only
2 tablespoons melted butter
Black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, cashews, lemon zest, garlic powder and a pinch of salt and set aside.
3. Place the broccoli on a baking sheet. Drizzle with butter and toss.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven about 20 minutes. Remove and toss the broccoli with the cashew mixture. Serve warm.

Peppercorn Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 whole (4 to 5 pounds) beef tenderloin
1/3 cup whole peppercorns, or to taste
Sea salt, to taste
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Place the peppercorns in a baggie and with a mallet or rolling pin; break the peppercorns into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Rinse meat well. Place the beef on an oven pan with a rack. Sprinkle with sea salt, sugar and peppercorns and press into meat.
4. Stick the needle of a meat thermometer lengthwise into the meat. Place it in the oven for about 25 minutes. Temperature for medium rare is 125-130 degrees and 140 for medium. Be careful not to overcook.
5. About 10 minutes before taking meat out of the oven, put the butter and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt butter and simmer with garlic for about 5 minutes.
6. Remove meat from oven and pour melted butter and garlic over it. Cover the meat with foil and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing.