cake or loaf?

I didn’t make the cake. We were still full from a Saturday night of eating and drinking that there was no room for colossal chocolate goodness on Sunday. We only really had room for couch and TV, though I somehow got myself out of our newly constructed couch-bed to go to the gym for an hour. (Somehow I figured that one hour of moderate activity would make up for an entire day of blobbing and lying around.) Jennifer (the Canadian-Australian woman we bumped into in the grocery store near our house about a month ago) and her husband Rowan had us over on Saturday night for dinner and drinks, and we had a blast. They put together a huge spread of goodies: wings, sushi (YUM!), chicken nibbly things, bocconcini-tomato-butter lettuce bites and a big delicious plate of cheese and veggies and nuts and olives and more. YUM. The wine flowed and the conversation was great. They’ve been living here for two and a half years, so had a lot to say about Romania and the crazy people that live here. Okay, there are some sane, normal ones but for the most part… it’s a crazy place. We had lots of notes to compare on that subject, and also on our mutual living-away-from-home situations. Rowan works at the Port (the largest in the Black Sea) as a terminal manager, and Jennifer and I share the same support staff role; they have a sweet little dog that they rescued from the street, who is a complete princess and is clearly the one in charge. Anyways, we stayed late (time flies when you’re having fun) and somehow, managed to pick up one of Steve’s teammates on the way home; I was ready for bed but Steve and Arvis wanted hockey and just one more drink. So, I went to bed.

Sunday was a lazy, lazy day. We probably watched 12 or 13 episodes of Friends – we’re starting from the beginning and are planning to make our way through all 10 seasons of the show. I love it – it doesn’t really get old for me. I mean sure, there are some episodes that I’ve seen a million times and am a bit meh about but… I still love it! I also finished two books this weekend – Pilgrim (which took me almost a month to read) and Bernhard Shultz’s The Reader; both were great books – very different of course, but I’d definitely recommend both of them.

So, since Steve is leaving tomorrow (mrrrrrr) for an entire week on a very long bus trip, and since I love baking and love eating and want to send him off with some yummy food for the bus… I’m making Chocolate Applesauce Loaf. Again, it’s a healthy alternative to the Ultimate Choco Cake madness-deliciousness that I will make when the guys get back but don’t dare make in the meantime; Tammy and I would end up like the mayor in Le Chocolat (chocolate-glutton-unconscious in the front window), but with no one to find us or judge us, which would almost be worse.


(it might look something like this - but we'd be wearing sweats and there'd be a lot more chocolate everywhere)

chocolate applesauce loaf

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1 c. sugar (approx.)

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. applesauce

1 sq. semi sweet choc. grated coarsely (didn't add this but it would be good!!)

350 degrees, loaf pan about 50 min.

The recipe is from my mom, who told me last night that our Hot Looks dolls are in the basement. I'll snap a few pics of this LOAF if it turns out... or lasts long enough... ")