A Saturday Night Out~FFA Fundraiser & Volpi's

Last Night we attended a Petaluma High School FFA Boosters Fundraiser Dinner and Dance. This event was held at the Petaluma Elk's Lodge. There were Live and Silent Auctions items and raffle tickets for many prizes with all proceeds benefiting the Agriculture Department for Petaluma High School. Our table....

Sandy's cherished Raffle Prize & her ride home..... Dominic and I both attended Petaluma High School so it feels good to support this type of event. And fun to see people that attended high school with us who are now some of the parents of the kids benefiting from the Ag program at Petaluma High. Our Designated Driver on the right and more friends (thanks Mark!)........ Friends....highly motivated, they're training to compete in a marathon! More friends.... About 250 - 300 in attendance.... One of the live auctions items was a Wild Game or Fresh Fish Feed for 10. All proceeds from this item going towards the Dairy Judging Team's trip to Scotland in June Read more about the Dairy Judging Team that Dominic coaches and their upcoming trip to the Royal Highland Show in Scotland. Here's Dominic talking up the Team and pumping up the bidders..... This item raised $1500 dollars for the Team! Chantilly, who was patiently waiting in the car for her owners, came in for a little break.She's a pure bred Maltese....so cute!

The party moved downtown to Volpi's afterward..... The Volpi family, a long line of Dairy Ranchers that extends a few generations. They sold their herd of Holstein cows some years ago but continue to milk goats at the present time. Mr. Volpi (center) and other friends... Love this place! This is the bar area, a separate room from the restaurant. Volpi's used to be a speakeasy with a secret back entrance in prohibition days....

Such a feeling of Petaluma history comes over me every time I visit. The walls are covered with old photos and wild game.... A fun night in it's entirety! _____________________________________________ Happy Valentine's Day ! A yummy cocktail to share. There's just something so delicious about chocolate and raspberries together and when you have them both in a cocktail....what can be better? Chocolate Covered Raspberry~ Ingredients 1-ounce raspberry liqueur (recommended: Chambord) 1-ounce bourbon, (recommended: Maker's Mark) 1-ounce chocolate liqueur, (recommended: Godiva) 1/2-ounce heavy cream Ice Fresh raspberry, for garnish Directions In a cocktail shaker, add the raspberry liqueur, bourbon, chocolate liqueur, heavy cream, and ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a fresh raspberry and serve Cheers! Pin It

It Can't Get Much Better Than Red Velvet~

You can't go wrong with this Red Velvet Cupcake recipe! One word....YUM!! Red velvet is my favorite flavor of cupcake, especially when it's loaded with cream cheese frosting. Talk about heavenly! Just try not to think about the two sticks of butter, one pound of cream cheese and the sugar in the frosting mix. I just pretend it's not there. These cupcakes are so moist and delicious....must be the sour cream in the mix. *New feature...'Subscribe by Email' just sign up to receive my individual blog posts sent to your email address. After signing up you will be emailed a link from Feedburner to click on to confirm your 'subscription.' Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes Ingredients 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup milk 1 (1 ounce) bottle Red Food Color 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 tablespoons sour cream 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar Directions 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. 2.Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined mini muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full. 3.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry. Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip. Nutritional Information YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW......Trust me!

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Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes~A Valentine's Day Favorite

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes with Mocha Sauce It's all about Valentine's Day this week and what goes better with V-Day than chocolate?! Wash it down with a tall glass of ice cold milk. ~or a glass of red wine ;)

Some molten-cake recipes call for underbaking the batter so the middles stay lava-like, but mini cakes get done so quickly it's best to give them a filling that won't set up. These rich, mocha-flavored morsels are guaranteed to stay moist and gooey, owing to a simple mocha ganache in the middle. Serve the cakes with a scoop of low-fat coffee ice cream and garnish with a chocolate-covered espresso bean. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, (60-75% cacao), coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons light cream 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water, divided 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 1 large egg 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 1-3 teaspoons very hot water

Preparation 1.Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Generously coat the mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

2.Place chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. (Alternatively, see “No Microwave?” below.) Microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until the remaining chocolate melts completely.

3.To prepare filling: Stir together granulated sugar, cream and half the espresso mixture in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High just to steaming, 20 to 40 seconds. (Alternatively, combine in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just steaming.) Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add corn syrup and half the melted chocolate (reserve the other half for the batter); stir until completely smooth. Cover and transfer to the freezer until cold and firm, about 30 minutes.

4.To prepare batter: When the filling has been chilling for 20 minutes, whisk egg, oil, vanilla, salt and the remaining espresso mixture in a medium bowl until very smooth. Return the remaining chocolate mixture to the microwave. Microwave on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until just warm again (do not overheat). In two batches, whisk the egg mixture into the warm chocolate until well blended. Sift confectioners' sugar, flour and cocoa over the batter and whisk in just until smoothly incorporated.

5.To assemble cakes: Remove the filling from the freezer. Spoon half the batter into the mini muffin cups, about 1 rounded teaspoon per cup. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon filling onto the center of each (reserve the rest for the sauce). Divide the remaining batter evenly among the muffin cups, about 1 rounded teaspoon per cake. Smooth out the batter to cover the filling.

6.Bake the cakes on the middle rack until the edges look dry and puffed but the centers still look very underdone and puddinglike, 6 to 9 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack until firm, about 2 minutes. Place a cutting board on top of the pan and invert the mini cakes out onto it. If the cakes are stuck to the pan, run a knife around and under them to loosen.

7.To prepare sauce & serve: Thoroughly stir very hot water into the reserved filling, 1 teaspoon at a time, until very smooth and slightly fluid. Serve the warm cakes drizzled with the sauce.

Tips & Notes Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 5, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. After baking (Step 6), the cakes will keep in the pan, tightly covered with foil, for up to 1 day. The sauce (Step 7) will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To serve, reheat the cakes in the covered pan at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a microwave on Medium for about 20 seconds. Equipment: 12-cup mini muffin pan

No Microwave? Melt chocolate in a double boiler instead: Place chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water. Gently stir until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from the heat and stir until it melts completely.

Nutrition Per serving: 244 calories; 17 g fat (7 g sat, 3 g mono); 49 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 64 mg sodium; 30 mg potassium. 2 Carbohydrate Serving

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