Weekend discoveries.

I heard Hungry Girl on Rachel Ray saying you could healthy-up a chocolate cake mix by substituting a can of pure pumpkin for the egg and oil. Suspect, but willing to do anything to maintain a relationship with a good chocolate cake, I tried it this weekend. I used a Betty Crocker SuperMoist Devil's Food cake, the amount of water specified on the box, and a can of 100% pure pumpkin puree.

While I wouldn't say you don't notice a thing... it's good! The batter is thicker and stiffer, and the resulting cake isn't as springy, but more dense and moist. The flavor is spot on; there really isn't any tell that there is PUMPKIN in it. (When I tasted the batter, you really COULD taste it, so I was bracing for a failure. But, you can't taste it in the finished product. Really.) With a buttercream vanilla icing on top, it's a fantastic slice of chocolate cake heaven. (If anyone knows of a way to make a healthier icing, I'd like to hear it. But it better be good.)

The 1/2 cup of oil and 3 large eggs that the recipe calls for contains over 1200 calories, mostly fat, a lot of cholestrol, etc. The can of pumpkin contained 120 calories, and good things like fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc. A friend tried it in a spice cake, and the results were likewise good.

So... eat cake!

And... Ikea helps organize my studio! For years I've had punches and other tools stored in a deep bin, which of course means you can never figure out just what shit you have to work with. No more! I saw a similar solution online somewhere, and last time I was at IKEA I bought a slew of BYGEL components (rails, baskets, etc.) and tada!