Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze

 

Do I need another bundt cake pan?  No.  But I couldn't resist this swirl cake pan from Nordic Ware.  I was picturing all kinds of cakes in it.  Lemon pound cake, Coffee Cake, and of course, chocolate cake.  For this recipe, I'm using my favorite chocolate cake recipe and combining it with a rich red wine chocolate glaze that I spied in Bon Appetit.  Chocolate and red wine are such a great combination, why not combine them in a cake?

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Casarecce Pasta with Pesto, Eggplant and Slow Roasted Tomatoes (and a Barilla Pasta Giveaway!)

Did you know there are hundreds of different pasta shapes in Italy?  Each region seems to have a special shape or two which is popular in that area.  Thanks to the good folks at Barilla, you will be able to experience some of these shapes because they are introducing five new pasta shapes with Barilla® "Collezione" pasta. I'm so excited about this line of pastas. And Barilla is even offering a giveaway gift basket for you, which includes each pasta shape plus goodies from Williams Sonoma, to a lucky reader.

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Five Inexpensive Kitchen Essentials

I have a lot of tools and gadgets in the kitchen that I use a lot and feel like I can't do without.  I couldn't give up my KitchenAid mixer or my MagiMix food processor. You need good quality pots and pans, of course.  A few good sharp knives are essential.   These are all fantastic items but are pricey.  What about the tools in the kitchen that make my life easier but are not expensive?  These are my top five that I would be lost without when I'm cooking!

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