Chocoholics Anonymous-French Silk Double Chocolate Oreo Cake

Let me start by saying today was a "chocolate emergency kit" day, or in other words my 12 year old son, who shall remain nameless, but the letters B-E-and N are in his name, was driving me absolutely BONKERS! From sun up to sun down, 100% BONKERS! So when I started to type this post about this extremely yummy, chocolaty, rich French Silk Double Chocolate Oreo Cake, that I made LAST WEEK it almost put me over the top. Hence the reason my "chocolate emergency kit" is almost gone!!

Oh this cake really is just delicious, but I do warn you, the French Silk portion does contain raw eggs. I did a little research, technically I guess your not supposed to eat raw eggs, but my family has been making this for years, and athletes have been downing raw eggs for breakfast for ages and none of us have been struck with the avian flu or salmonella poisoning. It's up to your own personal comfort, and if you know of a good pasteurized egg product, be my guest. But here's the recipe as we make it. Also the cake part is basically a box mix all jazzed up, easy cheesy! Enjoy!

French Silk Double Chocolate Oreo Cake

Double chocolate cake:

1 box any flavor chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1 box chocolate pudding

1 c mini chocolate chips

1 1/2 c evaporated milk

1/2 oil

Mix cake according to directions but add pudding and bake according to box directions and pan size. Cool, wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for an hour. Freezing the cake only helps with frosting the cake with French Silk, so if you don't want to do this you really don't have to. When the hour is almost done make the French Silk.

French Silk:

1 1/2 sticks butter(only butter)

3/4 c cocoa

1/2 c sugar

2 t. vanilla

3 eggs

Cream together butter, sugar, 2 eggs, and vanilla. Add cocoa and mix on high speed for 6 minutes. Add the last egg and beat an additional 5 minutes on high.

To assemble cake:

1 package Oreo's

Double Chocolate Cake

French Silk

Coarsely crush around 10 Oreo's and cut in half about 5-10 Oreo's. When you frost the cake sprinkle the crushed Oreo's in the middle layer on top of a layer of French Silk. Frost the cake as normal and arrange the halved Oreo's in a circle around the cake. If you want crush an additional amount and cover the top of cake in the center of the Oreo circle. It really makes a pretty cake, let alone yummy.

Happy Birthday Molly- Top 14 reasons why I love you

Happy Birthday Molly Elizabeth, my first born, my guinea pig, my lovely lady. Sometimes I wonder if I teach you as much as you teach me. I feel extremely blessed to have been granted the care and raising of such a choice, strong young woman. 14 years have flown by, I can hardly believe that 14 years ago I became a mom, the one job I always wanted. Thank you my sweet Molly for being, well, YOU!

14 Reasons Why I Love You SO Much!

1. You have the sweetest smile in the world. I can be in the foulest of moods, but as soon as you smile, my Molly brings sunlight to my day.

2. Santa's little helper, mommy's little helper, Mrs. Bennet's little helper..... I could go on and on. No one has to ask you to help, you just offer. Whether it's for help at ballet, school, home, you jump in and help.



3. A stubborn streak to rival yo mommas! What was Heavenly Father thinking putting to extremely determined people in the same house, oh help us. The great thing about being stubborn is that once you are determined nothing stands in your way.

4. Passion! I adore the passion and love you have for ballet. I think I pop at least 3 buttons every recital, I should take stock in the button industry. You have a grace and confidence that every 14 year old should have.

5. Just like your Daddy you never met a man you didn't like. I honestly can say, cross my heart, hope to die, that I NEVER hear a negative or unkind word about any of your friends, semi-friends, heck, any person you know. (Secretly this drives me insane!)

6. Grace under fire and the ability to bounce back are qualities that every person strives for, at 14 you're doing a pretty good job at mastering both. When you injured your knee I was proud at your desire to jump right back into the game.

7. You have a tender heart Molly. When a kiss is needed you give it, when a knee is bleeding you mend it. I will never forget the kindergarten field trip that you brought band aids to just in case one of your classmates got a boo boo. And what happened? Someone scraped their knee and you literally went running to them with a band aid in hand.

8. Music soothes your soul, plus you do have a pretty good sense of what's rockin'! I can jam to any of the music on your ipod, especially Rascal Flats, Twilight, and shhh, the Jonas Brothers.

9. I love your sweet little dimple, just one, not two. You could win any cutie pie contest with that one little dimple on your cheek.

10. You have a softness about you even perfect strangers notice. When Emma was born my OB, after meeting you in the delivery room, struck up a 1/2 hour conversation about the inner glow she noticed in my oldest baby. There is a light shining in you no one can deny.

11. I love that you have no qualms stating the fact that changing a diaper is gross and disgusting, you tells it like it is girlie! Yuck, ewww, gross, no-way, let Katie do it, all phrases that have been uttered from your mouth. BUT, you still do it. And yes Molly, changing diapers is gross, disgusting, yuck, ewww, and Katie can do it whenever she wants too.

12. You've never had a problem holding your own with Ben. Bitefest USA, as Daddy called it, was not an event because you were a meek and mild child with your crazy little brother. You would stand stubbornly strong, quality #3 in full force, when Ben would do his boy thang!

13. I've always seen your inner mommy, a desire to nurture, cuddle, and care for people. You and Ben are 16 months apart, not that far, especially when you were just a little tyke. One day I was making dinner and the baby was crying in the bouncer for just a little attention. What did mother Molly do? You lifted that baby out(as I watched with caution) and cradled and rocked the baby to calm them down. Diapers eww, cuddle aww!

14. I knew the moment you were born that Daddy's genes ran strong with you. As the years have gone by you don't necessarily look like him as much anymore, but his personality traits are your personality traits. Take pride in being just like your dad, I know he did.

Happy 14th Birthday Molly!

Celebrating a Life!

Today would be Duane's 36th birthday, 35 years was just not long enough, but 35 more wouldn't have been either. I miss him horribly, miss all that there was to him. His smile, laugh, clicking jaw, tushy, you name it I miss it.

I wanted to share with everyone just a smattering of the life that Duane lived, and he lived truly a remarkable and wonderful life(not meaning to sound like a movie). I hope you capture a glimpse of who he was, what he loved and why he fought so hard to live. Enjoy!
Duane and Darrell, his big brother

The first time I saw this pic I thought Duane had leukemia! He was so bald.

Haven't I seen this face before? Could be any one of my Kindergartners.

We all have those pictures!

Family shot, Duane, Richard, Phyllis, and Darrell

Can we say Ben? or maybe Hannah? heck how about all of them!

Duane named one of his hamsters Tracy after a girl in school he had a crush on.

This was the boy I fell in love with, isn't he a cutie!

Lovebirds!

Engagement Picture, so formal!

My goofball!

Couldn't have been happier that day! Amazing how you think that you will never love them more than you do on your wedding day, so false! Love grows and grows and grows!

This was taken at our house in Stillwater, loved that little blue house.

2006

2007 Thanksgiving, right after he was diagnosed.

One of my favorite pictures, this was taken in Colorado. I really was a very romantic feeling looking at him for that picture.

Thanks Angela for the beautiful creation. Again this was Thanksgiving 2007.

Our last Christmas together. Duane was reading 'Twas the night before Christmas, his little part of Christmas Eve.

Ben's baptism

Duane and Emma. He loved holding his babies.

Molly and baby Ben.

Our wonderful trip to DisneyWorld. We only had 4 kids!

I don't know which baby that is, I think it's Hannah, but Duane's face just says it all!

Molly and Ben

Daddy and Jack

Daddy daughter dance, just one of many pictures we have. The girls loved going on a date with their daddy.

Molly and Katie

Duane's last birthday. We now prize that superman mug, it's the "special" mug.

Goofball times 3!

That was the best cake, couldn't have been more perfect.

Duane's last birthday at the time I just thought was maybe a little over the top, I mean he was going to live many years passed his 35th. Just one of the many small blessings we were given. I am so glad to have shared his last birthday with so many friends and family, making his birthday a true Celebration of His Life!

Happy Birthday my love, I miss you, I love you, I can't wait to kiss you again!

Hannah's little hint

So tell me what do you think, is Hannah trying to tell me something? Sunday we were driving home from church when Hannah noticed a man out walking his dog. It was a beautiful day for walking but my sweet three year old called out in such a concerned tone, "Aahh, that man doesn't have a car!"

We need to get out and walk more.