Friday's Fabulous Family Recipe

Mmmmmm....this is a good one.

Just after graduating from college, I went to live in Manchester, New Hampshire

to live at and work in a girls home for abused and neglected girls as a "child care worker".

It was an AMAZING experience, and one that I was so thankful the Lord allowed me

to enjoy before the responsibilities and commitments of marriage.

While there, I liked to peek into the kitchen now and then to see

what was cooking.

This recipe came from the cook at the Boylston Home for Girls.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 T. baking cocoa

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk

3 T. oil

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (which I never include)

Topping

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/3 cup baking cocoa

2 2/3 cups HOT water

(In the 9x13" dish

I usually decrease the water to about 2 1/4 cps. to prevent boil over

in the oven....trust me....it's a mess to clean off the bottom of the oven!)

Mix the first 5 ingredients in an ungreased 9 x 13" baking dish.

Add the next 3 (or 4 if you use the nuts) ingredients and mix until smooth.

Stir the brown sugar and cocoa for the topping together and sprinkle over the top of batter.

Pour the water overall, but DO NOT MIX IN.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

(My oven usually has this baked in about 30 minutes.)

The cake comes to the top and leaves this lovely warm chocolate pudding on the bottom that when spooned over the top is like luscious hot fudge sauce.

Think one of those "Warm Delights" hot fudge cake bowl thingies.

My family can't get enough of this, and we go through

the entire dessert at one meal.