Crosswalks to Nowhere

In the episode "The Lady and the Babysitter" of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rob whines about how Laura made a delicious "milk cake" yet there's no milk in the Petrie house. He could have been referring to the cake I'm talking about here.

Yes, those are Hershey Bars laid across the top of the cake. Six of 'em.

My mom made this cake many times when I was a kid. I used to refer to it as the "vinegar cake" because of the one tablespoon of vinegar that's in the recipe, but don't let that put you off-- it's all in the name of good baking chemistry.

Now, I admit I'm kind of a snob when it comes to chocolate bars, and Hershey's is usually lower on the list than other brands. For the purposes of this recipe, though, the Hershey bars have the best shape, thickness, and melting point-- plus, we're talking about comfort food here, so let's allow a little throwback to childhood, shall we?

The recipe is ridiculously simple and the result is simply amazing.

The cake lends itself to a tall, cool, glass of milk or even a nice cabernet sauvignon. It's really moist, but you will want something to wash it down.

And now that I have your attention, check out the recipe.

I'm going to buy The Wellington a "G" or two.

We got our first few flakes the other night-- a couple weeks earlier than last year. None of it really stuck, which was nice, but it's just a sign of things to come...

On another note, I heard from the VP of Operations of Biggby Coffee regarding the store in downtown Arlington Heights. He told me that "the previous operator will not be re-opening the store, but we do have several other people interested in it..."

We'll see if someone takes over soon. Biggby's is a nice alternative to the other coffee shop a couple blocks away.

This is our favorite time of year: cooler temperatures, colorful leaves all around, the harvest of the summer fills the larder (I've always wanted to use the word "larder"), and the festivities of the holidays are about to begin.

Oh, and the week before Thanksgiving is when the Beaujolais Nouveau wines come out to play.

We've heard that Beaujolais Nouveau is often referred to as the "cookie dough" of wines-- sweet, unfinished, young, and unpretentious. That's one of the reasons it goes great with pretty much anything-- pizza, pasta, and even your Thanksgiving feast, despite the fact it's a red wine.

We tried four different brands this year as part of our process of selecting the wine that will grace our palates (and the palates of our families and friends) for the next week or so. All of these wines average under $15, so any of these would be a steal. Here's what we tried, in order of preference:

Joseph Drouhin: This is our favorite Beaujolais Nouveau this year. It's got a lot of fruit flavor and is sweet enough without tasting like Mogen David. It's not overly complex, but it's got a little more dimension than the others. We bought this at Binny's.

Maison Albert Bichot: Very close in flavor and complexity to the Drouhin, but a little less fruity. If faced with a choice between Georges DuBoeuf (below) and Bichot, go for the Bichot. We picked this up at Whole Foods.

Georges DuBoeuf: This is the king of brands of Beaujolais Nouveau(x). You'll find it pretty much everywhere, including your local grocery store or specialty stores like World Market. We weren't overly crazy about this year's DuBeouf-- it tasted a little too dry, although it still got the job done.

Louis Tête: It cracks me up to think this translates to "Head Louis," as if there are subordinate Louis out there. (Just humor me for a minute, please.) This is an earthier and drier wine, and a bit more pricey than the others. Still a very good choice, but a little more complex than I like my Nouveau. We found this at Tuscan Market in Arlington Heights.

We also found (but have not tasted yet) Domaine Dupeuble Père at Fils, Bouchard Aîné & Fils, and Mommessin. The latter two are in plastic bottles with screw caps, so if things get a little out of hand over your holiday you won't have glass to sweep up.

It's also worth noting that cute label designs are standard practice for many of these wine brands. The Bouchard label has a cartoon of people dancing-- the guys are outfitted in the stereotypical striped shirts and berets-- and Mommessin, as in previous years, has a series of labels featuring attractive, suave cartoon people enjoying the company's product.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and bon appetit!