When we were kids, my parents used to freeze fruit for us as treats. During the summer time, one of my favorites was frozen cherries and my other favorite was frozen bananas. I especially loved the frozen bananas dipped in chocolate that we occasionally got to enjoy down by the Santa Monica or Redondo Beach piers. At home, however, I don’t recall ever being lucky enough to cover our frozen bananas with chocolate (I’m sure my parents...

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Every once in a while, a decadent, rich, chocolaty treat is perfect for celebrating a birthday or a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day. Fortunately for our family, every year we celebrate two such special occasions during the week of Valentine’s Day. I had almost forgotten about this simple chocolaty cake that my friend’s mom taught me back in high school or college. It’s simple because it uses cake mix out of the...

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  In a previous life, I used to bake five to eight different types of cookies before Christmas so that I could share these with friends and loved ones during the holidays. I remember working all day, then stopping at the supermarket to buy ingredients (and more ingredients), and then baking until midnight or 1 AM for at least two to three nights straight. The entire dinning table would be covered with cookies cooling on racks or cookies in...

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