YOUNG LOVE RUN AMUCK

Back in 1916, my grandmother took in boarders. She had a big, rambling Victorian- style house in Grove City with a small family at that time. She also had a hired girl by the name of Prudence. One of the boarders was a high school girl who went to her distant farm home on weekends but lived in town during the school week. Millicent was a lovely, vivacious girl with a very strict background. Her mother expected my grandmother to “keep an eye on her.” Once Millicent arrived at her sanctuary in the village, she became a glamour girl. She basted her dresses with loose stitches, easily  removed by the weekend, but meant to be slim fitting and figure enhancing for weekday wear. She pouffed her hair and donned pearls and sexy shoes. She announced to Prudence that her classmates even went so far as to call her “Mitzi!” What liberation from her straight-laced homelife! But Grandma was worried. Keeping an eye on flirtatious, flamboyant “Mitzi” wasn’t going to be easy.

Sure enough, before long Prudence approached Grandma with the news that she was sure Millicent had been sneaking out of the house at night and suspected that she had a boyfriend. Prudence went on to say that when Millicent claimed she was at church or school functions, there were no lights on in either building, which were clearly visible from Prudence’s third floor window. What to do?  Prudence had a plan and asked for permission to do some sleuthing.

That night, after a stern warning from Grandma, Millie announced she was not planning to go anywhere and ascended the stairs to retire. Then Prudence got to work. She headed to the flour bin with a kettle and dipped a generous portion into it. Grabbing a scoop, Prudence crept out the back door and sprinkled a path of white to the garage, then into the backseat of Grandfather’s car. More flour was left under the hall window where there was a trellis. Prudence suspected Millie used this window to exit each night. Mission accomplished, Pru headed up to the privacy of her room to wait. When the hall clock chimed twelve times, she heard the floorboards creak as Millie left her bedroom, crept down the hallway and silently made her way down two flights of stairs to the hallway windowseat. She pushed the window open and stepped out onto the sturdy trellis. Prudence watched in the moonlight as Millie and a male figure blended into one and together entered the garage.

The next morning Prudence shared with Grandma the results of her detective work. Flour footprints were everywhere. The two followed the prints to the garage and into the car’s backseat. When Millie readied herself for school, she was met in the kitchen by Grandma and Prudence.  As she donned her coat for school, the telltale flour was visible on the back of her black wool coat. Millie was mortified and tearfully confessed the truth. Needless to say, Millie’s lovelife in the “city” ended with this young flower (flour) nipped in the bud.

MILLICENT’S FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan. Dust with cocoa. In the top of a double boiler, over lightly simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat, stir in sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

DEEP DARK SECRET

1 cup dates, cut up

1 cup walnuts, chopped

4 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pour into a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool. Break into bite-sized pieces and line the bottom of a cake pan with the pieces.

1 pint whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

Whip cream with sugar. Spread half over cake pieces. To the other half add:

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

3 bananas, sliced

Spread this mixture over cream topped cake pieces.

1/2 cup coconut

Sprinkle over top. Keep chilled.

DECADENT CHOCOLATE KISS BARS

1 cup butter

3/4 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup flour, divided

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup Hershey kisses

1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa until smooth. Remove from heat. Add sugar, 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cups flour and almonds. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining  egg, 1/3 cup flour, milk and almond extract. Pour over baked layer. Sprinkle chocolate kisses and cherries over top. Return to oven. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool pan on wire rack. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Cut into bars.