Valentine Cake

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix - I've tried making homemade, but it wasn't as good.
1 pint homemade jam, like Apricot or Raspberry
1 recipe Fudge Frosting
Make cake in 2 9 inch rounds, and cool
Put jam between the two layers
Cover with frosting:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate squares
1 stick butter
Heat these together until melted
1 lb confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup milk
add sugar and milk and whip until smooth
If the frosting gets too thick, add more milk or heat in microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Allen's Empire Eggs #EmpireEggs

To make empire eggs:

Make Latkes

Make microwave hollondaise sauce

Make poached eggs.

Place poached egg on smoked salmon on latke, and top with hollondaise sauce.  

I like some ground pepper on mine.

Potato Latkes:

Just over 1lb of potatoes-2 large and 1 small or 3 Med-large

1 onion coarsely shredded or finely chopped

2 eggs- lightly beaten

a little flour- 2tsp or so

1/2tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250 with baking tray with wire rack

Shred the potatoes coarsely- long strands are good- directly into cold water with a dash of lemon juice.

Soak for 1-2 minutes then strain- press into strainer to remove liquid.

Add onion.

Place on tea towel and french-roll,then squeeze out as much liquid as you can.

Place back in empty bowl- add salt and eggs and stir with fork.

Heat 1/4cup oil on high heat until hot but not smoking

Reduce to medium-high heat

Place large spoonfuls (2tbsp) of potato mixture into hot oil and press with fork to form 1/4" thick patties

Cook for 3-5 minutes per side until nicely browned

Place on wire rack in oven to keep warm until served.

Hollondaise sauce:

4 egg yolks

1/2c salted butter

1tsp lemon juice

2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Melt butter in microwave

Mix other ingredients, then drizzle butter in

Microwave for 15 seconds, stir, then another 15 seconds.

Poached eggs:

Boil raw egg for exactly 10 seconds.  Once cool enough to crack- put into ramikin. Stir not-quite boiling water to make whirlpool.  Pour egg from ramikin into center of whirlpool from as low as possible, all-at-once

cook for 3 minute then remove with slotted spoon and serve immediately

Eli's Rye Bread

Ingredients:
 200g dark rye flour
 200g light rye flour
 300g white whole wheat flour
 50g pumpernickel meal
 50g chia seed (optional, but if not remove 50g water)
 20g salt (Eli sent me a note later and asked me to say 1 heaping Tbl salt, and to add it to the hot grain mix before adding the flour.  He says it's 20g of salt to 1000g of flour or 2% by bakes percentages)
 40g molasses
 700g water (room temp)
 300g sourdough starter (preferably a wheat/rye starter)
 Hot grain cereal mix (see below)
Add dry ingredients and mix.  Add wet ingredients and mix.  Autolyse: let it sit for an hour, while preparing the hot grain cereal mix. 
Hot Grain Cereal Mix:
 2 cups water
 1/2 cup oatmeal
 1/2 cup  winter wheat berries
 1/8-1/4 cup flax seeds
 ~1/2 cup flour (esp alternative flour)
Boil water, then add oatmeal and wheat berries.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then let sit, covered, for 15 minutes.  Add flax seeds, stir, and let it cool (~15 min with the lid off). Mix flour in until it is the same consistency as the bread dough.
Mix in (well cooled) cereal mix, and knead dough.  Let it prove overnight in a cool room (~60 degrees), divide, then shape loaves, and place in loaf pans or banettons. Let it rise for 4-6 hours, or for a day in the fridge.
Bake: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a pizza stone.  Score the loaves, put then in the oven, and add water to the oven.  Lower the temp. to 380 degrees, and bake for half an hour. Remove from loaf pans, add more water to the oven, and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Let it sit for a few hours before slicing.