Ellington

On Valentine's Day, forsake your inhibitions and romp with your lover beginning with a little chocolate. Taken to the extreme, it could conceivably lead to cuddling and even (dare I say it) participating in more strenuous lovers' "exercise." And though I am not recommending such dual endeavors, I am not necessarily discouraging them.

On Feb. 14, even the lover-less and children—God bless us—eat chocolate, without the "exercise."

The following family recipes are decadent, and easy to make (why spend time in the kitchen when you can spend time holding hands?). They create great wonderful messes on fingers and faces–all the better for licking your lover clean.

TAMMY'S DECADENT CHOCOLATE PIE

1-1/2 cup sugar
1 stick of melted butter, salted or unsalted
3-1/2 tablespoons cocoa (recent reports indicate cocoa is high in antioxidants)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 small can of condensed milk (5-1/2 ounces)
1 unbaked pie shell
Pre-whipped topping or whipping cream, whipped
Maraschino cherries

Pour all ingredients—except the pie shell, cherries and whipped cream—into a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Pour into unbaked pie shell, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Insert a knife into the center, then remove. If the knife is clean, remove the pie from the oven. Cool. Top each slice with whipped topping/whipped cream and a big red cherry with a stem.

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

1 box devil's food cake mix baked in 9 x 13 pan following cake-mix directions
1 large box of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
8 ounces container of Cool Whip
12 ounces container of Cool Whip
3 Heath candy bars, crushed
3 ounces chocolate syrup

Mix pudding mix as directed using the milk. Stir in the 8 ounces of Cool Whip. Crumble the cake.

In a Pyrex bowl or pan, layer in this order: crumbled cake, pudding mixture, Cool Whip from the 12 ounces container, crumbed Heath bars and chocolate syrup. Make three layers. Refrigerate. Yum!