Day 19: 40 days 'til 40

Yesterday was day 19 of our 40 days 'til 40. We had planned to go to a bookstore and browse the bargain racks; due to some schedule changes, Sarah ended up going in the afternoon, and I planned to go to a concert at night with Loren instead. Well, we didn't make it to the concert (the tickets were free, so no biggie) because we were late eating our homemade (and very yummy) Valentine's Day dinner. After dinner, I suggested to Loren that we go and browse the bookstore instead of going to the concert; my parents had the kids last night, so it was no problem to just shift our plans. So we ended up browsing the bookstore after all, and I got a few good bargains. I got a gift for someone (can't say what it is here or it won't be secret any more!), a hardcover edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' first three Mars books, and some Dostoyevsky short stories which I'm hoping to read for our classic reading assignment (unless Sarah finds something better). The Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books are childhood favorites - I first read them in junior high, and loved the series instantly. This edition is wonderfully illustrated and was only $13!

It was great to browse with Loren, and we had a wonderful night without the kids. Our dinner was spectacular. I made filet mignons with cremini mushrooms and rosemary, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and fresh asparagus. For dessert, flourless chocolate raspberry cake, which was 22 points per serving ( = about 3 hr of working out!) and amazingly delicious. I'm not sure it was really worth the 22 points (I mean, really, is ANYTHING worth working out 3 hr to eat?), but I had wanted to try it for a long time, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's the recipe:

Flourless Raspberry Chocolate Cake

From Costco Connection magazine

22.5 points each (!)

1/3 c plus 1T unsalted butter, divided
2 (1 oz) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetented chocolate
7T seedless raspberry jam, divided
2T orange zest
2 lg eggs
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c orange juice
Garnish: raspberries & whipped cream

1. preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease ramekins with 1T of butter. Line the bottom of the ramekins with parchment paper.
2. In med bowl, combine chocolates & remaining 1/3c butter. Microwave on high in 30-sec intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Add 4T raspberry jam & the orange zest. Stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
3. In med bowl, combine eggs & sugar. Whisk egg mixture into cooled chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared ramekins. Place ramekins in a roasting pan. Fill pan with water until it reaches halfway up the outside of the ramekins. Cover pan with aluminum foil, sealing well on edges. Bake for 1 hr.
4. Remove roasting pan from oven and allow cakes to cool in water for 15 min. Remove ramekins from pan and allow to cool. Chill cakes 4 hr or overnight.
5. In small bowl, combine remaining 3T seedless raspberry jam and the orange juice. Microwave on high in 30 sec intervals, stirring between each, until melted (about 1.5 min total).
6. Serve sauce with cake. Garnish with whipped topping & raspberries.