I feel that in the kitchen, as in life, opportunities present themselves and one must be ever vigilant to recognize them. My beloved pal Sarah came to stay the other day, and presented me with a hitherto unexplored ingredient--a carton of organic egg whites.  They sat there until yesterday when I noticed that I'd better do something with them before they set about expiringand making me send them to a better place before they reached their full potential. 

Earlier this week when a friend was coming to dinner who prefers a gluten-free menu, I was delighted to remember this old favorite from Nigella's book, How to be a Domestic Goddess. I don't profess to be a "Domestic Goddess, " however, this is a delicious and very appealing cake, even for those of us who don't eschew gluten. Furthermore, it's very easy and positively bursting with chocolate and hazelnuts....I mean, really, what's not to love?

If your valentine is anything like mine, he (or she) doesn't want any more stuff to clutter up the joint.  There's one thing, however, sure to win his (or her) heart and which is guaranteed not to be just one more thing.....meltingly beautiful and delectable linzer hearts. I'm a big believer that a homemade present is the ultimate in proclaiming love and devotion, so why not do what I'm going to do this weekend, and whip up a batch of these darlings?

I had a wonderful bit of clean-out-the-fridge kismet yesterday.  I dragged myself away from sitting by the fire because I knew that lurking in the back was some delectable eggnog left over from Christmas.  I knew it was still good because it was bursting with bourbon, andI know it's intended to "age" anyway, so what th'....? Plus I had some remnants of the Christmas pudding sauce--Umma's plum pudding sauce (the recipe for which is on TimesDispatch.com)still biding its time.  Ditto with the high alcohol content I figured.  I'd also secured a panettone when they'd gone on jaw-dropping sale after Christmas, so I realized I was ready to go with a stupendously easy dessert. To the probably four cups of eggnog, I added four eggs and beat well.  I removed the crust from the panettone and chopped it into about 1 " cubes and put them in a buttered oval baker.  I poured the by now double-eggy-eggnog on top and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour after squashing the panettone down into the liquid with a fork.  Just before popping it into a 375 degree oven, I poured the remaining Umma's sauce over it, covered it with foil and put it in a roasting pan. I then poured boiling water into the roasting pan about half-way up the sides of the dish. Voila bain marie!