This week weâre revisiting an old friend from season 1 â Verena Birdsong! Sheâs a lot of fun, if a bit quirky. As odd as Verenaâs tips were her chocolate cake recipe was just delightful! As promised, here it is:

Grandma Beaâs Chocolate Cake

You'll need:

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups flour

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup hot water

Preheat the oven to 350ÂF. In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar. (Baking recipes always seem to begin with this step, donât they?) Sift all the dry ingredients together in another bowl and set them aside. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, and then add the vanilla. Alternate adding dry ingredients and sour cream in three parts, mixing well after each, then add the hot water and mix well. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round pans. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Julie says the cake needs no icing, but we like to gild the lily, donât we? I suggest cream cheese or butter cream icing. Remember if youâre icing the cake with white icing, coat it with a thin layer and then chill it in the fridge until the layer has set, then ice the cake again and you wonât have little chocolate flecks in the top layer!

Donât forget to listen to my NPR podcast this week. Iâm interviewing a wonderful designer â Trina Turk. Her fashions are so chic and she has such good ideas about style. Iâm sure youâll enjoy it.

Drop by FelixPopuli.com this week for a fun Valentines Day idea â grown up Valentines Day cards! Theyâre perfect for sharing the spirit of the season without delving into bigamy.

Donât forget to drop by the Brini Maxwell auctions!