A Lovely Torte, A Lovely Idea and Some Lovely Awards

The  Torte
My very first posting was a Chocolate Cinnamon Torte. It occurs to me we often post our favorite and best recipes first...and get few, if any, comments. Then they get lost in the shuffle of newer recipes. I was experimenting back then, not sure I would continue or not. It took me a while to understand you get blogger comments (aside from friends and family who rarely comment anyway) after you comment on other blogs. Helloooo. And then I read someplace that over 90% who read your blog don't comment at all. I find that hard to believe, but perhaps you all have an opinion on that astounding statistic.
Anyway back on subject... let's move on to the absolutely, positively MOST DELICIOUS TORTE YOU'LL EVER HAVE.

Chocolate Cinnamon Torte

Ingredients:

2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 and 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 cups whipping cream
1/2 square grated unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 square of German cooking chocolate (make some decorative curls for the top)

Method:

Prepare the pans: I use 4 cake pans as I can fit this many in my oven at the same time. You will be making 12 cookies so you will cool, reline and reuse the cake pans. Cut wax paper circles to fit the bottom only of the cake pans. Lightly grease the bottom of the pans, put in the wax paper and then lightly grease the top of the wax paper. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 375°.

Beat the butter and sugar well and add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and cinnamon. When the dough is well mixed, use about 1/3 cup of dough in each cake pan, spreading it carefully all over the bottom. It will be very thin, but make certain the bottom is entirely covered. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Watch carefully as it burns easily. You want the "cookies" to be a little brown but remove them before the edges darken. You must take them out of the cake pans immediately while they are still soft; with the tip of a sharp paring knife lift up the edge of the wax paper under the cookie and slide the wax paper (along with the cookie) out of the pan. I spread newspapers on my counters as the cookies are greasy and they need to cool. You should have enough dough for 12 cookies.

While the cookies cool, whip the cream, reserving 1 cup. With the remaining whipped cream, layer the cookies, carefully removing the wax paper as you do each layer. I probably spread about 1/2 cup of whipped cream on each layer. End with a cookie.
To the remaining 1 cup of reserved whipped cream, add the unsweetened grated chocolate, the cocoa and the sugar. Place on top of the last cookie layer and top with chocolate curls.

Refrigerate at least overnight as the cookies are crisp and the cake will break if you try to slice it the same day. Overnight, the cookies soften. Serves 10-12 if not more.

The Idea
A friend of mine emailed this to me today. I think it is a fabulous idea and hope you will all join me.
When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

The Awards
Forgive me for being so slow to acknowledge some awards I have received recently. No excuse for it, really.
I want to thank Shaz from Test With Skewer for the One Lovely Blog Award. It was my first.

And thank you to Julianna at Simple Recipes for the Kreativ Blogger Award.

Kristy  at My Little Space presented me with The People Love This Site Like Peas Love Carrots Award...thank you Kristy!

This week, Kate at Serendipity presented me with the lovely Honest Scrap Award. Thank you again, Kate.

I am honored to receive all these wonderful awards and hope you won't mind if I combine rules on a couple awards- killing several birds with one stone as it were. I'll pass on the Honest Scrap award to seven bloggers.

Here are the rules for the Honest Scrap Award: Present this award to seven others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
Tell those seven people they’ve been awarded HONEST SCRAP, inform them of these guidelines, and ask that they link back to you. (Here's the thing: some of you may not accept awards, some of you may already have this award and some don't want to bother with all the lists. That's OK with me. I still want to pass the award on. Whatever you decide to do is fine with me.)

Here goes:

1. Grace at A Southern Grace because her comments encouraged me from the start and she has a beautifully designed blog, let alone a wonderful way with words.

2. Lecia at A Day That is Dessert because I simply love her photographs
3. Heavenly Housewife at From Donuts to Delirium because of her sense of fun
4. Kathy at Sweet Up-North Mornings because she is amazingly creative, sweet and from Michigan!
5. TKW at The Kitchen Witch because she makes me roar with laughter
6. Pam at Sidewalk Shoes because I love her cats
7. Buffalodick at Opinions and Rectums, We All Got One because not only is he the first male blogger I followed, but he's a fellow Michigander and that counts for a lot.

And now 10 honest things about myself. 

1. Recently had a hip replacement. Arthritis has also attacked my shoulder. I am putting off doing anything about it. I'm chicken. PS: the hip is fine, I am back to normal.
2.  The Atlantic ocean is right across the street.
3.  Used to love duck hunting.
4.  I work out 6 days a week: step, weight classes and pilates.
5.  My hometown was Algonac, Michigan.
6.  Love and adore my three grown children: two sons and a daughter.
7.  Don't like really spicy food. (It doesn't like me, either.)
8.  Reading is my favorite thing to do, besides the computer.
9.  Love college football. M Go Blue! (Go Lions.) No groans and pity, please.
10.  I've traveled pretty much all over but have two favorite places, both in the Caribbean: Anse Chastanet on St. Lucia and Grace Bay Club on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.