Mary Rapoport at the Virginia Egg Council sent me the recipes from the three local bakers who are eligible to compete in the chiffon cake contest this weekend. She also sent this picture, which looks heavenly to me. I am just dreaming of a light, moist cake topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Recipes are posted after the jump. If you try your hand at making any, or all, of these recipes, post a comment and let us know how it turned out.

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Every so often, an all-news e-mail goes out that has reporters leaping from their chairs and dashing to the counter in the newsroom.
The subject line goes something like this: “Bagels on the counter.”
Darn my luck this morning, though. The free bagels happen to coincide with a nasty flare-up of TMJ, which has my left jaw joint aching badly at every chomp. Yesterday, I could hardly chew a banana.
This morning, I’m faced with one of the chewiest of treats: a sesame bagel.
Just to show you how ridiculous I am, I am gingerly gumming this thing right now, even as I write this posting.
But when lunch time comes around, I’m sure I won’t be in the mood to work this aching jaw muscle anymore. So I’m wondering — would it be irresponsible for me to just drink a smoothie for lunch?

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After last week’s entry about National Banana Bread Day, one reader made this scrumptious recipe and said it turned out killer good.
I just had to have the recipe and thought you all would appreciate it, too. It came from Southern Living.
It’s after the jump. Enjoy!

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As we have all learned, there’s a national day or month for just about every different food on the face of the earth.
There’s even a National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day and a National Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day.
Those are silly, but tomorrow’s day is one that I can wrap my head around: it’s National Banana Bread Day.
I absolutely love a good slice of banana bread. There’s nothing better with a hot mug of coffee or tea in the morning than a thick slice slathered with butter and microwaved for just a few seconds to get all warm and melty.
I’ve been guilty in the past of simply mixing overripe bananas into a banana bread mix. It’s not as good as made-from-scratch banana bread, but it’s a quick and easy way to avoid letting the fruit go to waste just because it’s too black for raw consumption.
I found a perfectly delicious-looking recipe for homemade banana bread on Simply Recipes. I’m going to attach the recipe after the jump.
Does anyone out there have a killer banana bread recipe? And what’s your vote — nuts or no nuts?

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