[Classic Cakes That Need Resurrecting]

Coca-Cola Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup Coca-Cola

½ cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1¾ cups sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups miniature marshmallows

Coca-Cola frosting (recipe follows)

¾ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch cake pan.

Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk; set aside. Combine flour, cocoa and soda; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat at low speed until blended.

Add cocoa-flour mixture alternately with cola mixture; begin and end with dry ingredients. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from oven; allow to cool for 10 minutes. Pour Coca-Cola frosting over warm cake; top off with toasted pecans. Makes 20 servings.

Coca-Cola frosting: In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1/3 cup Coca-Cola and 3 tablespoons cocoa to a boil, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat; whisk in 1 (16-ounce) package confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

[opal basil]

Supposedly, it will repel mosquitoes if planted around the yard.

[chocolate chip cookies]

You might check out a recipe for Mexican wedding cookies -- a shortbread cookie with chocolate chips and nuts.