Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

No I haven't fallen off the planet. It's just been hot. I've been grilling and making salads. No cooking has been going on in this kitchen that's for sure. I've been so uninspired I've just been making the same old things. So browse around the site and see what I've been making Tabbouleh , Quinoa Salad , Strawberry Vinaigrette, or maybe something else.

It is once again tomato season. Nothing like garden tomatoes, garden basil, homemade mozzarella , and reduced balsamic vinegar .

I had never been to Denver or Colorado for that matter and was quite excited to go. It was really beautiful. I cut out of a few of the conference sessions and went to the Amphitheater at Red Rocks. It was really cool.  They had a listing of all the bands that played there. What was I doing in 1984 that I missed the Clash??! The restaurants were really great. Larimer Street had lots to offer. and it looked pretty too  First I went to Rioja . I had a tough time deciding what to have. I opted for the Octopus Farfalle in an appetizer portion. I was glad that I did. It was a tad bit spicy and we all know what I baby I am when it comes to heat. Then I had the Scallops as a main course. It came with eggplant spanakopita. It was quite good. Sorry no pics, I was busy eating.  For dessert, I had the variations of chocolate, which was beautiful as well as delicious. I at least took a picture of that. We were also treated to a mini beignet. I have to say it was better tha...

The Sous Chef is a sucker for a coffee cake. I think they're OK but add some chocolate chips and I think they're more than OK. Because of the sour cream in this recipe the cake is really moist. Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (Adapted from a page torn from a magazine from so long ago that the paper has yellowed) Topping: 3/4 c brown sugar 3/4 c flour 3/4 t cinnamon 1/4 t salt 6 T butter, cold & cut up Cake: 2 1/4 c flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 1 stick butter 1 c sugar 2 eggs 1 t vanilla 1 c sour cream 1/2 c chocolate chips Prepare topping: In a medium bowl cut butter into dry ingredients. You want it to look like wet sand. Place in refrigerator while you prepare the cake batter. Looks like wet sand Cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a mixer cream butter and sugar about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Alternate adding sour cream and flour in thre...

When I first saw this recipe I was very intrigued. I mean avocado - really? Well let me tell you, you would never know there was avocado in there. It is so creamy and chocolatey. Best of all there's no heating up anything. It's the perfect summer dish If you have avocados in the kitchen, I suggest you make this immediately. Most of the other ingredients you probably have around. Chocolate Pudding? (Adapted from BonAppetit ) 2 avocados 1t vanilla 3/4 c cocoa 1/4 c maple syrup 1/4 c agave nectar 1/4 c OJ (preferably fresh) 1/2 t salt up to 1/2 c hot water Place all ingredients (except water) into the bowl of the food processor. Buzz until creamy consistency. Drizzle in hot water gradually until it reaches pudding consistency. Chill for 3 hours. Serve with desired topping. See easy peasy. I didn't tell the Sous Chef that it was anything but chocolate pudding. He had no clue. The original recipe required 1/2 c maple syrup. I felt it was a little too sweet - sho...

You know how sometimes you get something in your head and you just have to have it. The eldest planted knishes in my brain and I had to make them. I haven't made them in ages. Summer is not necessarily the ideal time for knishes, but tell that to my brain. There's boiling and baking involved so try to find a cool-ish day. Knishes (Adapted from Cooking Light - from so long ago it's not even on their website!) Filling 3 c peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1" cubes (about 2 large) 1/3 c chicken broth salt/pepper 1 1/2 c finely chopped onion olive oil Dough 2 1/3 c flour 1 t baking powder 1/4 t salt 1/2 c yogurt (or sour cream) 4T water 1 egg 2 T butter, melted Egg wash 1 egg 1 T water Prepare Filling: Boil potatoes in water until tender - about 15 minutes. Mash in chicken broth and salt/pepper. While potatoes are boiling saute onions with olive oil and salt in a frying pan until just starting to turn golden brown (the longer the better flavor but ...

Gelatin is a pretty cool thing - except when you start to think where it actually comes from. I'm thinking it's so processed now a days that it it's not really associated with the gelatin of olden days (I've convinced myself of this so that I'm not totally grossed out). When you look at a sheet of gelatin, it looks so benign. I bought these quite some time ago in Aruba in a supermarket. I love to explore food stores in other countries. You often find some pretty cool things. This had no English translation on the package so I had to make do with the youngest translating it from German for me. She translated enough for me to get the major gist of it. I did some searching on the web-of-knowledge (AKA the internet) to find the equivalents to one envelope of the powdered stuff. I found anywhere from 3-5 sheets were equal to 1 envelope. I decided to start with the three and see what happened. Coconut Milk Panna Cotta (Adapted from Cooking Pleasures) 1 pkg (...