Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

I know I was MIA again. This whole work thing gets in the way doesn't it?  I had this recipe waiting to be tried for quite some time (2007 to be exact - my "to try" recipe archive is quite large). Cranberry Blondies (Adapted from BHG) 1/2 c butter 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 2 eggs 1 t vanilla 3/4 t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 1 c flour 1/2 c dried cranberries 1/2 c chocolate chips 1 c fresh cranberries Line a 9x9 square pan with aluminum foil, grease and set aside. Beat butter and sugars together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and then beat in vanilla. Combine baking powder, soda, flour, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter sugar mixture. Stir in dried cranberries and chocolate chips. Spread into pan. Press fresh cranberries into batter with spatula. Bake 25 -30 minutes at 350 or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack for 1 hour. Remove foil from pan. Cut into bars. These certainly aren't lookers bu...

I went searching for my posting on pancakes, as I was positive that I had posted one, but I couldn't find one. So either the search tool really sucks (which it does) or I never posted a pancake recipe. The one I use is from the Joy of Cooking (circa 1975). They call it a French Pancake, better known as crepes - I think, but I call it a thin pancake. Crepes are a whole different thing in my mind. I hate those thick buttermilk pancakes that you get from a box or in certain chain restaurants. My father always called them blow out patches. I think he was onto something there because that is exactly what they taste like. I much prefer a thinner pancake. Banana Chocolate Pancakes (Hardly recognizable from the Joy of Cooking ) 1 banana 2 eggs 2 T brown sugar 1t vanilla 1 c buttermilk (or milk) 1t cinnamon 1 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3/4 c flour small amount of butter for griddle about 1/3 c chocolate chips In a bowl mash banana with a fork. Whisk in eggs. Add brown sug...

The Sous Chef is a huge pound cake fan - me not so much. Every once in a while I break down and make a plain cake for him. Sour Cream Pound Cake (Adapted from Cooking Light ) cooking spray 3T almond meal 4 c cake flour 1/4 t salt 1 t baking soda 3/4 c butter 2 3/4 c sugar 3 eggs 2 t vanilla 1 t almond extract 1 1/2 c sour cream Spray a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Dust with almond meal and set aside.  In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. Cream butter in mixer until fluffy. With mixer running, gradually add sugar until blended. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and almond extract. Add flour mixture; alternating with sour cream (about 3 additions). Pour into pan and bake at 350 for 70 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run spatula around edge and turn pan out onto rack to cool. This makes a big cake. It's fairly tall. The original recipe is a traditional cake with lemon juice a...

I ripped this out of a magazine in 2006. It's been waiting quite some time to see the light of day. It was worth it. The cake is very flavorful. It was also quite simple to make. Pear Upside-Down Spice Cake (Adapted from Cooking Light) 3 c pears sliced thin (Bosc, Bartlett, Anjou) 2-3 pears cooking spray 2 c flour 1/2 t salt 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t instant coffee granules 1/2 t nutmeg 1/2 t ginger 1/4 t allspice 1/2 t cinnamon 1 c sugar 5 T butter 1 egg 1t vanilla 3/4 c buttermilk Glaze: 2T butter 1 1/2T lemon juice zest of 1 lemon 3/4 c brown sugar 1 1/2 T buttermilk Spray 9" pan with cooking spray.  Arrange pear slices spoke-like in the bottom of the pan.  In a small bowl mix flour and all spices; set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.  Add flour and buttermilk alternating - beginning and ending with flour. Spread over pears. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out ...

So I had some chicken breasts and I didn't know what to do with them. I was going to grill them but felt too lazy to start fire up the grill. So this is what I came up with. Sesame Soy Sauce Chicken Breasts (Adapted from my brain) 1lb chicken breasts, boneless canola oil salt/pepper 3T brown sugar 2T soy sauce 1t dried ground ginger 1t garlic powder 2T sesame oil Prepare chicken breasts using this technique (sorry I hate to refer you to another page but this is the best way to prepare chicken breasts). While chicken is sauteing, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Drizzle in sesame oil while whisking to ensure that it emulsifies. When chicken is done, pour into pan. Heat until sauce starts to thicken, turning chicken breasts to coat. This provides a lovely sticky coating to the chicken. I know, I know really garlic powder and dried ginger. I told you I was feeling lazy. Feel free to sub in the real deal, but also know sometimes it's OK ...

It almost looks like sauerkraut here - doesn't it? Every time I make spaghetti squash, I'm amazed at how much it really does look like spaghetti - I guess I amaze quite easily. It looks like regular old squash and then by magic it shreds perfectly. Roasted Spaghetti Squash (Adapted from Food 52 ) 1 medium spaghetti squash 3 T butter, melted 4 T brown sugar salt/pepper Parmesan cheese, grated Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (trust me you need to do this). Halve squash and removed seeds. If you are having difficulty halving the squash, microwave it on medium for a minute or two.  Brush inside of squash with 2T melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and salt/pepper. Place cut side down and brush skin with butter. Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes, until the skin is browned in spots but before sugar and butter are burnt. Remove from oven and using a fork scrape out squash (this is where the magic happens). Toss the squash on the aluminum foil with the sugar an...

Well maybe failure is not the appropriate word. Maybe just meh is the right word. I love roasted vegetables especially if they get a little char on them so this sounded good. Alas, I was disappointed. So I'm posting this as a lesson learned - not everything blackened is good. I found this recipe here . They used green cabbage but I don't think that would make any difference. They were not kidding about opening your windows. I had a smoke filled kitchen even with the windows wide open. The smoke alarm even went off. Don't try this at home!