Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

That's me under all those layers - standing on the peninsula proper Did you think I forgot about you?? No - I've been busy exploring the 6th (for me) continent - Antarctica. We're missing Australia. For most people Antarctica is the 7th continent, but we roll a little different here. We had a fabulous time. We passed the arctic circle (that's 66 degrees 33' for all you coordinate fans out there).  The views were spectacular - every which way you looked was unbelievable. We got to see lots of penguins and seals. I'll post a few more pictures in the coming days, as well as report on the food we ate in Argentina. Stay tuned...

No I'm not jumping on the Gluten Free bandwagon. Sometimes you have a friend that has food issues and you just need to accommodate them. I do have to say this is quite a good cake and I would make it again just to eat. Gluten Free Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (Adapted from Health ) 2/3 c olive oil, additional for greasing pan 6T cocoa powder, sifted 1/2 c boiling water 2t vanilla extract 1t chocolate extract 1 1/2 c almond meal 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 1 c sugar 3 eggs Grease a 9" round pan with a little olive oil and line it with a round of parchment paper.  Set aside. Whisk cocoa powder into boiling water. It will be smooth but a little thick. Add vanilla and chocolate extracts; set aside. In a small bowl mix almond meal, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer combine eggs, sugar, and 2/3 c olive oil. Beat on high for about 3 minutes. It should be pale yellow and creamy looking (3-5 minutes). Add cocoa mixture slowly. Add almond meal mixture slowly. P...

I made something similar to this before , but this time, it is with blue cheese and bacon. Mmmmm bacon! Blue Cheese Puffs (Adapted from Cuisine at Home) 3 slices thick slab bacon* 1/2 c milk 1/2 c water 6T butter 1 c flour 4 eggs 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled 1/4 c scallions, chopped 1T chives pepper Saute the bacon and set aside. In a saucepan heat milk, water, and butter to a boil. Add flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and starts to stick slightly to the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and add eggs one at a time. Stirring well after each addition. It will look like the eggs will not combine with the dough, but then all of the sudden they do. Break bacon into small pieces and add to batter. Stir in cheese, scallions, chives, and pepper. I did not find it needed any salt - the bacon and cheese added enough. Scoop out onto parchment (or silpat), and bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. They should be puffed and browned. Remove from oven and pierc...

This was just one of those recipes that I threw together. Had some chicken, had some garlic, had some dinner. Garlic Roasted Chicken 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 2 heads of garlic, peeled but not crushed 1t thyme 1T olive oil salt/pepper Place cut chicken into a shallow roasting pan and return to refrigerator uncovered for at least 2 hours (this dries out the skin and will give you really crisp skin). Remove from refrigerator 1/2 hour before cooking. Drizzle olive oil over chicken. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme. Toss garlic cloves in the bottom of the pan. Bake in 375 oven for 45 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Take a fork or knife and smear roasted garlic onto chicken pieces. Put back in the oven for 10 more minutes or until chicken is done. Roasted garlic adds such flavor and it really gives its all here to the chicken. This recipe really comes together quite easily and quickly. There is not a lot of work, but you do need to plan ahead a bit. Leaving the chick...

When I woke up this morning, it was truly a sad day when I heard the news that David Bowie had died. You will be missed. Bowie Exhibit - Chicago September 2014 "Let all the Children Boogie"