Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

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!

OK - I admit I was a little lazy with this soup. I didn't run it through the blender, I just used my stick blender and you know what?  It tasted the fine! It might not have looked the same but it tasted just fine AND I used frozen corn. I do think this would have tasted better with fresh corn but sometimes you have to make due with what you have. Chilled Coconut Corn Soup (Adapted from Epicurious ) 2T  coconut oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 t grated ginger 1/4 t tumeric (ground) 6 ears of corn, removed from cob and cobs (about 5 1/2 c or frozen corn) 1 potato, 1/2" cubes 14oz coconut milk zest of 2 limes 1 1/2 c water 3T lime juice cilantro, lime wedges, coconut chips or toasted coconut for garnish salt/pepper Melt coconut oil in large pot. Add onion, ginger, tumeric, and salt.  Cook until onions are translucent - about 10 minutes Add corn, cobs, potato, coconut milk, lime zest, and 1 1/2c water. Bring to a boil on high heat and then lower to a sim...

This is a pretty good salad. Toasting the bulgur adds a lot of flavor.  I found the recipe here . I didn't add the spinach because I thought I bought it but I didn't. It was still good without it although I think it would be quite good with it. I did find that I needed to heat the leftovers a bit in the microwave. It is best served at room temperature.

Yet another zucchini recipe: Zucchini Carpaccio (Adapted from Epicurious ) 1lb zucchini, sliced paper thin 1/3 c mint leaves, cut into thin strips ( Chiffonade ) or Basil 2T olive oil 2T lemon juice salt/pepper 1/4 c pine nuts, toasted 1 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved Spread out zucchini in one layer on a large platter.  Sprinkle mint leaves over zucchini. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and salt/pepper. Drizzle over zucchini. Sprinkle pine nuts over zucchini. Let stand 10 minutes. Add shaved Parmesan and serve Easy-peasy. I used basil because my mint plants have not been looking too good.  The best way to shave the Parmesan cheese is to use a vegetable peeler. If you don't have a mandoline (get one soon - you will love it), you can also use a vegetable peeler to get thin slices.

Yes - it is once again that time of year - my zucchini overflow-ith. I decided to do a chocolate zucchini cake instead of just zucchini bread Not that that recipe isn't good but I just wanted to try something different AND I came across a great sounding buttercream recipe. I think this buttercream might pair well with either recipe actually. What is with the indent in the center? I followed this recipe straight up - shocking I know. The only difference was that I did not have a full cup of bittersweet chocolate chips. I mixed the bittersweet with the milk chocolate. It was a tad bit sweet. I think I would stick with the bittersweet chocolate chips. Then I added this icing: Molasses Buttercream (Adapted from Epicurious ) 3 eggs 3/4 c sugar 1/4 t salt 3 sticks butter (softened) 1 t vanilla 2T molasses You will need to use a double-boiler (or use a saucepan of boiling water with a metal bowl that will fit on top). Heat water to boiling. Heat eggs, sugar, and salt ...

Got a little carried away with the cocoa powder  Aren't these just so cute you could puke (alright perhaps not the best words for a food blog). Nothing like a personalized cake . OK - I'm sure these are not supposed to be consumed in one seating but...it is possible - not that I speak from experience ;-) I used my Sunken Chocolate Pound Cake recipe. Now I'm undecided as to why they weren't sunken. Was it the cake pan or was it the new thing I tried? Instead of having the eggs and butter at room temperature, I took them cold from the refrigerator. OH NO! Now I'm going to have to make this cake again in a regular sized pan to see what happens. Oh, the sacrifices!

Whenever I make this cake, it is always a hit. It looks very impressive but is pretty easy to make. I had a work do and decided I hadn't made it in a while and it needed to be made. (Sorry no pictures of the inside - you know I had to bring it work without it being sliced). Chocolate Blackout Cake (Adapted from 365 Great Chocolate Desserts ) 1T cocoa powder 1 1/2 stick butter 3 c sugar 3 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 3 c flour 3 eggs 1t vanilla 1t chocolate extract (optional) 4oz chocolate, bittersweet, melted 3/4 c buttermilk 1 c boiling water Ganache 18oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate 1 1/2 c heavy cream 2 T butter 1 t vanilla 3/4 - 1 c sliced almonds Grease two 10" round pans. Place parchment round in bottom of each pan. Dust with cocoa powder. Shake out excess; set aside. Cream butter and sugar together in mixer until light and fluffy. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Add eggs one at a time t...