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 ...