Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

I thought I had posted this recipe because I've made it numerous times before. Good thing I searched because I never posted it. This is one of my go to recipes for Easter brunch. However, this time I was eyeing it up for Christmas. I won a ham (long story there) at a raffle. This was rather interesting that I actually won something because I never win anything. I usually look at it as just a donation when I participate in a raffle. Secondly, I'm not so keen on ham.  So there was a lot of irony going on. This was a honey baked sprial ham. I had no idea how to make it (apparently, there's nothing to do - you just heat it up). While I was pondering what to serve with it, the Sous Chef was extremely helpful - he suggested, pigs in a blanket as an appetizer, Brussel Sprouts with bacon, and something else with pork. (We were to have a very piggy Christmas). Then I remembered this Potato Galette and thought it would go well with the ham. It did. Leek & Potato Galette ...

I had this recipe from Smitten Kitchen open in a tab on my browser for quite some time. I was just itching to make it. And then I finally found the excuse.  Once again I followed the recipe (what has gotten into me??) and only added 1t of vanilla to the cake batter. This recipe is pretty impressive because it mostly contains items that you probably already have in your house and no eggs??! As I was making the glaze I was wondering if I really liked the idea of olive oil in the glaze too. You get that sort of fruity flavor from the olive oil. It actually worked quite well with the cake. The cake was quite moist and had a pretty chocolate rich flavor.

Might not be much of a looker but certainly tasty I'm a sucker for parsnips. I don't ever remember eating them as a kid - unless maybe they were snuck into some soup without my knowledge. There is something so delicious about parsnips. They go so well with carrots. You can always talk me into just roasting these babies in the oven but this recipe caught my eye and it was a nice change. Braised Carrots & Parsnips w/Dried Cranberries (Adapted from Milk Street) 3 T butter 1 shallot, minced 1 1/2 c chicken stock 1/2 c AppleJack* 1 t dried thyme 2 bay leaves salt/pepper 1lb carrots, sliced on the bias** 1lb parsnips, sliced on the bias 1/2 c dried cranberries 1T Dijon mustard Melt 1T of butter in a dutch oven. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add stock and Apple Jack, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Add salt/pepper, carrots, and parsnips. Return to simmer and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. St...

I had bought some tamarind for a Thai recipe. It has a very interesting flavor - sweet but sour. When I saw this recipe in the NY Times for ribs and it was in the pressure cooker, I knew I had to give it a try. Tamarind Sticky Ribs (Adapted from the NYT ) 3-4lbs of St. Louis cut ribs (or baby back*) Salt 1/4 c tamarind 1/4 c fresh OJ 1/4 c honey 2T soy sauce 1/4 t lime zest 1T lime juice 1 star anise pod 2T olive oil 4 small shallots, diced 1 1/2 t fresh ginger, grated 2 clove garlic, minced Peel the silverskin off the back of the ribs (grabbing it with a paper towel is helpful). Cut the ribs into 3 rib chunks. Toss with salt. Set aside. Mix together tarmaind, OJ, honey, soy sauce, zest, lime juice, and ansie pod in a small bowl. Set aside. In the pressure cooker heat oil with shallots and a pinch of salt. Heat until softened.  Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add sauce and heat until bubbly. Dip the ribs in the sauce and then stand the ribs on en...

I know I've been neglectful again. I haven't been posting, but I have been cooking. I saw this recipe made on the new Milk Street PBS show by Jose Andres. He said there was really no recipe, you just sort of put the ingredients together. Milk Street, of course, made a recipe loosely based on this.  Christopher's sidekick said paprika very strangely- he's a bit annoying. I followed Jose's non-recipe and the soup came out delicious. I've put some measurements  here just to give you a rough idea about how it should come out. Spanish Garlic Soup (Adapted from Jose Andres ) 1 head garlic, chopped olive oil salt 2 t Smokey Paprika about 3 slices day old bread, sliced thinly 3 c chicken stock (or water) 2 eggs In a dutch oven, place garlic, olive oil, and salt. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant - do not overcook. Stir in paprika (the Sous Chef said it could have used a little more paprika so feel free to add additional paprika).  Add stock/water. You sh...