Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate!

Good things come in small packages!  Especially when they're delivered right to my front door and the package is filled with CHOCOLEY CHOCOLATE.  What is Chocoley (pronounced cha-co-lee)?  It is a made in America chocolate, crafted in the finest Belgian tradition.  It boasts peanut-free, egg-free, celiac safe and tree-nut free chocolate.   I was chosen to review this fine product.  How lucky can one girl be?

Life is a box of chocoley!

While I am certainly a connoisseur of chocolate I've rarely had the opportunity to "play" with this much chocolate in my kitchen at one time.  My mind is racing as I try to think of ways to incorporate the chocolate into my recipes!

Over the next couple of days I'll post some interesting ways to use the wide array of products that were sent.  Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white and extra dark chocolate.  Candy making equipment, caramel, liquid lava chocolate...these are a few of my favorite things!

The company has graciously offered you, readers of my blog,  a 15% discount on your retail order.  Just visit http://www.chocoley.com/ and enter the coupon code: wendysfav15.  This offer will expire 5/15/2011 so order up!

For my first experiment, I wanted to get familiar with its melting capabilities.  What better way than to make some chocolate covered strawberries!  I don't have a double boiler, so I used my trusty microwave.  The steps I used are as follows: 

 I placed 1/2 lb of the extra dark "Chocoley Bada Bing Bada Boom" chocolate (that's the name!) into a microwave safe bowl.  I microwaved for 1 minute at 50% power. 

Remove and stir with a spatula.

Return to microwave for 15 - 30 second intervals until almost melted, stirring with the spatula between intervals.

You'll find the chocolate melts beautifully into a silky consistency.  Perfect for dipping those strawberries.  Wash and dry the berries.  I dipped about 15 with the 1/2 lb of chocolate.  Yes, there was a little left over...but I had to make sure it was edible, so I ate it!  Yum, yum!

I left them at room temperature for a while and then placed them in the refrigerator overnight.  The chocolate hardens nicely if you like your strawberries that way.  If not, leave them out for about 10 -15 minutes and they soften up a bit.  So good!  They're gone!  Ready for the next chocolate experience!  Stay tuned and check out their website..

www.facebook.com/bestchocolate
www.twitter.com/chocolatesupply

Childhood Chicken Cacciatore

Memories of my childhood come flooding back when I think about chicken cacciatore.  How unappreciative I was when it came to my mother's efforts in the kitchen.  I'm sure it wasn't me and my cynicism that coined the phrase or recipe "chicken caccia-trash".  What a terrible daughter.  But, I'm sure I got help from my sister and brother.  We just didn't realize what good food was.

After the Easter meal, my siblings and I sat around remembering those moments, good and bad, funny and sad....  This is what brings a family together.  And then there's the food, like music, that transports you back to some of those life defining moments.  This chicken cacciatore is one of those memories.  Although I have the original recipe from my mother, I chose to revise it slightly, as I always do.

Ingredients:

5 - 6 chicken thighs (I used boneless but you can use bone-in)

3 T olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

3/4 cup green bell peppers, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

1/2 cup red wine, Chianti is good  (Save some to drink with meal)

salt and pepper to taste

1 small can chopped mushrooms, drained well

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp allspice

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp thyme, dried 

Method:

In a large pot, heat the oil and brown the chicken.  Then add the onions, peppers and garlic and cook until softened.   Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Serve over rice or noodles.  Can also be placed in a crock pot on low for a few hours after browning stage.  Enjoy! 

Easter Surprise - Czech Kolache

For Easter this year I wanted to surprise my family with an old food tradition from our Czech heritage.  My grandmother would make it for "special" occasions and now I know why  it wasn't made more often!  I tackled the wonderful kolache!  I did my research and knew the recipe involved many steps not to mention the kneading, rising of dough, etc.  As I went through all the steps, I was secretly wishing that my grandmother or father was there to help (or at least 5 or 6 Czech elves!)  They would understand what a "labor of love" this feat was.  Time  (5 hours later) consuming, yes,....worth it?....yes. 

The reactions were mixed...my son, bless his heart...was full of compliments.  Hopefully, this is a food tradition that will live on.  I won't post the recipe here, but it will be in my book.  Stay tuned...

As for an Easter surprise...the surprise was on me.  My parents had planned an elaborate meal of lamb, ham, green beans, scalloped potatoes, etc.  My mom was visibly tired, probably from making two beautiful lemon meringue pies, crust and all, for my father and husband. 

The BEST lemon meringue pie

 Or maybe it was because her cat, Pierre,  decided to wake her up by knocking the TV off of her dresser!  Bad cat!!  But, he's sooooo cute, you have to love him!

Pierre

And, as my dad proceeded to slice the potatoes, he sliced a chunk from his finger.  Ouch!  The chef was injured!  I stepped in to help with Easter dinner, because that's what I do...I cook!  And I don't mind...It the cleaning that gets me!  So, the surprise was on me.  I'm just glad that I can cook and serve my family on such a day of celebration.  Be Blessed!

Lavender Citrus Brunch Cake

Let us eat cake!  This one caught my eye a while back.  It's perfect for that Springtime, Easter or Mother's Day celebration.  I can't say who inspired me to make this.  It's more like where I received my inspiration and this time the idea came from my travels.  The ingredients are Mediterranean thru and thru.  Not only does it have lemon and tangerine zest, lavender and Greek yogurt but it has olive oil!  Can't get much better than that!

One of my dreams is to travel to Italy or the South of France  during Spring or Summer when I can be surrounded by fields of lavender, bright red poppies and Monet-like sunflowers.  That probably won't be anytime soon so I'm content (not really) to bake this Mediterranean dream cake instead!

I will warn you that after my hummingbird cake fiasco,  I have made the proper altitude (and attitude)  adjustments for this cake.  I live above 5500 feet so if you are at sea level or close,  follow along.  My adjustments for high altitude are in parenthesis.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour, all purpose is okay

1 cup sugar  (reduce by 2 Tbsp)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder  ( reduce by 1/4)

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

6 oz. Greek honey flavored yogurt

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp culinary lavender

zest of small tangerine and 1 lemon

(add 1 Tbsp water)

Preheat oven to 350 High altitude should be around 365-370.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix the remaining ingredients in another bowl.  Then  add to the dry ingredients but do not overmix.  Butter and flour a 9 inch pan.  Pour the batter into it and bake for 25 mins (30 minutes) until knife inserted comes out clean.  The outside will be a golden crust while the inside will look dense and speckled with zest and lavender.  You can frost it but I found the flavors are simple and wonderful without!

The next time I try this I may add some Limoncello...yum!

Lentin Baked Cod

Okay I admit this is not what people are clamoring for before Easter.  Growing up Catholic we had alot of fish during Lent.  (not that I'm complaining)  So, while I prepare to do more baking,  I 'll give you another way to serve a delicious and moist fish.  You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now.

Ingredients:

4-5 cod fillets.  I used frozen and thawed.

1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp brown mustard

pinch of thyme

pinch of salt and pepper

3 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp cornmeal

2-3 Tbsp butter, melted

  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Mix the mayo, mustard and spices together in a small bowl.  Brush both sides of cod with this.    Put flour and cornmeal on a plate.  Dredge the fish in the flour mixture and put in a baking dish that already has the melted butter in it.   Turn them once before baking so butter is on both sides.   Bake for about 10 minutes or until  done and flaky.  This was flavorful and moist.

I served them on a bed of brown and wild rice with roasted cherry tomatoes and edamame.  Yum!  And good for you!