Menu ideas for the Week...Valentines Day Week

There's lots of ways to get ready for Valentines Day and I say taking care of being happy with yourself is a good start. I'm going to see if I can share a different menu pairing for your chocolate, each day this week as we approach Valentines Day. I may be able to sustain it after...we'll see how much shoveling there is.
Today the breakfast idea to warm up your day..

Put blue corn tortilla chips with two eggs and some chipotle goat cheese-cover the bowl with a slight gap for breathing and poach for shy of two minutes in the microwave. Top it with slices of grilled chicken apple sausage and have your hot chocolate made with almond milk. You're ready to go.

appreciating all the reminders of why I love 'The World of Chocolate'

 

Corne Port Royal chocolate...I try not  to be wooed by packaging because it's what makes prices go up on the end product..yet this packaging was so seductive as the neat folds of the box opened to a delicately layered tissue that had a fold. The fold was the perfect tab to lift up and reveal these most delicous chocolates. What a treat to open it and find the whole box full of dark Belgian chocolates. Smooth melt in the mouth flavor and qualities that sing with the essence of the flavors themselves. Just another reminder why I love 'The World of Chocolate'!

Getting ready for New Years one recipe at a time...

The gingersnaps with chocolate chunks were pretty good and gluten free, the truffles with cocoa nibs and coconut milk would have been better without the goat cheese and today...let's see...what will compliment french onion soup, turkey and cranberry panini sandwiches...I think menus at this time of year and ideas for a way to make each day warm up with flavor. 

Are you struggling to figure out how to keep your family coming back to the table to talk for at least 20 minutes before they go in different directions? I'm all about quick, pretty, easy and of course tasty.

Test out some ideas...

• tapas of spicy pieces of chicken, salsa with sharp cheese and olive tapanade and cauliflower or asparagus with  with hot chocolate and a little espresso splash for a change.
• breakfast turkey sausage wrapped with a crescent roll and slices of fresh fruit and a mini chocolate fondue in a small coffee cup or crock to dip.

Let me know how you do!

Connecting to joy with chocolate

I wanted to share this here first...chocolate and joy are synonymous. When you find a way to share and to connect with your family and friends through the experience of making cookies, doesn't it make sense?

That's what happened to me when my daughter made chocolate cookies for me as a Channukah gift. It was the best!

I posted the recipe she found on the 2theworldofchocolate blog

Popovers that melt in your mouth

Can you imagine it? Breakfast on the patio, popovers that are filled with organic strawberry jam, almond paste and a touch of garbanza flour and another batch were with flax seed, cracked pepper and fresh grated parmesan. It was so good with the hot tea, sitting listening to the birds and taking in the day. They were both from the recipe on the King Arthur gluten-free flour mix. I just adapted it by using the coconut oil and then my fillings/dustings.

I haven't disappeared, I'm experimenting. Trying new things, new ideas that include vegan options for baking and gluten free/wheat free. The popovers were a winner over the biscuits and corn bread. They were more like hockey pucks.

winter dessert is really cool

You know it's sort of like having a taste of both oreo ice cream and peppermint stick ice cream, all in one bite. Just crush the whole thing over your favorite bowl of ice cream, rice dream or tofutti and you're there!

Crushed peppermint stick, dipped in dark chocolate and the fun of the oreo

It was delicious! I had been hearing that Trader joe's oreos were really good so I needed to check them out. I discovered they were perfect for dipping in a dark chocolate (72%) and then rolling in different toppings. I chose a mix of crushed nibs, cinnamon and black pepper for one and crushed peppermint stick candies for the other. Perfect for a summer dessert because they had the joy of the chocolate and the adventure of chocolate flavors paired with other things. Easy too. Now when I sit still to upload pictures from my new camera tonight-you'll see how beautiful it looks too.

Have a great day