Chocolate!!!

Doesn’t the title, just one word, say everything?  Well it does for me.  I have been on a diet for the last month and lost 25 pounds so far… on my version of a paleo diet…. (Yeah!!!)… And in the process, I am driving my wife crazy.  Whenever I lose weight and am successful, I have to look at all of the really bad recipes, you know the kind that are really “gooey” and would melt in your mouth, you know the kind you dream about….shhhhh….I am on a diet….I can’t think that way, or so my wife tells me. What do I do, well, I go on a website called Tumblr and found all of these blogs with fantastic recipes…one of the best is fullcravings…anyway, I print it off on my brother full color printer and walk over to her, start to talk to her,  I have this mischievous look on my face waving this paper in front of her face like a little child that just found something pretty and want to show it off, and she rolls her eyes and gets this look on her face like “oh no, not another one”, and says “why do you make it so hard on yourself, looking at all of those recipes…(don’t tell her this, but I swear I see a twinkle and after reading the recipe a smile of pure pleasure turn up on her lips...LOL),  and she would say, “why do you want to show them to me”?  “You know that I have a very small and definitely short tolerance level for looking at these”.  I know what she is thinking down deep, Hmmmm, I wonder if we have all of the ingredients in our cupboards, I look at her and smile, maybe I just want her to make it, but, then I think, that wouldn’t be fair.  Maybe, it is the fact I can’t have it, so I want her to share in my gooey chocolate dreams.  Well, since we have been married 43 going on 44 years, she knows me (duh, you think).  Well enough psycho-analyzing.  Back to Chocolate!!!...I don’t remember the first time I had my first experience of the “nectar” of the gods, but I must have really been young…..another story comes to mind.  When my first daughter was really young, we didn’t have baby seats back then and she rolled around on the back seat at each turn…LOL how cute was that…anyway we didn’t have to wear seat belts back then….we went thru our local McDonald’s and ordered our usual hamburger, fries and chocolate shake…well, unbeknownst to me my daughter had her first experience with chocolate…My wife and I were talking about how cute she was and I had this great idea…yeah I am sure she appreciates it now…but I gave her a taste of my chocolate shake (or whatever it was made of then, who knew, just like the stuff they called hamburger…I won’t go there right now), my wife looked at me wearily and reluctantly, nodded ok, so I took my straw and put in her mouth, and she sat there and looked at me thinking…well, what do you want me to do with this..(like I’m only an innocent little baby), and I showed her…and she attempted…back then they were “real” shakes, in other words very thick…poor thing…but she finally got the point and her eyes grew as big as saucers and couldn’t stop…I said, “hey, take it slow, (I felt like I was creating a newbie vampire), after all I don’t want you to get brain freeze”, little did I know that I created a “mini” chocolate monster…she cried for two reason, she got a brain freeze and the second one was she didn’t want me to remove the straw from her “drooling” mouth… were we bad parents back then?…luckily that was the first and last time we would do that…(yah right, I think I would sneak her some when my wife wasn’t around…maybe she did that same thing)…to make a long story short I think we actually did create a mini-chocolate monster…is that anything like a cookie monster? Hmmmm.  Well let’s get back to my original thought…I remember liking Easter, Halloween and of course Christmas, we always had a chocolate something in the house.  I think my Mom was chocolate crazed. I wonder if it is passed down generation to generation… I remember she would take a piece of chocolate, put it into her mouth and sit down in her “soft” chair and her eyes would roll up and close, and with a long and slow sigh she would languish into her private world…until one of her 5 kids would yell “Mommy”, or in my Dad’s case would say “Honey” she would jerk back to the living and with a heavy sigh get up and see what mischief her beautiful children… (Yah right)...Or her loving husband…needed.  I knew I grew up loving chocolate.  A lot later in my life I would have chocolate infused, fantastic, desserts, I remember when I ran and friend found this hole in the wall next to the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood it was an old fashion soda shop, with metal and Formica tables and chairs that were soft and comfy, but also metal and of course all pink…anyway we saw the menu and thought the three scoop sundae would be great, well, they came out with these tall glass bowls full of ice cream, warm chocolate, toasted warm mixed nuts, whip cream with a cherry on top, I was in heaven, we both looked at each other and our eyes were as big as saucers…I wonder if the store is still there, I am sure it has been over commercialized by now if it is and some person from a foreign country is smiling all the way to the bank… Later when I was married, we had three children, they all got to love ice cream…we could eat three half gallons in one sitting, I remember the flavors,  mint chip, chocolate malt balls and cherry jubilee ice cream…my favorite. I was a buyer for a department store, and one of my first jobs as a trainee buyer was the deli department, it was fantastic, it also had wine shop and the candy departments was located down stairs on another floor, next to our coffee shop, which was a very busy part of the store.  My first fall and Christmas season was the best sales figures of all, I guess I enjoyed my job too much.  On my buying trips I learned how awful it was to go on a buying trip (yah right) to buy for the store all of the goodies as I would refer to them.  I went to New York and end up at a show at the Moscone center…if you haven’t been there, it is a huge convention center and scheduled on the same week was two different shows, candy and deli that shared the auditorium candy on one side and deli on the other.  Of course the idea behind it was you could taste candy until you started shaking, and then go to the deli area to get a shot of protein…and then, of course back to candy…do you know that there are hundreds of companies that make chocolate, the most memorable was Godiva….(OMG)…they had these glass show cases that were full of all of their best (CHOCOLATE) candies I had to be professional, but I would be hanging on the top of that counter and drool all over the glass if I were younger…Maybe I did…Hmmm.…it’s funny because I loved Godiva chocolate so much, and until recently my oldest daughter would send me some Godiva for special occasions, maybe to get back at me for the McDonalds shake thing, LOL, but, she knew I loved them so much), well back to my thought again…I “had to” force myself to taste every last one of those chocolates, I was the buyer after all…if I remember, I had a lot of Protein stops that day….do you know how many variations of chocolate candy they have, including all of the other booths of Swiss, Italian, French and other countries…well there is a lot…I think I was perspiring after that day, probably mini-chocolate pieces…ha, ha, ha…(now that I think about it EEUW, as my kids would say…) also, they had chocolate covered…(I don’t want to know)…items that I shied away from…especially the items with legs or antennae or worst of all creepy “things” that I didn’t recognize…I swear there was one with eyeballs looking at me…saying “help me, help me” you know that thing from the first version of the movie “The Fly”….well enough of that, I think I am getting creeped out just thinking about it. Oh yes, I did have my favorite chocolate, the orange and strawberry filled dark chocolates,  thin mint chocolates, and the Frangos chocolates and of course my Swedish Fish, I still cannot pass when I get in the Grocery store… Oh, such fond memories of the “good” chocolate. Well back to my reason for being here, some of my most appreciated and liked chocolate recipes. The first one is a killer

Snickers Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Yield: 1 8-inch cake

Ingredients:

1  box brownie mix, plus ingredients required on box
1/4  cup  milk
1  8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup  sugar
1 1/2     cups     peanut butter
1  8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1  20 oz. bottle chocolate sundae syrup
1  20 oz. bottle caramel sundae syrup
1  11.5 oz. bag mini snickers, chopped, divided into three groups

 Instructions:

NOTE: An 8-inch spring form pan is best for this recipe so that you can easily remove the cake once it's been assembled. If you do not have a spring form pan, line your pan with clear wrap before adding your parchment paper and cake board. You can use the clear warp to lift your cake out of the pan once it's assembled and frozen.
Brownies:
Make brownie dough according to instructions on back of box. Grease two 8-inch pans (preferable spring form pans see above) and line the bottoms with parchment paper to allow for easy removal. Bake at temperature on box, reducing baking time to about 20 minutes (You can also bake 1 big brownie - which would cook for the normal time - and cut it in half, but cutting a brownie in half isn't super easy). When brownies are done baking, allow to completely cool.

Ice Cream:

Combine milk, cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer. Mix until completely combined.Fold in the cool whip.
Assembling it all:
Line the sides of an 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper should stick up above the top edge of the pan, since the cake will probably be a little taller than your pan. If you want, put a cardboard cake circle in the bottom of the pan.
NOTE: You should be using the same 8-inch pan you used for the brownies. Not all 8-inch pans are exactly the same size. Your brownie needs to fit in this pan.
Put the first brownie layer in the bottom of your pan. Spread 1/2 cup caramel sauce and 1/2 cup chocolate sauce over the brownie. Top with first group of chopped snickers. Top with half of the peanut butter ice cream. Add second brownie to the pan, on top of the ice cream.
Again cover with 1/2 cup caramel sauce and 1/2 cup chocolate sauce. Top with second group of chopped snickers. Top with remaining peanut butter ice cream. Allow ice cream cake to freeze completely. When frozen, remove from spring form pan and remove parchment paper from sides. Top with additional caramel sauce and chocolate sauce, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Cover with remaining chopped snickers and a little more caramel and chocolate sauce.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by    

The next one is………

Ice-cream Bread

 This two-ingredient bread is terrific any time of day. Pop it in the oven while you're preparing supper, or serve it for afternoon tea. If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, toast a few slices for breakfast and serve with butter and jam.
Yield: Makes 1 (8-inch) loaf
Prep time:5 Minutes
Bake:45 Minutes
Ingredients
1 pint (2 cups) ice cream, softened
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Instructions:

Stir together ice cream and flour, stirring just until flour is moistened. Spoon the batter into a greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Note: Batter may also be divided evenly between 2 greased and floured 5- x 3-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.

And next….

Graham Cracker Éclair "Cake"

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1-1/2 cups cold milk
15 graham crackers, broken crosswise in half (30 squares), divided
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1 cup ready-to-spread chocolate frosting
Directions

Beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, cover bottom of 8-inch square pan with graham squares, overlapping squares as needed to form even layer. 

Stir COOL WHIP into pudding. Spread half over graham squares in pan; cover with 10 of the remaining graham squares. Repeat layers of pudding mixture and 

graham squares. REFRIGERATE 3 hours. Spread with ready-to-spread chocolate frosting.

Heavenly Hash Donuts

Ingredients
1 recipe Quick Bread Dough -or- Pillsbury Grands Biscuits 
4 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 cups chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups marshmallow cream

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
8 small brownies

Instructions

Heat the oil in a 2 quart pot over medium - low heat (closer to medium than low). Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a donut cutter or a 4-5 inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough (of course, you can skip this step if you're using the Pillsbury shortcut!). Be sure to cut out the center hole so that you don't risk having a dough center! You should get about 8 donuts. Carefully fry each donut by placing the dough into the oil (you'll know it's ready when it bubbles a little when you drop a couple of drops of water in it). I only fried one at a time.  Let the dough fry on the first side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, then flip. Allow to fry for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on a wire rack layered with paper towels (to soak up excess oil). Microwave the 2 cups chocolate chips and whipping cream for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and thick. Spoon the chocolate on top of each donut. Microwave the marshmallow cream for about 30 seconds, until a little melty (you just want it to be easy to spoon). Spoon a HEAPING tablespoon of marshmallow cream over each donut (don't worry about spreading or swirling). Crumble a brownie over each donut, pressing the chunks into the marshmallow cream and chocolate. This will mix the cream and chocolate together a little bit for a "swirled" effect. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over top, and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Serve immediately or serve in an air tight container.

And 1 More

Slutty Brownies

Yield: 1 9x9 brownie pan
Serving Size: 16 brownies per recipe

Ingredients
For the Brownie layer:
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup AP flour
For the Oreo layer:
1 package of Oreo (regular stuffed or double stuffed)
For the Cookie Dough layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
For the Brownie layer:

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.

For the Cookie Dough layer:

Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.

Assembly:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray. Layer the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the slutty brownies. Layer as many Oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do.

Pour the brownie batter on top of the Oreo layer and make sure it's evenly layers on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if 

the center is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more. Serve with ice cream :)