#BookClubCookbookCC: Chocolat Roundup and Pie!

So.
It's been a month since I posted the invitation to make hot chocolate, and read Joanne Harris' book, Chocolat.  I'm picking the book up today from the library.
It's been a crazy month here, where we moved, school ended, I packed and moved to a new school, and I have quickly slipped into the entropy that invariably arrives with the first week of summer vacation.
But never fear!  The members of the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew have a variety of chocolate recipes for you to enjoy!

Renee from Tortillas and Honey made Florentines.  I've never eaten them, or heard of them, but now I want to make them!  This almond cookie coated with chocolate looks amazing.  I would add the orange zest.

Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food made gorgeous Pots de Creme.  My favourite chocolate French masterpiece is Mousse au Chocolat, but this would probably be a close second...along with any other way I can think of to use chocolate!

Erin at the Spiffy Cookie decided against sweating and drinking, and turned her hot chocolate into Hot Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats.  These would be perfect for your next BBQ...or Tuesday...when you're by yourself and have a need for sugar.

Emily at Life on Food decided to marry 2 of my favourite flavours:  peanut butter and chocolate into these cute little Chocolate Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches.  Obviously, these are to be dunked in the hot chocolate so we end up on a chocolate high for the rest of the day!  Count me in!

Sarah of the Pajama Chef also chose a no-sweat, no-bake recipe featuring white chocolate:  Avalanche Cookies. I now want these too with their feature of mini marshmallows and peanut butter.  So many cookies.  So little time.

Finally, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm made a beautiful Black and White Cake.  I love cake.  There aren't enough reasons to make or eat it, honestly.















But what did I make?  My own favourite dessert, or did I guess someone else's as Vianne would do?  I didn't really guess.  I made J's favourite.  I present to you now from the April 2008 issue of Everyday Food, Chocolate Merinuge Pie:

Magazine Challenge: May Planning

So.
It's May.
In education, when you come back after March Break, there is one month left, affectionately known as "Aprilmayjune". We have added to the insanity by deciding to move.
The house closes June 3, and we're moving June 6.  I have to pack.  And empty my freezer.  It's scary.
But enough about what's going on around here.  My absence around these parts has been due to not really cooking while trying to sell a house.  Now I need to use up the supplies of things that I have amassed to use at "some point", like 3 pork tenderloins.  Or a rather large rack of ribs.
The May 2008 issue of Everyday Food may help in some regards.  I was commenting to J that it's the first issue where I've actually made a few things.  But let's get on to the list of 6, shall we?
Here's what I'd like to make from this issue:

• Better-than-Basic Muffins
• Hamburger and Grape Tomato Pizza
• Sausage and Asparagus Saute over Soft Polenta
• Spinach and Feta Turnovers
• Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with Feta and Mint Sauce
• Roasted Carrots with Honey

I think I've made the Pizza, and I make the Sausage and Asparagus Saute regularly.  The rest of this list looks doable.  Here's to May and packing!

Son of Magazine Challenge: Apple Crisp

So.
I was reading an article today about being a "mean mom".  Don't ask me why I was reading it, seeing as the closest thing to children that I have is 2 cats who do what they like and a husband who doesn't always listen to me either.  But there I was, reading about how to raise kids by being mean.
One of the things that the article said was to not give in and serve dessert every night so it would be a "treat".

*insert cricket sound here*

I grew up in a house where dessert ended lunch and dinner.  It could be a cookie or fruit, but there was always something.  J and I don't eat dessert every night, but we do often have something in the evening after dinner - perhaps a glass of chocolate milk, or one of the many things I bake up.  It's not an every day thing, but there's often something.
The October 2007 issue of Everyday Food included a dessert article called Sweet, Warm and Cozy:  sumptuous, soul-soothing treats that go straight from oven to table.  Of the 4, I wanted to make 3 of them. I bought a new, appropriate shallow dish and have already made 2.  The next one is coming soon.
Might I suggest a return to ending your meal with something sweet?  I'd also suggest returning to slow meals together with laughter, conversation and a distinct lack of mobile phones, but I don't want to be all crazy-like.
Let's start with desert.
I present to you now from the October 2007 issue of Everyday Food, Apple Crisp:

Son of Magazine Challenge: Cheesy Hash Brown Bake

So.
I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned in the past that the only thing my husband makes when I'm here is chili.  He likes to start with the Wick Fowler 2 Alarm Chili Kit and "makes it [his] own" by having me chop an onion to toss in along with a drained can of kidney beans.  It's really good, and thankfully makes enough for a couple of meals plus lunch for me for a couple of days.
The last time, however, I asked J if we could make this with the leftovers of the chili, and we actually ate this the next 2 days for lunch.  It's that good.  Trust me.
So if you're looking for something to do with the leftover chili from your last tailgate, and want a new twist on something delicious, might I suggest this?  It won't be the last time we try it around here.
From the March 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Cheesy Hasbrown Bake:

Oh, Paris...

My heart aches tonight.

So.
I don't usually post on a Friday night.  I like to queue things up and leave it to post on its own during the week.  Tonight is different though.
I made a new dessert for dinner tonight as a part of the Magazine Challenge and thought about posting it later.  But as we've watched the unfolding news about the attacks in Paris, I don't want to wait and post this later.  It's not that this is a hugely important thing, but the flavour made me think of France and right now that's bittersweet.
My year as an exchange student in France more than 20 years ago gave my first opportunity to learn to cook from someone other than my mother in a family situation.  I learned to make sauces, souffles, and a dense chocolate cake that was out of this world.  I still make sauces starting with a roux like I learned from Mme Brabant.  I haven't made a souffle or that cake since I came home though.
I found this recipe in the October 2007 issue of Everyday Food.  It's not like the other pudding cake I've made where you pour boiling water over the cake and it self-sauces.  It's 4 simple ingredients that surprisingly come together to make something delicious.  This is more a cross between a souffle and a dense, slightly undercooked chocolate cake.
Tonight, it reminded me of a French dessert I ate long ago, and my heart ached for a city I love and miss.
I present to you now from the October 2007 issue of Everyday Food Chocolate Pudding Cake:

Son of Magazine Challenge: Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Herbed Couscous

So.
We've been eating a lot of simple meals recently.  There's been enough going on, and we're still trying to eat at home, so there's been lots of indoor grilling and frozen vegetables.  Not that exciting for blogging everywhere.
But have no fear!  I still haven't blogged Thanksgiving!  Or some desserts.  And there's still Secret Recipe Club and the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew.  Or there are things like this.  Magazine Challenge and last Friday night's dinner.
In making this stuffing, I combined things my husband is suspicious of:  couscous and pine nuts.  I also cooked something that I haven't touched in a while:  boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  This was easy enough for a Friday, but fancy enough to feed to company.  I may make it again.  Even with the pine nuts.
I present to you now from the September 2007 issue of Everyday Food, Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Herbed Couscous:

Son of Magazine Challenge: October

Wow.
It's almost the end of October.
J and I have had a busy fall.  Between football and work I'm not spending as much time cooking as I might like.  We've been eating a lot of simple meals that go together quickly.  The good news is that we've been eating at home during the week, seeing as we're so often out on weekends right now.
Despite this, I did sit down with the October 2007 issue of Everyday Food at the beginning of the month and made a list of things to make.  Surprisingly, there is a lot of dessert on the list.  I haven't had a list like that in a bit.  But, when I've been choosing so many entrees for the last little bit, perhaps it's best that there's some dessert to even it out.
Here's what I thought looked good from the issue:

• Sweet Potato Souffle
• Apple Crisp
• Warm Almond-Cherry Cake
• Chocolate Pudding Cake
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Only 5, but they all look doable.  And if not, they all look yummy!

Son of Magazine Challenge: September Planning

So.
I know that there's no July/August planning post on the blog.  That's because the July/August 2007 issue of Everyday Food was a big bust for me.  I found 2 recipes - 2 that I wanted to make, and one I had already made in the past in my pre-blog days.  I may get around to making the Roasted Summer Vegetables and Pasta again, because it was good; and then again I might not simply because it doesn't stick in my mind as something I should make again.  The ice cream sandwiches, however, were fantastic and I will make those again.
Frankly, after 3 years of the challenge I'm surprised that there's only been 1 issue where I really haven't been thrilled with what was on offer.  I draw from a large variety of sources for what we eat, so I didn't know if it was that I just didn't like the sound of anything, or if I had reached saturation point with Martha Stewart and was starting to find things repetitive.  Perhaps it's a little from Column A mixed with a little of Column B combined with summer ennui.  No worries, though.  I soldiered on.  Everyone can have an off issue.
I wasn't sure what to think when I sat down with the September issue.  Would it be feast or famine (kinda literally)?  But with a cover boasting "No-fuss Family Fare", I had high hopes.  It was definitely better than what I had encountered last month.  I came up with a list of interesting things to try to make up for July/August.  A return to interesting food just as I return to work.  Sigh.
Here's what we're going to try on the Mountain this month:

• Stuffed Tex-Mex Yellow Squash
• Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce
• Pigs in Blankets and Citrus Spritzers
• Black Bean Tostadas with Corn Relish
• Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Herbed Couscous
• Family Dinner Menu featuring 3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese, Sauteed Green Beans,  Garlic-Roasted Tomatoes, and Apple Cinnamon Upside-Down Cake

Looks like a good month.  Here's to fall!

Son of Magazine Challenge: Mini Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

So.
You know how you mean to do something, get halfway through, become sidetracked, and eventually come back to the original project for the now much smaller job?  That is the story with these sandwiches.
I made the cookies, put them into a container, and we started eating them as is.  By the time I made the sandwiches, I only had a dozen cookies left.  Whoops.
J and I have had a couple of pool parties in the past couple of weeks, and I meant to make these as a dessert option for the first of the parties (not that it mattered...we had so much food!).  Then, when that didn't happen, I thought to make them for the second party.  But we had birthday cake instead, so I ended up making these as a dessert option for us.  At the beginning of a super hot week, they were a welcome treat.
I know the title says "mini", but don't let that fool you!  One is enough.  It's 2 cookies and a small serving of ice cream rolled in chocolate chips.  But think about that.  2 cookies.  Ice cream.  Chocolate chips.  How could all that together possibly be bad?
From the June 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Mini Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches:

Son of Magazine Challenge: Spinach-Stuffed Flank Steak

So.
I made this a while ago.  Like, I was still working awhile ago.  The problem with being inconsistent in my blogging is that things languish on my camera and get forgotten.  This is one of those recipes.
J and I both like spinach, and as a result I use it a lot in my cooking.  Spinach is a versatile vegetable, hearty enough to stand up to strong flavours, and healthy enough to make you feel virtuous.
J and I had this one Friday night after I went to the local butcher and had him butterfly the flank steak for me.  The filling went together easily, and the cooking time was relatively short, although we decided that slightly longer would have been better.  The second night, we were much happier with the level of doneness.
From the May 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Spinach-Stuffed Flank Steak:

Son of Magazine Challenge: Creme-FIlled Chocolate Cupcakes

So.
I have a confession to make.  I have been eating breakfast every morning.  While it's been a whole lot of peanut butter toast in the past few weeks, I do sit down and make sure that my body has something to run on for a good portion of the day.  Time to eat, a principal does not always have.
I will tell you that I didn't eat these for breakfast.  I'm not above it, but I was taking them for a lunch dessert, or eating one in the evening as a treat with J.  But I didn't make a complete confession on Facebook when I posted a picture of these beauties.  More on that later.
I had to get a jumbo muffin tin to make these.  I wouldn't always recommend doing this, but this makes a dozen jumbo cupcakes.  We were off to a picnic and I was to bring a dessert.  These totally fit the bill.  I made them the day of, after reading reviews that said the cake was dense and dry.  It is dense, and I would recommend cake flour to lighten them up a bit.  But the filling suited the cake.  It is also dense and sweet.  J said that they reminded him of Hostess snack cakes, and I think that's the point.  But these are probably better just because we know what's in them and they go stale faster.
Everyday Food had a feature in the April 2007 on Nostalgic Desserts.  These were just too cute not to consider.  And they're filled with a marshmallow mixture.  How could that possibly be bad?
I present to you now from the April 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Creme-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes:

#HotSummerEats: Lemon Cream Pie (Son of Magazine Challenge)

So.

Apparently I think of summer and pastry, which is weird, seeing as I will tell you that pastry is my nemesis.  I bought a pound of lard earlier this spring for something that has since eluded me.  When I found it in the top of the cupboard a few weeks ago, I decided that I might as well try once again to make pastry and made up the box, divided it into balls, wrapped them in plastic and froze them.  Did you know you can freeze pastry dough?  My mom has done this for years.  It's easier to make up the whole box (and the recipe on the box is for the whole thing) and then plan to, at some point either make 3 double-crusted or 6 pies.  This could be one of the 6.
I love lemon.  I know I've said in the past that lemon reminds me of spring, but it's also amazing for summer.  Icy lemonade, lemon sorbet, lemon cake or lemon cookies, I will eat them all.  I'm a huge fan of lemon meringue pie as well, but it's not J's favourite.  When I found this recipe in the May 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I knew I wanted to try it.  With stabilized whipped cream, this won't even melt at your next potluck.  But don't let it sit out too long.  It is whipped cream after all.
I loved this.  J didn't complain when I served it 4 nights running for dessert.  I'd call that a win.
From the May 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Lemon Cream Pie:

#HotSummerEats: Panko-Crusted Tilapia Sticks with Dipping Sauce

So.

I don't think fish sticks are something that we often think of when it comes to summer food.  But here's where I'm coming from:  on the Victoria Day weekend, J and I went to visit Toledo and see friends.  On the Sunday night of said weekend, we had no plans; and so were left to our own devices. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and we went and played mini golf.  Then J asked what I wanted for dinner.
It was hot, and I was tired, and I told him that I would love to go somewhere and sit on a patio for dinner with a couple of nice drinks and scenery.  He suggested Webber's, a restaurant that his parents had loved, that was on the banks of the Maumee River, not far from the shores of Lake Erie.  So that is where we ended up.
The patio was lovely - we looked out over the water, I had some delicious berry sangria, and J was thrilled that the Lake Erie yellow perch was as good as he remembered.  He just wished that he'd ordered the shrimp cocktail as well - we could smell the cocktail sauce as they went by.
Fast forward to opening my box from the Sauceology Group:  one of the items included was Caribeque's Island Thyme spice mix.  One smell, and I knew what I wanted to make - fish sticks!
So, for those of us who can't sit on a deck overlooking the Maumee and eat perch, might I suggest these little beauties?
I present to you now from the May 2007 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Panko-Crusted Tilapia sticks with Dipping Sauce:

Son of Magazine Challenge: March Planning

So.
It's a new month, and I've already made one of the recipes from March's Everyday Food.  Just as well.  We're going to Montreal for a bit during March Break.  While we won't be gone for the entire week, we will be gone for most of it.  Last year, I did a gigantic amount of cooking that week to post.  That won't be the case this year.  Frankly, based on my reading, I will be eating myself into oblivion.  When I haven't been heard from in a while, check the raclette restaurants or the Nordic Spa.
March 2007 featured dinners that should come together in minutes.  There are boil and toss pastas, and a speedy chili.  I came up with 6 things that I'd like to try:

• Chicken, Ham & Cheese Rollups
• Omelette
• Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto
• Cheesy Hash Brown Bake
• Sage Pork Chops
• Parmesan Rice

We've already had the chicken rollups.  They were delicious.  Let's hope everything else this month is as good!

Son of Magazine Challenge: January/February Planning

So.
A new year means a new year of old Everyday Food Magazines!  This year, I'm working through the third year of EFs that I have in my cupboard, 2007.
2007 was a momentous year here on the mountain.  J moved in, we got married, and I started my last year of teaching before joining the ranks of administration.  Exciting!  Perhaps I should blame all of those things going on in my life for why I seem to have made very little from these issues the first time around.
But no matter.  In one of the few instances where hoarding isn't a problem and can be viewed merely as an opportunity, I'll revisit the issues this year and see what gems there are to be gleaned from their pages.
The Jan/Feb issue, as always, is the Light issue.  It promises to be Heavy on Flavour, and includes a French menu.  Can you guess what piqued my interest?  It also boasts 122 recipes and tips.  I only need 6.  Just as well, when I started looking at recipes.
The All in 1 Bag feature relied heavily on turkey, which J doesn't eat.  There were also a variety of things that I didn't think sounded appetizing to me.  I was commenting to my mother last month that when I look at the recipes that I choose every month, there are very few desserts now.  That is once again the case with only 1 making the list.  Frankly, any of these should be delicious.  And in exciting news, I've already made my first recipe!  I present to you now what we plan to eat around here from the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Everyday Food:

• Molten Mocha Cakes
• Ginger Carrot Soup
• Salmon Tacos
• Pork Cutlet with Arugula and Sauteed Tomatoes
• Weekend Dinner Menu:  Wine-Braised Chicken, Salad with Celery, Red Onion and Croutons, Steamed Potatoes with Parsley, and Crepes with Sauteed Apples
• Wild Rice Pilaf

So here's to a new year and the delicious adventures that await!