Chocolate | Apple Crumbles

Chocolate with Francois Spicy Pots De Crème

This month, Francois Payard’s recipe for Spicy Chocolate Pots De Crème, made quite the impression in our house. After all that Thanksgiving food, after all that holiday baking, the last thing I wanted to do was another sweet treat that would be too much for us to eat and end up tossed away. That wasn’t the case. This recipe, although nothing healthy about it, was completely addictive. One bite led to two bites which led to a third and before we knew it, both our dishes were clean. They were so clean, we looked at Shane as if he somehow [...]

By Joanne|2011-11-29T14:46:06-05:00November 30, 2011|Chocolate|4 Comments

Enter the Taper and Red Wine Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

This is it. The most looked forward to yet dreaded part of marathon training, tapering. When all your hard work comes to a head, you need to reduce those miles and make every workout count. There are many schools of thought when it comes to tapering. One rule is to reduce training by 15% in the third last week before a marathon. Reduce training again by 10% in the 2nd last week. The theory behind the taper is that the reduction in work will allow complete muscle recovery from months of training. It will bring back the shock absorbing capacity [...]

By Joanne|2011-11-07T20:06:10-05:00November 8, 2011|Chocolate, Running|6 Comments

Doesn’t Get Easier and Francois Payard’s Chocolate-Ginger Angel Food Cake

This morning I ran my fourth 20 miler. Why wasn’t it any easier? When I got to the grocery store, I just knew getting out of the car was going to be painful. It was. I loosened up after a minute, but still, why doesn’t it get any easier? I wonder what happened to this thing called “muscle memory”. Maybe my leg muscles suffer from memory loss. Lack of sleep? Not enough vitamin B12? Or just plain stubborn muscles? Any which way, I’m not happy with my legs so I’ll make them suffer JUST ONE MORE TIME before totally putting [...]

By Joanne|2011-10-29T14:05:28-04:00October 29, 2011|Chocolate|4 Comments

Chocolate With Francois: Rice Crispies

Thanks to Linda of Diva Weigh, we really enjoyed this month’s Francois Payard recipe. Easy and quick and SO, SO good. The fast track: Make these treats in less than one hour. Got home just after 5pm. Pulled out the Promise, the cocoa powder, the peanut butter, the crispy rice cereal, the dark chocolate chips and lined them up strategically on the counter. I turned the stove top on and added the Promise and cocoa to a saucepan over medium heat. My butter melted, I added the peanut butter which melted pretty quickly and so in went the rice cereal. [...]

By Joanne|2011-09-29T17:43:45-04:00September 30, 2011|Chocolate|8 Comments

Not Amused and Chocolate with Francois Rice Pudding with Sautéed Cherries

Only Ted and I are amused by Shane’s new toys. When he chews through one, we buy another. This past weekend, we picked up two new squeaky toys. They are LOUD! My parents let out an “OH NO!” Every time he starts to chew and squeak. As Ted and I sit in the other room, we look at each other and share a secret snicker. It really can be a torturous noise to the ears. Forget watching television, you won’t hear it. He’s our boy! Chocolate with Francois: Chocolate Rice Pudding with Sautéed Cherries and Cream. Last month I missed [...]

By Joanne|2011-09-06T19:10:42-04:00September 7, 2011|Chocolate|4 Comments

Chocolate with Francois: My Favorite Flourless Chocolate Cake

This month was my pick for the group: Chocolate with Francois. I have to say, I did GOOD! My mother after, tasting one bite, said “I want this recipe.” 5 Ingredients: 11 oz 64% (I used semi sweet) chocolate, chopped 4 1/2 oz unsalted butter 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar 5 large eggs Confectioners sugar to top (optional) Preheat oven to 325 F with rack in center. Spray the bottom of a 9” spring form pan with non stick spray and line bottom with parchment. Wrap the outside bottom of pan with foil to prevent water from leaking in. Put [...]

By Joanne|2011-07-30T16:59:35-04:00July 31, 2011|Baking, Chocolate|3 Comments