Sweet 'N Salties

I was fortunate enough, in college, to room with a kind, laid-back girl who was also a choco-holic. Even more fortunate, her family lived only twenty minutes from campus and she regularly came back to the dorm with treats to snack on. And better yet, sometimes we'd leave the cinder-block walls and same-old cafeteria food for the warm, inviting home of Papa and Momma J. 

And that's where I learned of these delicious, snackable "cookies." A pretzel bottom acts as a platform to hold the good stuff -- chocolate. It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty, all in one bite. They are seriously addicting. And while you probably shouldn't be passing these out to all those chubby-faced jack-o'lanterns and fairies tomorrow night (being "homemade" and all), surely it wouldn't hurt to have a bowl nearby to snack on yourself. Because if there's one thing Momma J. taught me, it's to always have chocolate on-hand. 

Chocolate Pie

I'm not sure when my love of chocolate began. Perhaps it was when I began stealthily sneaking chocolate chips from the cupboard. Or maybe when my mom made chocolate pudding and we'd eat it hot out of the pot, burning our tongues, both unable to wait for it to cool. Or maybe it began when she made chocolate fudge and we'd scrape the leftovers from the pot with a tablespoon. But most certainly chocolate pie had something to do with my love of chocolate. 

It's a pie that my mom has made my whole life, a recipe her mother-in-law gave her. A homemade crust lining a glass pie plate, is poked with a fork and baked until just beginning to turn golden. The filling, a rich chocolate pudding is whipped up on the stove, turning thick as the cornstarch does its work. Later, some cream is whipped before the whole thing is assembled. Pudding into crust. Whipped cream atop the pudding. It's a beautiful medley of crunch, richness and sweetness. And the perfect dessert for the chocolate lover.

Magic Cookie Bars

Do you have a go-to recipe? A recipe that you love, that's easy to whip up and keep the ingredients on hand? Something that you can run to the cupboard for when someone comes over unexpectedly, or maybe you have a craving or you need to take a treat to that party? 

Magic Cookie Bars: our family's go-to recipe. My mom would make these on Sunday nights after church. We'd all be roaming the kitchen, opening the fridge multiple times and staring blankly at the contents. Then mom would mention these bars and we'd all perk up and go sit at the island until they came out of the oven. 

I think a similar recipe, with added butterscotch and white chocolate chips, is known as "Seven Layer Bars." However, in my family we call these magic cookie bars, probably because they magically disappear as soon as they are made! 

Hot Cocoa for Two

Snow drifts softly down from the heavens, alighting itself on the frozen ground, building up into a blanket of white that covers all the unattractive brown. It fills my home with a gentle, white light. All is quiet outside. None but a few brave souls are willing to venture out and for a moment peace and calm reign on a busy street in the city. 

My firstborn is upstairs getting a bath. I can hear his little baby talk and squeals of laughter when the water splashes up into his sweet face. My second child is snug as a bug in my belly, not inclined at all to come and join us in this beautiful world. 

It's a good moment to sit and watch the weather float by, a mug of homemade hot chocolate steaming my face, a little peace before our world is overturned by the coming of a little baby girl.  

Devil's Food Cake with Glossy Chocolate Icing

Monday was my little Jack's second birthday. I've decided that I love birthdays. How fun is it to spend a whole day remembering and celebrating the little life that follows you around all year? A year full of learning and growing, making messes and cleaning them up, butting heads and asking for forgiveness, some tears and many smiles. 

We spent the day simply. Blueberry pancakes for breakfast, cake and presents when Daddy got home.  My mom was here as well which made it extra special. 

Speaking of cake, while I love baking, I don't consider myself a crafty, decorate-cakes-to-look-like-elmo kind of person. BUT when I saw this cake on Facebook, I couldn't resist. 

My Jack loves trucks. We will be in the kitchen and the faint rumble of the garbage truck sounds in the background. Jack will perk up, say "Tuck" and go running for the front window. We will be in the car, passing semi's on the highway and I hear from the backseat, "Tuck! Tuck!" He will spend the bulk of his day pushing mini trucks and tractor trailers around the room, parking them just so. We spend our bedtime hours reading Construction Alphabet and Little Blue Truck. 

So there wasn't even a small hesitation. Construction cake was it.

Chocolate Sauce

It was one of those still summer evenings when the air hangs thickly, too heavy for movement, sticking closer than you'd like. It had been a hot day, and though the sun had set, the earth wasn't ready to give in to the coolness just yet. In the dusk, fireflies began to twinkle from their hidden hollows, gathering courage to take flight as the backdrop of night came on. A glistening frog leapt into the pond, sending ripples of consequence across the glassy surface, while peepers and cicadas gave voice in the evening air.

Chocolate "Declare"

Summertime is the season of vacation. And vacation with family is always the best. Hellos and warm hugs that have waited all year to be given, piles of cousins getting to know one another again, warm sun and cool water, laughter in the kitchen and around the table. 

Pudding Drop Cookies

There's nothing like getting a package in the mail. 

Particularly when you are a starving-for-good-food college student. And particularly when you see your mother's name as the return sender. 

Texas Sheet Cake

When I was a kid, family events and church suppers were attended with mom's mac n cheese in one hand and texas sheet cake in the other. These two dishes were easy to make and had a large yield, so they were a favorite for a big event.

A New Chef in the Kitchen: Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I remember walking into the doctor's office this past July, sporting a small baby bump and a nervous smile. I had made an evening appointment so Brad could be there to see our little one and we were excited to find out whether we'd be having a he or a she.

St. Patrick's Day: Chocolate Fudge

Mmmm....Leftover St. Patty's Day Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Wanna know a secret?

I don't usually make homemade brownies. Betty Crocker Fudge is what most often graces my table.

I'm usually disappointed with homemade brownies. They are too dry. Or they just don't have enough chocolate punch. Brownies from the box are always chewy, fudgy and oh-so-chocolatey.

However, I got a recipe from my mom a little while ago that meets all of the necessary brownie qualifications. Strong chocolate flavor is wedded with a chewy texture. A small bite reveals a light, peanut butter mixture that winds its way through your morsel, punctuated by bits of melted chocolate. This is one of those recipes that people will beg for after taking just one piece.

Easy Chocolate Pudding

My mom used to make boxed, chocolate pudding when I was a little girl. I can remember many times waiting for a fresh batch to cool. Most times we were too impatient to wait the four hours it took to really chill the pudding and we ended up eating it warm instead, blowing on steaming spoonfuls and sucking in air quickly when the too-hot pudding hit our tongues.

Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwiches

Christmas will soon be here! This being my last week teaching piano lessons for the year, I decided to bake cookies for all 25 of my students. I settled on Gingerbread Men and Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwiches, two new recipes. I stocked up on flour, sugar, butter and eggs, bought plastic goodie bags decorated with grinning gingerbread men and got up early to start baking before breakfast.

Toffee Bars

Chocolate is the king of all sweets. Add chocolate to any dessert and it becomes infinitely better. Silky and smooth with deeply rich, cocoa flavor, chocolate is pleasing to the tongue and satisfies the sweet tooth.

I'm one of those people who eats chocolate chips as a snack. Ask me my favorite dessert and I say, "Anything with chocolate." I remember as a little girl, tip-toeing into the kitchen, climbing onto the counter and sneaking chocolate chips from the cabinet. And then I would be amazed when my mom (upon smelling my breath) would say, "You've been in the chocolate again, huh?" How did she know? The scenario today is much the same, except now it's my husband, smiling reproachingly at my mouth full of chocolate.

This recipe is pretty easy...a buttery, toffee crust topped by silky-smooth, milk chocolate. Beware though, they are sort of addicting.