Romancing The Chocolate: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Photo: King Arthur Flour

Romancing The Chocolate: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread: From Denny:  Summer time and the zucchini are multiplying like rabbits in our gardens!  Zucchini bread is always welcome just plain but how about "gilding the lily"?  Add some cocoa, chocolate chips and espresso powder to put it over the top.

Quick breads like this recipe are always welcome for the holidays or when you want something special - but not complicated or too demanding of your time and effort.  Like most quick breads this one is an easy recipe to make.  While this delicious bread bakes just sit down, relax and tour through your favorite collected old cookbooks or breeze through some interesting online recipe databases.  Works for me!

Celebrate Chocolate King Duvet

Celebrate Chocolate every day as a holiday!

Design available in 3 color palettes:  additional bedding sizes, t-shirts, blankets, 

pillows, jewelry, stuffed animals, mugs, ornaments, 3 sizes of laptop sleeves, shower curtains

From Louisiana artist Denny Lyon

Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new! 

Summer Recipe: Cool Fake Watermelon Cheesecake

Photo: Family Features 

From Denny:  This is such a fun colorful cheesecake to make that is sure to impress for any special holiday or occasion!  While it looks like watermelon it's really a strawberry flavored cheesecake supported by a delicious coconut and pistachio crumble crust that imitates the watermelon rind.  How clever is that?  And you know it sure tastes better than the rind. :) To imitate the look of the watermelon seeds you garnish the cheesecake with mini chocolate chips.  

The beauty of this cheesecake is that you don't have to bake it.  Everything is done on the stove top and then chilled.  Well, I'm sold; ready to start cooking?  

With some extra effort - on a slow lazy weekend when you have some time - this might be fun to make in small mini cheesecakes.  It could be one of those special treats you can pull out at the last minute when unexpected company shows up for a visit and you don't have the time to stop and shop. 

You could probably freeze this cheesecake (the large or the mini versions) before garnishing with the mini chocolate chips, especially if you are only cooking for two and just can't eat an entire cheesecake.  I wouldn't freeze it with the chocolate chips as chocolate tends to get an unattractive bloom on it when frozen and then thawed.  It's your call.  I often freeze cheesecakes I make as we like smaller portions at our house  to control the calories and because we find cheesecake so rich a dessert.  Sometimes I freeze cheesecake in well wrapped slices or take the time to make the smaller tart size.

Kid Friendly Recipe:  This recipe would be fun to do with older children to help teach them more about cooking.  They could easily help make the crust and help mix the cream cheese mixture.  You would have to supervise the stove top cooking of the frozen strawberries and dealing with the red food coloring as that could get quite messy. :)  But kids could help sprinkle the gelatin over the pan of cooked strawberries and help you stir until dissolved.  You might want to be the one to add the red food coloring and let them stir it into the mixture.  Kids are definitely up to helping decorate with the mini chocolate chips - though you may find quite a few missing before they land on the cheesecake!

Retro Sunburst 17" Laptop Sleeve

Check out this happy design and a blast from the retro past - Available in other sizes, also in bedding and much more!

From Louisiana artist Denny Lyon
Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new! 

8 Easter Posts To Enjoy: Food, Funny, Poems, Photos

Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: 8 Easter Posts To Enjoy: Food, Funny, Poems, Photos: From Denny:  Check out the fun facts posted about Easter on my blogs from traditions, origins of the holiday, a photography post of awesome sunrises by many good photographers, a funny Easter Bunny Rap music video, recipes and Spring renewal Easter poems.

May you enjoy your renewal this Spring!

Funny Easter Bunny Abby the Bunny

* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  

Romancing The Chocolate: Prize Winner: Peppermint-Hot Chocolate Cake, Fudge Filling, Marshmallow Frosting

Romancing The Chocolate: Prize Winner: Peppermint-Hot Chocolate Cake, Fudge Filling, Marshmallow Frosting: From Denny:  Love hot chocolate?  Thought of making it into a cake?  Britainy Shaw, 25, of Louisiana (before that she lived in Texas and before that in Montana) decided it was a brilliant idea.  She heard of Southern Living magazine's contest and decided to enter just for fun, taking third for this cake recipe.

She said her thoughts immediately went to her favorite Christmas flavors.  “For some reason, all I could think of were drinks.  I love hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps in it.”

Her cake consists of three layers of buttermilk chocolate cake that is filled with a fudge-mint filling, frosted with peppermint-tinged marshmallow crème frosting.

Fat Elf Christmas Square Cocktail Plate

Delivery: 1 fat elf stuffed full of good cheer! Awww, come on; you know you are part of the I Believe Club.  Take home a fat elf today! 

Romancing The Chocolate: Christmas Gift Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge

Romancing The Chocolate: Christmas Gift Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge: From Denny:  This is an easy unique way to cook fudge - in a slow cooker!  What fun, a super simple fast recipe!  It has our name all over it and think how you can make up many batches of this to give as hostess gifts at Christmas parties or other seasonal gift giving.

It's also a kid friendly recipe it's so easy to do.  You cook the fudge on High in the slow cooker for about 20 minutes total and then pour it out into a pan lined with waxed paper.  Place in fridge to cool and harden.

Santa Rejoices Music Round Ornament

Santa loves the music of the season!

Romancing The Chocolate: Christmas Gift Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge

Romancing The Chocolate: Christmas Gift Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge: From Denny:  This is an easy unique way to cook fudge - in a slow cooker!  What fun, a super simple fast recipe!  It has our name all over it and think how you can make up many batches of this to give as hostess gifts at Christmas parties or other seasonal gift giving.

It's also a kid friendly recipe it's so easy to do.  You cook the fudge on High in the slow cooker for about 20 minutes total and then pour it out into a pan lined with waxed paper.  Place in fridge to cool and harden.

Santa Rejoices Music Round Ornament

Santa loves the music of the season!

Romancing The Chocolate: Chef Cookies: Cinnnamon-Espresso Chocolate Chip Vegan Style

Romancing The Chocolate: Chef Cookies: Cinnnamon-Espresso Chocolate Chip Vegan Style: From Denny:  Raise your hand if you love the combination of coffee, chocolate and cinnamon.  Yeah, I thought so; me too.   This easy recipe is from Chef Chloe Coscarelli, a winner of the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars."

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Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Almond Nuggets with Chocolate Drizzle

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Almond Nuggets with Chocolate Drizzle: From Denny:  Chocolate and almonds are the ideal combination for a cookie.  This is basically a sugar cookie with sliced almonds that makes for a stiff dough.

It is a simple exercise of dropping the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet - so that makes it easy even for beginner bakers.  The chocolate comes in when you ice the cookie with bittersweet chocolate that has been melted together with real butter and almond extract.

What's amusing is how the recipe creator actually thinks these mere 24 cookies will last long enough to make it into a covered container.  Bring your friends! :)

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Romancing The Chocolate: Beautiful and Easy: Decadent Chocolate Mousse Pie

Romancing The Chocolate: Beautiful and Easy: Decadent Chocolate Mousse Pie: From Denny: I love searching through the recipe databases of various companies promoting their food products. You never know what gems you will find to inspire you to try something new or tweak a family favorite.

The recipe database at Spice Islands is a real treasure trove of goodies - and I've only started on the dessert section! Color me into the Well Impressed Corner. :)

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Romancing The Chocolate: Valentines Day Cookies: Reverse Chocolate Chip

Romancing The Chocolate: Valentines Day Cookies: Reverse Chocolate Chip: From Denny: In the mood for a chocolate batter cookie with white chocolate chips? This version also sports an unusual ingredient: the heady spice coriander. Add in the exotic flavorful macadamia nuts and this cookie is a huge hit. You can always substitute your favorite nut like almonds or walnuts.

When I found this recipe on the ABC Recipe site, they referenced it to "Stew Leonard's." Of course, I asked the obvious question, "Who is that?"

I live in south Louisiana so had never heard of the Connecticut grocery store chain. So, I googled them and found a wonderful site worth the visit. They started out as a dairy farm in Norwalk, Connecticut and branched out from there over the decades into a full blown grocery chain. Check out this wonderful chocolate recipe.

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Romancing The Chocolate: Valentines Day: Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Pie

Romancing The Chocolate: Valentines Day: Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Pie: From Denny: Pies are always an easy idea for holidays as they take less time and fuss than individual portion recipes.

This is a light taste of chocolate and butterscotch. If you want to intensify those flavors, step up the chocolate chips to 3/4 cup, instead of 1/2 cup. You could even drizzle the finished chilled pie with extra chocolate syrup to add that decadence factor.

As to intensifying the butterscotch flavor, why not add a few microwave melted caramel candies to the mix? Or you could add more butterscotch chips instead of taking the time to melt caramels.

Most people prefer a light taste to dishes. At our house we often like spicy dishes and strongly flavored desserts. So, if it's supposed to taste like chocolate and caramel, we want it to be obvious.

I really think this cook was showcasing the mascarpone cheese above the other flavors, so a different name would have been a better idea since the chocolate and butterscotch flavors tend to be background in this pie. The choice is yours: simple and creamy cheese with a light taste of chocolate and butterscotch - or kick it up a notch to just a bit more!

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• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Spiced Chocolate Macaroons (dennysguestbloggers.blogspot.com)

Romancing The Chocolate: Celebrate Valentines Day With Fiery Chocolate Fondue

Romancing The Chocolate: Celebrate Valentines Day With Fiery Chocolate Fondue: From Denny: Chocolate fondue is the favorite of Valentine's Day menus. This recipe is extra special with the addition of some Tabasco hot sauce to kick it up a notch - the romance, that is. :)

It's also a ridiculously easy recipe, with only a few ingredients, sure to be a crowd pleaser at a party - or just for two.

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Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Unusual Tabasco Chocolate Cherry

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Unusual Tabasco Chocolate Cherry: From Denny: Enjoy a little pepper heat with your chocolate? Then these unusual cookies from the Tabasco hot sauce company are for you.

Chocolate and cherries are another winning combination enjoyed during the Valentine's Day celebration season. Tabasco just decided to kick it up a notch.

This recipe calls for making huge cookies that are shaped into football ovals and then decorated with icing to resemble the pigskin laces. Instead you can shape them into hearts, piping icing with a heart inside a heart for decoration.

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• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Spiced Chocolate Macaroons (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Chocolate Crackled (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Double Chocolate Chunk Mint (unusual2tasty.blogspot.com)

Romancing The Chocolate: Chefs Recipe 4 Valentines Day: Warm Chocolate Cheesecake

Image via Wikipedia

Romancing The Chocolate: Chefs Recipe 4 Valentines Day: Warm Chocolate Cheesecake: From Denny: Looking for an easy to make chocolate cheesecake? Chef Sara Moulton is always coming up with great ideas that are simple to make.

Usually, we serve cheesecake chilled. Have you ever thought of eating your cheesecake while still warm from the oven? Sara likes this recipe to enjoy that warm creamy chocolate delight.


Sara bakes these chocolate cheesecakes in small ramekins. She didn't offer up a photo but check out the awesome one I found of another version of chocolate cheesecake at flickr, decked out in blackberries.

Related articles

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• Romancing The Chocolate: Chef Recipe: Chocolate Tart with Caramel and Cream (thehealingwaters.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: National Chocolate Cake Day Today! 2 Recipes (dennysfunnyquotes.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: Awesome Chocolate Pecan Tart (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Spiced Chocolate Macaroons

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Spiced Chocolate Macaroons: From Denny: Do you like spice cookies but crave the addition of chocolate? This cinnamon and chocolate pairing also happens to improve as the cookie ages. What could be better than that? A stale cookie that tastes great! :)

The cookie also contains the background dark note from a hint of cloves like I like to use in my morning stovetop cooked oatmeal. There is nothing like the pairing of cinnamon and cloves to add richness to a dish whether sweet or savory.

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• Romancing The Chocolate: Black Raspberry Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (thehealingwaters.blogspot.com)
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• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Triple Chocolate Pistachio Mint (dennysguestbloggers.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Double Chocolate Chunk Mint (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
• Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Chocolate Bliss (unusual2tasty.blogspot.com)

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Chocolate Crackled

Image via Wikipedia

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Chocolate Crackled: From Denny: These chocolate chunk cookies are delightfully decadent as they also include ancho chile pepper that provides some smokey heat. Cinnamon and extra vanilla extract balance the chile heat and intense semi-sweet chocolate.
A variation of this cookie is provided that enjoys using roasted ginger spice in place of the cinnamon.

Check out the interesting variations of your favorite chocolate chunk cookie!

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• Romancing The Chocolate: Easy Triple Layer Mud Pie (unusual2tasty.blogspot.com)
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Romancing The Chocolate: Chef Recipe: Chocolate Tart with Caramel and Cream

Romancing The Chocolate: Chef Recipe: Chocolate Tart with Caramel and Cream: From Denny: Everyone who enjoys a chocolate tart every time they can, raise their hands. Yeah, I thought so - sisters of the soul. I sure order it from the La Madeleine restaurant or other local bakery whenever it shows up in the display case. It's like a little piece of heaven in one tiny spot - a rich little chocolate pudding, a dollop of cream and some pie crust, simply divine.

This is a New York chef recipe from the famous restaurant Aureole. Chef Christopher Lee uses Sicilian sea salt to enhance the sweet creamy richness of the indulgent chocolate dessert.

He also includes the unlikely addition of the chocolate malt Ovaltine to the bittersweet baking chocolate.

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Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Triple Chocolate Pistachio Mint

Image via Wikipedia

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Triple Chocolate Pistachio Mint: From Denny: These rich cookies are perfect for the holidays from Thanksgiving to Christmas to Valentine's Day to Mardi Gras. Any celebration will do when it comes to chocolate!

Chocolate and peppermint are a great pairing, each complementing the other. What I like about this chocolate recipe is it uses bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate too. The contrast of the very dark and the light white is awesome, balanced by the roasted pistachio nuts. Can it get any better?

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Unusual 2 Tasty: Chocolate Pudding In The Raw

Unusual 2 Tasty: Chocolate Pudding In The Raw: From Denny: There are devoted fans of the raw food diet. While not everyone can partake of this lifestyle there are many recipes anyone can enjoy. This Raw Chocolate Pudding is one of them - and so easy and quick to make!

Who doesn't love the taste pairing of chocolate and coconut? An added bonus is that in place of refined sugar the recipe uses agave nectar which is far superior on the glucose meter for diabetes and others sensitive to sugar.

The raw food diet, and this very simple and quick version of chocolate pudding, may seem unusual but it sure is tasty!

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Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip: From Denny: This is basically your standard chocolate chip recipe but with the difference of lots of extra vanilla extract to punch up the intensity. They should probably rename these cookies to Intense Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This recipe is from McCormick, the company we usually think of for spices. Turns out they have quite an extensive recipe collection!

These cookies use light brown sugar along with white sugar. We like dark brown sugar at our house and reduce the white sugar by half. But hey, we are living in Louisiana where we like the molasses taste of dark brown sugar.

We bake and cook a lot with the cane syrup produced here. Steen's cane syrup is a lot like black strap molasses in that it is an intense taste but much sweeter, just perfect for baking or making an awesome barbecue sauce. I find it a bit too strong to pour onto pancakes. Of course, my Cajun husband thinks it's awesome on pancakes and waffles. :)