Chocolate by Shara Aaron and Monica Bearden

Title: Chocolate: A Healthy Passion

Author: Shara Aaron and Monica Bearden

Publisher: Prometheus Books 2008

Genre: Nonfiction — Food

Pages: 213

Rating:  4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mixing It Up — Food; Fall into Reading; Color Coded — Brown

How I Got It: Library Loan

The world loves chocolate and chances are, with the majority of the population saying their favorite flavor is chocolate, you do too. This enjoyable book will serve to deepen, not only your love, but also your understanding of chocolate.Some may think that chocolate is simply a treat, something that satisfies a sweet tooth. After reading this truly pleasurable and educational account by two leading nutritionists, you will agree that chocolate is much more than that. You will discover it encompasses a culture, a cuisine, a treatment, and much more!

I went to the library to grab some food related book to finish my challenge.  At first I was thinking food travel memoir or a bio of a great chef, but then I spied this gem on the shelf.  A book about chocolate?  How could I resist?  While it does contain a fair amount of recipes involving chocolate, by favorite sections was all about the history and spread of chocolate.  I knew about the Aztecs and Mayans enjoying an ancient version of hot chocolate, but loved hearing more about its place in their cultures.  Although less enjoyable, I still found the detailed process of making chocolate interesting.  If I was a better and more patient cook, I would totally try these recipes.  As it is, I did enjoy a nice cup of raspberry hot chocolate while reading.

And with this book, I have now completed the Mixing It Up Reading Challenge!  Woohoo!

 

Meals a la Tobe! #10

Sunday

— Pulled Pork Sandwiches

— Potato Chips

Always a classic choice.  I especially love them with dill pickles.

Monday

— Orange Dill Mahi Mahi

Basically cook the fish over med-high heat with a sauce of orange juice, red onion, and dill.

— Peas

— Rice

— French bread

Light, but refreshing.  A definite addition to my recipe list.

Tuesday

— Mini meatloafs

— Baked potato

— Green beans

— French bread

J has professed that he doesn’t like meat loaf, but he liked mine.  I mixed cracker crumbs, an egg, oregano, garlic, onion, and red pepper.  I like a bit of kick to my meat loaf.

Wednesday

— Eat out: Ruby Tuesday!

Thursday

— Eat out: Valentino’s for a baby shower!

Friday

— Eat out: Taco John’s…  I had a headache, so no cooking on my agenda.

Saturday 

— BBQ Chicken

— Corn

— Pumpernickel bread

Week summary/comments: A couple of classic favorites, a kicked up old favorite, and a new recipe.  I am excited about the fish recipe.  Looking forward to couple new recipes and some old favorites.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #9

Sunday

— Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza from Sam and Louies: I love their pizza!

Monday

— Steak with mango, peach, jalapeno salsa

— Rice

— Green Beans

Very yummy!  J completely approved of the salsa and even requested that the dish be added to regular rotation.  Only one little mishap: jalapeno juice to the eyes which left me blinded and in incredible pain sitting in the shower for 20 minutes.  Next time I will be more careful.  I definitely don’t want to feel that again!

Tuesday

— Gouda BBQ Chicken

— Rice

— Green Beans

— Crescent Rolls

Definitely a keeper.  The chicken was great!  It was even great the day after for leftovers.  I even got  a few interested inquiries from my new coworkers.

Wednesday

— Lasagna

A classic.   I used spicy Italian sausage this time.  A great addition.

Thursday

— Eat out:  Yummy Chinese food!

Friday

— Eat out: Chicken Fingers and Beer at Old Chicago!

Saturday 

— Rotisserie Chicken

— Cheesy Broccoli Pasta Bake

A massive list of errands made me not want to cook.  So I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the deli.  I did make the cheesy broccoli pasta, but that was quick and easy.

Week summary/comments: Some good dinners this week.  I’m looking forward to trying a few new recipes next week and planning on having some old favorites.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #8

Sunday

— Leftovers

Monday

— Boston Market

Tuesday

— Fish Tacos

— Red beans and rice

Wednesday

— Jimmy John’s (We were both working on projects and by the time I realized I was hungry, it was too late to cook.)

Thursday

— Sloppy Joe’s

— Mac and Cheese

Friday

— Dinner at a friend’s house

Saturday 

— J had a last minute meeting, so I had leftover sloppy joe’s.

Week summary/comments: Wow!  I made it an entire week by only cooking twice.  I swear this was intentional.  Things just came up.  Plus we had dinner at a friend’s on Friday night.  I really have to spend some time tonight planning dinner for this upcoming week because I start my job tomorrow!  It’s going to be a hectic week…  Hopefully I get some good recipes.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #7

Sunday

Chinese Night

— Chicken Stir Fry

— Eggrolls

— Crab Rangoon

Monday

— Out to grab some Noodles & Co.

I wasn’t feeling good at all, so no cooking for me.  It’s hard enough to make myself cook when I feel good.  When I’m icky, it’s just not going to happen.  So pasta cheered me up (mostly because I didn’t have to cook it!)

Tuesday

— BBQ Chicken on the grill

— Mashed Potatoes

— Corn

— Rolls

We had to get in a few more grill nights before it gets way too cold.

Wednesday

— Eat out

It was my monthly Stampin’ Up meeting.  Afterwards, J drove down to meet me in Bellevue for dinner. We had some yummy Chinese at one of his old restaurant when he was on base.  Yum Yum!

Thursday

— Eat out

J had his meeting, so we went out to get something after the meeting.  Yummy spinach artichoke calzone, cheesecake, and good beer from Old Chicago.

Friday

— Leftover night

Saturday 

— Roast with potatoes, onions, and green beans in crock pot

Classic dinner.  Love it!

Week summary/comments: 

An odd week.  Not much actual cooking being done.  Instead, we ate out a lot and cleaned ou the fridge.  We should be getting back to cooking this upcoming week.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #6

Sunday

From Rachel Ray’s Book of 10

— Fall Minestrone

2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 teas red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Portobello mushroom caps, chopped
2 med onions, chopped
2 med carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, chopped
salt and pepper
2 stems of fresh rosemary
8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 med zucchini, diced
1 small bunch of kale, chopped
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained (northern white beans)
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 quart 2 cups veggie stock
Piece of rind of Parmigiano cheese (just used a couple small chunks instead)
1 cup ditalini pasta (used bow ties, cause they were in the cupboard)
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for topping

Heat med soup pot over med-high heat, add EVOO.  Add red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and celery.  Cook 5-6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and add rosemary and sage.  Add zucchini and greens and stir until wilted down (2-3 minutes).  Add beans, tomatoes, stock, and cheese.  Place lid on pot and bring to a boil.  Uncover and add pasta.  Cook 7-8 minutes at roiling simmer until pasta is al dente.  Remove pot from heat.  Remove rosemary stems and rind.  Enjoy!

— Asiago Cheese Batard

Very very yummy.  It turned into more a stew than a soup, but I like it like that.  We had enough left over that I put half into a plastic container for leftovers and half into the freezer for later.  I am definitely putting this recipe on my list.

Monday

— Pizza (J’s meeting night at our house, our guest brought pizza!)

Tuesday

— Pizza leftovers

Wednesday

— Spinach, Mushroom, and Mozzarella Calzones

Very yummy and so easy to make.  Get a pizza crust, throw whatever toppings you want on the pizza crust, fold in half, cook in oven for ~15 minutes.  Voila!  Easy to eat calzones!

Thursday

— Brats on the Grill

— Potato Chips

— Broccoli

Friday

— Lazy, lazy… We had Boston Market.

Saturday

— Spicy Shrimp and Penne with Puttanesca Sauce

1 lb penne pasta
Coarse slat
1/4 cup EVOO
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teas red pepper flakes
8-10 whole anchovy fillets
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
3-4 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 lb (24 count) peeled and deveined shrimp
2 handfuls parsley leaves, chopped

Boil a large pot of water, add and cook penne pasta.  Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Add EVOO, garlic, red pepper, and anchovies.  Break up the fish with a wooden spoon until they melt in the oil.  Add olives, capers, and tomatoes.  Bring sauce to a bubble and add shrimp.  Cover the pan to cook the shrimp (3-4 minutes).  Uncover and add parsley.  Toss together pasta and sauce.  Enjoy!

Definitely not as good as I hoped.  It had all the flavors there, but they weren’t strong enough.  It ended up being fairly bland.  J and I agree that it would probably help to cook this in a pot all day.  Then the flavors would have time to settle in.  Unfortunately, I didn’t, so it really wasn’t that good.  Probably going into the “not making again” pile.

Week summary/comments: J’s constant meeting day changes really threw me of this week.  My meal plan just went out the window.   I did a lot of improvising and throwing together.  Thankfully we already had many of the ingredients in the fridge. (And brats in the freezer!)  Next week, I actually have some recipes to tryout.  Wish me luck.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #5

Sunday

From Rachel Ray’s Book of 10

— Grilled Chicken Caesar with Bacon-Herb-Parmesan “Croutons”

1 1/2 cup EVOO
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 garlic cloves, chopped
juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs cicken cutlets
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 romanice lettuce hearts, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Preheat grill to high.
Cook bacon. Grated cheese and mix with bacon. Line a backing sheet with parchment paper. Pour the cheese mix evenly cross the sheet. Place in oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove to cool completely.
Combine half of garlic, half of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and drizzle of EVOO in shallow pan. Coat chicken in mix and cook on grill.
In a bowl, mix remaining garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and lots of pepper. Whisk in some EVOO and bit of grated cheese. Combine lettuce, eggs, and dressing in a bowl.
Serve by placing sliced chicken on top of lettuce. Break up “croutons” and garnish.

Good, but not amazing.  This may be made again, but probably not in the near future…

Monday

From Rachel Ray’s Book of 10

— Pretzel Crusted Chicken Breast with a Cheddar-Mustard Sauce

4 skinless chicken breast halves (pounded thin)
5 oz. salted pretzels, finely crushed
1 tbsp thyme
Ground black pepper
2 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 heaping tbsp spicy brown mustard
Coarse salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large sour dill pickle, finely chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Combine pretzels, thyme, and pepper in a small bowl. Crack and beat eggs in a second bowl with a splash of water. Coat each breast with pretzels, then egg, then back to pretzels. Preheat a large skillet. Cook chicken.
In a medium suace pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add flour to it. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk. When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in the cheese and mustard with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper, and remove sauce from heat.
Serve the chicken breasts drizzled with cheddar-mustard sauce, parsley, onions, and pickles. Place lemon wedges on the side for extra flavor.

— French Fries

— Broccoli

This was a disaster.  The sauce was completely lumpy and not very flavorful.  The pretzel coating completely fell off the chicken.  It didn’t even add that much flavor.  It took forever to prep and make, and yet nothing exciting.  We definitely won’t be revisiting this one.

Tuesday

— Tacos

J’s meeting got pushed again this week.  So I whipped up some tacos.  Easy and fast!  Yet so satisfying!

Wednesday

From Rachel Ray’s Book of 10

— Toasted Ravioli

— Garlic Bread

Fairly tasty, however, the effort was not worth it.  I had a hard time getting the dread crumbs to stick to the ravioli through the cooking process.  Plus, I could only cook a few at a time.  Too much time and effort.  J suggested that I bake them next time. Maybe…

Thursday

— Hamburgers on the grill (mushroom and swiss for me; bacon and cheddar for J)

— Baked beans

— Potato salad

— Pineapple

We have to take advantage of the grill before it gets nasty cold outside.

Friday

— Pizza night!

Sam and Louie’s bacon chicken ranch is just amazing.  I love it so much.

Saturday 

— Leftover pizza

— Salad with bleu cheese dressing, cranberries, and sunflower seeds

— Pneapples

Week summary/comments: Mostly a good week.  We had two not-so-great meals.  Both were edible, but probably won’t be tried again.  For next week, I’ve got some more Rachel Ray recipes lined up and probably some old stand bys.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #4

Recipes are from This Week for Dinner unless otherwise notated.

Sunday

— Bistro Chicken

From Jen Schulte
– Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– 1/2 cup chopped onions
– 14-oz can diced tomatoes (I get petite diced)
– Italian seasoning (or a few shakes of oregano, basil, parsley and garlic powder)
– 1 can Campbell’s French Onion soup
– Swiss cheese, sliced

I cut my chicken breasts into thirds and pound them thin before browning, but the recipe didn’t originally call for that. Brown the chicken breasts in a medium-high skillet in oil or butter. Remove and place in casserole dish.

Cook onions in skillet for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, french onion soup and cook together to reduce liquid for 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken in the casserole dish, top with Swiss cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

— Peas

— Rolls

Very yummy!  I followed the recipe to a T and it came out great.  The only I would maybe change: the sauce was still very runny, but we just strained it a bit before laddling onto the plate.

Monday

— Blackened Chicken Fetteccinue Alfredo

– 9-oz package fresh fettuccine
– 1 jar Newman’s Own Alfredo Pasta Sauce
– 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– 1 teaspoon paprika
– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
– 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon pepper
– 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Lightly spray a 9×13 baking pan or dish with cooking oil. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pound the chicken breast until quite thin (around 1/4″ thick). Mix all of the spice ingredients together thoroughly. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with the spices.  Heat a non-stick grill pan or skillet over medium high heat. Place chicken breasts in pan and brown both sides, 45-60 seconds per side. Place chicken in prepared baking pan and bake in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and slice chicken into strips.  Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return pasta to warm pot over medium-low heat. Pour in alfredo sauce and mix thoroughly.  Serve pasta with sliced chicken served on top. Serves 4.

— Garlic Bread

A keeper!  J claims that he likes anything blackened.  And it was super easy.  The hardest part was mixing the spices together to coat the chicken.

Tuesday

— Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

— Salsa Stoup (from Rachel Ray’s Book of 10)

— 2 tblsp vegetable oil
–2 jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeded
— 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
— 1 large onion, chopped
— 3 celery ribs, chopped
— 3 garlic cloves, chopped
— 1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
— 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
— 2 cups vegetable stock
— 3 tbsp cilantro

Heat a medium soup pot over med-high heat.  Add the vegetable oil and jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper, then saute the veggies for 5 minutes.  Add all the tomatoes and stock and bring to a bubble.  Redue the heat to a simmer and stir in the cilantro.

I added cayenne pepper to the stoup.  It kicked it up to the next notch.  We like our stuff spicy around here!

Wednesday

— Very lazy!  We went out and got Boston Market.  Goodness how I missed those half-chicken dinners!

Thursday

— Korean BBQ Flank Steak

From Rachel Ray
1 tbsp grill seasoning
1/4 cup tamari (dark ages soy sauce) I used regular soy sauce and it worked just fine
1 tbsp honey
1 teas red pepper flakes
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tea dark sesame oil
2 scallions, chopped
vegetable oil
2 lbs flank steak
Combine grill seasoning, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, sesame oil, scallions, and drizzle of vegetable oil. Coat the flank steak, let stand for 10 minutes. Grill

— Spicy Slaw

1 lb bok choy, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
salt
1 cup sauerkraut
1 tbsp honey
1 teas red pepper flakes
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
In a large skillet heat vegetable oil, bok choy, and bell pepper. Season with salt, stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add the honey, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Toss to combine. Add sauerkraut and mix in. Heat for about 1 minute

— Rice

— Spring Rolls and Potstickers

Friday

— J’s meeting got pushed to today, so leftovers for me…

Saturday 

— Lazy night.  We had a really late lunch and a birthday party to go to.  I ended up just eating a salad with sunflower seeds, cranberries, and honey dijon vinaigrette.  Very yummy!

Week summary/comments: 

Some interesting recipes from this week. I think they are all keepers.  I have some more Rachel Ray recipes on tap for this coming week.

 

Meals a la Tobe! #3

Sunday

— Flank Steak on the Grill (soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, and ketchup marinade)

— Rice

— Green beans

— Honey wheat bread

The flank steak was surprisingly juicy and so simple.  A marinade for a few hours and we were ready to grill.  I am so glad J bought a grill, it has been a joy this summer.

Monday

— Thanksgiving dinner in a crockpot (Recipe from Best of Country Slow Cooker Recipes Vol. 2)

1 boneless turkey breast (3-4 lbs)
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teas ground mustard
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
1/4 teas ground cloves
1/4 teas allspice

Place the turkey skin side up in a 5 qt slow cooker.  Combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, apple juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, cinnamon, clove, and all-spice.  Pour over turkey. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

— Corn

— Mashed potatoes

— Honey wheat bread

One of the easiest dinners I’ve ever made.  And man, was it delicious!!!  Definitely a keeper.

Tuesday

— Leftovers/out (J’s standing meeting with business partners leaves me alone to scavenge or go grab something quick).  I ate most of the rest of last night’s meal, and I have to say it was still scrumptious.  I am definitely adding that to my “to keep” pile.

Wednesday

— Leftovers/out.  I had my first Stampin’ Up club meeting, so not cooked dinner.  I grabbed some Arby’s on the way home.  I do love me some Arby’s.

Thursday

— Stuffed Shells (recipe from This Week for DInner)

Half box of pasta shells (about 20)
1 container ricotta cheese
A few cloves of garlic, mashed through garlic press
About 1 tsp. salt
A few shakes of black pepper
A few tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 egg, slightly beaten
About half a jar of tomato-based pasta sauce
Handful shredded fresh parmesan cheese
A few handfuls shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil shells as per package directions. Drain and make sure they don’t stick to each other. Mix together the ricotta, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and egg. Stuff your shells, maybe about a tablespoon per shell. Use up all the filling for about 20-24 shells. Place shells in a 9×13 baking dish, drizzle with pasta sauce, then sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes or so.

— Garlic Bread

The shells were a bit undercooked.  J complained that they had too much garlic in them.  I know now not to follow the recipe to the letter.

Friday

— Brats on the grill (Cajun, Beer, Pineapple, and Jalapeno)

— French fries

— Corn on the Cob

 

The grocery store had an end of summer sale on the brats from the meat counter.  I bought 12 and froze 8 of them.  Great deal!  I couldn’t resist.

Saturday 

— Dinner out at Wheatfields.  Yummy yummy apple pie!

Week summary/comments: 

This week was a pretty good cooking week.  I made a few new recipes.  (The turkey one is definitely being put on my “to keep” list.)  Looking forward to some new recipes to try for next week!

 

Meals a la Tobe! #2

Back for my second week of documenting my culinary adventures!

Sunday

— Dinner at Ruby Tuesdays and a movie (Horrible Bosses — hilarious!)

Monday

— Hamburgers on the grill (black and bleu and mushroom and swiss)

— Baked beans

— Jalapeno potato chips

Sorry no picture on this one.  But it was great to use the grill and a very summery dinner…

Tuesday

— Leftovers/out (J’s standing meeting with business partners leaves me alone to scavenge or go grab something quick.  I opted for Wendy’s.  I haven’t had fast food in a while and burger and fries was calling to me…

Wednesday

— Pulled pork sandwiches

— Pasta salad

— Coleslaw

Again, forgot the picture.  Another basic dinner…

Thursday

— Chicken stir fry

— Rice

— Vegetable egg rolls (from the frozen section)

— Cream cheese wontons (from the frozen section)

J got use his wok, although I thought using a wok on an electric stove was going to kill him.  Always too hot or not hot enough.  I hate that thing.  Forgot the pic until halfway through, it was just that yummy.

Friday

— Altekruse family spaghetti and meatballs

— Garlic bread

Old family recipe that you can doctor up to be mild, spicy, or hot as hell.  I went with the bit of spice option this time.  Spaghetti sauce just taste so much better when it’s freshly made than from a jar.  I should really make more of this and then freeze in little tubs for the future.

Saturday 

— Melty sandwiches

— Salad

Mine was ham, swiss, and pepper colby jack.  J had a ham and swiss.  Easy dinner for a day when both of us weren’t feeling good.  And a Peace Tree root beer (the last one!) to top it all off.

Week summary/comments: This week wasn’t a big culinary adventure.  I pulled out some tried and true favorites.  Mostly easy dinners.  I have to remember to pace myself.  I’m not the best cook and my experiments often go awry.  But next week, I’m trying out a few new recipes: thanksgiving dinner in a crockpot, flank steak, chicken gouda, stuffed shells, and broccoli and cheese casserole.  Sounds like it’ll be an interesting adventure!