Save Room for Dessert…Chocolate Loaf

I’ve been on a clean & toss mission since last month.  My tendency is to toss anything that’s not been used in the last 6 months – if I can remember back that long – and if I can’t, well, all the more reason to toss the item in question.  A few things receive a bit more leniency than others, though.  For instance, cookbooks and cooking magazines are more than likely to remain than not, which is how I came across the summer 2009 Baking Sheet from King Arthur and this recipe.  If you’re not familiar with the Baking Sheet you can read about it here.  I’ve never baked anything less than stellar from the recipes, so if the cost seems a little steep, the subscription is definitely worth it.  So, the cake.  Easy, chocolatey, and delicious.  Perfect as is, but sublime with billowy chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Go ahead, you’re worth it, just remember, however you serve it, definitely save room for dessert…

Chocolate Loaf
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chocolate chips
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, optional

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; with a mixer, beat until light and fluffy.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
  • Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix well.
  • Pour in half of the buttermilk and another third of the dry ingredients, mixing well.
  • Add remaining buttermilk and dry ingredients, beat for 1 minute at medium speed.
  • Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips; pour batter into prepared pan, and sprinkle on remaining chocolate chips.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, cover with foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
  • Allow loaf to cool in pan then invert.
  • Serve as is or pour on Chocolate Cream Cheese Glaze.

Chocolate Loaf recipe adapted from The Baking Sheet, Summer 2009.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
4-5 oz cream cheese, softened (I used the remaining 5-oz from the 8-oz block)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 ounces German chocolate, melted
1-3 tablespoons milk

  • Beat cream cheese and butter together for 30 seconds.
  • Add cocoa, vanilla, and powdered sugar and blend until well combined; pour in melted chocolate.
  • Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
  • Frost loaf as desired.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE aka STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

If you are anything like me, you have a drawer or a box full of recipes from newspapers, magazines, old maiden aunts, grandmothers, friends and every potluck you’ve ever been to and said I have to have that recipe! I remember one potluck at church several years back that I asked for a recipe and she instantly pulled it out of her pocket. Obviously I wasn’t the first to ask! Those are the recipes I like, the ones that bring a memory to mind like Lonnie handing me that recipe card.

Now while I kept her combination of spices and seasonings intact I did make changes that made it more palatable to my family. For example hubby doesn’t like cooked mushrooms so I either have to eliminate them or substitute for something else, but sometimes I’m a little sneaky and they’re in there, but just not so he can tell. One son doesn’t like tomato pieces, but loves tomato sauce, his old girlfriend won’t eat cooked carrots, and on and on! So I always keep a list of likes, dislikes and allergies and am constantly altering recipes to fly by the seat of my pants.

This recipe has been floating around so long in the box of scraps that I have no idea where it originated which based on all my changes doesn’t matter, but reminds me to keep that box. Some days I feel like an archaeologist, but come up with oldies that were someone’s favorite and will now be revived.
 

CHICKEN FLORENTINE aka STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
FILLING
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper*
1/3 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 1/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves**
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 bunch green onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, softened or 2 ounces grated mozzarella
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
CHICKEN
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 slices sourdough bread, staled and crumbled
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1+1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 egg white, beaten

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.   
  • Melt 1 tablespoon butter add 1 teaspoon olive oil in skillet.
  • Saute’ garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add in spinach and cooked until spinach is completely wilted. If using frozen stir until well blended.
  • Drain well.
  • Combine cream cheese, flour and spinach mix until well blended and set aside.
  • Between 2 sheets of wax paper flatten each chicken breast to 1/4 inch and set aside.
  • Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and mix until crumbly.
  • Divide the spinach mixture equally between the chicken breasts.
  • Carefully roll each chicken breast.
  • Using a pastry brush coat each chicken bundle with the beaten egg and then roll in coating mixture.
  • Place seam side down on a small baking sheet or stoneware pan (I prefer the stoneware pan for a crisper, non-greasy chicken)
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown in color and juices are clear.
*I like to make this recipe back to back on my weekly menu with Twisted Pepper Steak to make the red pepper usage more efficient, use jar (olive oil soaked) red peppers or I substitute a jar of pimentos in a pinch.
** You can use frozen chopped, but it must be drained well and then drained a few more times until dry!!

A to Z Blogging Challenge

One of the things I have noticed most is that I just don’t have my energy back yet!  It seems like my daily list never gets finished these days making the next day’s list even longer!!!!!!  So I’m playing catch up today for the A-Z Blogging Challenge


Today’s letter is T for Today, the one day I’m dealing with in my new quest to take it day by day.

Fire Day Friday: Grilled Garlic and Parsley Chicken

As I sit here typing this post, I have one eye on my all time favorite movie – Shaun of the Dead.  I have seen this movie over 100 200 times and it still makes me laugh hysterically.  I believe Edger Wright and Simon Pegg (and Nick Frost, but he didn’t write the movie) are moving making geniuses!
There is no true reason for bringing this up, other than the fact that it takes a lot to make me tire of something I truly love.  Hence, we eat a TON of chicken and fish at our house.  I also never tire of simple and easy dishes. 🙂
I love parsley, it’s an herb that holds up very well to … well…everything.  It doesn’t bruise easily when you chop it.  It doesn’t turn a nasty shade of black when it heats up.  And it holds its delicious flavor even in acids.

This chicken is flavorful and simple…my two favorite things!

Grilled Garlic and Parsley Chicken
Recipe created by Jenn’s Food Journey
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
Place the garlic in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times.  Add the parsley and pulse another 4-5 times.  Add the oil and lemon juice and pulse everything is roughly chopped and combined well.  Place the chicken in a resealable bag or shallow dish.  Rub/pour the marinade over both sides of the chicken and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, though I would suggest at least 4 hours if you have it.

Preheat grill to 375-400 degrees.  Place the chicken directly on the grates and grill for 6-9 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.  Remove from grill and allow to sit for 3 minutes.  Enjoy!

A to Z Blogging Challenge

One of the things I have noticed most is that I just don’t have my energy back yet!  It seems like my daily list never gets finished these days making the next day’s list even longer!!!!!!  So I’m playing catch up today for the A-Z Blogging Challenge.

 

Wednesday was the letter Q and is for Quilting, a hobby I am missing so much, but hope to resume quite soon.
Thursday was the letter R and is for Recuperation, something I wish were over, but will relax (another R) until I am.
Today’s letter is S for Spring time and the spring it is bringing back to my step.

TATER TOPPED MEAT CUPCAKES

I recently read Martha’s recipe for Tater Topped Mini Meatloaves and thought how neat they were. So, I made them too! 🙂  Only I made them with the ingredients I had around and I only got 18 of them.
TATER TOPPED MINI MEAT CUPCAKES

made 18

1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground chicken
1 box of Stove top Chicken stuffing
1 package KNORR Spring Vegetable Mix
2 eggs
1 cup water
3 tablespoons BBQ sauce

4 cups mashed potatoes
leftover pot roast gravy

  • Mix the meat, stuffing mix, broth, eggs and BBQ sauce well and press into muffin tins sprayed with cooking spray. 
  • Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until done. 
  • While the mini meatloaves are cooking prepare mashed potatoes (I used Idahoan brand loaded mashed potatoes). 
  • Top each mini meatloaf with mashed potatoes and bake for another 5 minutes just to set the potatoes well. 
  • Top with gravy. 

DANISH CUBE STEAK REVISITED

I absolutely LOVE to experiment with recipes, especially old recipes that were mainstays of another era.  I found an old, and I mean old recipe for Danish cube steak  It looked like an old book from the 40’s or 50’s.  It was soooooo old, that the edges were ragged and the paper yellow.  I think it came from grams old stash from 20 years ago!  Anyway, I updated it to the new century and hubby loved it!  It was also so tender it could be cut with a fork.

DANISH CUBE STEAK REVISITED
3 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced green onions
6 pork cube steaks
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

  • In a small food processor blend together the mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles and green onions until smooth.
  • Coat steaks on both sides with mayonnaise mixture.
  • Dredge through panko crumbs.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add cube steaks and brown on both sides.

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO with BBQ SAUSAGE

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO
1/2 of a rotisserie chicken pieces
1/2 pound sausage, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces and then quartered
2 celery stalks, diced
1 small Vidalia onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh green beans, cleaned and chopped
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper

  • Melt butter and oil over medium high heat in a large saute’ pan.  Add flour and whisk continuously until golden brown.
  • Add onions, garlic and celery stirring continuously for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are tender.
  • Add thyme. salt and pepper.
  • Add green beans, stirring to coat.
  • Add broth, chicken and sausage pieces and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until desired consistency.
  • Add parsley and stir well.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes.
  • I coated the remaining sausage pieces with barbecue sauce and broiled them for a few minutes as an appetizer/compliment.