Chocolate Lava Cake

This is the most unhealthy thing ever. But also the most delicious. I crave this like crazy. At least it's not fried . . .
I always use this recipe off of Famous French Desserts. I'm always afraid the website won't exist anymore, so I'm rewriting it here. Oh, and I don't have a double boiler, and I don't pretend to make one. I just put it on super low heat and stir constantly. It all melts fast.

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar (reduce sugar if you prefer darker chocolate)
1/3 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 350°F

1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take of flame, and…
2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
5. Butter 4 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes.
7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.

Voilà!

Tips:
You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 10 minutes before serving. I always do it this way!

In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center -- so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 10 minutes of baking. (If your oven cooks hot, check earlier. So disappointing when it doesn't ooze.)

If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can't go wrong!

Let it cool for around 10ish minutes before attempting to invert onto a plate. It will be very hot.

Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

You want something scrumptious and easy for dinner? This sandwich is your ticket. I got it from Parade magazine, written by Jessica Seinfeld, who apparently has a cookbook called Double Delicious. The adults in our family love the whole sandwich, and we make a no-tomato, not-so-toasty version for our kids. They gobble it up.

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour (have to admit that once I used white. It was fine.)
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-fat, reduced sodium chicken broth (or just boullion and water if you don't have broth)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I didn't have enough balsamic once, so I used half red-wine vinegar. Tasty.)
6 Tbsp firmly packed dark-brown sugar (light brown plus molasses works pretty close)
1/2 cup broccoli puree (directions follow)
6 ciabatta rolls (I used Italian Olive Oil bread once, and homemade sourdough the next, it all works)
6 large slices tomato
1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
fresh basil (optional) (I really like it, don't leave it out. I have mine in the freezer for these occasions.)

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. (I have to admit I don't measure, just sprinkle) Spread flour on a sheet of waxed paper. Toss chicken chunks in flour to coat completely. (I never mess with the wax paper, just toss.) Preheat oven to 350.
2. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and garlic. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until chicken begins to brown and garlic becomes fragrant, 8-10 minutes. (I made my chicken so small it took less time.)
3. Add chicken broth, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Add puree and cook 2-3 minutes more until flavors are blended. (At this point I usually take the top off and let it reduce a little, I like it syrupy. I will try putting in less broth sometime and see what happens.)
4.Place rolls on a large baking sheet. Top each of the 6 bottom halves with a tomato slice (and fresh basil, if desired); divide chicken among them and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and edges of rolls are crisp, 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately.

Broccoli puree instructions: Steam florets, then puree in a blender about two minutes. She says add a little water if needed, I say definitely needed.
What I have done when making this, is make enough broccoli for us to eat for dinner, then take out a little for the puree in the sandwich. Then I have my side dish done at the same time.

This may seem complicated, but it's really just explaining in detail a really easy process. I made this in half an hour tonight. Yumminess is still here to be licked . . .

Link: Sandy's Chocolate Cake

I'll finish up my spree with my favorite chocolate cake. (If you want a dinner idea, go down a couple of posts. :) ) This, of course is Sandy's. From allrecipes. I crave this thing . . . I made another chocolate cake last month, and was so sad. I also love the frosting with it, though others might differ in opinion. Put the cake in the fridge overnight, then warm up a piece the next day. YUM!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sandys-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx

If I find a superior cake one day, I'll let you know. Might take me a while to try again, though.

Link: Pumpkin Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping

Okay, so you know I use whole-wheat flour, and sub applesauce. Also, I reduce the sugar in this recipe. How much, you ask? Actually, almost by half. But it's up to you, so do what you gotta do.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Apple-Streusel-Muffins/Detail.aspx

And yes, someday I will type a real recipe, but right now I'm just on a linky roll . . .

Link: Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

I love these things!! So addicting to me.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Waffles-with-Apple-Cider-Syrup/Detail.aspx

Link: Chuck's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese

This is the macaroni and cheese we had at Josh's B-Day barbeque. It's Gary's favorite, although I like the crockpot version equally. They're just different, so it depends on what you're in the mood for. All of you thought it was delicious then, so here's the recipe if you want to give it a try:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chucks-Favorite-Mac-and-Cheese/Detail.aspx

Pay attention to the ounces of the different packages. He must live somewhere where stuff comes in different size packages than what I buy here. Also, use sharp cheddar! You can use something milder, but it really gives it a great flavor. That's what was in it when you tasted it at our house, and you liked it . . .

Link: Spicy Honey Chicken

We made this the other day and it was delicious. The kids loved it! We didn't have chipotle powder, so we used regular chile powder, and chicken breasts instead of thighs. I'd love to try it with all of the real ingredients, but even with what we had on hand, it's a winner! Good to depart from always putting BBQ sauce on chicken, sometimes.

From Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken/#comments

Link: Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

I have decided that I want to keep track of recipes I really like, but don't modify much from the internet site I get it from. (If I modify much, I'll just re-type.) I like this recipe a lot because, well, it's delicious, and I don't notice my healthy changes. I use 100% whole-wheat flour (fresh ground), and sub most of the oil with applesauce. Caution on subbing w/ applesauce: You really must leave some of the oil in the recipe or it gets really chewy. I'm talking about any recipe.

This one's from Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/02/streusel-topped-blueberry-muffins/

Also, I have tried it with the orange zest and without. Both are good, but I think I'm leaning toward without. Let me know if you try it with lemon. Update: Gary much prefers with the orange zest.