Are You Overboard About Chocolate Desserts?

I am totally addicted to chocolate candy, chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, or just about anything else you can create out of chocolate. I don't remember being quite so excited about chocolate when I was a kid, but nowdays, just the thought of a Three Musketeer candy bar has me grabbing my car keys for a quick trip to the store--to do important errands of course.

What is sad about my addiction is that I think I have passed it on to my oldest daughter. She, too, has to have her daily chocolate "fix" or she gets cranky and hard to live with just like I do.

We used to joke about it. One year I bought her a Chocolate Orchid for Christmas. I kid you not. It was a real live orchid plant that smelled like chocolate. I'll admit that it wasn't that really chocolaty aroma that makes your mouth start to water, but it did smell like chocolate. She thought that was pretty funny so the next Christmas, she bought me a chocolate nativity set. That nativity set is the only chocolate ever to survive in my house for more than a day. In fact, I have had it for about 4 years now and even though it still smells like chocolate to me, I can't bring myself to bite the head off the Baby Jesus, or even Joseph or Mary for that matter. It seems sacreligious somehow.

These days, in addition to my frequent outings for candy bars, I often head for the kitchen to concoct something chocolate from my chocolate recipe e-book. I bought it online for $3,through Paypal, and it has been worth every penny. The recipe book has 109 pages and 100 different recipes. That means I could probably have a new chocolate dessert on the table at least twice a week for almost a year. Yum. It even has a one recipe where you combine 2 Milky Way candy bars with butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to make icing for a cake--chocolate cake I presume.

A side benefit of this recipe e-book is that whenever I recommend it to someone else and they purchase it, I get a cut of the money and the purchaser gets not only the recipe book but a link so they, too, can recommend the book and make a commission. It's a win-win situation, but I'm only recommending it if you really are a chocoholic like me, since the money you make selling the book isn't a huge amount.

If you want to check it out further, click on the link below. If you buy the book, I hope you'll enjoy the recipes as much as I am doing. (The Hot Fudge Sunday Cake on page 84 is so good, you'll want to invite guests over to help you eat it.)

100 Chocolate Recipes

Lilacs Are For Smelling, For Looking, AND For Cooking

Most of us realize that lilacs come in many beautiful colors these days and, with minimal care, can grace your yard for many years to come. Something many people do not realize is that it may take several years for your lilac plant to bloom the first time. I nurtured one for several years, and almost decided to replace it with something that would “bloom” for me, when it finally rewarded me with gorgeous, deep purple blooms.

Lilacs are not only beautiful to look at, but also a treat to eat. If you grow lilacs, enjoy them to the full; smell them, look at them, and use them to perk up an everyday lunch or even an elegant dinner.

Try making Lilac Sandwiches by mixing a half cup of broken up lilac blossoms with 4 ounces of cream cheese. Spread on dark bread and garnished on the side with a fresh sprig of lilac, these sandwiches will impress and entice the pickiest eater.

A tasty lilac sorbet can accompany the sandwiches by stirring ¼ cup of sugar and ½ cup of lilac blossoms, broken up and with stems removed into 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. After mixture has cooled, pour it into an ice cream maker and finish according to manufacturer’s sorbet directions. Use an ice cream scoop to make uniform dishes of sorbet.

Tired of plain or ordinary fruit flavored yogurt? A handful of lilac blossoms stirred in will make everyone sit up and take notice. Or dazzle dinner guests with a dollop of lilac whipped cream on top of a regular dessert. Just whisk two or three lilac blossoms into your regular whipped cream and it will not only look good, but taste good and smell good.

Lots of amateur wine-makers have had wonderful success using lilacs for making wine, and many homemakers enjoy turning their gorgeous blossoms into lilac jelly.
For recipes for these, or many other interesting lilac delicacies, do a lilac recipes search on Google and you will find far more than you will ever be able to use.

If you are really adventurous and want to try other edible flowers from your garden, either of these Amazon books are a good place to start.