Seasonal Sundays: Chocolate for ♥♥♥ (Week 7)

Seven recipes for Valentines and all times, some cookies, some cakes, some puddings, some fruity things hard to classify ... oh, I do so hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own chocolate-lovin' world.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

~ PIN This ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Seasonal Sundays is 100% written by a real, live human, no blah-blah copycat ChatGPT AI plagiarism, thank you very much. Any awkward phrase, unclear meaning, misspelled word, mistaken fact, bad punctuation or overwrought alliteration is the clean, proud product of my own inadequacy as a wordsmith and oversights as an eagle-eyed editor. But when that human says she's grateful that you're here, reading, well, please know, she really truly 100% means it.

Two quick chocolate stories.

Many years back, good friends were having difficulty conceiving. She quit work, eliminating weekly travel and professional stress. Still, no luck. So they crafted a plan: sex every other day, no matter what plus the promise of chocolate croissants and coffee on Saturdays at a lovely little French bakery. Now they're the parents of three (and grandparents to two, so far). They swear, the chocolate croissants did the trick.

Some fewer years back but still a long while ago, a good friend just wasn't into chocolate. It just did nothing for her, she'd skip dessert if it were chocolate. (Ha! I know!) How was her daughter to grow up with a proper appreciation? Enter the Chocolate Mentor, that would be me. It was such fun, those years. Stef and I would taste different chocolates, we'd bake with chocolate, we'd try different chocolate desserts out. Now? She's a fun-loving, hard-working engineer who's crazy for chocolate.

The Magic of Chocolate!

In Praise Of ...

• ... sleeping cool, helped by new nightdresses made from bamboo aka viscose, a fabric that I'd always assumed would be thin and scratchy and cheap. But it's not! I bought two, the fabric is soft with a little stretch, so comfortable both sleeping and while procrastinating getting dressed in the morning. Check out this pretty blue one with short sleeves and this pretty white patterned sleeveless one (affiliate links). My only wish? Pockets!


• ... experimenting with a bunch of new recipes for our Mardi Gras party last night


• ... finally, the full video of Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs performing Fast Car at the Grammy's, it's here. Just watching her hands, her face, such grace. I've been a fan ... forever.

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THE SEASONAL SEVEN: Chocolate for ♥♥♥

For this week's recipes, I aimed for recipes with winter flavors and combinations that ...

• ... are weekday do-able, especially the night before
• ... cover all sorts of sweets, cookies, cakes and pies, even warm desserts
• ... won't break the calorie budget, the household budget either
• ... are definitely, totally, 100% chocolate mode
• ... are a touch unexpected, not weird, just not the everyday usual chocolate

• THE RECIPE Light 'n' Easy Chocolate Pudding Sweet and satisfying but won't ruin your diet. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy-Easy Chocolate Coconut Pudding Just five ingredients and ten minutes to pudding.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate-Almond Shortbread Cookies Almost sugar-free, great for shipping. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Gourmet Chocolate Mocha Cookies Deeply, darkly chocolate-y.

• THE RECIPE Old-Fashioned Black Walnut Chocolate Cake A true classic, moist and earthy, studded with black walnuts.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy-Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake Dark, moist and chocolate-y, even two or three days after baking. Fun sprinkles?!

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato-Chocolate Swirl Pie A spectacular sweet potato pie, an earthy mix of roasted sweet potatoes and chocolate.
• ANOTHER TAKE Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie A creamy concoction, with just a hint of peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate Cream Puffs Stuffed with Strawberries & Cream Just two bites big, just perfect for spring occasions.
• ANOTHER TAKE Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings A simple, light dessert.
  

• THE RECIPE Homemade Chocolate Sauce In-a-Flash Just ten minutes and five pantry ingredients. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE DIY Power Balls Spiked with espresso powder for a caffeine kick.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate Decadence Cake The ultimate chocolate experience.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chocolate Cinnamon Whipped Cream Cake Moist layers plus a fabulous whipped cream (chocolate, people!) frosting!

• THE COLLECTION Chocolate Recipes from Kitchen Parade, super-organized, of course.
• CHOCOLATE IS JUST ONE INGREDIENT IN All Recipes, By Ingredient Helping home cooks save money on groceries, shop your pantry first.

Sweet Endings: Raspberries, Not Chocolate

• THE RECIPE Lemon Pudding Cake Tart lemon + juicy raspberries. Or blueberries!
• ANOTHER TAKE Southern Belle Lemon Layer Cake Easy lemony cake with lemony cream cheese frosting.

• THE RECIPE Raspberry & Red Wine Granita An icy-cold raspberry slushee for grown-ups.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sugar-Free Raspberry Bliss A fruity, creamy raspberry dessert, just three ingredients and quick to make.

• THE RECIPE Raspberry-Red Wine Coulis (Reduction Sauce) Sweet-but-tart raspberry sauce, a perfect added-touch for desserts.
• STELLAR WITH Chocolate Decadence Cake The ultimate chocolate experience.

What's New?!

Wondering about a recipe from the last while? Check Recent Recipes from Kitchen Parade and Recent Vegetable Recipes from A Veggie Venture.

• THE RECIPE Roasted Pear Salad Romance and seduction on a plate. (PIN This)

ISO Last-Minute Appetizers?

• THE RECIPE Tuna & White Bean Dip
• ANOTHER TAKE Kalamata Tuna Salad Bok Choy Wraps

• THE RECIPE Easy Shrimp Bites Four pantry ingredients, a snap to assemble.
• ANOTHER TAKE Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots Quick to fix, surprisingly low in calories.

• THE RECIPE Herbed Goat Cheese An easy low-carb, make-ahead appetizer.
• ANOTHER TAKE Warm Goat Cheese Appetizer with Mini Tomatoes & Capers Weeknight easy, worthy of an occasion.

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Watch for Avocados On Sale After the Superbowl

~ My Guacamole ~

~ Green Smoothies ~

~ Smitten Kitchen's Avocado-Cucumber Salad ~
~ Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad ~
~ Orange & Avocado Salad ~

~ Twenty-Minute Taco Bar ~
~ Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies ~

more
~ avocado recipes ~

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February: Reader Favorites

• THE RECIPE Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole) Thin ribbons of onion with rice and a little cream and cheese. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Cheese Gnocchi Pie Kitchen Parade's debut column!

February: Lost Recipes

• THE RECIPE Beef Barley Soup with Mushrooms Root vegetables, earthy mushrooms and nutty barley.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup A concept recipe, all about the vegetables.

The Kitchen Parade Almanac: Looking Ahead ...

• Fridays During Lent - Friday Fish
• February 19th (Monday) - President's Day
• February 29th (Thursday) - Leap Day 2024
• March 1st - Alanna's Unofficial First Day of Spring
• March 10th (Sunday) - "spring forward" time change
• March 10th (Sunday) - Academy Awards
• March 12th - Equal Pay Day
• March 14th (Thursday) - Pi Day
• March 16th (Saturday) - St. Urho's Day
• March 17th (Sunday) - St. Patrick's Day
• March 19th (Tuesday) - First Official Day of Spring
• March 28th (Thursday) - Baseball Opening Day!
• March 31st - Easter (yikes! soooo early!)

Looking Back ...

THIS WEEK, YEARS PAST
• 2020 Mid February & Valentine's Day) (Week 7)
• 2021 Mid February (Week 7)
• 2022 Superbowl & Valentines (Week 7)
• 2023 Dinner for ♥♥ (Week 7)

RECENT WEEKS
• The Best of N'awlins (Week 6) (PIN This)
• The Art of Winter Salads (Week 5) (PIN This)
• Rediscovering the Lowly Carrot (Week 4) (PIN This)
• Staying In, Staying Warm (Week 3) (PIN This)
• Juicing Up on Vitamin C (PIN This)
• January Bucket List (PIN This)
• Best of 2023 (Week 52) (PIN This)
• Taking It Sloooow (Week 49) (PIN This)
• Sweet Potato Season (Week 45) (PIN This)
• Chickpeas (Week 43) (PIN This)
• Soups to Sustain the Spirit (Week 42) (PIN This)

Veggies Forever

• THE RECIPE Vegan Chickpea Gumbo A hearty low-fat plant-based gumbo, packed with vegetables and Cajun flavors.
• ANOTHER TAKE Gumbo A classic Cajun gumbo, except that the roux is cooked in the oven. (PIN This)

Good to Know!

• THE COLLECTION Slow Cooker & Oven-Slow Cooking Recipes Supper saver recipes & more. (PIN This)
• MORE RECIPE IDEAS Cooking for One or Two Recipes easily divided and/or freeze well.

Trader Joe's Test Kitchen

Oh my. What a sweet treat, maybe perfect for a weekday Valentine? The Double Chocolate Croissants do require some planning. They come four to a box, frozen. They must be thawed at room temperature for NINE hours before baking and then take almost an hour to bake. Serving them for breakfast? Plan ahead.

PS Not as good nor as crispy as my favorite good-bakery croissants but not bad for boxed and frozen and ... chocolate!

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Just so you know, everything's not all pretty pictures around here, in the background is a pile of dirty dishes. And just like many (all?) of us, come five o'clock, I too draw a blank about what to make for supper, despite so many recipes I so dearly love. Here's a quick peek from the last week.

• THIS WEEK After a few days of restaurant and road food, oh it's so good to be in my own kitchen cooking up healthy, wholesome fare. We stuck with savory versions, frying an egg or two for a bowl instead of the usual. So good!!
• THE RECIPE Creamy Oatmeal Three tricks for the very best oatmeal, all easy! (PIN This)

Something to Read

Wow. Most science fiction fast-forwards a few years, maybe a few hundred years. This? It moves light-years fast 57,000 years. Yes, thousand. I'm not sure I followed it all or "get" the ending but the sentient creatures, the world-building, the flying moose, well, it's fascinating and all seems entirely ... plausible ... because who in heck can imagine a world that far in the future. This author, she can, she does and she's getting awards and award nominations from all over.

Oh. And for some real sizzle? Get at least as far as Chapter 26. Or was it Chapter 27? Tee hee ...

• THE BOOK The Terraformers (affiliate link) by Annalee Newitz


• NO TIME TO READ? How I Read 4X More This Year Than Last What I gave up, how I read so much, what I read.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address is in the FAQs), dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, whatever.

• Any ideas for Seasonal Sundays? Share away!
• Who's kinda sad that there's so many good holidays smooshed into a few days this year?
• Who cooks in / goes out for Valentine's Day? Who does Gal-entines? Sounds fun!
• Who's thinking what fun might be had on February 29th, this Leap Year?
• Who thinks their gumbo's better than any restaurant gumbo?
• Who's itching for a little beach time?
• Anything else? Chime in, chat away.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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2024

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Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

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