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#choctoberfest

Beverages Foodie Parties Holiday Recipes

Hazelnut Liqueur Hot Chocolate

written by Ali

It’s almost the weekend and it’s time for a hazelnut liqueur hot chocolate. Bonus points – I’m including a recipe for the best homemade hot chocolate mix that you can booze up…or not. Hubby reminded me the other day that we are just ten weekends away from Christmas. Which means six or so weekends until it’s time to put up the Christmas tree, make some fruitcake, and start listening to holiday music. I can promise you I’ll be sipping on hazelnut liqueur hot chocolate throughout the season.

I’ll also be enjoying my instant hot chocolate mix. I’ll confess – one of my all time favorite things when I was growing up was the instant hot chocolate that came in packets and had those little mini-marshmallows in them. Nowadays, I’m a little fussier about what I eat and, unfortunately, that packet hot chocolate has some ingredients in it I’m not so likely to want to drink. I discovered a few years ago that I could, with just a few ingredients, easily make my own instant hot chocolate. So around this time of year, I love making up a large batch for both home and work.

#Choctoberfest motivated me to make my instant hot chocolate early this year. And then, because it was almost the weekend, I opted to add in some hazelnut liqueur, along with little bit of a secret ingredient: a half ounce of Godiva chocolate liqueur. It’s not absolutely necessary for this recipe, but if you have some on hand, definitely toss it in. Best yet, make up some fresh whipped cream with just a dash of hazelnut liqueur.

Here’s my advice for enjoying this hazelnut liqueur hot chocolate: get into a comfy sweater. Pull out a good book (here of late, Louise Penny, Janet Evanovich, and JD Robb have been my favorite writers for cozy weekends). Snuggle with the nearest pet. Enjoy!

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Hazelnut Liqueur Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

Homemade Instant Hot Chocolate

1 cup cocoa
2 cups powdered milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Hazelnut Liqueur Hot Chocolate

1/8 cup homemade instant hot chocolate
2 ounces hazelnut liqueur
1/2 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
whipped cream

Instructions

Make the homemade instant hot chocolate mix by sifting all the ingredients together. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Makes 6 cups of instant hot chocolate.
Combine 1/8 cup of homemade instant hot chocolate with hazelnut liqueur and Godiva chocolate liqueur. Add 8 ounces of boiling hot water and stir to combine. Serve with whip creamed if desired. Enjoy!

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October 20, 2017 1 comment

Beverages Lunch Recipes Vegetarian

Easy Chocolate Smoothie

written by Ali

This post is sponsored by Barlean’s. All opinions are mine alone.

This easy chocolate smoothie is a great way to include just a bit of chocolate into your week. One of the great sponsors for #Choctoberfest is Barlean’s. I’ve had the privilege of working with Barlean’s before and made these great healthy whole grain scones using their butter flavored coconut oil. It’s a one to one substitute for butter. I use it all the time on popcorn.

\I love the Barlean’s story – the Barleans started out as a fishing family, pioneering a direct order system to deliver salmon. One Barlean son got interested in a better way to press flax seed and between the direct order system and the Omega 3 rich flax seed oil, a business was born. Barlean’s products are health-focused. As I said at the start, I’ve made great use of their butter flavored coconut oil. During #Choctoberfest, I got to try out several new ingredients, including the Green Powder Chocolate Silk Flavor and the Essential Woman Omega Swirl Chocolate Mint. The Green Powder Chocolate Silk is an essential ingredient in this easy chocolate smoothie. But I love the Essential Woman Omega Swirl Chocolate Mint , too – it’s so good in my yogurt in the mornings!

Barlean’s Green Powder Chocolate Silk is made with antioxidant-rich fair trade cocoa. You won’t notice the super concentrated blend of greens, fruits, and vegetables, because you will be thoroughly immersed in the great chocolate flavor. Best yet, there’s no added sugar, which means I have no problem adding it to my all natural smoothies.

I’ve been enjoying this easy chocolate smoothie with my lunch all week this week. I’d definitely encourage you to try this smoothie out.

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Easy Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
1/2 avocado
1 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
2 scoops Barlean's Greens Powder Chocolate Silk
1 cup water

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serves 4. Enjoy!

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October 19, 2017 1 comment

Farmer's Market Foodie Parties Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes Main Dishes Vegetarian

Delicata Squash Mole Enchiladas

written by Ali

This post has been sponsored by Rodelle. All opinions are mine alone.

Delicata Squash Mole Enchiladas is a savory, chocolaty, spicy way to greet the changing seasons. I love this time of year. I can wear sweaters; make soup; and spend guilt free weekends curled up under a blanket with the dog, a cat or two, and a good book. It’s also time for the CSA to start sending us storage veggies, like Delicata squash.

Delicatas are my favorite winter squash. They are small, which makes them easier to use up quickly. You don’t have to peel them, which is a tremendous bonus in my book. And they have a great flavor when they are roasted. This past week’s CSA heralded the start of winter squash season with Delicatas. So, as far as I was concerned, this was perfect timing. The Delicatas coincide with #Choctoberfest, which is a week long celebration of chocolate!

Long story short, I decided I really wanted to make a savory chocolate dish. Last year, when I was still doing all the crazy travel for my job, I ran across a great little place in Redmond, Oregon that served the most amazing mole. I recognize that a traditional mole takes a bit of time and preparation. This is a short-cut mole.

I was also very excited to use Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa in this recipe. Rodelle is one of the many awesome sponsors for #Choctoberfest. Their Gourmet Baking Cocoa is amazing! It’s got a great depth of super chocolaty flavor. And it pairs incredibly well with chilies in Adobo sauce for this mole.

On a total side note, one of my friends from work reminded me that there is a great recipe for mole in the novel Like Water for Chocolate. I’m thinking this is a book on my short list to curl up and read again, preferably with a dog and one or more cats snuggled next to me.

This mole is quick. A few dried spices, chilies in Adobo, a little peanut butter, and Rodelle’s Gourmet Baking Cocoa and that’s about all there is to it. I love the combination of roasted Delicata squash, a bit of smoked cheddar, and mole in my Delicata Squash Mole Enchiladas. These freeze beautifully and I’ll be eating these for lunch this week and next.

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Delicata Squash Mole Enchiladas

Ingredients

Mole Sauce

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo
1/2 teaspoon of adobo sauce from peppers
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon peanut buter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 cups vegetable broth or water

Delicata Squash Enchiladas

3/4 cup Mole Sauce
9 corn tortillas
2 Delicata squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups smoked cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the delicata squash into 1/4 inch rings. Remove seeds. Lay the squash rings on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes or until squash is soft and slightly caramelized.
In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes or until the onions begin to brown.
Take the onions off the heat and add the remaining mole ingredients through the water/vegetable broth. Stir and return to the heat. Continue to stir until the sauce begins to thicken (about 20 minutes). Use an immersion blender and blend until the sauce is smooth.
To make the enchiladas, spoon 1/4 cup of the mole sauce on the bottom of an 8 x 10 inch baking pan. Lay 2 tortillas over the sauce and split another tortilla into four pieces to cover the corners. Spoon a bit more mole over the tortillas and then layer the delicata squash rings on top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.
Lay 2 more tortillas over the squash, cheese, and mole. Use another tortilla, cut into quarters to cover the corners. Spoon more mole over this layer and then sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.
Lay 2 tortillas over the top. Use the final tortilla to cover the corners. Spoon the remaining mole over the top of the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling on top.
Serves 4. Enjoy! Remaining mole sauce can be frozen for later use.

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October 16, 2017 4 comments

Baked Goods Foodie Parties Holiday Recipes

Rum Brownies and Welcome to #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar

written by Ali

Today is one of my favorite days of the year, because it is the official start of #Choctoberfest. This is the third annual food blogger celebration of all things chocolate, made possible thanks to our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar and the other sponsors listed below.

Over 70 bloggers are participating in #Choctoberfest 2017 and will be posting 200+ chocolate recipes over the next week. Keep your eyes peeled, visit any of the blogs listed below, or use the #Choctoberfest hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to follow along. You can also check out our #Choctoberfest Pinterest board, where we post chocolate recipes all year long.

You can also enter to win our #Choctoberfest prize pack. Thank to our amazing sponsors who are contributing the following items for the prize:

$100 gift card to Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table from our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar
1 case of granulated white sugar (40 pounds), 1 case of light brown sugar (24 pounds), 1 case of dark brown sugar (24 pounds), and 1 case of powdered sugar (24 pounds) from our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar
16 oz Barlean’s Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil, 9.52 oz canister of Chocolate Silk Greens, and 8oz bottle of Essential Women Omega-Swirl Chocolate Mint from our silver sponsor Barlean’s
300-piece Lindt LINDOR Truffles gift bag (you choose the flavors!) from blog sponsors The PinterTest Kitchen

This prize pack is valued at over $450! To enter, simply follow participating sponsors and bloggers using the below giveaway widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay tuned to see the delicious recipes bloggers have cooked up using Imperial Sugar and Barlean’s products. Thank you also to Davis Chocolate and Rodelle for being #Choctoberfest shoutout sponsors! Watch Instagram and Facebook to find out more about about their chocolate products.

So let’s get this party started with some Rum Brownies. Remember a few weeks ago when I went rum tasting? I couldn’t resist doing a little pairing of Stillwagon Distillery’s Pineapple Rum with chocolate in these amazing brownies. I used Imperial Sugar for these brownies – Imperial Sugar is a gold sponsor for #Choctoberfest. I’ve been loving their granulated, powdered and brown sugars. My hall closet smells like brown sugar – and can I just say how happy that makes me?

These brownies are super boozy – just a warning in advance. If you don’t want to make them with alcohol, substitute the rum for an additional 1/2 cup of milk. These rum brownies have a perfect fudge brownie consistency. I’ll confess that I thought we were out of milk and used heavy cream instead for these and they turned out great. Imperial Sugar has a great consistency that was absolutely perfect for these brownies.

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Rum Brownies and Welcome to #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar

Ingredients

¾ cup butter
¾ cup Imperial Sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup milk
½ cup pineapple rum (or any rum you have on hand)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar and cocoa powder are combined. Take the mixture off the heat and let cool for about five minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla to the melted butter/sugar/cocoa mix and stir to thoroughly incorporate the eggs. Add the milk and rum and stir. Combine the baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the chocolate mix, stirring after each small addition. The batter will be a bit lumpy.
Spread the brownie mixture in a well-buttered 11x7 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean.

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Here’s the list of all the great blogs that are participating this week:

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October 16, 2017 7 comments