Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lover's Brownies

    Well......the obsession continues!!  The combo of chocolate and peanut butter, especially in the form of "Reeses Peanut Butter Cups", is always a winner around here.  So, when I saw this brownie recipe, containing semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, peanut butter, milk chocolate, Aaaand peanut butter cups........well, the Valentine's Day treat for this year was obvious!!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles for Valentine's Day!

    So, it's Valentine's Day....the "day of LOVE" !  What could be better to share with your sweetie than some delicious and decadent chocolate truffles?  Pure chocolate goodness rolled into little balls and dipped in more chocolate!   And these are so easy to make!  You only need three ingredients!  THREE!  (Well, four , if you count the second kind of chocolate.) You just need a little bit of time to let the chocolate set up.....then they're ready to wrap up for a nice little gift for the kids or a friend or, like I mentioned, to share with your "special someone".

Groundhog Cake for Groundhog Day!!

    Happy Groundhog Day everyone!  I guess old Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow so, according to this "expert", we can look forward to an early spring.  Well, that remains to be seen.  For now, let's just celebrate with a nice piece of cake! 
    First of all, let me say that I have absolutely no idea why this cake is called "Groundhog Cake".  I came across the recipe years ago on the Food Network.  The original recipe was a loaf cake, baked in a 9x13" pan.  I decided I wanted to make it a little more special, so I baked it as a layer cake and added some chocolate ganache underneath the espresso frosting.  The cake has a bit of a chewy texture from oatmeal that's baked in the batter.  And the espresso frosting, well....what can I say.  It's the same frosting I use on my Italian Espresso, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Brownies.  FANTASTIC!!!  It tastes like espresso fudge!!
So, friends, here's the first chocolate dessert for February.  ENJOY!!

Cinnamon Chocolate Pudding with Pine Nuts

    Chocolate pudding.....for me, another quintessential comfort food.  As a little girl, I remember it being a favorite dessert.  This is a bit more sophisticated with the addition of some cinnamon and toasted pine nuts.   Some  recipes will yield a pudding that has a soft, loose consistency.  This one makes a dense, rich, and intensely chocolate dessert.  It comes from the book Mario Batali Holiday Food. 
    Sharing Italian customs, as well as recipes, is something I've wanted to do with this blog.  But, I have to admit, that to share or not to share this next custom with you has caused me a bit of anxiety.  It's something I've never been aware of, and it was a bit shocking to me....even a little disturbing.  (Do I have your attention yet?)  I've gone back and forth and finally decided....I'll just go for it.  Learning about different cultures is good, right??