Three forms of chocolate, brownie, ice cream, and syrup, come together for a delicious Valentine’s treat.

At our house, Valentine’s Day is definitely a family affair. While hubs and I cherish our date nights, we’re not going to pay high prices or beat the crowds to get a table while dining out. Instead, we hunker down at home for a yummy meal together.

For the last few years, I’ve made our “First Date Meal.” I can’t remember where I got the idea, but since it’s a meal that most of us like anyway, I make Chicken Parmesan every Valentine’s Day, typically served with spaghetti and steamed broccoli or a salad. In years past, I’ve baked my own bread, but next week, I think I’ll have hubs pick up some baguette on his way home from work. We usually end the meal with some kind of chocolate.

I don’t know that we had chocolate on our first date, but who can say no to chocolate?

So how ’bout a Triple Chocolate Sundae for dessert? And you don’t even have to wait until Valentine’s Day.

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Sundae

Ingredients

• one brownie, try Butternut Squash Brownies for fun
• two scoops chocolate ice cream
• store bought chocolate syrup or this homemade version
• whipped cream
• chopped nuts, chocolate chips or sprinkles
• maraschino cherries

Instructions

1. Crumble half of the brownie square into a sundae dish.
2. Add a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
3. Crumble the remaining half of the brownie over the ice cream.
4. Add the second scoop of ice cream.
5. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.
6. Top with whipped cream.
7. Sprinkle with nuts, chocolate chips, or sprinkles.
8. Top with a cherry.
9. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 1

How ’bout you?

Triple Chocolate Sundaes (Ultimate Recipe Swap: Valentine’s Day) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Head’s up! If you make a purchase through the Amazon links in this post, I do receive a small percentage of the sale.

Years ago, almost twenty to be exact, I was une jeune fille americaine living in France. I left the States speaking horrific French, but not caring. It had been a lifelong dream to live in France, and I was going.

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to meet and dine with a number of French folk, and to be indoctrinated into the world of wonderful cheeses. And to brush up on my French.

Oh, sure, when I first got there, I reserved my purchases at the cheese counter to Mimolette, a soft orange cheese that reminded me of cheddar. But, as time went on and I rubbed shoulders with more of the natives, I got bolder to try different cheeses, loving the strong flavors and smells.

On occasion, my French family would break out the Fondue pot or the raclette machine and I would stuff myself on cheese and carbs, either baguette or potatoes, depending on which cheese dish was featured that night.

FishPapa came to visit me that year and we traveled throughout the South, visiting different areas and being regular tourists. Within a year of my return home to the States, we got married and flew back to France on our honeymoon. I assumed we would make it a yearly trip.

We haven’t been in years, almost twenty to be exact. But, I’ve got my eye on 2014.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be about cheese. And it is. Or will be eventually. My publisher sent me a copy of the lovely book La Bonne Femme Cookbook by Wini Moranville. I love it! It’s taken me back. I even dreamed of France the first night reading it.

So, a few days or so ago, I was strolling through Trader Joe’s thinking about France… and voila! In the cheese section there was raclette. And I had to buy some as well as some cornichons. I knew we had ham and new potatoes at home and on the spot, come pantry challenge or high water, I switched meal plans for the evening, so we could enjoy raclette.

I entertained visions of my children scarfing down melted cheese and potatoes and thanking their mama profusely for her kindness. Instead, they all plugged their noses and tried to hide from the delectable feast. Hubs and I looked at each other in disbelief. How could they respond this way?

Clearly, in 2014, it may be a second honeymoon.

Raclette is a cheese, traditionally a Swiss cheese, as in “made in Switzerland.” It does not have big holes like you may imagine when you hear the words Swiss cheese. But, my package of cheese was from France. So, whatever.

Hot and melty raclette is served with boiled new potatoes, baby pickles, and charcuterie (ham). It was a fantastic, easy supper. Whereas you can buy a unitasker machine specifically designed to melt the cheese and heat the other ingredients, I don’t have one. Instead, I warmed all the items that needed to be warmed, like ham, potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms. And then I broiled the cheese in a pan in the toaster oven. Not as fancy as the machine, but it worked.

I apologize for no photo. Our plates were so pretty. But the light wasn’t. Bummer. I guess I’ll need to make it again soon. On a date night. Without children.

Recipe: Casual Raclette

Ingredients

• new potatoes, boiled
• sliced ham or other charcuterie, warmed or at room temperature
• 1 jar cornichons (baby pickles)
• other vegetables, like sauteed mushrooms, steamed asparagus, etc
• 1 package raclette cheese, sliced

Instructions

1. Arrange an assortment of potatoes, ham, pickles, and vegetables on each plate.
2. Broil the cheese on a pan in the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until melted and slightly bubbling.
3. Scrape the cheese onto each plate.
4. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

This is by far a favorite cheesy recipe of mine. I would love to hear what YOUR favorite cheese recipes are! Share them with us today on Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Please note if you don’t post a recipe containing cheese, your post will be deleted. Thanks for understanding.

Raclette (Ultimate Recipe Swap: Cheese) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

A homemade baking mix gets jazzed up with two forms of chocolate and a cheesecake like topping. Delicious and easy to pull together!

As you may know, we’re in the midst of a Pantry Challenge over here. While I’ve not completely sworn off grocery shopping this month, I am “shopping my closet” as it were before buying something more. I love the Pantry Challenge because it really encourages me to be creative with what I already have. These muffins are a great example.

I had a bag of homemade muffin mix in the freezer just begging to be used. And I’d been wanting to choco-fy it for some  time. So, in went cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Then, to gild the lily — and use up one of many cream cheese packages in my fridge — I added a cheesecake topping.

We tested these muffins twice this week. I say “we” because my kids all had opinions about it. Yesterday’s cheesecake topping was better than today’s. But, today’s chocolate mixture was better than yesterday’s. So, I’m giving you the best of both worlds.

This recipe is an awesome way to jazz up a homemade baking mix.

Recipe: Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• Cream Cheese Topping
• 8 ounces neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (If preparing as a mix, simply combine all these ingredients in a ziptop bag, label well, mark with the wet ingredients and baking instructions.)
2. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, sour cream, and eggs. Whisk to blend. Add wet ingredients to dry. Fold gently until mostly moistened, but still lumpy. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Divide the mixture amongst the muffin cups, about 1/4 cup batter for each cup.
4. In another mixing bowl, combine the neufchatel cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Divide the cheese mixture amongst the cups.
5. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

Welcome to this week’s chocolate party! Share a favorite chocolate recipe in the comments or in the linky below.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins (Ultimate Recipe Swap: Chocolate) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Occasionally, readers write with questions that I know others might be able to add to or benefit from. Today we’re talking about recipe organization.

Q. You may have covered this before but do you mind sharing how you store your recipes? Do you have an online resource for this?

Our family moves every 2-3 years and some sort of soft storage system seems more realistic for us. I do use keywords with google reader but it seems like there must be something out there for recipe storage that is stored online, off your computer that can be accessed from anywhere.

A. Despite the hundreds of recipes I have in my possession, I actually do not have a stellar means of recipe storage. Many are online, obviously, as I’ve posted many family favorites on my blogs, here and on Good Cheap Eats. I’ve been known to run to my computer for a recipe.

And then get distracted by Facebook.

In a few months, many of my freezer-friendly recipes will all be corralled in one cookbook. Yippee!

Many older, pre-blog, pre-cookbook recipes, are in recipe notebooks or binders that I’ve maintained since high school. Still others are in the cookbooks or magazines I found them in.

This month one of my goals is to begin the process of teaching my three older boys to cook and to be more independent in the kitchen. This means making sure they have easy access to recipes. So, I’m creating a working recipe binder. It’s still in the works, but here’s what I did.

1. Printed off a copy of this month’s meal plan.
2. Printed off recipes of every meal I’ve planned for this month.
3. Collated them all in a binder for easy access for anyone 9 and older.

We’ll see how this works. Stay tuned!

How do YOU store your recipes?

Reader Q & A: Recipe Organization is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Homemade Christmas bread, full of cranberries and baked in a paper pan is reminiscent of store bought panettone, but the dough features whole wheat pastry flour and is prepared in a bread machine.

I was first introduced to panettone the year I lived in France almost twenty years ago. My French family lived in the south of the country and exposed me to all sorts of wonderful Christmas traditions, like the Buche de Noel. The Italian bread called panettone was another.

A few years after I returned to the States, I started seeing it available seasonally in specialty shops. Nowadays even the drugstore sells it. However, the bright yellow packages we’ve purchased have yielded some awful tasting bread. This year, rather than waste our money on those breads, I made a wanna-be panettone.

I hesitate to call my recipe panettone. While this has the fruit and the pretty paper, it does not involve the proofing and variety of candied fruit that is in the real deal. Consider this a delicious, American knock-off.

Please note that my cheater way involves a bread machine and two 4-inch panettone paper molds. But, you can form the bread dough in the traditional way and bake it in a bread pan if you prefer.

Recipe: Cranberry Christmas Bread

Summary: a panettone-like sweet bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Lay two 4-inch panettone paper molds on a baking sheet.
2. Combine the ingredients in the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set the dough cycle and turn it on.
3. When the machine beeps at the end of the dough cycle, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in two pieces.
4. Form each piece into a tight ball and place in a paper mold. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 °.
6. Bake the breads for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack before serving.

Preparation time: 2 hour(s)

Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

What’s a favorite Christmas recipe of yours?

Cranberry Christmas Bread or Wanna Be Panettone (URS: Christmas) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Looking for a quick, hot meal? How about a quick supper to give as a gift? I gotcha covered on both counts with this make ahead chili spice mix!

Quick meals, especially those that can be made ahead, are the name of the game in these here parts. Especially since I came down with the Plague on Saturday morning. I’ll spare you the details, but it was another case of “Mom gets the germ after everyone else is better.” So, quick meals it is.

I whipped up this chili in the slow cooker on Sunday morning to go with hotdogs or with chips and toppings later in the day. Everyone was very satisfied, and the next day I added cooked rice and beef broth for a quick riff on Beans and Rice Soup. Yes, yes, I did. Two meals for the price of one.

This chili, dubbed The Quickest Chili in the West, is super make-ahead. You can combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker and then go on your merry way. Or you can simply gather all the ingredients in one place and mix it in about 20 minutes before serving. Either way, you can do a lot of the “heavy lifting” in advance.

You’ll be so pleased to have this chili spice mix on hand. It costs just pennies in comparison to those little brown packets you buy at the store. And you can give this meal as a gift!

Bag up all the ingredients to gift a meal for another time.

FREE Printable Recipe Card

Print out this printable recipe card sheet, cut it into fourths, and then combine all the cans, spice mix, and a bag of chips into one bigger bag along with the recipe.

It’s a wonderful gift for the busy family, allowing them a home-cooked meal when they want one. This is an easy meatless, gluten-free, dairy-free meal that should fit all diets and food preferences. Just double check the food labels to make sure that there aren’t some tricky allergens lurking in your cans and bags.

Go here to print out your recipe cards.

Recipe: The Quickest Chili in the West

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey, browned and drained, optional
• one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• one 28-ounce can pinto beans, drained
• two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
• one 15-ounce can hominy, drained
• 1-2 cups water (depending on how thick you like your chili)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon onion flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• Toppings: salsa, grated cheese, sour cream

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook for at least 4 hours on high.
2. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a stockpot over medium heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve with toppings and chips.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Celebrate a Simpler Season! 

Life as MOM is offering a dozen FREE “grab and go” ideas for the holiday season to help you simplify and enjoy more sweet times with your peeps. Check out past posts in the series, each featuring a FREE download to help you make the most of this season:

1. Planning for a Simpler Season
2. Thankfulness is Something to Practice
3. Thinking About a Simpler Season
4. Time Management for the Holiday Season
5. Thanksgiving Fun Booklet
6. Christmas Countdown
7. Bake Someone Happy
8. Make a Big TO DO Out of Christmas
9. Get Wrapping with Printable Christmas Tags
10. Go Retro with a Printable Pencil and Paper Game Book
11. Get Dinner in the Bag with the Quickest Chili in the West

Be on the lookout for installments of A Simpler Season each week, from now until New Year’s.

What’s YOUR favorite make ahead meal?

Quickest Chili in the West (URS: Make Ahead Meals) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Doesn’t Broccoli and Cauliflower soup sound delicious for a wintry day? Aunt Sandy’s version is full of vegetables and cheese. Yum!

When I was a child, my family spent each summer driving from California to Minnesota and back again. My parents were from Minnesota and so we spent a month or two visiting the grandparents and our many aunts and uncles and cousins each year.

Most of my relatives are fabulous cooks, so it was always an eating adventure. One summer my Aunt Sandy welcomed us to her South Dakota home with a big pot of this Broccoli Caulifower Soup. It was so warm and comforting. Yum!

With her permission, I’m sharing it with you, with slight adaptations.

Recipe: Aunt Sandy’s Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, combine the broth and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in the milk.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, whisking until smooth.
4. Add this mixture to the stockpot, stirring until well combined. Stir in the cheeses and simmer until melted and well combined, stirring.
5. If desired, blend the soup slightly with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Ultimate Recipe Swap is a chance to share one of your favorite recipes, according to theme. Please hop around and visit the other participating bloggers and just say HI. Please stick to theme. This week is soups.

Aunt Sandy’s Broccoli Cauliflower Soup (URS: Soups) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

This week on URS, we’re sharing one dish dinners. It seemed only appropriate to invite my friend Erin, the $5 Dinner Mom to come share her latest project and a tasty dish.

The following is written by Erin Chase of $5 Dinners and One Dish Dinners:

Ever since becoming a mom, I’ve felt like life just keeps getting faster and faster. And faster.

We have a gazillion things happening in each of our days, but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice important things like a healthy dinner. Or our sanity.

One Dish Dinners is about making simple, healthful meals…all in the same dish. Over 90% of the recipes are made all in one dish (casserole, slow cooker, grill, Dutch oven), and the other 10% are mostly cooked in the same dish with perhaps a simple side like bread or fresh fruit. I wanted to share this soup with you guys because it is very low maintenance (as most soups are)…sauté a little, add some ingredients, bring to boil, simmer…

And then while the flavors are mingling and the ingredients cooking together into a delicious and hearty meal for your family, you can be shuffling through the mail, making a phone call or two, and getting the kids started into their table setting routine.

You get your healthy dinner. You don’t lose your sanity. Win. Win.

If you are interested in learning more, you can visit OneDishDinners for recipes and tips and tricks. You can also sign up for a recipe or tip to be emailed to you once a week from One Dish Dinners. Also, my One Dish Dinners cookbook, with over 150 tried and true recipes, will be out late summer 2012.

And without further ado, I give you my latest one dish dinner creation…

Next week: Soups

Lentil Minestrone Soup (URS: One Dish Dinners) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

I imagine that every family has its share of holiday dinner quirks. Apparently, a relish tray is common fare in some homes, though it might be called antipasti. Depending on your cultural background, be it ethnic or regional, you probably serve something unique at your house.

At our house, Thanksgiving Dinner is somewhat of a carbo-load. Aside from the requisite turkey and stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, jellied cranberry sauce and rolls. If we’re eating with my parents, there will probably be a corn dish of some kind as well as pork and beans, two items that say “Thanksgiving” to my dad.

Rarely is there a salad. At least not one that you would consider traditional. Unless it’s this one. (But, I’m from California, so Jell-O doesn’t count as a salad. No, no, it does not!)

Suffice it to say, I like salads. Nay, I love salads. So, I try to make a salad every year to offset all the carbs.

Depending on your upbringing, though, salad may not be considered a side dish. For some cultures it’s a starter. For others, you end the meal with a salad. But, for me, trying to compete with all the carbs, the salad is a side dish. Go figure.

This salad is one that I could eat at anytime during the meal, though. There are all kinds of flavors and textures at play here: soft, juicy pear, crisp lettuce, the bite of the scallion, the tang of the blue cheese, the kicky sweetness of the maple-spiced nuts and seeds. This salad rocks.

And you’ll want to make it more often than once a year. I promise.

Recipe: Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Maple Spiced Toppings

Ingredients

• 6 cups mixed baby greens
• 1 batch Tarragon Balsamic Dressing
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8s
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/2 cup Maple Spiced Pepitas and Almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine the salad greens and enough dressing to coat. Divide salad among plates.
2. Nestle 4 pear slices atop the bed of greens. Sprinkle with the blue cheese crumbles, about 2 tablespoons per plate.
3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons maple spiced toppings over each plate along with 1 tablespoon scallions.
4. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Got some great side dishes to share? Link them up today. And don’t forget to check out some of our other favorite sides.

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Maple Spiced Toppings (URS: Thanksgiving Side Dishes) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Years ago Gramma Marilyn bought these chipotle spiced almonds that were out of this world. I think I ate the whole pound standing there at her kitchen counter. They were delicious for snacking, added a tasty crunch to salads, and made an elegant appetizer for a holiday meal. We loved them so much, I had my sister export them to Kansas for a time.

A few weeks ago, I realized that I could make my own. And so that my littlest one could enjoy the snack, too, I made one batch with pepitas. Hubs was skeptical to say the least. He figured he and the boys would eat the almonds and leave the maple spiced pepitas for the chicks. But, I surprised him.

I love it when I do that.

A pepita is not all that exciting on its own. (It’s a pumpkin seed.) But, when it combines with the maple and the spices, all the pepitas gather together into clusters and make these little explosive balls of flavor. The crunch of the pepita is intensified somehow — and becomes rather addicting. It was hard not to eat them all in one sitting.

Whip up a batch of these to serve at your next get-together. They make a great addition to the appetizer table at your upcoming holiday feasts. Go French and offer aperitifs: lay out a bowl of olives, a variety of drinks, and these little bits of maple-spiced goodness. (Okay, so the spice and the maple are not French at all, but let’s pretend.)

Recipe: Maple Spiced Pepitas and Almonds

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups pepitas or whole almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 °. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.
2. In a medium bowl combine the maple syrup and the spices. Stir to blend.
3. Add the pepitas and toss to coat. Spoon the pepitas out into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pepitas are glazed. Cool the pepitas slightly and then break apart into clusters, if necessary. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Got some great appetizers to share? Link them up today. And don’t forget to check out my mom’s relish tray, too.

Maple Spiced Pepitas and Almonds (URS: Appetizers) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.