Chocolate Cobbler

Okay, so by now you probably know that I have a huge weakness for pretty much anything chocolate.  Pretty much every chocolate recipe I come across, whether it be brownies, cookies, cake or anything in between, if it has chocolate in it it's pretty much guaranteed I'm going to try it.  When I saw this cobbler on Paula's Best Dishes I knew I had to try it.  It didn't make my attempt to resist temptation any easier since I had a giant hankering (can you tell I'm from the south??) for something chewy, fudgy and chocolate.

I'm so glad I gave into my temptation and made this.  This cobbler was so delish and had an intense chocolate flavor.  I loved the crunchy but fudgy crust that formed over the top and the thick, chocolate sauce that formed underneath.  This was true chocolate decadence and when topped with ice cream and whipped cream it was absolute heaven! 

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Lately I have felt like I was in a cooking rut; I feel like I cook the same things all the time and have just been getting bored with our meals.  I made a deal with myself, I decided that I would try to start incorporating at least one new dish every week whether it be a recipe from one of my cook books, something from the blogs I read or something that I found from a site on the internet.  I just decided that it was time to jazz things up a little bit and incorporate new recipes into our weekly meals.  It seems like I tend to stick with chicken and beef just becaue it's easy and I always have both on hand but there are so many other good varieties of meats out there that I don't even utilize.  I have decided to step out of my comfort zone and to get away from the same old things.

In my attempt to get out of my rut and to introduce new recipes into our weekly routines I decided to make a salmon dish.  I actually had some salmon at the house that was just waiting to be eaten so I when I came across this recipe by Bobby Flay I knew it would be the perfect dish to serve.  Since the glaze had a lot of flavor I decided to keep the sides simple by serving it on brown rice along with a side salad.  It was delicious and so filling, but it wasn't heavy at all.  This was a great, lighter meal and one that is great for week nights.

Stewed Collard Greens

 I have eaten collard greens before but I've never cooked them and I honestly don't have an answer as to why I've never made them.  I don't have an aversion to them and I'm not intimidated by them so the only reason I can think of as to why I haven't cooked them is because I tend to become a creature of habit and make the same vegetables all the time.  No wonder I feel like I'm in a cooking rut from time to time!  I finally decided to break out of my routine that I so easily fell into and make a new dish using a new ingredient.

I'm so glad I came across this recipe, it was so good and a great way to balance out the richness from the catfish and hushpuppies.  The flavor of the greens was earthy but creamy because of the butter and the bacon gave it that saltiness and crunch and the sweetness of the onion topped it off, these were delicious.  The greens were so easy to prepare and took no time at all to cook down.  They really are an easy way to incorporate a "different" and healthy side dish into your meal plan.  I really enjoyed these and I can't wait to make more recipes using all different types of greens!

Jalapeno Hushpuppies with Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce

I love hushpuppies, I don't know what it is about them but I love them.  There is just something about the crunchy and crispy outside followed by the soft, bread texture inside; it's just the perfect combination.  I've had many different kinds of hushpuppies; some spicy, some sweet with corn inside and the some that are seasoned to perfection with just a hint of sweetness, no matter how they are cooked I love them all. 

I have never attempted to make hushpuppies, for some reason or another, I guess I was always a little intimidated by them or maybe it was just a fear of the unknown and trying something new.  After I watched the entire process of them being made, it didn't look too hard and I decided step out of my comfort zone and give them a try.  I'm so glad I did, they were incredibly easy to make and they were absolutely delicious.  Now that I have attempted and succeeded I will be trying some other variations.  I made this to go along with the  saucy catfish I saw on Paula's Best Dishes and they complimented the fish wonderfully.  The spiciness of the huspuppies paired with the sweetness and tartness of the fish.   The sweet and spicy chili sauce was a nice addition to the hushpuppies, it was the perfect amount of heat followed by sweetness to calm the spice.  If you've never tried to make hushpuppies before and were intimidated by them please overcome your fears and try them, these are so worth it!

Saucy Catfish

Although I watch Food Network quite often, I always see things that I want to make and eventually I do.  It is very rare that I watch an episode and decide that I need/want to make everything that was made; that being said usually when I want to make everything from an episode I don't make it all at once.  I guess there is a first time for everything!  I was watching Paula's Best Dishes and she and Trisha Yearwood were making true southern dishes; saucy catfish, jalapeno hushpuppies with a sweet and spicy chili sauce, stewed collard greens and chocolate pecan cobbler with caramel topping.  Everything they made looked absolutely delicious and I knew I had to make everything and I decided to make it all together.  I'm so glad I did, the meal was incredible!

This fish was so good, it was the perfect texture and so flakey and the sauce was really good as well.  The sauce that it is baked in is like Thousand Island Dressing with a little sweetness.  When the fish is served with the spicey hushpuppies and the salty greens it compliments each other wonderfully.  This meal really does have all the flavors and ingredients of a true southern meal and having all the tastes of the south brings a level of comfort to the table.  The next time you want a home cooked, southern style meal I would definitely suggest this and don't forget the chocolate cobbler!

Tiramisu Pound Cake

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts ever!  Any time I go to a restaraunt that has tiramisu it's guaranteed that is what I'll have for dessert, I never pass up an opportunity to have tiramisu.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the original tiramisu in it's original form but when I came across this recipe on Taste & See for a Tiramisu Pound Cake I knew I HAD to try it. 

This cake was delicious!  It was also a show stopper, everyone was so impressed with the way the liquor and coffee batter swirled into the regular batter.  This cake was super moist and the perfect consistency and the icing was amazing and sent the cake over the top!  I got so many compliments on this cake; not only on the taste but also on the presentation.  This was definitely a show stopper and a cake that I'll make many more times!

Daring Bakers-Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

 The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of  Sunita’s world- life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home .

I was so excited when I saw this month's challenge.  I had actually seen one of these cakes in a bakery a few weeks ago and thought it looked so neat and I knew I would love to try to make a cake like that at some point in time.  Well, that time came sooner than later since Sunita decided to make that our challenge this month for the Daring Bakers.  When I saw the cake in the bakery I was curious as to what process they had used to accomplish the finished product, but I couldn't really figure it out but this challenge took me through the step by step process.  I followed this recipe step by step because I wanted to make sure everything turned out properly and it did, but I want to make this again and try out some different ice cream flavors and some different fillings.