As Promised...Sweet Tooth Recipes

Chocolate Covered Popcorn w. Sea Salt

3 tbs veggie oil

1/2 cup of unpopped popcorn kernals

2 - 3 tbs of butter (or to taste)

12 oz dark chocolate

1 tbs kosher salt

Heat the veggie oil in a medium sized sauce pan. Once hot throw in the popcorn kernels and cover with lid. Once the kernels start popping make sure the hold the lid down and continuously lift the pot up and shake.

You want to be sure that all the kernals are touching the bottom of the pot so that none of them burn. Same as you would in a microwave, once the kernals stop popping (i.e. about 15 seconds of no-poppage) take off the heat. In a separate pan, or in a double broiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Pour over the popcorn until evenly covered. Place the popcorn on a tray and sprinkle with sea salt. Let it cool (or throw in fridge). Finito!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Sugar Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 ounces dark chocolate chips
6 crumbled candy canes
1/4 cup white chocolate

1. Line a cookie tray with wax paper and preheat oven to 325°F (convection).

2. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. 

3. Beat butter in medium bow until smooth and then gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Next, beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. 

4. Gradually add the flour and salt mixture, just until blended.

5. Drop dough by spoonfuls into the cookie tray and space them as evenly as possible. Use water to wet the tips of your fingers and press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

6. Bake the sugar cookie base until light golden brown - this took about 18 minutes, but will vary based on your oven.

7. Once finished, take the tray out and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Once you see that the chocolate is starting to melt, spread it into an even layer using a spatula. Then, sprinkle the chopped candy canes over the top.

8. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, or over boiling water until smooth. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

9. Once the cookie is cooled, you can easily take it off the wax paper and break it up into as big or small pieces as you want! 

Let's Backtrack Shall We?

So since I have seriously left any readers hanging on my activity since Friday here is a super-quick mini update:

Saturday: Tried out Sushi Samba for my friend's bf's bday. Two words: seabass appetizer (two words/three?) whatever it was unreal, melt in your mouth. So glad I finally made it down to this west village staple for food, and not drinks. Although the drinks are spectacular all their own and we definitely did our fair share of "classy" sake bombing :)

Sunday: in celebration of my slightly hungover self, I opted for a classic egg and sausage sandwich.

Totally hit the spot.

Mon-Wed has been nothing out of sorts. Just normal eats and workouts. The hardest part has been weathering this cold front that has hit NY like a ton of bricks! It's brutal out!

Today I finished off the last of my giant sized pack of spinach with another green monster!

(1 banana, some strawberry yogurt, 1 cup organic milk, 1/2 cup soy protein powder in chocolate - oh and spinach )

And a lunch of spinach, lentils, chicken and roasted butternut squash. mm mm good (as Campbells would say)

Dessert of Banana Bread Larabar (this might be my favorite flavor so far!! do I say that everytime?)

This afternoon I had a soy misto from Starbs and some leftover fruit from the pantry at work. best holiday platter I have seen in a while with figs and (da dada daaa) peppermint bark! this baby was gooood and definitely his my afternoon chocolate craving. yippee!

After work I'm heading with some co-workers to see Up In Air with George Clooney to revel in the life of a consultant...and then grabbing drinks with some "long-lost" high school friends which I am super excited about. I love catching up with people! TTYL ;)

The Chocolate Show

As promised, details on this weekends Chocolate Show are as follows:

1. This was completely random as my friend Laurie had a friend who was working the event and somehow found our names on the will call ticket list...(hint, it's all about who you know in this city - I don't really know anyone but I know people that know people that know someone. Its the same thing right?) 

2. I didn't even know you could make chocolate people but...

3. A fountain of chocolate might be my equivalent of heaven

4. People can do some crazy things with chocolate. We tried chocolate with bacon and pop rocks?? PB Chocolate. White Chocolate Bark. And I think my favorite which was Spicy Merlot by 2 Chicks with Chocolate. Ooo or the Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate by William Dean.

Little fact about chocolate that you might not know...the melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature, about 97 degrees, which is why it literally melts in your mouth.  AND dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, benefiting the heart by dilating vessels and improving blood flow. So you're basically doing your body good by indulging in this fabulous treat! Me + Free Chocolate = :)