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Chocolate Lover

As a chocolate lover, I am always up for finding new ways to enjoy chocolate! One of the many chocolate desserts I have made is my famous Chocolate Royale Cheesecake (recipe from Kraft with a slight change to make it my own), this rich, creamy chocolate cheesecake sprinkled with powered sugar on a bed of crushed Orea cookie crust is a divine way to enjoy a little bit of chocolate heaven!

Another popular favorite around our house is my Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate cake with Hershey’s homemade cake and icing recipe, (and a little special splash of an ingredient from me! You can always change up a recipe just a bit to make it your own.) I have very fond memories of my oldest son always asking me to make him this special homemade cake for his birthdays when he was younger, and for any other occasion he could talk me into! He really loved this special dessert!

The recipe I use for my homemade Chocolate Pie was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, then when I was old enough, my dad passed it on to me. It’s an altered Hershey’s Chocolate recipe from my grandmother with her special touches added in. Now, being the chocolate lover that I am, when I received the inherited recipe, I made a change that average chocolate eaters may call “too much”, this change was in the crust of the pie. Instead of using the traditional pie crust, I opted to use an Orea crust (like the one from the Chocolate Royale Cheesecake recipe) instead. Back in the day, this took my recipe for chocolate pie out of the “norm” and into the “extraordinary”!

Here’s another oldie but a goodie: Peanut Butter Balls! These delightful little bits of heaven are made with peanut butter and chocolate, and they taste almost like a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. I like to use dark chocolate and milk chocolate just to mix it up a bit for those dark chocolate lovers in our family. This is an easy, no-bake treat that’s great to make for the holidays!

Raw Chocolate Recipes 

As I have gotten a little older and a little more health conscience, I have started looking around for healthier ways to enjoy the foods I love, including chocolate. I have come across Pauline Hanuise’s raw chocolate recipe eBook, and for those of you who are interested in healthier ways to indulge in your love of chocolate, clink the link above or the picture to the right and check it out!

Happy reading!

Fuddrucker’s in Fort Benning

Here are some pictures of the boys at Fuddrucker’s enjoying some chocolate chip cookies and playing with the stuff animal that one of Chris’s army buddies won from the game machine!

They are having a blast, although Alix appears to be a slight bit disturbed by the mess the cookies are making in his hand! =)

Elliot is having fun with his grandpa (Chris’s dad) playing with the stuff animal, and everyone is in good spirits, despite the fatigue from the road trip.

For the most part it was a fun and relaxing atmosphere, and we were grateful for the delicious food! This picture is of the front counter and the wonderful employees working there.

Boneless Pork Chops with Roasted Tomatoes & Asparagus

Recipe inspired by: Chicken and Asparagus Rolls with Tomato recipe! 

FOR YOUR INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

• 4 boneless pork chops (6 to 8 ounces each)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (or powdered garlic)
• 1 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese (or sharp cheddar)
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (8 slices) (or Grape tomatoes)
• 8 spears of asparagus, trimmed, halved lengthwise, then crosswise

DIRECTIONS FOR PREPARATION AND COOKING:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using salt and pepper, season the pork on both sides.

Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, sauté the pork chops and the garlic until the pork is a light brown only on one side, this takes about 2 minutes; then dispose of the garlic.

Then, you transfer the pork into a baking sheet, with the browned side down. Using half the cheese, sprinkle the pork pieces and then layer each piece of pork with a slices of tomato and 4 pieces of asparagus.

Now, using the remaining cheese, sprinkle it over the pork and then bake the pork until it is cooked through, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. When it’s done, serve it hot with your favorite side dish!