#COOKING WITH CLORIS--TRULEE DELECTABLE CHOCOLATE BODY PAINT

photo by Seth Anderson

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. In Finding Mr. Right, the short story sequel Lois Winston wrote to Hooking Mr. Right, she includes a recipe for edible body paint. We’re not necessarily advocating our readers go all Fifty Shades. After all, this is a G/PG-rated blog! However, for the less adventuresome, Trulee Delectable Chocolate Body Paint is equally tasty on ice cream, fruit, and cake and would add the perfect ending to a romantic home-cooked Valentine’s Day dinner. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website.

Trulee Delectable Chocolate Body Paint

4 oz. butter

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate

12 oz. evaporated milk

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond or peppermint extract

Melt butter and chocolate on top of a double boiler. Remove from heat. Beat in evaporated milk, then confectioner’s sugar. Return to double boiler and continue to heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. Stir in extract once mixture has thickened. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

Finding Mr. Right

In this short story sequel to the award-winning Hooking Mr. Right by Lois Winston (writing as Emma Carlyle,) editor Grace Wainwright, has taken over the role of bestselling author and romance guru Dr. Trulee Lovejoy. Thea Chandler, the original Trulee, is now married to her Mr. Right and is a successful cookbook author. She and Grace host the top-rated Love Recipes cooking show. When producer Becket Delaney announces the first two shows in February will have a Valentine’s Day theme, Grace freaks out. The worst day of her life occurred on Valentine’s Day ten years ago, and she wants no reminders of it. Beck has his own reasons for hating the holiday, but the show must go on, and he absolutely refuses to deal with an uncooperative prima donna. When a citywide blackout traps him and Grace in his thirty-fourth floor office, their adversarial relationship really begins to heat up. Recipe included.

Finding Mr. Right is available as a .99 cent ebook or as a bonus short story in the paperback edition of Hooking Mr. Right.

Buy Links

paperback 

Kindle 

Nook 

Kobo 

iTunes 

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- CHOCOLATE CHERRY PRETZEL CLUSTERS

Want a quick sweet treat perfect for a hostess gift? Try these chocolate cherry pretzel clusters. -- AP

CHOCOLATE CHERRY PRETZEL CLUSTERS

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups dried cherries, chopped

1-1/2 cups chopped pistachios

2 cups broken-up pretzel sticks

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. In a medium size bowl, stir together cherries, pistachios, and pretzels.

Place chocolate in a medium sized microwave safe bowl, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds. Continue stirring and microwaving for 15 seconds until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Add fruit/nut/pretzel mixture to chocolate, stirring to completely coat. Place heaping tablespoons of mixture onto baking sheet. Chill to set (about 15 minutes) before serving.

And although tempting, don’t gobble them all up in one sitting! Post a comment for a chance to win a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

TIP OF THE DAY--COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE, PERFECT TOGETHER

Food editor Cloris McWerther is off looking at colleges with her daughter this week. In her place I’m posting this Tip of the Day that I came across because coffee and chocolate are two of my major food groups:

TIP OF THE DAY:
When making chocolate desserts, substitute brewed coffee in place of other liquids for a deeper flavor.

Anyone game to try it? Let’s hear from you.  -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- APRICOT MOCHA CAKE

If you follow this blog, you know that our food editor Cloris McWerther comes up with the most incredible, to-die-for desserts, especially when she marries chocolate with other ingredients. But we here at American Woman magazine are also conscious of the fact that too many Americans are eating too many grams of sugar and too many calories. So, how do you have your cake and eat it without putting on the pounds. 

This is a topic that Cloris and health editor Janice Kerr have been discussing at some length. As a result, Cloris began experimenting with some of her recipes, cutting down the sugar and replacing some of the flour with whole wheat flour. Below is one of her successes. It contains 1 cup less sugar, replaces 1/4 of the flour with whole wheat flour, and uses skim milk instead of whole milk. We dare you to tell the difference. -- AP

APRICOT MOCHA CAKE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup cold espresso or coffee

In mixing bowl sift together first 5 ingredients. Set aside. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave. Stir in milk and vanilla. Fold into flour mixture. Pour into greased 9” x 9” pan. Combine brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour espresso or coffee over dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Yum! Now keep in mind we’re not claiming this is a diet dessert, but it’s less guilt-inducing than many of Cloris's creations. And as with so many other things, it’s OK to indulge once in awhile as long as you do so in moderation. From Cloris, Janice, and me, bon appetit! -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- RASPBERRY ESPRESSO CAKE

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, today Cloris has something sweet to bake for your sweetie. -- AP

RASPBERRY ESPRESSO CAKE

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespons butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all fruit raspberry preserves
1/2 cup dried raspberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup cold espresso or double strength coffee

Sift together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave. Stir in milk, vanilla, and preserves. Fold into flour mixture. Mix in dried raspberries. Pour into greased 9” x 9” pan. Combine remaining sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour espresso over sugars and cocoa. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve this to the man in your life, and you’ll have him eating out of your hand. How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? What’s the favorite gift your sweetie ever gave you? Let’s hear from you. -- AP