Foodie Friday: Valentine's Day

 Few people can resist the allure of chocolate.



 Each bite delivers a beguiling mixture of romance, comfort, elegance, and a touch of the forbidden.

  



  Chocolate is an all-purpose cure.

It soothes the heart and adds sweetness to a sour afternoon.

 If you need a teeny bit of excitement, chocolate will provide it. 

 If you need the perfect end to an imperfect day, chocolate will not disappoint.

Dense, aromatic, and flavorful,

chocolate is the little black dress of the dessert world, suitable for any occasion,

not just Valentine's Day.



  

Ask any question, and

Ghiradelli Chocolate is the answer.



You might be looking for Valentine's Day ideas, so Foodie Friday is a little early this week. If you are contributing a recipe today, locate the blue Inlinkz icon in the lower, left-hand portion of this post. Click on the icon and follow the directions. After you complete the process, you will see a red "x" beside your name. This allows you to delete your link if you made an error; the red "x" is visible to you only. If you'd like to share your daily or weekly food photos, join the Pinterest foodie board, Consuming Passions.

** For a complete, UPDATED guide to this linky party, click HERE.

Note: Chocolate for this post was provided by Ghiradelli.

Foodie Friday: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Tarts -- 6/21/13

Welcome to the June 21st Foodie Friday,

where good cooks gather each week to talk about our favorite topic: food.

 

This week I've been fighting tick bites and peculiar weather. I hope it's sunny, not too hot,

and bug-free in your neck of the woods.

 

I can't wait to tell you about an easy dessert that I made today.

It takes minutes, can be made ahead, and is a crowd pleaser.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Tarts

 

1 package puff pastry shells (frozen)

Godiva Dark Chocolate Sea Salt  (squares--on the grocery's candy aisle)

Drizzled chocolate (Smucker's Special Recipe Dark Chocolate Sauce)

Star cookie cutter

raspberries

whipped cream

 

Before baking puff pastry shells, press a small star cookie cutter into the top (and center) of each shell. Bake the pastry according to directions.  Remove from oven. When pastries are cool,

pop out star centers and set aside. Cut Godiva chocolate into pieces and place into shells.

Bake about 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate has melted.

Remove from oven and cool.

Add whipped cream. Drizzle with chocolate sauce or melted chocolate. I'm fond of store-bought

chocolate sauce for a quick topping. I zapped the jar in the microwave for 20 seconds, then used a fork to add tiny squiggles over the cream and pastry.

Place "star" pastry cut-out on top of the whipped cream.

Dab a little whipped cream on the bottom of a raspberry and place on top of star.

You can add shaved chocolate, if desired, or raspberry jam.

The variations are endless, and all are easy!

 

Each bite is layered with the crunch of pastry and bittersweet chocolate, with a whisper of sea salt.

 

The fluffy, cloud-like cream rounds out the texture, adding a just-right softness.

A PRINTABLE RECIPE is available.

 

Who can resist chocolate, pastry, and cream?

(And why even try?)

(Will and I have eaten the leftover salty chocolate squares all afternoon.)

 

Foodie Friday's "Picks of the Week"

 

 



Eat Cake for Dinner's Key Lime Bars with Animal Cracker Crust is the perfect summer dessert, tart and sweet with a twist on the classic crust.  Click HERE to read about this recipe or to "pin" it from the source.

 

Home Is Where the Boat Is  presented Cowgirl Couscous Salad that will travel in style (and safely) to any picnic.



Click HERE to read about this recipe or "pin" it from the source.

The Lady Behind the Curtain put together a delightful shrimp boil.

Click HERE to read about the recipe or to "pin" it from the source.



Click HERE to check out last week's most popular recipes
at Foodie Friday.

 

 

Upcoming Events:

Presenting the Novel Bakers:
 

 a quiet life, Home Is Where the Boat Is, Once Upon a Plate. and Rattlebridge Farm.
 

 

Monday, June 24th, the Novel Bakers will present fun-and-food filled posts

about a whimsical place in southern France.

 

Tuesday, June 25th: Foodie Friday's most popular recipes.

 

Wednesday, June 26th: The Novel Bakers visit a magical place in Italy.

 

                    Friday, June 28th, Foodie Friday, including the Novel Bakers and a Circle of Kindness in Ireland.

 

 

Thanks to all of the great cooks who participate each week. It is always such a treat to see what you've been cooking. You are cordially invited to add photographs of your recipes to the "Consuming Passions" group board at Pinterest, which can be found HERE.

It is a small, sociable group; Foodie Friday folks are always welcome to "pin" with us and chat about food. Just leave a comment on one of my recent"pins," so I'll be sure to see it, and I will send you an invitation. Or you can email me.

 

To participate in Foodie Friday, locate the blue Inlinkz icon and follow the directions. The red "x"
will allow you to delete your link if you made an error; the "x" is visible to you only.

For a complete guide to this linky party, click HERE. If you have still have questions, click HERE
for a detailed Foodie Friday tutorial.

** By adding your link to Foodie Friday, you are granting us permission to include a photo of your FF recipe (and a link to your blog post) in the "Picks of the Week" feature or on our Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest pages.

 

I would like to ask pretty please if Pinners will "pin" photos of the "Picks" and all FF contributions from the source blogs, not from Foodie Friday. 

 

Thanks so much for visiting  today. I am always inspired by your recipes--and by you. Food blogging is more difficult than any kind because of the sheer work that goes on behind the scenes--planning, shopping, prep work, cooking, taking photographs, culling those photos, and cleaning.  I am amazed by your ideas and creativity.
 

 

Have a great, food-filled weekend.

 

Love,

Mlee and Bandwidth 

 

 

Valentine's Day Ideas for Exhausted Romantics

Valentine's Day is synonymous with red roses, Godiva chocolate, and love letters.  If you're like me, you'll want to spend the evening with your honey. But this sweet holiday comes with expectations and a price tag. Magazines are filled with eye candy, luring us with a Martha Stewart-Meets-Julia Child siren song.

 

Day by day, the world around us moves faster. We are expected to do more, more, more--and with less time, energy, and money.
Sometimes we heap pressure upon ourselves. We want to cook a five-star meal, something that begins with a hard-to-make appetizer and ends with a 57,000 ingredient dessert.

What if you want to serve something special to your loved ones, but you're tired, got the "pip," or you're pressed for time?

Rattlebridge Farm has investigated the matter, and we've come up with simple solutions for exhausted cooks.
Grocery store cupcakes can be dressed up with wrappers and sweetheart roses. (Just remind your sweetheart to remove the garnish!)

Chocolate-dipped strawberries take minutes, but they possess the Wow Factor.

If your sweetheart loves peanut butter (and mine does),
make him a batch of So-Simple-a-Cave woman-Can-Do-It Reeses Bars.

Egg salad bundles are elegant and easy.

Need a tablecloth?

Check your linen closet for red sheets and coverlets.

A sprig of ivy sends a coded message to your beloved:

"I'm all tangled up in you."

Polka dots, plaid, and roosters add whimsy.

Is your sweetie watching his weight?

Gild a grocery store low-carb cheesecake.

Don't have time to bake?

Buy adorable, beribbened cookies at Big Lots.

Nothing says "I love you" like red velvet cupcakes.

Are you completely frazzled but still want to celebrate?

Tuck a candy message in your honey's pocket.

Leave clues at the breakfast table.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Note: Photos by MLW. You are welcome to "pin," however no photos on this blog may be distributed or reproduced on t-shirts, mugs, paintings, sketches.