Prepare yourselves for greatness.

As you all know, Kerry was the master of the Friday food-related blog post. We were worried that Friday’s would never be the same, and let’s face it – they won’t be the same. But we still love food, and Kerry’s promised to grace us with delectable recipes now and again. Despite a different flavour to the Friday posts, the kitchen will still be open, so to speak.

Yesterday happened to be my birthday, and I also happen to love to bake. I also spend excessive amounts of time reading cookbooks, and trolling the internet for new recipes. Just the other day I stumbled upon a recipe for Granny’s Chocolate Cobbler on one of my favourite food sites, The Pioneer Woman. It had me intrigued. For one thing it started out incredibly unassuming, and then instructed you to add copious amounts of sugar. (Did I mention, there is nothing healthy about this cake?) And then! Then!

Water. Lots of hot tap water.

This made no sense. But the end result looked so delicious, I knew I would have to try. I just needed an excuse.

Enter my birthday. When else could I possibly justify consuming this much sugary goodness?

Believe me, there is no justifying this cake. It’s just that good. If you’re going to make it, just accept the fact that you’re going to the gym the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. And you’ll probably still feel guilty. My advice? Repress the guilt, and indulge. I certainly did at breakfast this morning.

My son. A man after my own heart.

Because I don’t want to take credit for something that isn’t mine, (nor do I want to be blamed for enabling your soon-to-be addiction to this cake), I’m simply going to give you the link. That’s all. The link to the recipe.

It’s here.

And here.

And here. (Just in case you didn’t get it the first time.)

I’m going to propose a name change, because this isn’t your “Granny’s” cobbler. This is the Happiest Birthday Ever Chocolate Cobbler. Eat it. Be happy.

S'More Cupcakes, c/o Bakerella.com

Ok, ok, I know there’s something wrong with this picture! Friday is the day that Kerry normally provides you with an amazing-beyond-all-belief recipe to round out your week, and to highlight our love of food. This week, she’s just not able to do it, so here I am. They’ve left me to my own devices.

Luckily, I’m a bit of a closet chef myself. I certainly don’t boast over my dexterity in the kitchen, but I do dabble in the odd stove-top adventure. More so, I love to bake. Sugar and I go well together.

This recipe I took from the most delectable baking site – Bakerella. This woman is a genius, and she makes the cutest projects ever. Recently, my son’s school had a bake sale, and Bakerella saved my life. So here’s her recipe – and my pictures – of S’More Cupcakes.

S’more Cupcakes (c/o Bakerella)

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup oil
6 jumbo marshmallows cut in half, plus more for decorating

Graham Cracker Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Ganache
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk. Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.

Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined. Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.

Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping. Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.

Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface. Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with more topping mixture.

In process...

Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case. I had a little bit ooze over into the oven. Oops.

This recipe will make at least 12 cupcakes. I had a some batter from each left over so you can probably get more like 14-16.

Let cool and top with ganache.

Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Pour over cupcakes and add more marshmallows if you desire.

I skipped out on the ganache, but they were still delicious!

“A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.”~ Elsa Schiaparelli

To some of you cooking is magic. Well, it really isn’t. It’s the end result of all of your hard work that is truly magical! You know what I’m talking about, that moment you put fork to mouth, and the taste explosion sets off all of your senses – it’s complete satisfaction and a feeling of a job well done!

I thought that we should continue with the “simple is better” topic from last week. Cooking doesn’t need to be complicated, or feel like a chore. If you follow the basics of good cooking then everything else should fall into place.

For the next few weeks I will focus on some “simple” traditional. Comfort foods that are really quite easy to prepare. And did I mention, to die for yummy?

One of my all time favorites and an oldie but goodie, is Coq au Vin. If you’re saying to yourself, “That’s that French dish. It must be difficult to make, and you probably need fancy French ingredients” – wrong! Simple, basic ingredients maks up this classic comfort dish. (Yes, I consider wine and cognac to be basic fundamental ingredients.) The most trying step is cutting up the whole chickens. But I’ll walk you through it. (If you want to simplify this even more, purchase chicken pieces instead of cutting up your own chicken)

Cutting up a whole chicken

• Place chicken, breast side down. Trim and discard any fat at cavity and neck
• Starting at body cavity, cut as loosely as possible along both sides of backbone. Cut off wing tips. Reserve both wing tips and backbone to make chicken stock. (Throw them in the freezer for later use)
• Turn chicken over; open up slightly and cut in half through middle of breastbone.
• Place chicken halves, skin side up. Lift one leg at a time and cut along contour through skin and meat to separate leg from body.
• Bend back thigh and drumstick until joint pops. Cut through skin and meat at joint.
• Divide each breast in half; leaving wing attached to one half.
• Trim off excess skin and fat from chicken pieces; discard any shreds of bone.

Coq au Vin (serves eight)

This is a combination of the infamous Julia Child’s recipe and a Canadian Living Classic.

–         2 chickens, cut up (or 6 lbs of chicken pieces)

–         Salt & pepper

–         2 tbsp butter (you may need more as you cook the veggies, it’s ok, butter is an important ingredient)

–         2 pkg pearl onions peeled

–         1 lb button mushrooms (about 6 cups)

–         1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

–         2 cloves garlic minced

–         6 thick slices bacon, chopped

–         1 bottle of red wine (Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti), 2 cups go in recipe & you drink the rest!

–         2 cups sodium-reduced chicken broth (homemade stock would be preferable)

–         1 bay leaf

–         3 tbsp flour

–         1/4 cup cognac

–         2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a Dutch oven cook bacon over medium heat. Sauté slowly until golden brown. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and transfer to bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat half of the butter over medium-high heat; brown chicken in batches. Drain excess fat from pan and put any chicken back in pan that was removed while cooking in batches.

Pour in the Cognac, turn heat up to high, shake pan a few seconds until bubbling hot; ignite. Let it flame briefly while swirling the pan, extinguish flame with lid.

Heat remaining butter in another pan; cook in batches, first the pearl onions (transfer to bowl) then the mushrooms & thyme (if mushrooms are small keep them whole). Tip: if you want your mushrooms to brown nicely then don’t crowd them, cook in batches. Cook for about 5 min., add garlic and cook until golden brown, then transfer to same bowl as onions.

Add mushrooms and onions to pan with the chicken. Add cooked bacon, wine, broth and bay leaf, stirring and scrapping up brown bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35 min.

Stir flour with a little bit of cognac or broth, to make smooth paste; stir into pan along with parsley. Simmer until thickened, about 10 – 15 min. Serve with wine of choice!

Bon Appetite,

Kerry