Decadent and Easy Chocolate Bread Pudding

 I know that this is a wonderful comfort food for a lot of people, but to be honest I have never heard of chocolate pudding bread before. I was Googling bread with chocolate and Chocolate Bread Pudding popped up which totally peaked my interest. So I jumped around on the net to check out various recipes and finally I decided to give it a whirl and come up with my own version of this favorite dessert. This was also really easy to make with simple ingredients you probably have already in your pantry.

All you need is the following...

3 cups of day old bread, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups of half & half

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup dark rum (optional)

whipped cream and chocolate syrup to top off your pudding

In small saucepan heat the half & half on medium heat just til it begins to boil. Remove from heat, add the chocolate to the pot and let melt. In the meantime place the eggs. vanilla, brown sugar and salt in a good sized bowl and beat til blended. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat.for about one minutes. Add the rum at this time if you are going with the "big girl" version of this recipe. Toss in the bread and make sure you coat it well with the chocolate mixture. Let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes. Don't worry  if it looks a bit soupy, this is what will give the bread a pudding like quality. 

Pour into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray or into ramekins for individual servings like I did. Place in oven preheated to 325 degrees and bake for 45 minutes.

Note...I did not change the cooking time using the individual ramekins versus putting it all in one baking dish. The original recipe made it in one dish with this cooking time.

 Serve warm or at room temp. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce drizzle.

Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!!!

XO

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Snippets of Inspiration

Double Feature

I am beyond thrilled today not one but two of my salad submissions from last week over at The Daily Dish Magazine's Foodie Friends Friday, party have been chosen a Hosts Favorites.

The salads they liked were my Limey Roasted Corn Salad...

...and my Caprese Tower Salad.

Thank you so very much ladies of  "The Dish" for the two very generous nods.

Hop on over to the Daily Dish Magazine to check out the other wonderful salads being featured this week! To get there just click here.

And have a great day!!!

XO

Edamame Crostinis with a Smokey Shrimp Topping

Let me start by saying...I LOVE EDAMAMES!
(I also like saying the word EDAMAMES too!)

Whew now that I got that out my system I can go on. Anyhow this recipe was originally done with fava beans still in their pods and the process was to grill the pods and then remove the beans. While I am sure the beans were as yummy as can be, I decided to go with edamames or soy beans, already shelled and found in my grocer's freezer section. I also made a few other changes to the original recipe due to my own personal taste and availability of ingredients.

The original recipe is over at one of my favorite food blogs Spoon Fork Bacon.

To make the smokey shrimp:

About 1/2 lb of raw shrimp, cleaned and shelled with tails still intact

2 T. liquid smoke (you can find this in the BBQ sauce section of your local grocer.)

1 T ground cumin

1 Tsp. Hungarian Paprika

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 cloves of crushed garlic

2 T extra virgin olive oil or EVOO

salt and pepper to taste

The Edamame Mixture:

12 oz. frozen shelled edamame beans, prepared according to package directions

5-7 cloves of garlic, roasted 

3 T. of toasted sliced almonds

1/3 cup of EVOO

juice of one lemon or 1/4 cup lemon juice from bottle

1/4 cup pf shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

And one large baguette, sliced thin and toasted either on the grill or in a hot oven. 

Start by adding all of the shrimp ingredients to a bowl and let marinate in the frig for at least 1/2 hour.

In the meantime add the edamame ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend. The consistency will depend on your preference. I personally like it a bit more on the creamy side so I adjust the recipe by adding a little more of the liquid ingredients. 

After shrimp is done marinating saute it a pan sprayed with cooking spray until they just turn pink. Don't overcook or your shrimp will be rubbery. Spread the edamame mixture onto toasted bread and top with the smokey shrimp.

I hope you enjoy them!!!

XO

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Fresh Caprese Tower Salad

A couple of summers ago I was down the shore just for the day with a good friend and my two kiddies. We decided to have lunch at this lovely restaurant called The Columns right across from the beach in the beautifully Victorian shore point known as Avon by the Sea NJ.. We went in bathing suit covers and all, but then again that is the attire of the sea shore! Anyway, we ordered up this appetizer called a Caprese Tower, and I have been wanting to recreate it since then.

Well this week the northeast is in a little bit of a heat wave, 90+ degrees to be exact, and because of this unusually warm weather I have begun dreaming about the summer's tomatoes and fresh basil. Fortunately our local Thriftway had a huge sale on vine ripened tomatoes this week, so I grabbed a few just to have for salads. Much to my surprise they weren't spongy at all...they quite beautiful, perfect for the Caprese Tower!  

All you need is a nice ripe tomato cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Do the same thing with a medium size ball of fresh mozzarella. Pour some olive oil on your serving plate and kind of roll the oil around. Then grab some large fresh basil leaves and begin to stack your tower on the olive oil covered plate. Start with the mozzarella and finish with a tomato slice with one basil leaf between the tomato and cheese. Top with a pretty sprig of basil. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I also added some balsamic vinegar to the plate so I could swirl each bite of my tower through both oil and vinegar.

 We decided to really enjoy our tower and sit outside with a little white wine to accompany this wonderful dish. Kids are outside playing...wow what a great beginning to the summer season!

Ciao!!!

XO

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This Chick Cooks

Mom's Favorite Picnic Chicken

OK...we are talking super easy and packed with flavor!!! Typically I use thighs and legs for this recipe but you can easily use breast meat too. Instead of dipping the chicken into egg and then coating it with bread crumbs, the chicken is first covered with a creamy salad dressing and then coated in crunchy Panko crumbs. The dressing actually helps to seal in the meat's juices so every piece is super moist. This chicken goes great with any summer salad, and is perfect for toting to any outdoor party!

6-8 pieces of chicken, skin removed, rinsed and patted dry

Any thick salad dressing like Ranch, Creamy Italian, Creamy Caeser and such

1 cup panko style bread crumbs

1/2 package of Good Season's Zesty Italian dry mix

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix dry dressing mix with the bread crumbs, then coat the chicken with the creamy dressing followed by dredging it in the Panko crumb mix. Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. It's that easy!!

Hope you enjoy!!

XO

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Being Featured Today Over at Fox News Magazine

(source)

Last week I was contacted by Fox News Magazine editor Michael Bartiromo asking if TheBigGiantFoodBasket would like to contribute a recipe to an upcoming article. 

Well you can just imagine my surprise and thrill! And as many bloggers do, I didn't want to jinx the whole thing by revealing anything until the article was up in print. The recipe they were interested in was my Limey Roasted Corn Salad. The article it is being highlighted in is titled...

 10 Salad Recipes for People Who Hate Lettuce

Don't you  just love the title? To see the other fabulous non lettuce recipes follow the link above. 

Gosh you never know who is out there reading your blog.

Wishing you a wonderful day!!!

XO 

Fresh Blueberry and Sweet Basil Salad Dressing

This is one of my favorite summertime dressings to make. You really do not need much more than some greens, toasted sliced almonds and a little blue cheese or Gorgonzola...toss and you have this fabulous healthy salad with such a unique and delicious flavor.

The dressing includes...

1/2 cup fresh blueberries 

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons water

half a medium shallot chopped

one tablespoon basil chopped

 1/4 cup of olive oil 

and a pinch of Kosher salt.

Blend all the dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender.

 Blueberries are loaded with the antioxidant polyphenol that neutralizes free radicals in the body which can cause cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's Disease. Blueberries are rich in vitamin C too. Olive oil in the dressing along with the almonds in the salad are also heart healthy foods. Almonds are rich in vitamin E and a good source of high quality protein. Almonds can help lower LDL and lipids (fat). Olive oil can help reduce cholesterol as well as the risk of certain cancers like breast, prostate, endometrial and cancers of the digestive track.

So eat up those brightly colored foods mother nature has generously provided for us, they are packed with nutrients which can ward of diseases and help keep our immunity in tack.

Enjoy!!!

XO

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A Favorite Italian Dish ~ Farfalle Estive

On Tuesday I had lunch with my sister and parents down in Lahaska Pennsylvania. The reason for us meeting for lunch was to say good bye to our parents because they were leaving the next day to go back home to Florida. (sad face) We met at one of my favorite Italian restaurants Villaggio,located across the street from beautiful Peddler's Village. So of course if I am eating in one of my favorite eating places then I must have a favorite dish there right? Well I do and it is Farfalle Estive. This dish is typically made with a pasta, assortment of vegetables, a protein like chicken or shellfish and this particular recipe it is tossed with a garlicky pesto. I wanted to copy Villaggio's interpretation of this entree, and this for the most part is what they use.

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned and grilled (I  grill mine on our Foreman Grill) and cut into 1 inch bite size pieces.

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 cups of fresh asparagus cut into one inch log pieces. (I really only use the thin asparagus, the thicker spears can be use to make soup.)

8 oz. baby portabella (bella) mushrooms chopped

1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes, cut jullienne style

One pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered

One 15.5 oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Pesto, about 7 ounces and blended with 1/3 cup olive oil (I used Buitoni Pesto with Basil.)

EVOO for sauteing 

Fresh basil to garnish

And of course farfalle pasta, about half a box (6 ounces of dry pasta).

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Then in a large deep sided pan or large pot, saute the garlic in the olive oil being sure not to burn the garlic, for about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and mushrooms and continue to saute until asparagus softens and mushrooms release their juices. Finally add the beans, meat and the tomatoes, blend with other ingredients, toss mixture with the pasta and pesto until everything is well coated with the pesto. If you need to you can add more EVOO and mix. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt. I also like to toss in some fresh basil to garnish and flavor the dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is sooo yummy and does go a long way. Serves about 6 good sized portions.

Ciao 4 now and have a great day!!!

XO

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Strawberry Balsamic & Cracked Black Pepper Jam

We are now getting into strawberry season and the price of these yummy little berries has really begun to drop. I snagged some at my local grocery store and decided to make this jam which packs a little bit of heat. I was inspired by the recipe I came across over at the beautiful blog Honey&Jam. 

First rinse and hull your berries and then chop them into smaller pieces.

Then in a smaller pot add...

5 cups of chopped strawberries 

3 1/2 cups of sugar 

1 - 2 (depending on how much heat you prefer) teaspoons of cracked black pepper 

6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar 

1 tablespoon butter 

I also use one packet of unsweetened fruit pectin

Heat ingredients in the pot until they begin to meld together. Simmer on the stove for about 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture becomes translucent and thickens.

In prepared jars, ladle hot jam into jars and then making sure the rims are clean, place the lid on top and screw on the ring.

Set jars aside and wait until you hear the "ping", this means your jars are sealed.

Once cooled you can enjoy the jam. Actually right after I shot these pictures I tried the jam with cream cheese...sooooo yummy! You can also spread the jam over the top of a block of cream cheese and use it as a spread with crackers.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

XO

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Skillet Peach Pie with a Cobbler topping

One of the things Michael and Grace have been bugging me to make is peach pie, but personally I have been a hankering for peach cobbler. So I thought why not combine the two recipe concepts, and while I am at it, why not bake the pie in a skillet which is a trend I have been seeing in all of the foodie magazines.

I began by making a simple crust using the old faithful single pie crust recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens "New Cookbook" circa 1988.

For the crust...

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup shortening

4 T. ice cold water

Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Add the shortening and blend it with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like it's formed into small peas. (This will mean that your shortening is evenly distributed through the flour.) Add the water to the flour mixture, form ball, and then roll it out on wax paper covered with flour. Make sure you handle the dough as little as possible, this will ensure a flaky crust. (Thank you for this tip Ms. Mannis, my junior high school Home Economics teacher!)

Roll out your dough and flip into a 8 inch skillet. I did prepare the skillet by spraying cooking spray to cover it.

(Or if you prefer, you could use a frozen pie crust)

Next is to make the filling...

For the pie filling I used about 3 1/2 lbs. of peeled and sliced fresh peaches. They were tossed with 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg along with 1/2 cup of both sugar and flour and a T of lemon juice.

Pour the peaches and their juices into the prepared crust.

For the topping...

I blended with a pastry blender: 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp. of both cinnamon and nutmeg and a 1/4 cup butter. I then dropped the topping over the peaches to cover.

The pie was baked in an oven preheated to 425 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until the topping was golden and the peaches were bubbling through the top.

Remove from oven and allow pie to cool slightly before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping!

And enjoy!!!

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