Chocolate Lover's Nutella and Chocolate Stuffed Croissants

My husband is a chocoholic.  Seriously.  I think if he had a choice between a steak and a chunk of milk chocolate, he'd go for the chocolate nine times out of ten.

I'm starting to think this chocoholic tendency may be genetic.  I've watched my husband polish off a pan of brownies covered in fudge icing in mere minutes!  My mother in law said she used to do the same thing!  You might say this is a learned behavior, but Kyle doesn't eat like that in front of Laela.  He waits until she's asleep (he says it's because he agrees with me not wanting her to eat junk, but I think it's just because he doesn't want to share!)

The only thing that I have always given in on with Laela are chocolate croissants.  It all started at Cake, my all time favorite brunch spot in Philly.  Kyle would order these huge breakfasts with eggs and bacon and potatoes, but he simply couldn't leave there without a chocolate filled croissant.

Once Laela got big enough for solids, and started stealing from our plates, she got wise to the chocolate croissant.  My Mom and Kyle used to give her little bites, with only a little chocolate, and eventually, she was snatching big hunks of chocolate filled croissant from everyone's plates!  Needless to say, if my child so much as smells chocolate, she'll hunt it down.  (Thankfully we don't have it in the house very often!  Otherwise I'd be worried we have a problem!!)

Since Laela asked for a treat for breakfast the other day (and come on, she spelled pumpkin with her leapster! so she deserved an awesome reward!!), I decided to surprise my very sleepy husband with his and Laela's favorite breakfast/dessert!!

Don't be afraid guys, this is one of the most simple, seemingly fancy breakfast treats you'll make in your entire life!

Chocolate Stuffed Croissants
makes 6 small croissants

You'll need:

• 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
• Nutella
• 2oz dark chocolate
• 1 egg
• 1Tb cocoa powder (optional)
• Flour (just enough to dust your rolling pin and counter)

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut your puff pastry into three sections (it should already be indented into three sections, so this should be pretty easy to do- just break or cut along the indented lines on th pastry).
• Dust your counter and rolling pin with flour.
• Roll each strip of puff pastry until it's almost doubled in width.  You don't want it too thin.  If it seems thick to you, it's okay.
• Cut each rolled section into 2 triangles.
• Spread a teaspoon or so of Nutella into each triangle.  Try not to spread it to the edges.
• Shave or cut some chocolate.  Sprinkle some on top of the Nutella.
• Roll your pastry from the big end to the little end.  It should look like a tiny croissant (it will puff up in the oven.)  Don't worry about it looking perfect.  It'll taste delicious!
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Place all of the croissants on the baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, beat your egg with a bit of water. (This is called an egg wash.  It makes pastries that yummy golden color.)
• Using a pastry brush, or a clean paint brush, dip your brush into the egg wash and paint each croissant.  Make sure to paint the entire top of the croissant so that it gets a beautiful golden brown and delectably crispy when you bake it.
• Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the croissants are golden brown and puffy.
• For an added touch, sprinkle with a dusting of cocoa powder!

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Over the last few months, I've dared to get dangerous in the food store.  I let Laela use one of those little kid carts in the produce section at Whole Foods.  She gets to fill it with whatever she wants, and then we go home and try to figure out what to do with it.

Last week, Laela grabbed a butternut squash, something, I'm almost embarrassed to admit, I've never made.  I think it's delicious, but I usually ate it out or at friend's houses.  I tried looking up a few recipes, but I seemed to be missing an ingredient, or three, so I decided to just wing it.  The result?  A soup so deliciously simple and flavor packed, that it almost defies reason.

Butternut Squash Soup
You'll need:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used homemade that had been cooked with lemon, sage, garlic, and rosemary)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 good shake of onion powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1Tb butter
• An immersion or regular blender.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, and have $20 to spare, go out and get one.  It will really make your cooking life easier- and less messy!!)

Instructions:

• Put a large saucepan on medium heat.  Add the chicken broth, garlic, butter, onion powder, salt and pepper to the pot.
• Peel off all of the skin of the squash.  The skin is a little difficult to peel, and the squash is an awkward size, so I used a knife to peel and cut off the ends.  Just be sure not to cut too deeply, or you'll take away the "meat" of the squash.
• Cut the squash into cubes.
• Steam your squash cubes using either a steamer, or a pot with a steamer insert.
• When the squash falls apart on your fork, it's ready to be added to the pot of hot broth.
• Cook for 5-10 minutes. 
• Blend together.  Taste to adjust seasoning. 
• Serve and enjoy!!

Laela LOVED this soup.  We toasted some whole wheat baguettes and dipped them in our yummy soup.

*This will store in the fridge for a week, the freezer for 3-6 months.
*Roasted red peppers are a fantastic garnish for this!

I know that it might sound crazy to let my child loose in the produce department, but I really think it's teaching her to be curious and open to healthy foods.  I have a little girl who cheers "Banana!  Banana!" in the checkout line, and that's something I'll take any day of the week over those kids flipping out over wanting candy.  Give it a go.  Let your kid have a food-venture with you!  You never know what you will come up with!

Crock Pot Chicken

I've been craving some chicken with salsa, so I decided to "food-speriment"  I put two large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot on low, with some black beans(as much as you like), chunky tomato salsa (about a half a jar-4-5 oz or so), kidney beans (as much as you like), and a half cup of chicken broth.  I served it with some basmati rice with a bit of shredded cheese, and wala!  Dinner was ready!

Super delicious!  Try it!

**Optional:  You can "pull the the chicken" and put the chicken with salsa and beans in taco shells/tortillas.  It's also great served with tortilla chips.

A Simple Brisket

I don't know about you, but pulled meats are one of my most favorite things ever- pulled pork, brisket that you don't even need to pull because it's been cooked low and slow, pulled chicken, there's something about that shredded goodness that just makes me happy.  I think the main reason I love it so much is because it is just so stinking easy.

In keeping with my crock pot recipes that I've promised, here's the easiest (and I do mean easiest) brisket recipe you will ever make.  Yes, I said ever, and I totally mean, wholeheartedly, that a blind man with one hand could make this dinner.

Crock Pot Brisket
You'll need:

• 2 lb Brisket (Don't trim the fat, it keeps it super juicy.  Remove the fat with a slotted spoon when it's done cooking.)
•  Beef Broth-3 cups, or just enough to cover the brisket (or water with beef boullion cubes, whatever you have on hand)
• 2Tb garlic powder
• 2Tb onion powder
• 2Tb ground black pepper
• 3Tb salt (I used sea salt, and added more to taste)
• 1Tb ground coffee
• 1Tb brown sugar
• 1tsp paprika
• 3 leaves of sage, finely chopped

Instructions:

Put all of the ingredients in the crock pot.   Set the crock pot to the lowest setting. Cook either overnight, or start it in the morning and enjoy for dinner that day! 

**This freezes really well.  Put in tupperware and pop it in the freezer.  It'll be good for about three months, depending on how cold your freezer is (if you have a deep freeze it can last longer!)

Pulled Pork

We learned pretty quickly that barbecue is a religion in South Carolina.  South Canrolina's barbecue is mustard based (and if it's done right it is crazy delicious!), so if you have the opportunity to try it, definitely give it a go!

My pulled pork recipe is delicious with any kind of barbecue sauce, so use whatever kind you like best! 

Fair warning, pulled pork enthusiasts that love their pork smoked and made with care, this is a lazy person's recipe.  So if you love pulled pork like we do (my little girl always exclaims "Num Num Mommy!", this recipe is for you!


Pulled Pork

You'll need:

• 2-3 lb pork butt (I prefer bone in- it packs more flavor!)
• 6-8 oz barbecue sauce (depending on how barbecue packed you'd like your pork to be)
• 2 cups water

Instructions:

Set the crock pot to low heat.  Combine ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook for 8 hours (or however long your crock pot setting for low is set for- ours is set to a timer, and clicks off after 8 hours when we cook on low, 5 hours on medium, and 2 hours on high.) 

When the pork is done, use two forks to "pull" the pork. It should pull rather easily (use one fork to hold the pork in place, use another one to pull or shred the pork with your fork.)  You can take the pork out and do this on a cutting board if you like.  Personally, I like to do it in the crock pot so that I don't make more dirty dishes than necessary, and I like that it soaks up even more juice as you pull the pork!

Enjoy!!

**This is another super easy to freeze dinner.  As with the brisket, it should freeze in a conventional freezer for about 3 months.