Happy Damn Valentine's Day

Damn??!! How could I possible use damn in the same sentence as Valentine's Day. Ugh. If you have no sweetheart, Valentine's Day blows. No roses, no chocolates, no champagne, no snuggling. Yeah, I just love Valentine's Day.

So I decided to give myself some chocolate today. Me & BS that is. And to satisfy one of my faithful readers, I am doing this COOKING POST. I chopped & sliced & stirred. I made chili & brownies. The end.........................



Oh okay. I'm supposed to elaborate a bit. First thing, I have been told that I cannot call the stuff I make 'chili'. Chili purists would recoil in horror to see some of the things that I put in it, so I'll call it 'stew' instead. I took your basic chili recipe with meat, onion, garlic, chili powder, and liquidy tomato products. Then I defiled it by putting in stuff that no self-respecting bowl of 'real' chili should have - diced sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cumin, corn, BEANS, a bit of chocolate, and chipotle chiles. Serve with sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, cheese, and a little more cheese (and for BS - hot sauce on the side).

I like the sweetness of the sweet potato with the spiciness of the other stuff. The chipotles lend some heat with a hint of smokiness, and the bit of chocolate & cinnamon add a depth of flavor that ordinary chili can't live up to, kind of like a brown mole sauce. It's goooood.

For dessert, I gave us chocolate. Lots of chocolate in the form of brownies with drizzle.

Drizzle is the term coined by one of my best friends when I made some ganache to drizzle over her birthday brownies. Now BS demands drizzle whenever I make brownies. And speaking of brownies, I don't understand brownie mixes with their chemical-y flavor. It only takes a few minutes to mix up a pan of brownies. Why would anyone use a mix? They are so simple: butter, chocolate, eggs. sugar & flour. That's it. Nirvana.

Making the ganache is ridiculously easy as well. Heat cream & add semi-sweet chocolate chips. Although, when you first add the chips (letting it sit a minute to melt the chocolate) and start stirring, you will think you have surely ruined it. Look...

Looks clumpy & gross. But keep stirring, mes amis, and the magic happens.

Silky, smooth, gloosy. Wait, that's not right. That should be glossy. Drizzle a little on your dense & rich brownie and who needs a stinkin' sweetheart?

So here is your obligatory Valentine's Day greeting:

http://images.zwani.com/graphics/antivalentines_day/images/90slapcupid.jpg

Excuse me now while I kick BS off the couch (lovingly, of course). He has fallen asleep and started to snore.