Full Moon Frolics

Full moon frolic gear. Just add adventurous people, and take away daylight.

We have the confluence of two great things coming up: a full moon and St. Patricks Day. You know what that means? Night frolicking! With yet another wallop of fresh snow on the ground this is prime time to break out snowshoes, cross country skis or crampons and gather some friends for a soiree.

Now, with St. Pattys Day in the mix, you’re going to want some adult refreshments on hand. The key is to find hot base beverages and bring flasks of the hard stuff to add. This takes out the guesswork of how much to make, and avoids the potentially disastrous circumstance of a young’n swigging Irish coffee instead of hot cocoa.

And by the way, kids have to be involved. There is no way you’re leaving them home with a sitter for this fun. Oh, and “It’s too cold!” is so not an option. If you hear any of that, take control and lead. Be the one to start a tradition of getting out on full moon nights, no matter how cold it is. Trust me–you’ll warm right up. Being out in a winter full moon is transformative, so grab the headlamps and Thermoses and get out there!

Base mixers:

Keep it simple: Hot cider, hot cocoa, hot tea with honey (because its the right thing to do) and a can or two of whipped cream.

Firewater of choice:

Dark Rum, Maple liqueur (like sugar maple or sapling), tequila, peppermint schnapps (for rookies), Kahlua, Aquavit, that scary bottle of clear stuff that simply says “2002” on the cap.

Mixing it up:

Cocoa and coffee will happily accommodate whatever you toss in there. Try hibiscus tea with tequila; earthy or spicy tea with dark rum; mint and citrusy tea with anything. These are not even guidelines. As ever, be creative and go with what you’ve got. Here are a few combos you might want to try, if only because we went to the trouble of naming them. All can be enjoyed without whipped cream, but c’mon–it’s a full moon, you’re with friends, and doggone it you deserve every bit of this!

Sappy Cocoa: Cocoa with maple liqueur

Tipsy Tree Tea: Tea and maple liqueur

Vermontish Coffee: Coffee and maple liqueur with whipped cream

Hot Amigo: Cider and tequila with whipped cream

Hot Johnny: Cider and dark rum

Oaxaca Hot Chocolate: Cocoa, tequila cinnamon, whipped cream

Arlberg Heisse Schokolade: Cocoa, dark rum,whipped cream

Arlberg Tee mit Rum: (for when they run out of cocoa): Tea and dark rum

Cafe Ole: Coffee, Tequila, Kahlua, whipped cream

And then, because you need something straight up and green…

Puck o the Irish: Equal parts apple pucker liqueur and vodka (potato vodka for traditionalists). Pour it over fresh snow and make it a Frozen Pucker.

Puck of the Irish and its evil twin, the Frozen Pucker. Shot glass acquired from one of Austria’s finest apres ski establishments.

Pain Perdu…ooh la la!

Pain perdu with warm maple syrup. Perfect for after Round 1 of shoveling.

OK, some kids out there have been making a lot of snow ghost pies, because this winter thing is not slowing down! As we head into snow day #2 of the week, I feel it necessary to post one more cozy breakfast food, just because. Yes, this has been a very carb-heavy spell on Bring It, and I promise, the green is coming. But for now we still need some comfort food to get us over the snowbank and into spring.

So, voila! Here is another episode of overnight breakfast brilliance (with a fancy French name at no extra charge.) This came from Gourmet circa 2003. Imagine yourself at a friend’s house for a weekend. Big dinner Saturday night. As you are cleaning up afterwards, finishing a glass of wine, take one of the dishes you have just washed and instead of putting it away, butter it (with the nice soft butter that’s lying around), lay the uneaten baguette slices in it, and whip up the super easy custard to pour over it. Then stash the whole thing in the fridge. Nobody even noticed what you were doing and the next morning, Ta da! Pain perdu. AKA baked French toast for those of us on this side of the pond.

If you are not at a friend’s house having a big dinner party you can still whip this up and be a hero in your own home. Use whatever bread you have (you know, love the one you’re with), and don’t be afraid to use the rest of that Maple Oat Breakfast Bread for a double shot of maple.

Pain Perdu

Ingredients

1 – 13 to 14 inch long loaf of soft-crust supermarket Italian bread (without seeds)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) softened unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
Handful of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Method

Cut 12 1-inch thick diagonal slices from bread (don’t use ends).

Butter 1 side of each slice and arrange slices, buttered sides up, in 1 layer in a buttered 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish, squeezing them in slightly to fit.

Whisk together eggs, milk and 1/4 tsp. salt until combined well, then pour evenly over bread.

Chill, covered until bread has absorbed all of custard – at least one hour and up to 1 day, depending on bread.

In the morning: Take pan out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sprinkle bread with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle on chopped nuts, if using.

Bake, uncovered in middle of oven until bread is puffed, and top is golden – about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately with topping and syrup of choice (as long as it involves real maple).

A breakfast puzzle? Main non! C’est pain perdu. This batch was made with maple oat breakfast bread.

Mexican Lasagna

Crowd pleasing for sure!

I love Mexican food! Well, everything except for the Chimichanga – why you’d fry all that wonderful food is a mystery to me. But other than that, Mexican is way at the top of my list. This recipe for Mexican lasagna is great and super easy. Tortillas replace the normal lasagna noodle, salsa replaces the normal red sauce, and jack cheese replaces the normal mozzarella. You can add anything from ground beef to lots of veggies (that’s me!) to many different kind of Tex Mex sides….think black beans, corn, chili peppers, and lots of cilantro. Plus you can make this to bring anywhere. Don’t forget to bring a small bottle of hot sauce for those that want to ramp up the spice. I eat this lasagna with a bottle of chipotle Cholula hot sauce in one hand and a fork in the other. Bueno!

Ingredients

1 cup fresh cilantro
4 scalllions, coarsely chopped
10 oz fresh baby spinach
8 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cup of your favorite salsa (Green Mountain Gringo Medium is the only kind I buy!)
2 cups pepper jack cheese

Method

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) Coat bottom of baking pan with oil or cooking spray.

3) Spread 1/2 cup of salsa on the bottom of the pan and cover with tortillas (they will overlap).

4) Layer with cilantro, scallions, spinach, beans, cheese, salsa. Try to divide the fillings so that you have enough for 2 layers plus some cheese to sprinkle on top. Once you’ve put down one layer, start your second layer with tortillas and then add the fillings. End with cheese on top.

5) Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes; remove foil and continue baking until golden 15-20 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving if your crowd can wait!

Maple Oat Breakfast Bread

This recipe had me at maple. I’m a simple person really. But maple syrup, oats and melted butter all cozied up into a crusty loaf of bread (that requires minimal effort and even less skill to make) would win over even the most complex of characters. There is no more appropriate time to celebrate maple syrup than on Vermont Town Meeting Day, the traditional time to tap one’s maple trees. It also happens to be when everyone needs a little comfort food to push through the final sub-zero throes of winter.

This comes from the “no knead” family of bread recipes, which, as you can imagine, is the only bread family in my recipe box. The no knead process is very easy but does require a few things, namely time (not work time, just hang time for the dough), a heavy duty cooking crock and a really hot oven. The perfect scenario is to take 5 minutes and mix all the ingredients at night then bake up a fresh loaf in the morning. Second to that is mixing the dough in the morning and baking it up for dinner. Either way, you’ll have plenty of time to get out there to the town hall and vote on wind farms, beaver dams and moose quotas.

Recipe tweaked from King Arthur Flour via Food52

Makes 1 large loaf

Ingredients

5 cups all-purpose flour (you can replace a couple cups with whole wheat if you wish)
11/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)
1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 1/4 cups room temperature water

Method

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir well until it becomes a tacky, messy dough. (You can also use your hands to work everything together.)

2. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature) until poofed and bubbly, 8 hours or overnight.

3. Gently scrape the dough out onto a well floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Place the loaf on a well floured towel and allow to sit for an hour.

4. In the meantime preheat your oven to 450F with a 10-inch (about 8-quart) Dutch oven or baking crock with lid in it. When the dough is ready and the oven is hot, turn the dough off of the towel into the hot Dutch oven and cover with the lid. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake until the crust is deep brown, another 15-30 minutes.

5. Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pot and allow to cool completely before slicing.

A fine lunch on a sunny late winter day.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed and ready to eat!

I’ve never made stuffed peppers. It seemed like something my family would have no interest in. Then we went to a friend’s house for dinner recently and he made stuffed peppers. Well, you would have thought I was holding out on my family for all these years! When they tasted the stuffed peppers, they turned to me and said, “Why don’t you ever make these”? And so, this recipe immediately went on the list of things to make and bring anywhere! I now make stuffed peppers, stuffed zucchini, stuffed acorn squash and anything else I can stuff on a regular basis. I use brown rice, cous cous, quinoa (as in this recipe) and I mix it up with meat and veggie so everyone is happy. My family and friends love them and what a great way to add another vegetable to the meal. Plus, how easy is this recipe?

Ingredients

4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
4 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp garam masala
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 15 oz can chick peas
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
Grated sharp cheese (optional)

Method

1) Cut peppers in half lengthwise by cutting right through the top of the pepper and the stem. Scoop out seeds and inner membrane from pepper but leave the stem (this will help hold the pepper together when you stuff it).
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place halved peppers cut side down on a large baking sheet. Cover with foil, and bake 25 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften.
3) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onions and carrots for 5-7 minutes. Add curry powder, garam masala, and ginger and cook 1 minute. Stir in chick peas and cooked quinoa until they are warm. Mix in raisins and peanuts if using.
4) Fill each pepper half with 3/4 cup quinoa mixture. Top with cheese if using. Re-cover and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes until cheese or top starts to brown.

Massaged Kale Salad

I’ve been holding out on you. Not on purpose of course. But somehow, in all this time of being with each other, I still have not shared my absolute favorite, go-to, eat-your-greens-and-feel-like-Popeye kale salad. Massaging may seem like an excessive step to take with your kale (I mean really, is it that deserving?), but trust me—it is a worthwhile technique to have in your repertoire.

This recipe calls just for salt in the massaging process. Other recipes call for olive oil alone or with lemon juice or with the entire dressing. Hey, you’re massaging your kale–it’s not going to complain. Massaging makes raw kale way more friendly, and with a batch of massaged kale at the ready, your options for creating quick, delicious, deconstructed meals soar.

As with other recipes, this is more about technique than hard and fast ingredients and proportions. Live loud and large—mix that kale with something crunchy, something creamy and something sweet and the rest will take care of itself.

Before my cousin Danielle beats me to the punch, I urge those of you who dabble in organic produce to buy organic kale. Danielle, the ultimate caregiver (and least righteous mostly Vegan I know) reminds us that kale is among the “Dirty dozen” of produce items that pack the nastiest pesticide punch. Thanks Little Dan, for always having our backs! (and forgive me for all the gratuitous bacon talk.)

Without further ado I give you:

Massaged Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (I use curly because that’s what we get)
1 t salt
1/4 medium-small red onion, thinly sliced or diced
1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds or nuts of choice
1/3 cup raisins, currants or dried fruit of choice
1/2 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Soak kale in water to loosen any dirt. Wash individual leaves as you de-stem them (pull leaf away from thickest parts of stem). Shake dry. Chiffonade leaves (stack, roll and slice into thin ribbons) and put in a large bowl. (Edie’s note: Chiffonade if you must, but tearing the kale in pieces works just fine and sort of makes me feel like a Tuscan). Sprinkle salt over kale and, using hands, massage kale for 3-4 minutes. After about a minute you’ll notice a big difference in the leaves – they’ll start to soften and turn a dark green almost as though you were steaming them. When done, drain off any liquid that collects on bottom of bowl (may or may not happen) and set kale aside.

If you are starting with raw nuts…Heat a small sauce pan, toss in whole nuts and toast until nuts start to brown slightly. Shake pan on occasion to brown nuts evenly and to keep from burning them. Walnuts, pecans, filberts or even sunflower seeds are great in this salad too. Remove nuts from pan and give them a rough chop on your cutting board. Add nuts to bowl of kale.

Add diced avocado, onions and raisins to bowl (again, raisins, currants, your fave dried fruit in raisin-sized pieces or whatever you have on hand). Pour olive oil and apple cider vinegar evenly over bowl of goodness, then toss until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Kale salad, post massage, fully dressed.

Bring It

One of the many beauties of kale is its indestructibility (if that’s a word). You can bring this anywhere in anything, store it wherever and it will not suffer. I have transported it in everything from ziploc bags to salad bowls to recycled takeout containers and it has survived in backpacks for hours before being enjoyed for lunch or apres ski.

Winter Fruit Salad

Enjoy this refreshing winter fruit salad après ski?

Yes, technically it is winter. Yes, our kids are finishing up with winter break. Yes, I’m still trying to ski. However, the almost 50 degree weather this past weekend and the sun-baked snow made it feel like spring. And so I bring you what I call winter fruit salad in what I call “winter”. Alas, it is New England, and so I take whatever weather comes my way – which this week means back to single digit temperatures and more snow. It also means, I bring to you this yummy fruit salad to brighten your days as you plug along through the remainder of this wonderful season. Besides anyone can make a fruit salad in the summer. Try making one in February – not exactly high fruit season! This fruit salad is tropical, spicy, and light. It is great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, and of course, to you can BRING IT anywhere. Enjoy!

I got this recipe from a great magazine – Cook’s Illustrated. I’ve gotten this magazine for years and I love it. It has really taught me how to cook. Each recipe goes through the trials and tribulations faced by the person creating the recipe. By reading the techniques of what to do and what not to do, I have learned a lot (like do not add herbs to this fruit salad unless you want to move into the salsa territory). I wish I went to some famous culinary institute to learn to cook, but for now, this type of learning will have to do.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp grated lime zest plus 3 Tbsp juice (approx. 2 limes)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Pinch salt
12 oz. jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
2 oranges
2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

Method

1) Bring sugar, lime zest, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat, stir in jicama, and let syrup cool for 20 minutes

2) Meanwhile, cut away peel and pith from oranges. Slice into 1/2 inch rounds, then cut rounds into 1/2 inch pieces. Place oranges and mangos in a large bowl.

3) When syrup with jicama is cool, pour over oranges and mangos and toss to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving.

A Real Belgian’s Waffle

Ooh La La! A plate full of waffle happiness.

Full disclosure. My grandfather was full-on Belgian. In fact my maiden name, Thys, is like Smith or Jones in the Antwerp phone book. Nonetheless, it’s fair to say the Belgians deserve huge thanks from all of us on this side of the pond for their addictive culinary contributions. No, not eels in green sauce (they still haunt me)—I’m talking about chocolate, beer, fries and of course, the almighty Belgian waffle.

This recipe comes from Sophie, a fellow ski racer parent (and genuine Belgian) who kindly shared her cherished family recipe for “Gauffres Quatre-Quart” AKA Belgian waffles. “My aunt used to make them by the dozens, to be shared with everyone,” Sophie recalls. “We loved when she would stop by!” Sophie humbly claims her waffles aren’t quite the same as her aunt’s, but her family eats them for breakfast, snack and basically anytime. “They are favorites at bake sales, and perfect for thank you gifts! We keep them in a box for a few days—they might dry out a bit, but are still delicious.”

All of the above makes them Bring It all-stars. Sophie thinks any kind of waffle maker would work except, ironically, the very large Brussels waffle makers.

Edie’s note: The original recipe is by weight. Approximate cup measurements are my addition, which worked perfectly when I halved the recipe and used four eggs.

Sophie’s Gauffres Quatre-Quart

Makes about 20-24 mid-sized waffles, or 12-15 large ones

Ingredients

1 pound salted butter. If using unsalted, I would add some salt
1 pound sugar, or a little less (2 cups)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 pound flour (4 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
7 or 8 eggs, depending on their size

Method

Melt the butter.
Beat the eggs until blended (or foamy if you are ambitious)
Add the sugar and vanilla. Blend in.
Add the melted butter. Blend in.
Add the flour and baking powder, about 1/4 pound at a time.
Let it rest for a few minutes while you warm up your waffle maker. The consistency should be thick on a spoon.

I scoop the mixture with a wooden spoon and place the equivalent of a large egg on the grid. Of course you can put more or less to make different size waffles. I cook each waffle for about 3 minutes until golden. The longer they stay, the crunchier/harder they get. Let it cool down on a rack— that is if you have the patience. We always eat the first one warm.

Et voila!

Sugar? Syrup? Ice cream? Bacon? It’s all good!

More note from a quasi Belgian: These waffles are substantial and structurally sound. They can stand up to strawberries and whipped cream, Nutellla, peanut butter and bacon or whatever you care to put on them. The best part is that they turned out great on my first try with no tweaking, babysitting or special handling.

Touché, Waffle Huts!

Farro Risotto with Asparagus and Tofu

Grainy goodness with faro, mushrooms, asparagus, and tofu

Before I get into this recipe, let me first say, I’m happy to be back! I was away with work and family travel for a few weeks and, oh how I missed my food blog and foodie friends. I thought about the posts I would do when I got back, so get ready, because I have lots of ideas. Also, a big thank you to my blog partner Edie for keeping the posts coming while I was away!

Next, let’s get started with this delicious vegetarian, über grainy recipe. If you haven’t tried farro, it is a great grain to add to your repertoire with one caveat, it takes a while to cook. It’s not the easy-peasy quinoa that you throw in a pot of water and it’s cooked before you even have time to grab a fork or a spoon. This requires a little more time and effort, so plan ahead.

Next, it is grainy. Did I mention that already? Well, it’s worth re-iterating. I kept thinking it wasn’t cooked, but in the end I realized, it is just chewy. You won’t have to try to eat this meal slow because there is no other choice! I love it and I think you will too. I added asparagus, dried mushrooms, and of course, cubed tofu (which I seem to add to just about everything!), but you can add whatever you like.

Ingredients

1 oz. dried mushrooms (any kind will do)
1 lb. asparagus
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 cups vegetable stock (you can use the water left over from soaking the mushrooms as part of this vegetable stock, plus a vegetable stock – see below)
1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. variety of mushrooms (shiitake, chanterelle, crimini, oyster, porcini), sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Place dried mushrooms in medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and coarsely chop. Use mushroom water as part of vegetable stock if desired.

Toss asparagus in 2 Tbsp olive oil on baking sheet and roast in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring half way through. Cut stalks into thirds and set aside to add to farro later.

Sauté cubed tofu in a little olive oil with the smallest dash of cayenne pepper. Set aside to add to farro later (you can totally skip the tofu if this adds too much work).

Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Keep stock warm over low heat.

Heat remaining olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add farro and onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add all mushrooms (rehydrated and fresh). Cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine and thyme and cook until liquid almost evaporates.

Add 1/2 cup broth to farro mixture; cook over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes or until the liquid is almost absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time until liquid is almost absorbed each time, stirring occasionally. This will take about 50 minutes so you are definitely committed for the long haul, but as stated above, it is worth it.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once farro is cooked, add in asparagus, cubed tofu, and top with fresh parsley and cheese.

Cooked and ready to CHEW!

Prep for adding later

Pre-cooked Farro sautéing in oil

Love and Lagunitas

How do we feel about Lagunitas? Here’s a clue!

In honor of Valentine’s Day and the Olympics, we want to give a gold medal shout out to a really cool sport and the really cool company that helps keep them flying. The sport is ski jumping. This year ski jumping is especially exciting because for the first time ever (a mere 90 years after the men started), women ski jumpers are allowed to compete in the Olympics.

In Europe top ski jumpers have rock star status. In this country ski jumpers are rarely featured between Olympics. The sport struggles to find funding for the training needed to fly, oh, a football field plus, nearly straight downhill. That’s where Lagunitas, a groovy craft beer company from Northern California, comes in. As sponsor of the US Ski Jumping Team Lagunitas has become more like family than funder. Since they are in Sochi, cheering on the team, we figure we can do our part by cheering from home, while drinking Lagunitas of course. Today happens to be a snow day here, and a Friday, and Valentine’s Day, and the day the men take to the “large” (read crazy) hill, so it seems like a good time to start.

Let’s be real. Valentine’s Day can be amateur night, sort of like New Years Eve, with a lot of undeliverable hype and expectation. What we need are options that maximize togetherness and minimize contrived, awkward and complicated situations.

Here’s a low investment/high return plan. Grab a six pack of the good stuff (might we suggest Lagunitas, which happens to be extra strength) and anything that looks good for dipping. This can be pretzels, apples, dried fruit, veggies, nuts, crackers, bread, cookies—really anything that you like at the store or have on hand. At home, open one of the beers. Make a super easy beer and cheese sauce. While that is warming up make an even easier chocolate dipping sauce.

At your final destination, or when your guest arrives, assemble the remaining five beers into Olympic ring formation. Get psyched. Arrange dips and dippers in easy reach. Turn on TV. Get cozy on the couch and let the Games—whatever they may be—begin.

Take a cold one for the team!

I Love You More Than Beer (and cheese) Sauce

From the “The Beeroness” (Don’t you just love her sight unseen?)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter, softened (or melted
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup beer (use Lagunitas IPA for highest score from judges)
2 cup shredded Cheddar and/or Gouda, do not use pre shredded
1 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper, paprika optional (and tasty).

Method

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Process on high until very well blended, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer contents to a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk rapidly and continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Go ahead and get cheesy. It’s all good.

Dip it Good Chocolate Sauce

From Joy the Baker

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (ore more)
scant 1 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional)

Method

Place chocolate chunks, pinch of salt, and espresso powder (if using) in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate pieces. Let rest for 1 minute before whisking. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted. They say to serve it warm but it’s good at any temp. This sauce is pretty thin, so it also pours easily over fruit and ice cream.

Chocolate dip fantasia. Of course, cookies and ice cream work too.

Note: The potential for extra points abounds here. You can make your own Easiest French Bread Ever to bring to the party, add a round of Snowchis to the mix, or whip up some Cholliesauce for more dipping pleasure. And of course, nobody’s going to object to that box of chocolates that was Plan A!