I am a chocoholic. I really love chocolate, in all its forms. I tell people that it is because I am a woman, and it's a chemical attraction, but the plain fact is, chocolate tastes so good that I can not resist it.
I am not alone in this, and this month I offer a few special end of summer chocolate treats for you other chocolate lovers out there.
First, let me say a word about chocolate. It was first discovered in the Aztec culture by the Spanish Conquistadores. The Aztecs called it "Chocolatl" and believed that it had special powers. I think that they were right. Anyway, they drank it hot and unsweetened every morning, and it must have been bitter enough to curl their teeth. They were a tough crew, those Aztecs.
It took Europeans to add milk and sugar, and produce the product that we love today.
Once very expensive and difficult to obtain, chocolate is now readily available and affordable on the shelves of every food market in this country, and many others around the world. We can have our smooth and sweet velvet comfort food whenever we want it.
For those unhappy folks out there who are allergic to chocolate, or cannot eat it for medical treasons, I suggest that you substitute an equal volume on butterscotch morsels for the chocolate in each recipe, or experiment with fruit jams. For those of you who don't use eggs, and we are among you at our house, Mom being allergic, and both of us watching cholesterol, use egg substitutes. For lactose sensitive diets, use Lactaid instead of milk.
This month I offer you:
