Friday, May 05, 2006

So naughty, but oh so good...

Yesterday I gave a peek at some Mexican Chocolate that I used to bake up something. Jeff asked for something he could take in for Cinco De Mayo - the recipe may not be really traditional, but it worked for us!

Mexican Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars contains the chocolate in the base crust and also in the filling. Mexican chocolate is sweet, dark, has a hint of cinnamon and is a bit grainy from visible sugar crystals. These bars start with a dense crust made in the food processor of chopped toasted pecans, chopped mexican chocolate, and fresh white bread that is held together by melted butter. The thick filling of this exceptionally rich bar contains more chopped toasted pecans, robost dark corn syrup, sweet dark brown sugar and small chunks of bittersweet chocolate. A tiny amount of flour, some eggs and the rest of the sinful melted butter keep everything bound together.

These bars cut remarkably cleanly - I was a little nervous because I thought I may have overcooked them, but as I pulled them apart, I was very happy with the result. I don't think I would make these unless I was taking them to a party or if there would be plenty of people to share them with... I have very strong willpower when it comes to food, but the alluring smell that comes from these bars alone had my mouth salivating for a taste.

I felt like we needed to go easy and have a clean healthy dinner tonight, so I made Creamy Spinach Lasagna. Nutty whole wheat lasagna noodles are layered with marinara, smooth mozzarella cheese and a thick white sauce mixed with caramelized onions, garlic and spinach. This is definitly a dish you will want to set plently of prep time aside because there are a few steps to bring this together. I layered this earlier in the day and let sit in the refrigerator until I started to heat the oven. The lasagna has a noticeably fresh taste and is considerably filling as a main dish. We thoroughly enjoyed this fine meat-free dish.


11 comments:

  1. omg !!! both recipes sound delicious ... I now know what to fix on monday (8th of may is off in France)... thanks for the "suggestion" :)

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  2. Oh my stinking GOSH! I am going to have to order some more Green Valley, AZ pecans and make this. WOW!

    P.S. There aren't any better pecans to be had anywhere than Green Valley Pecans!

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  3. Yumm, both recipes look delicious!!
    I can just imagine the smell you got in the house when your bars were baking... nothing smells better than baked goods, especially when there is chocolate and cinnamon involved!
    And the lasagna... I love spinach and this seems great!
    Ana

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  4. I am thinking about making this lasagne for dinner tomorrow. did you uses homemade marinara sauce or dud you make it from scratch?

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  5. Joe, this is so funny... I just used this recipe for my post today... Erika (mrswaz) asked me if I was spying on you!

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  6. oh my goodness ! I had seen a mexican cake once and had sworn to bake it one day...
    This day has arrived !and you are going to be my muse ;o)
    Thank you very much

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  7. Sab - Let me know what you think!

    Cameradawktor - I know what your talking about! We drove past their farms not too long ago!

    Ana - Thanks! We both really enjoyed the lasagna - the leftovers were great reheated!

    Tyrolean - we used some that I had made and put in the freezer, but I think any will do just fine!

    Linda - Ha! I'll have to check it out... thanks for the heads up!

    Thalie - I can't wait to see what you bake up!

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  8. I'm new to your blog but so glad I discovered it! You have some great recipes here! I am a big time lasagna lover. I recently made a spinach and artichoke one, as well as a black bean lasagna. You can check them out, if you like. Thanks for the recipes!

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  9. Hi Megan - Thanks for checkin' us out! I'll head over when I have some time and check out the recipes!

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  10. wow - I hope you submitted the pecan squares for weekend cookbook challenge so the world can get to taste them!

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  11. Both recipes look delicious! Those bars look particularly scrumptious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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