Death By Chocolate

Death By Chocolate always reminds me of two women - my mom and my best friend Camille.  My mom has made this several times over the years (including for dessert the night Mike and I told our parents that we were expecting!)  And I remember the first time I met Camille -  it was at a birthday party and she had made the hugest vat of Death by Chocolate that I had ever seen!!! 

Every time I've had this or made this, it always tastes just a little different but is always phenomenal.  I think one of the biggest reasons for that is generally, you use whatever you have on hand and you don't measure!!  The skor bits on top could easily be replaced by pieces of and kind of your favorite chocolate bar, chocolate shavings, or even drizzled with caramel.  You could add berries or nuts and everyone would still love it.  It's a classic dessert that very seldom has any leftovers, no matter the version you make!  

Death By Chocolate

1 box of chocolate cake, prepared according to package directions and cubed. (My trifle bowl will only hold a 1/2 a cake, so I cube up the rest and freeze the other half - another dessert ready to go!)

1 tub of low fat cool whip

1 package of chocolate pudding, prepared

1 or 2 cups of Kahlua (optional)

1/2 cup skor bits

Place 1/4 of your cubed chocolate cake into your trifle bowl, ensuring the bottom is completely covered.  Top with 1/2 the Kahlua, 1/2 the pudding, 1/2 of the cool whip and 1/2 of the skor bits.  Repeat layers. Refrigerate for a couple hours to let all the Kahlua soak into the chocolate cake.  Serve to your guest OR grab a spoon and head for a nice quiet room where nobody will bother you!

Of course you don't have to use a trifle bowl, it really is just used for presentation so you can see all of the pretty layers.  You could also use a large glass bowl - or even an  old ice cream pail.  I promise you it will taste just as good! 

Don't Go Breakin My: Chocolate Strawberry Tart

First off, I have to say WOW.  This is possibly one of the most delicious desserts I've made yet.  It's also sinfully bad for you, made up of cookies, sugar, butter, cream, and chocolate chips... but as Mike pointed out after we polished off a delectable slice each, strawberries are fruit and fruit is healthy, right?

The base layer is a crunchy delight of oreo cookie crumbs, mixed with sugar and butter and baked until crisp (and I don't mean burnt to a..), filled with a cream infused melted chocolate chip layer, all topped off with fresh, juicy strawberries that leave such a sweet after taste!  The recipe actually called for raspberries, which, in my opinion, would be better, but I had strawberries so that's what I used!

It took all the restraint and willpower I had to refrain from gorging down the rest of the tart... or atleast just one more piece.  I could have 'atleast just one more pieced' myself to a chocolate tart coma, but I would have been in a very happy place.  You need extra calories when you're breastfeeding, right?

You can find the recipe from Martha Stewart's website for this delish dessert here: Chocolate-Raspberry Tart.  Changes that I made: I didn't use a food processor as I used oreo baking crumbs instead of cookies.  I used a little over 2 cups as I just kept adding to the butter it called for, until it looked about right and would cover the tart pan.  Oh, and I don't have a fancy tart pan with removable base (or a tart pan at all for that matter) so I just used my springform pan.  It doesn't look as pretty but works just the same.  (Note to self, add to wishlist).  And I followed what the comments suggested and added my berries before it set.  Oh and I used strawberries instead of raspberries, but I think that is fairly obvious!

Okay, now that Mike is gone to hockey (yes, it is May and he's still playing hockey), I'm gonna sneak back in the fridge and grab my second slice that has been whispering my name for the past hour.  (Note to self: wash face after -- chocolate smeared all around my mouth is always my tell.)

Side Note:  I have always thought the word 'decadent' referred to a particularly rich, most likely chocolaty, sinfully delicious dessert.  Turns out, it doesn't.  After much searching, I find that it's related more to behaviour  than to desserts.  According to dictionary.com, decadent means characterized by decadence, which in turn means:
 1. the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay: Some historians hold that the fall of Rome can be attributed to internal decadence.

2.

moral degeneration or decay; turpitude.

3.

unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.

** I think we'll go with the last one!!  It's time for me to exhibit some decadence -- gotta go!