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| Home>Articles>Chocolate Valentine's Day Picnic |
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A Valentine’s Day All-Chocolate Picnic
Nothing is more synonymous with Valentine’s Day than chocolate! For many gift givers and recipients, chocolate is the way to go! Retail records show that in the U.S. alone, people spend about $1 billion for Valentine’s Day chocolates. In total, these same estimates show that about 58 million pounds of chocolate is sold in the U.S. in the days leading up to February 14th!
Are you a chocoholic? How about your partner? If you both love chocolate goodies, why not consider organizing a (mostly) chocolate picnic? So many chocolate recipes are available and many are easy to make and easy to carry along in your picnic basket.
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Ideas for Chocolate Picnics Include:
Chocolate Fondue. Start your picnic with an appetizer that includes fruit pieces (pineapple, banana, strawberry) and some melted chocolate to dip them in. Use a small fondue pot over a candle or other fuel source that you can take with you if you’re taking your picnic outside the home. Limit the amount of chocolate and fruit so that there’s plenty of room for the next course.
Chicken with Mole Sauce. Did you know that Mexican Mole Sauce includes cocoa powder or other types of chocolate in its ingredients? (See recipe at the bottom of this article) If you prepare it in advance and place it in airtight insulated containers, it’ll be just the right temperature for your picnic.
Chocolate Covered Carrots. Who says vegetables can’t be fun? Coat carrot chips in dark chocolate for this yummy side dish and refrigerate them until they are set.
Dessert. Since you’ve already consumed a great deal of chocolate by this time, keep dessert light and resist the temptation to serve a chocolate 7-layer cake or anything that’s over the top. Instead, simply pack some homemade chocolate chip cookies for the last course, accompanied by a cup of delicious coffee or tea you can keep hot in a coffee backpack or tote.
Remember, chocolate goes well with all sorts of other foods including cheese, fruit, wine, and other picnic food favorites and adding those in with the chocolate goodies help you avoid chocolate overload.
Chicken with Mole (pronounced Mo-lay) Sauce
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 TBSP canola oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 TBSP almond butter or natural peanut butter
Sesame seeds
Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes total.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Cook about 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add tomato sauce, broth, chocolate chips and almond (or peanut) butter and stir. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat and return the chicken and its juices to the pan and turn to coat.
Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Compliments of Picnic-Basket.com | 1-800-861-8823
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