Smoking Chocolate

Smoke billowed from the microwave as I tried to melt semi-sweet chocolate chips. The recipe said to melt them for a minute and then stir. Well, it burned. They suffered so much they sent up smoke signals to warn the chips still in the bag to escape. My spouse rushed in to save them. It was too late. They burnt a hole in the bottom of the bowl trying to escape. We had to throw away the whole mess. The chips and the bowl sank into the trash can like a sinking pirate ship.

Mel decided to have mercy on me and show me the proper way to melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Zap them for 15-20 seconds at a time. Stir. Zap them again. Stir. Continue this for about a minute. Hmm, the recipe I was following didn't tell me that. Good thing I live with a published cook book author.

Once I learned how to have melted chocolate, I added the corn flakes and raisins. I stirred them together being careful not to crush the flakes. I tried to drop teaspoons of the goo onto the aluminum foil, but it ended up being one big clump of hardening chocolate mess. It didn't taste that great either.

In our house we ask if a recipe is a keeper or not when we try a new one. This one obviously is NOT a keeper. I wonder if this popular magazine test drove this recipe before they published it.

My chocolate craving went up in smoke. Not a cooking goddess yet.

Ellen