Molten Chocolate Cakes for Two (or More)

Any store, commercial, or restaurant will tell you that Valentine's Day and its whole season is about pink and red, hearts and kisses, flowers and sappy cards, chocolate and chocolate. I support one and only one of those sets of things. A box of chocolates is never a bad thing, but home-baked chocolate decadence, that's in a category of love all of its own. 

Last year to share the love of chocolate, I spent hours laboring over a layer cake; it was tasty but definitely not worth the effort. This year I spent about 30 minutes, start to finish, and yes that means they're easy to make, on melt-in-your mouth chocolate cakes seeping with hot chocolate lava. Rich and chocolatey they were, but not so uber-chocolate-dense that you get sick of it like many a restaurant dessert.

Be not mistaken; these are not muffins. They are molten cakes in a portion you can enjoy without over-stuffing after a big meal, and with easy cleanup and no need for fancy ramekins like the first Chocolate Java Cakes I tried. If you do really want the bigger portion, just eat two.

I included recipe portions for two but also adjustments for more, be they for more dinner guests or a quick nuking for treats later in the week.

Please do make these for you and your loved one, be it your significant other, a friend, or your mom (my mother and I had special bonding time eating them!), just not your dog because chocolate is cruelty to animals.

Recipe: Caesar Power Salad

First thought: Make Caesar salad with lefover romaine lettuce and the fabulous Cardini's dressing; add some rotisserie chicken for super-fast dinner. (Side note: If you have never tried Cardini's Caesar, you must. The company's namesake created the salad, after all.)

Second thought: Be more adventurous. Scour the internet for Caesar variations.

Results of brainstorming: A filling dinner Caesar that was a bit more funky (in a good way) than normal. Red pepper added more color and veggilicious flavor than the normal light green-cream variety. Super salty pancetta contributed a flavorful Italian flair. Almonds made for crunch in place of croutons. Cannellini beans varied the texture and added some fiber. Parmesan, romaine, and Caesar dressing kept it classic.