Feature Friday - Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate

Hello, dear readers!
Yes, I know it's Tuesday and this post is titled Feature Friday, but either I'm doing this post really late or really early.
In this case, I'm late.  It was supposed to be posted this past Friday, but here's the thing...
In the beginning of the week last week while lying in bed, I had an epiphany!
And why the heck is it that I come up with my best thoughts and writing while I'm in bed?
I'd love to write all these fantastic ideas down, but I know the Mr. would be none too happy if I keep moving around to turn the bedside lamp on so that I can jot it all in my notebook.  Maybe I should just master writing in the dark, hunh?
Anyway, while lying there in the dark I was thinking about the blog and the Facebook page and came up with a great idea (well, I thought it was anyway) to highlight a different blogger friend each week so that we could get to know them and their blog a bit better.

That is exactly what I did this past week and for our very first Feature Friday, Joan at Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate was our guest!  It was so exciting and coincidentally, Joan was quickly approaching 10,000 friends (I like to call you all friends, not fans) on her FB page which is certainly nothing to sneeze at.  It's a huge accomplishment and I am thrilled to say that with a couple of shout outs from other foodie friends, and as of this writing, Joan has well surpassed it and now stands at 10,637 and climbing!!  If you're on FB, head on over to see her.  She's having, what else, a chocolate party all week to celebrate and friends have been bringing some incredible dishes.  You must go see, especially  if you're a chocolate lover!
Click here to go to Joan's FB page!

For this past Feature Friday and future ones, I will be telling you a little bit about the blogger, highlighting some of his or her recipes and asking them 10 questions so that we can get to know them a little better.  Joan and I had a lot of fun doing this and I'm sure it is something that will introduce you to some great bloggers you may not already be aware of.
There are SO very many blogs out there covering SO very many different topics that it is just impossible to become familiar with all of them, so I hope to help you out with that!
There are NO recipes here on this post.  For those, you will have to click the links for the pictures and they will take you to the recipes at Joan's blog.

I now introduce to you for our very first Feature Friday guest, Joan of Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate!!

I have had the absolute pleasure of knowing Joan since the end of last year I believe, or it could have been the beginning of this year.  Anyway, I can't remember because it truly does seem like we've been friends FOREVER!
When she first came across my blog (and I don't know how she found me), she left a comment that because we have so much in common we must be "sisters from another mother".  I completely agree and I am SO very happy to have Joan as a dear friend!  She has been an incredible help in all things blogging, her recipes...well, they speak for themselves and they aren't all about chocolate, believe it or not, she is extremely kind and generous and someone every person should have in their corner!  She also did a guest post for me!
Her Seven Layer Bars are out of this world delicious!!

I am both honored and blessed that she agreed to be our first guest, and with such little notice on my part!
So again, without further adieu, I give to you...

Miss Joan from Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate!!!

(thunderous applause)

"I'm Joan and I blog over at Chocolate, Chocolate and more, I've been doing it for over a year now and love everything about it. I write mostly about sweet treats but occasionally things will sneak in with very little sugar content, The family does have to eat after all. I'm also a bread fanatic so there are bread recipes, yeast is my friend.

I live in small town Georgia where everyone really does know everyone (think the Andy Griffin show) and while my shopping choices are limited, I wouldn't trade it for any place in the world. I've been married to my BFF for

 17 years and we have 3 children. They are all in the teens now so hormones gone wild is a common thing around here. I also have 2 step children and am a grandma to 3, hard to believe considering I'm only 21, hehe. I'm a stay at home mom which is really cool for me since all the kids are in school and I get a few hours everyday to stay at home by myself! That's my create in the kitchen time. Just me and the dog who is always ready to clean up any drops or spills."

See, Joan doesn't ALWAYS just blog about chocolate, she has other delicious things for us, too like this White Bread ~ Simple and Tasty.

But then she does have something so irresistibly chocolatey like this...Chocolate and Peanut Butter.

Or this... Chocolate Chantilly otherwise known as the easiest, fastest chocolate mousse you've ever made!

And who can resist Joan's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake?  I know I can't!

And finally for those of you craving some fruit after looking at these incredible pictures, here is some Brown Sugar Cinnamon Fruit Dip!

Here are the 10 questions I asked Joan to answer so that we could get to know her a bit better.

1.  What 3 items do you ALWAYS have stocked in your refrigerator, and what 3 in your pantry?

"In the fridge- milk, eggs and butter, I get nervous when I get down to the last 2 pounds of butter in the freezer. 

IN the pantry-sugar (granulated, powdered, colored, raw, you name it, I've got it) Chocolate! chips, bark, candy, I've got a whole cabinet devoted to it! Extracts-love them, changing an extract flavor in a recipe can give you something completely new and delicious!"

2.  What is a food you can't stand?

"it's a tie, Bananas-can't stand the smell of them so I've never eaten them, raw tomatoes, sorry, they are just slimy in the middle."

3.  Tell us a pet peeve.

"Table manners, we have a great time at the dinner table but I can't stand the smacking sound when people chew with their mouth open, not to mention the possible food spitting while talking with food in your mouth.

And socks, I love to wear my fuzzy socks but I hate matching them and I hate finding them all over the house from the kids. It's like the kids take off their socks and the socks take on a life of their own, running and hiding in sofa cushions, behind chairs, on the stairs, never in the laundry baskets."

4.  Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?

"Kathleen Turner and a younger Lauren Bacall."

5.  What is the one food you secretly like to indulge in?

"It's not a secret-Chocolate but I do keep a secret candy stash in my nightstand drawer, Baby Ruth, Reese's Cups, Hershey's Bars, always the snack size and I don't always eat it just a comfort to know it's there when the need hits."

6.  Name one item in your kitchen other than your oven, refrigerator, dishwasher and sink that you couldn't live without.

"Coffee Maker! I don't function without that first cup of coffee in the morning."

7.  What is YOUR favorite recipe on your blog?

"Soft pretzels  made by my daughter

and

Chocolate Covered Everything."

8.  What are your 3 favorite things/herbs/spices you use most often in creating your dishes?

"Tough one, I'm an extract girl, my favorite extract is Butter and Nut flavoring from McCormick, use this instead of vanilla in any recipe and you'll love the result.  I do love sea salt and cinnamon."

9.  What inspires you the most to be creative in the kitchen?

"A mood, seeing a photo, an ingredient, having a craving. I can't bake on demand, well I can but it's never as good as when I want to do it. I could never own a bakery or cater. I do it because I love doing it when I feel like it."

10.  Finally, name 3 people living or deceased throughout all of history (can be family members) you would invite to dinner and what would you serve?

"Let's go with dessert, dinner is just the excuse to have dessert after all. Both of my Grandmas. I never appreciated all they could have shared with me while they were alive. Martha Stewart-I just want to smack her up side the head and ask her why she tries to make everything so complicated. Being in the kitchen cooking/baking is supposed to be fun plus I'd love to see her laugh so hard she loses her composure. I know my kids could do it to her.  I'd serve up ice cold milk and a buffet of cookies, candies, cake, whatever else hit my fancy. Maybe some chocolate fondue to dip. It would be all about the time spent with the people."

Thank you so very much, Joan for being our very first guest on the very first FEATURE FRIDAY!!
Everyone be sure to check out the 365 Days of Baking Facebook Page and hit that "Like" button if you haven't already because that's where I'll first be posting our Feature Friday guest.  Then towards the evening I'll be posting it here!

Thank you all for reading and please be sure to stop by Joan's page and give her some 365 love!!

I give you all BIG baking hugs and muffins!