Jessica, from My Baking Heart, made a rich, chocolatey cake that she beautifully photographed and shared with us. Maple syrup and brown sugar are two ingredients that set this non-traditional chocolate frosting apart from the standard.

The great thing about a recipe like this is that it can be easily altered, or cloned, to anyone’s liking. Those who have a sweet tooth far more tame than mine might find the brown sugar to be a bit much, as Jessica did. But it could easily be replaced with mixture of crushed nuts and powdered sugar; it’s hard to say no to that combination.

Personally, I’d dive into this cake without a parachute! Anything with chocolate has to be delicious, in my humble opinion.

Tisha from The Rice and Spice Cupboard, http://riceandspice.wordpress.com, knows how to make homemade, savory food with a lot of heart. Her Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives is a dish that will transport you to Northern Africa via your taste buds. Tisha explains how the chicken gets cooked until it’s tender, then gets covered in a warm lemony sauce made with herbs and other aromatic ingredients, including preserved lemons. This is delicious comfort food that’s far from mild in flavor.

If you’ve never preserved your own lemons, Tisha will guide you through the process with the instructions she’s provided on her blog, you can click here for instructions on how to do so.

You’ve probably tried a Southwestern burger, a chili burger, maybe even a veggie burger, but have you ever tried anything like Karen’s Holiday Curry Burgers? Fish sauce and fresh ginger are just two special ingredients she uses to give these Asian-flavor inspired burgers a twist. On her blog, Rambling Spoon, Karen suggests adding a bit of butter or even ghee to enhance the juiciness of a grass-fed beef patty.

Though her recipe uniquely brings together a variety of Asian flavors, Karen also adds a good amount Southwestern flair; she uses Ancho chilies to add earthiness and depth to her Holiday Curry Burgers. Throw these on the grill at your next barbecue if you don’t want leftovers; they’ll disappear in a heartbeat.