My name is Magda, and I’m a chocoholic. My addiction began innocently enough. Candy bars were the gateway drug. As a child, I’d regularly spend a portion of my allowance on Three Musketeers, M&Ms, or Milky Ways. In the teen years, I was experimenting with chocolates in varied forms (and from various countries). By my twenties and thirties, I was abusing designer products only available in the toniest shops.

And now I find I’m unable to get through the day without inhaling some chocolate.

Admittedly, the addiction metaphor is a bit disturbing. So call me a chocophile. Ah, that’s better. I’m just one of the countless Americans who loves chocolate beyond reason… beyond budget… and worst of all, beyond calorie counting.

So many of us chocolate lovers would gladly wed the object of our affection—if only we could find someone willing to officiate.

But irrational food cravings aren’t entirely to blame. Chemistry is also at work to make us smitten with cocoa. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a compound that may be responsible for some of the pleasurable feelings you get after eating chocolate; phenylethylamine releases endorphins in your brain. Similarly, the brain releases that compound when you’re falling in love. In other words, chocolate loves you back.

Our love affair with the sweet stuff has a lengthy history. Cacao, the tree that produces cacao beans, has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central, and South America. Chocolate is processed food produced from the cacao seeds of the cacao tree, whose scientific name is Theobroma cacao. Interestingly, Theobroma means “food of the gods.” No argument here.

And if you’re feeling guilty, just keep in mind that dark chocolate contains antioxidants that help lower blood pressure.

So when considering an ingredient to try two ways, chocolate was a no-brainer. First off, here’s a spicy Chicken Chili that gets its richness from unsweetened chocolate. It seems like an unusual combination at first, but this spicy chili is sure to please—especially if you like chicken with mole sauce. The recipe is adapted from the classic Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, and calls for black olives, which I usually swap out for one or two cans of dark red kidney beans (drained).

This Chocolate Dump It Cake is a ridiculously easy and delectable dessert. The recipe comes from Amanda Hesser’s book Cooking for Mr. Latte, a humorous memoir (with wonderful recipes!) about her courtship with The New Yorker writer Tad Friend. The cake is completely delicious, especially given that it doesn’t require any specialty ingredients. And even bakers with intermediate skills can recreate this cake successfully.

So next time you need a chocolate fix, you know where to go.

Are you addicted to chocolate? What are your favorite ways to use chocolate?

Magda Hernandez has been a serious baker since her teens and a serious cook since… what day is today? Magda lives in Boston with her husband and two sons, and enjoys working in marketing and communications for a local university. Her goal is to get more adventurous about cooking main dishes. Plummelo readers are sure to reap the benefits of all her trial and error.