Brownies Are The New Black
18 Apr 2010 1 Comment
in Food
While foodies and historians aren’t exactly sure who cooked the first batch of brownies, a quick Google search divides speculation into two main theories:
- A woman in Bangor, Maine, was making a chocolate cake and she forgot to put in the baking powder. She improvised and served the flat, chocolate squares, thus creating the first brownie dessert. You can even try her supposed recipe.
- The first mention of brownies was published in the 1897 Sears and Roebuck catalog.
But no matter which theory you go with, if you live in the U.S., you’ve probably had a brownie. Maybe Little Debbie made it, or maybe you made it from scratch. And even though I’m not a brownie connoisseur, I can tell you I’ve eaten my fair share of Little Debbies. And as a special treat, I’ve had my grandma’s brownies. That woman makes a mean brownie. But until recently, I’d never realized how hip brownies are, or what they could do for my love life. But then I read Joy’s post. She wrote: “I’m a baker because brownies attract quality men.”
And this weekend, I decided it was time to take her theory about brownies for a test drive.
I baked a pan (quick cooking tip–use Ghirardelli chocolate) and took them to a party. The verdict?
I was sitting at a table, hanging out, when a guy–a quality man, perhaps–walked by with one of my brownies in a bowl. He paused in between bites, and said, “God bless the brownie baker.”
I love it when that happens.
Product Review: Preserves, Butter, and Jelly (aka The Importance of Reading Food Labels)
16 Apr 2010 4 Comments
Disclaimer: The title might sway you to believe this post seriously discusses ingredients in foods. However, it does not. No attempts at anything serious are made or intended by the author.
I recently posted about visiting Burris Farm Market in southern Alabama. While there, I bought several jars of what I expected would be yummy goodness. Last night, so that we could test all this spreadable loot, I made breakfast for dinner. Breakfast for dinner is an easy fix for what-to-cook dilemmas. Plus, everyone in my family likes some part of it.
I fried some bacon, scrambled some eggs, and threw together some quick biscuits. These biscuits would be the major component for our new preserves-, butter-, and jelly-tasting session. Speaking of those canned wonders, I bought Apple Butter, Strawberry Preserves, and Muscadine Grape Jelly. We lined them up on the table with a stack of spoons.
Strawberry Preserves
Very sweet and very strawberry. The only problem is that I couldn’t spread the preserves onto the biscuits fast enough to keep up with the kids. Next time, I’ll make full-sized biscuits when we’re planning to sample new spreads to keep the kids busy for a little longer.
Apple Butter
We didn’t get around to testing it last night, but I had some this morning on a leftover biscuit. (By some miracle, we did have a leftover biscuit or two!) It tastes like apple cider, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I just had another biscuit spread with it for a post-lunch snack. Yummmm…
Muscadine Grape Jelly
As soon as I opened the jar, I thought, “Wow, this smells like wine!” Then, I spread a touch on a biscuit and said, “Wow, this tastes like wine!” Paul said, “Maybe it is made from wine…?” I gave him a spread, and he said, “Wow, it does taste like wine!” Then, I picked up the jar and looked at the label. First ingredient: muscadine wine. Ahhh, so that’s why it smells and tastes like wine!
And, folks, that’s why it’s more important than ever to read food labels.
Restaurant Review: The Cheesecake Factory
14 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
I know it’s a chain, but I have a soft spot in my heart for The Cheesecake Factory. Along with eating some terrific slices of cheesecake, I’ve made some wonderful memories there.
One year on my birthday, for instance, Paul and Dalton were out of town, so I met Whitney and my momma at The Cheesecake Factory for a birthday dinner. I had a 6-month old Lily with me. Somehow, amidst the conversation, laughs, and food, Whitney pulled Lily’s pants off. Momma laughed so hard she cried. I just took another bite of my Tres Leches cheesecake, a dreamy blend of cheesecake and the sweetness of Tres Leches cake.
Today, Momma and the kids and I went for dinner. I had the Red Velvet Cheesecake, which has completely redefined dessert. Two layers of red velvet cake, two layers of original cheesecake, all slathered in cream cheese frosting. Oh. My. Goodness. The macaroni and cheese was good, too.
Perhaps my favorite memory, though, is my first visit to The Cheesecake Factory.
One day after we had started our new tech writing jobs in Austin, co-blogger Whitney and I decided to go out to lunch. Neither of us had ever been to the Factory, and we needed a break from the cubes. At the time, we hadn’t planned on a 2-hour break, but that’s what we got. If I remember correctly, we thought we were going to a nifty soup/sandwich lunch spot. We were oh so wrong.
We ordered Avocado Eggrolls for an appetizer. Since then, I’ve rarely taken a trip to the Factory without having the Avocado Eggrolls. They are one of my favorite appetizers anywhere. Avocados and sun-dried tomatoes, snuggled in a wrapper, fried = YUM. And, the Factory has a fabulous tamarind dipping sauce for them–a little sweet, a little tangy, totally addictive. Next, we moved on to the main course. I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was this occasion that I also discovered the Stuffed Chicken Tortillas, which according to the menu are “Corn Tortillas Stuffed with Spicy Chicken, Covered with Melted Cheese, Green Onion, Tomatillo Sauce and Cilantro. Served with Grilled Corn Cakes, Black Beans, Salsa and Sour Cream.” Um, yes, they were good. I’ve ordered them since. But the grand finale is what left me and Whitney almost speechless.
It was called Chocolate Silk and Satin Cheesecake, and it was layers of wonder upon wonder. The Factory no longer offers it on their menu; they say the Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake is the closest match now. I could try to describe it, but what Whitney said as we were about halfway through our slice says it best. “This,” she said as she slipped a bite of creamy cheesecake into her mouth, “is better than sex.”
Pie Time
14 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
Even though I’m notorious for cooking misadventures, sometimes the heavens align and I cook something I’d serve to my momma. Growing up, Sunday nights were reserved for pizza and a movie. I don’t always get to recreate the ritual now that I’m out on my own, but I did manage to squeeze it in this weekend. Here’s how I made the pizza:
Crust
I followed the Pioneer Woman’s pizza crust recipe. It was simple to stir up, and I was able to let it “age” for a day in my fridge.
Sauce
I followed the Joy of Cooking’s Quick Tomato Sauce recipe, with some slight modifications.
Here’s the ingredient list:
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 1 28 0z. can of whole tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of McCormick’s Italian Herb Blends (You can use any type of Italian seasonings here, just be sure to make it 2 teaspoons.)
And here’s how to mix it up:
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion pieces until they are soft.
- Stir in the tomatoes (including their juice), the tomate paste, and all other dry ingredients.
- Bring the pot to a boil, stirring frequently.
- After boiling for a couple of minutes, bring the pot down to a simmer.
- Use the back of a spoon to mash the tomatoes. For thicker consistency, you can leave some of the tomate pieces. Because this was for a pizza, I crushed most of mine into smaller pieces. You can also put the sauce into a blender for thinner consistency, but I didn’t want to go that far with mine.
- Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes.
After making the sauce, I rolled one section of my dough out onto a cookie sheet and one onto a pizza pan. I spread the sauce, sprinkled on grated cheese, and topped with Canadian bacon. I slid it into a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Yum!
Don’t let making a homemade pizza intimidate you. It’s as easy as pie.
Lighter Blueberry Muffins
22 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Downloadable PDF, Food, Recipe
I’ve always loved muffins, and until recently, I defaulted to the Martha White mixes. A couple years ago, though, I started trying to cook more foods from scratch so that I could avoid preservatives and other artificial ingredients while using as many organic products as possible. When I found out how easy from-scratch muffins are to make (and how much tastier they are than the mixes), I vowed to never go back to the packaged stuff.
Unfortunately, muffins can be fattening and high in sugar. But, I’ve adapted several muffin recipes to bring you my own, healthier version of the blueberry muffin. It’s not too sweet, but it’s positively brimming with blueberries, and it’s so moist, it’s almost like having cake for breakfast.
With some of my muffin recipes, I substitute some whole-wheat flour for part of the white flour, but I use all white in this one to get that soft, sumptious taste that I just love in a blueberry muffin. Here’s the recipe.
And, if you’ve never cooked muffins before, from scratch, here are a few tips:
- Don’t overmix the batter. It should be slighly lumpy.
- Fill any empty muffin cups in your pan half-full of water while cooking.
- Don’t stir the batter too much after adding fruit. Try to fold the fruit in.
- Eat muffins while they are hot!
8-Minute Pork Chops for One
12 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Downloadable PDF, Food, Recipe
Maybe you are a fabulous single gal or guy. Or, maybe you are just in the mood for something different than the rest of the family. Or, maybe (like me), you have an ultra picky son who likes pork. Either way, here’s an 8-minute plan for a fantastic pork chop dinner for one.
1 minute: Cut a thick-cut pork chop into 1-inch pieces (to do this very quickly, use kitchen shears)
1 minute: Take a sandwich bag, adding 2 Tbsp of flour and some seasonings (a dash or so of garlic salt, paprika, and black pepper is YUM). Dump the pork chops into the bag and shake.
30 seconds: Heat 1 tsp oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. You don’t have to be exact on the amount of oil. Just add a big drop to the pan.
30 seconds: Add 1 tsp butter (no need to be exact, just slice off a pat and drop in the pan), and add pork chops from sandwich bag as soon as the butter melts. (You can just dump them in. It’s ok if a some flour falls into the pan.)
2 minutes: Wait while the pork chop pieces brown. Wait the full 2 minutes to get a nice, buttery, crunchy crust, but make sure they don’t start to burn. Then, turn the pork chops.
2 minutes: Wait while the pork chops brown on the other side. Wait the full 2 minutes to get a nice crust. Then, stir.
1 minute: Cook the chops for another minute, until they are done.
That’s so easy, eh? You can serve these bad boys with a sweet potato you’ve had roasting by its lonesome in the oven or with a premixed, prewashed salad from the fridge. These chops also go great with buttermilk biscuits. If you want the recipe on a card, I’ve got one for you. Download it here.
One Sweet Potato Was Harmed in the Making of this Post
08 Jan 2010 7 Comments
For dessert tonight, I decided to bake a sweet potato and add some butter and cinnamon to it. So, while I was eating my main course, I put the sweet potato in the microwave. I knew I could put it in the oven, but, really, all that work for one potato? So I opted for the microwave instead. After poorly ventilating the potato and putting the time way too high on the microwave, I sat the sweet potato on fire. Not a small burn or blemish, mind you, but a serious smoking-in-my-microwave-the-alarm-is about-to-go-off kind of fire. Secretly, I probably wanted the fire department to stop by, looking handsome in their bunker gear, just to ask me how things were going. And if I happened to say, “Well, the truth is, I’m searching for a healthy alternative to the family pack of Little Debbies, so I got out this sweet potato…” The firemen might reply, “Ah, yes, the classic sweet potato fire–tricky little starches.” But, alas, no big red truck pulled up to the curb. Instead, I wafted the smoke out via my garage and got down to the business of scrubbing my next victim, er, potato. I got out the Joy of Cooking, which, in my current situation, it felt more like The Joy in Not Burning Down All I Possess, and I turned to page 301, entry: “BAKED SWEET POTATOES. Preheat oven at 400F. Bake until soft, usually 45-60 minutes, depending on the size.” All told, I bet it takes less time in the oven than it did to clean the ash out of my microwave…
Why I Learned How to Cook
02 Jan 2010 1 Comment
in Cooking, Downloadable PDF, Food, Recipe Tags: Cooking, Downloadable PDF, Food, Recipe
My mother cooked almost every meal I ate growing up. The rest of the meals I ate, my great-grandmother cooked. They were true Southern cooks, working in a steaming hot kitchen with every iron going.
When I moved away for college, I realized I didn’t know how to cook much of anything. I guess I figured I would eat McDonald’s and Wendy’s because they were both near my apartment. And, I’ll admit, for a girl who didn’t eat out much while growing up, the thought of a McDonald’s less than a couple miles away from my apartment made my bones tingle. And, on the second night in my apartment, I drove down the steep hill to the Wendy’s drive-thru. It wasn’t really all I’d hoped for. I missed my Momma’s cooking.
I needed to learn how to cook something. One dish that I loved that my mom had made a few times, we called chicken and rice tacos. It’s now my go-to dish, the meal I make when I need something fast, the comfort food I crave in the winter, the sure-fire company pleaser. But, it took me a while to get to where I can make it with ease.
The first time I made it, I stood over a big pot, watching my chicken brown, with the phone at my ear, Momma telling me what to do next. After we thought I had it made, we hung up and I left the pot to simmer. It was simmering, all right, still on the medium-high temperature setting. A few minutes passed, and I smelled the burn. I furiously stirred and scraped at the bottom while making another phone call home. Momma was telling me, as I continued to furiously scrape to carefully avoid scraping the bottom. I notice the black bits littering my beautiful pot of chicken and rice. I had distributed the burn throughout. But, I learned something in that moment. Cooking is not easy. But, I could do it.
My next try was better, and each time I made it, I learned how to make it better. I learned many more things about cooking through my chicken and rice tacos. I learned that I didn’t need the recipe anymore. I also discovered that if I didn’t have something on the ingredient list, I could easily make substitutions. In fact, I’ve found some great takes on chicken and rice tacos. I think that’s part of the reason why I love this dish so much. I sowed my cooking oats on it. It gave me confidence to try new things in the kitchen. It’s been my friend.
I have recently been spring cleaning, and I came across the original recipe, written on an old “From Paula’s Kitchen” recipe card. Paula is my mother, and her handwriting was smudged a bit with a red fingerprint or two. They might be mine or hers. Chances are, they are both.
Download your own PDF Chicken and Rice Tacos recipe card: ChickenAndRiceTacos
–Amanda
