Brownies...and if only they'd be more honest about serving sizes

This week, I was either going to make brownies or lemon poppy-seed cake (which I actually wanted more, but they didn't have poppy-seeds at Trader Joe's). So I Googled "best brownie recipe", and came up with this one at all recipes that claims to be just that:

I'm going to be honest...I really didn't look at a lot of recipes before I chose this one, and I don't always know what I'm looking for anyway. But starting with the recipe itself, near the top right corner it tells you how long it takes to make them (1 hour), and how many servings the recipe yields (16).

I kind of knew, going into it, that I would probably not be making the frosting. I'm not into frosted brownies..I just like the chewy goodness. I also knew I wanted to add nuts. Usually walnuts would do the trick, but I opted to use toasted almonds instead. Doesn't that sound kind of good??

I really should have been clued in by the size of the square pan required (8 inches). This recipe absolutely does not, under any circumstances whatsoever, have any business claiming to serve 16 people...unless those people are babies...in which case they probably shouldn't be eating brownies yet, because they aren't likely to have the teeth for it.

They're baking now...I will admit that they've thickened, so that's good...and the house does have that heavenly brownie smell....

But what is the deal with the servings?? I mean, can't we just be honest here? No one who likes brownies, is just going to eat a finger sized piece....that's just crazy. IS it like an FDA recommendation or something? IF so, I know a couple cafe's in Tucson that are in violation of that law(oh Raging Sage...your brownies please me so!). It's just like with cereal...the recommended serving is like 1 cup if you're lucky. I know it's just so they can pretend they have fewer calories, etc, etc....but a serving should be a bit more realistic.

Anyway, Ashley and I will be eating brownies for dessert...I'll let you know later if they were in fact the best brownies ever. And if not, you can bet I'll keep searching.

Casserole for Comfort

Years ago, Ashley told me how to make tater-tot casserole the way she'd had it as a kid. Of course, I made some changes...but something was always not quite right....it was a little too meatloafy...a little too dry I guess. A few months back, her mom made it, and hers was moist and kind of perfect. What was I doing wrong?? I guess I didn't exactly mix the cream of mushroom soup in with the meat, and I put way too many tater tots in. Anyway, I should probably get to the point.

I made this casserole the other night that was delicious. I'm a big scalloped potatoes fan...they remind me of being in my grandma's kitchen listening as my mom and my aunts and grandparents all laughed about things that happened before I was born. So, I wanted to make a casserole that was just a tiny bit healthier than tater tot casserole. Instead of tots, I used real potatoes---I think there were four of them (they were kind of tiny).

I put my turkey burger meat in the pan (vegetarians can totally use your favorite beans, canned or otherwise, in place of meat and it will taste great), mixed it with barbecue sauce and maybe a quarter of a large onion, sliced. Then I took a can of diced green chilis (sliced fresh ones are good too), and scattered them around. Then I poured in a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup with Roasted GArlic, and I made sure to mix it in with the meat a bit. I tossed some olive oil in with my sliced potatoes, and then spread about half the potatoes on the casserole. I then sprinkled grated cheese (cheddar in my case, but any cheese will do), did another layer with the rest of the potatoes, and another layer of grated cheese. Then I sprinkled pepper over the whole thing before putting it in the oven at 375 and letting it cook for 55 minutes or so. Dude! It was great!

Spaghetti Anyone?

I've got my mp3 player on shuffle (Buena Vista Social Club is playing right now), a glass of red wine, and I'm making pasta. I picked basil and oregano out of my little potted garden and sauteed them with garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and these Sicilian Chicken sausages I got from Trader Joe's. I'm a little lazy...I just threw in a plain can of marinera after the meat had cooked long enough, but that's a good base to start with. By the time I'm done with it, it's like a totally different sauce. Had I grilled veggies recently, I might have just done it without meat, but I was feeling decadent this afternoon. Anyway, it's been a while since I've made spaghetti, so I'm really looking forward to this.

Delayed response and more grilled veggie fun

I haven't done much cooking this past week...mainly because I've had a cold and can't smell or taste anything very well right now. I know, it's sad. But last weekend we had a little barbecue with our band The Spurloafers, spouses, and kids. It was fun and I did the grilled veggie thing again, and had leftovers for the next couple of days.
So...I made these quesedillas with the veggies (peppers, onions, squash, and mushrooms) along with pepper-jack and cheddar cheese. They were so delicious! The only problem was, as my frying pan got hotter, and bits of cheese started to escape into it, the tortillas began to stick. The result? One set of quesedillas was perfect, and the next one was coming apart. But, they still tasted great.

Another thing...I just started doing something cool with potatoes on the grill. Basically, I slice the potato in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into three spears. Then I toss them in olive oil and sprinkle black pepper on them. Throw them on the grill for about 5 minutes on each side. If your grill is like mine, you might need to keep a close eye on them. The left side of my grill has a bigger flame for some reason and always cooks faster...so I have to rotate my stuff. Anyway, they come out kind of like grilled french fries....perfect with sour cream & scallions (or chives, but I'm really into scallions right now) or ketchup.

Here's that Pizza Dough Recipe

Since this one wasn't online and I can't post a link, here's the recipe for the pizza dough from the Sunset Italian Cook Book published by Lane Publishing Co. circa 1978.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups sifted flour

This is meant to make two pizzas, but I'm guessing those would have been very small, flat pizzas. I didn't want two...I just wanted one. Anyway, here goes:

Soften the yeast in water for a few minutes, stir in salt and olive oil. Gradually mix in 3 cups of flour to form a soft dough. Place dough on a large cutting board coated with flour and proceed to "knead until smooth and elastic."

Put the ball of dough into a greased bowl, cover it, and place it in a warm place. I had used my oven the night before, and it was still a big warm inside. That was the perfect spot. If you live in the desert, warm places are not hard to find. It's too expensive to leave the AC on all day, so the inside of a cupboard can heat up quite a bit. Leave it there for an hour or so...however long it takes to double in size.

Take it out and knead it again...You'll notice it's fluffier and easier to work with. Shape it into a smooth ball and begin to roll it out flat on that floured board. If you have a pizza stone, you can probably roll it out in a round shape, but if you're like me and only have cookie sheets, a sort of rectangular oval will work just fine. Incidentally, you should probably start preheating your oven to 425 degrees as soon as you pull the dough out.

Next decorate it however you want to, and finally you're ready to bake it for 8-10 minutes....except for me it worked better to put it in for 12 minutes. Everybody's oven is different though.

P.S. So I mentioned on my facebook yesterday that I'd love to increase my followers from 4 to 8, and lo and behold this morning I have 8! Thanks!

Bar-B-Q Season

I used the word "barbecue" sometime last year to describe the act of cooking meat on a grill, and was met with a blank stare. Maybe it's because I'm from California, I don't know, but around here I guess most people say they're grilling. Barbecue is apparently a term reserved for the sauce. Anyway, that said, I've been trying to say the word barbecue more frequently, because I don't want it to die out.

So the grill is gassed up, and I plan on using it A LOT this summer. Last night we did a little cookout for Mother's Day, and I must have been super hungry when I was at the grocery store. We ended up with roasted veggies, corn on the cob, chicken, beans, salad, and french bread followed by cherry cobbler. Still I managed to eat a bit of everything and not feel disgusting afterward. This means I exercised restraint, right?

I'm curious what people like to do with their veggies when they grill them. I have found success putting my chopped veggies (which included bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and a massive scallion) and mixing them with a clove of minced garlic, a couple tablespoons of olive oil and as much Worchestershire Sauce as I feel like shaking in. I then put the lid on, shake the whole thing frantically, and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours. They always turn out great. When there are leftovers, I've been able to use them the next day in pasta sauce (marinara or bechamel) with awesome results.

I guess that's all I have to say about the BBQ for now, but I can assure you, I will have plenty more to say in the near future. Cheers!

Pizza...ohhhh yeah

I made pizza last night...I didn't attempt to do it with beer this time around, just yeast. Figured I should start with the basics. The dough was easy. I don't know why I thought it would be hard. I wasn't tossing it up in the air or anything, but give me time and I'll be able to do it.

The cool thing is, I used an old cookbook my parents must have given me when I moved out of the house. It's this Sunset Magazine Italian Cook Book. Using an actual cookbook that I own gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Almost like going to the library to do research instead of just looking it up online. Anyway, I decorated it withpineapple, turkey bacon, olives, red bell peppers, mushrooms and artichoke hearts, along with skim mozzarella and some red sauce I bought at the store.

So the pizza was pretty freakin' great. I have no complaints. The crust wasn't overly thick, and although I left it in the oven a little longer than the book suggested (there's nothing worse than pizza that's still doughy when you eat it), it wasn't tough or anything. Oh! The turkey bacon was a very nice touch. It tastes a bit like Canadian bacon, and really gave the pizza a great smokey flavor. Black olives are kind of a must for me when it comes to pizza, but I would like to try using green olives sometime. I did throw a huge clove of garlic in the dough, but next time I'll probably use a little more. I also think adding rosemary to the crust would be a nice touch. One thing I really missed was my fresh basil. Some desert creature must have eaten it, because last week I looked outside, and it was gone. I guess I need to plant some more.

Also, I recently purchased a bottle of Concannon Syrah at Albertson's...It was normally priced at $15.99, but was on sale for $6.99. I do so love a bargain, especially on good red wine! Anyway, it was smooth and delicious, and complimented the pizza perfectly.

Final thoughts? Next time maybe I'll try a spinach/pesto pizza. Yum!

P.S.
When I was putting my ingredients away, I somehow managed to get flour all over my face, and in my eyes and hair...Sorry I didn't get a picture of this. = ) Ashley got a good laugh out of it though.

Beer Pizza?

I wonder if you can make pizza dough using beer instead of yeast. I've seen recipes for dough using beer with yeast, but I'm trying to think within the contents of my kitchen right now. I've never made pizza dough from scratch though. Maybe it's better to start with a simple recipe and then add to it. I'm thinking garlic baked into the crust would be pretty amazing. So that's my plan for tomorrow....tonight I'm sticking with taco salad.

oops

I guess the point of having a blog is to use it consistently. So, I apologize, for taking so much time to get back to it. I've actually been doing a bunch of cooking lately. My mom was in town, so we had some fun in the kitchen. I was eager to show off the lemon meringue. One thing I realized while she was making the graham cracker crust, was that I had been leaving out the cinnamon. And now, having tried it both ways, I am on the fence about which way I like it better. Suffice to say, both are quite good.

I recently found a recipe for biscuits online, and I like it a lot. It's called J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits. I must confess, I was sold on the name. It reminded of the biscuits and gravy I once had in some hole-in-the-wall restaurant with an open kitchen while my family was en route to our annual camping trip to Northern California. I remember they were so good and rich, and I couldn't possibly finish them, and they pretty much ruined me for biscuits and gravy. No other restaurant has ever come close.

Okay, but anyway....the recipe is simple, and since I don't own any shortening, I just used butter. It worked fine. They tasted great. So, one morning while my mom was here, I made them again, but this time I threw in a big handful of grated cheddar cheese. Can you say, yum?!?! They were awesome with scrambled eggs! We were all definitely into them.

The other thing I discovered, while we're on the subject of breakfast, was a simple recipe for pancake mix..just called Good Old Fashioned Pancakes. I am convinced I can't go wrong with this recipe. They fluff up, and can be a little heavy, but you can always add a little extra milk if you like them a bit flatter. But what I like is being able to control how much sugar and salt is in my pancakes. Like most people, I've always used pancake mix, and it's easy to disregard what's in it. But sometimes the mix is too sweet, and other times it seems a bit too salty. I did cut down on the salt a bit, but half a teaspoon was just fine. Anyway, next time I'll make them with blue berries....or better yet, chocolate chips!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Good-Old-Fashioned-Pancakes/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jps-big-daddy-biscuits/detail.aspx

Rockin' the Crock?

That soup from yesterday turned out pretty great. I'm getting a little tired of chicken though....next time maybe I'll do it with spicy Italian sausage or something. Chorizo would be ideal, but I only eat pork occasionally, and Ashley doesn't like it at all.

As for doing it in a crock pot, I really didn't give myself enough time...so I ended up dumping the whole thing into a stew pot and heating it on the stove for the last half hour or so. I need to do more with the crock pot, so I can master it. One of my friends can really rock the crock pot. She definitely has it down to a science, and I am convinced she can do just about anything with it. Anyway, it's something to aspire too.

if you're afraid of garlic...maybe cooking isn't your thing

I'm making this crock pot chicken tortilla soup right now. I figure, why not, since it will soon be too hot for soups. Anyway, here is my beef with a lot of the cooks who post recipes online...they seem timid about using garlic. This recipe, for example, calls for one clove of garlic. One clove??? I just used two, but even that seems pretty chintzy.

See, I grew up in a household where garlic was used almost daily. I remember overhearing my cousin tell my mom that she thought it was sexy when guys had garlic breath. So, if my hands do not reek of garlic when I'm done, I'm afraid I haven't used enough.

Garlic, for those who want to know, is actually part of the onion family...and what a family it is. If food has something like a mafia that controls pretty much everything, it must be the Onion family.

And I know,I know...some kinds of food simply don't require my beloved garlic. Borscht, for example, is one of my favorite things in the world. But garlic does wonderful things for many recipes. So please, internet chefs, do not fear garlic...especially not fresh garlic. Something is lost when its minced and canned or jarred ahead of time...and that's not something you can get back.

On a side note, I once dated someone who refused to cook with onions. That was a year and a half of my life wasted on onion-less food. Makes me sad just thinking about it.

Thoughts on oranges...

Last week I ate two delicious naval oranges. They were sweet and juicy and just perfect. So, over the weekend I bought a couple of Cara Cara Naval Oranges thinking they'd be just as good, but bigger.

The first thing I noticed about them was their color. Once peeled they were a dark orange inside. I'm sorry to seey they didn't seem particularly juicy...and I am even more sorry to say they tasted like some God-awful combination of the orange and yellow Triaminic!. Disgusting! I couldn't even finish one, it was so bad.

But getting back to oranges I like...the blood oranges this year have been good, and I discovered this blood orange soda at Trader Joe's that tastes awesome. I haven't been drinking wine or beer lately, so it's been a nice substitute.


And one thing I always enjoy this time of the year are those adorable little Clementine Cuties you can get by the bag at pretty much any grocery store. When they're good, they're awesome, and easy to peel.

Lastly, the juiciest citrus I've enjoyed recently was a tangelo. I'm not huge on the flavor of tangerines, but I ate one recently, and it was like an explosion in my mouth. I couldn't believe how much juice was in it.

Actually enjoying vegetables

I'm not going to lie to you...up until recently vegetables were just something I ate to be healthy. I had yet to find any joy in them. One night, a very long time ago, I went out for Chinese food with my friend and she ordered this green bean dish that was amazing. Still...that was then.

Recently, we bought some produce from our friend Berrie, who has a magical green thumb. Her scallions are nearly the size of leeks, and her mustard greens are like no other. Are you feeling the change in the tide here? In the past I had steamed her chard and enjoyed it, but with two big bags of greens on my arm, I knew I had to do something more. So I sauteed kale, chard, spinach and mustard in butter with scallions and garlic. I was completely floored. I like greens! Veggies are amazing! From then on, I've made sure to stock my fridge with greens. Berrie's are the best, but I can't always get those, so I settle for grocery store veggies. I have steamed a number of veggies together, stir fried them, and looked for recipes online. It is a whole new world for me! I found this one for broccoli:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chili-garlic-roasted-broccoli-recipe/index.html

We had it last night. I didn't have grill seasonings, so I used Worchestershire sauce instead, and it was awesome!

I can't wait to find more great veggie recipes. This is an Asian style kale recipe I also really enjoyed:


http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2006/10/04/asian-style-kale/

I didn't have any shallots or fresh ginger the first time I made it, but I used finely sliced onions, and powdered ginger as substitutes. Instead of dousing the whole thing with soy sauce at the end, I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos.

It was excellent, especially with rice. The trick with the kale is not to overcook it. You want it to keep it's shape. At the same time, to avoid it being hard to chew, fold the larger pieces in half and pull off the stems.

FUBARS and catastrophes

Not everything turns out well. My banana bread, for instance, turned out a little gummy...but at least I know why. It's slightly better than the time I made pumpkin cake, but forgot to add the cinnamon, nutmeg and pretty much everything needed to keep it from tasting like play-dough....which was what my girlfriend and her niece said when they ate it.

Another time, I was making pizza using one of those store-bought, roll-out crusts that usually end up being a little too sweet. Anyway, it kept tearing, so I figured I'd mash it up into a ball and roll it out myself. Nope. It was like elastic. The more I rolled it, the more it snapped back into place....and I was not in a great mood that day. At some point, both the rolling pin and the ball of dough ended up all over the floor...thrown by some unseen force that couldn't have been me having a temper tantrum.

It sucks to waste food, but sometimes I just have to suck it up and wipe the slate (or the counter) clean.

The power of intention is a good place to start....

I loved that movie Like Water For Chocolate, because the main character cooked with her soul. Her thoughts and emotions were the main ingredients, so her cooking often took on mystical properties. In one scene, unable to fully express her love/lust for her brother in-law, she roasts Quail in rose petals, sending everyone at the table into some kind of pre-orgasmic fit. Her sister then runs off, fully nude with a strange cowboy.

Okay, so my cooking doesn't quite do that. But I do believe intention has something to do with it...maybe I am more careful when I want things to be just right. Like when one of our best friends was having a very very very bad year, she was spending a lot of time at our house. So I wanted the food I cooked to have healing properties. More than that, I viewed my meals as something like a big warm hug. I wanted to cook in a way that surrounded everyone with love and comfort. It was during that time that I first made Chicken Cordon Bleu in a creamy wine sauce. Yes, it was fattening! I'm sure of it, but that's not something I think about when I cook. Somehow the devil you know seems less dangerous than the one you don't...and in this case, I at least knew what was in it. It turned out so well though. It was a lot of work, as is anything that requires supervision on the stove top, and I have to admit I started to panic when my friends pulled up and it wasn't quite done yet. But it was to die for, and the house was filled with the most wonderful smells. It reminded me of when I was a kid having dinner at my great-grandparents' house....and that kind of nostalgia and comfort was exactly what I was going for.

Here's the recipe if you want to check it out. I replaced the wine with sherry. IF this sounds good to you, just try it some time. You will thank me.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Cordon-Bleu-II/Detail.aspx

Is it possible to add ingredients in the middle of baking?

I'm baking banana bread. Those bananas on the counter were looking mighty ripe, so I pulled out my favorite cookbook, The Not-Srictly Vegetarian Cookbook and found the recipe. To be fair, I really wasn't paying enough attention. Generally when I cook from a recipe I am very careful, but since I had used this one before and I knew it was easy, I wasn't too worried.

The recipe (like many in this particular book) ,called for maple syrup or honey instead of sugar, but I wanted to use brown sugar instead. I used half a cup instead of a whole cup, because bananas are already sweet. It also called for grated lemon or orange rind, but that was optional. Since I still have lemons, I just zested one. I didn't have a whole teaspoon of cinnamon left, so I increased the amounts of nutmeg and mace that I used. Oh, and I used two cups of regular flour and one cup of whole wheat flour...I have a lot of whole wheat flour, and any time I can get rid of some I am happy. After mixing it thoroughly, I stuck it in the oven and started working on dinner.

Twenty minutes later, I happened to glance at the recipe, and "oh crap!" I forgot the baking powder. So I pulled the bread pan out of the oven and proceeded to add baking powder. The outer edges had just begun to bake, so mixing it in took some doing, but the rest of the dough was still pretty moist. Anyway, now I'm waiting to see how it all turns out.

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Meringue

My friend Turner says it's hard to go wrong with Lemon Meringue. The filling can turn out runny and the meringue can be a little flat, but it will still taste delicious. Growing up, my family used to drive up to my Grandma's house in Santa Rosa (about a 2 hour drive) on a Friday night, and when we got there, she had often prepared some kind of delicious treat for us; apple strudel, bread pudding, chocolate bread pudding, rhubarb pie, or lemon meringue to name a few.

Lemon Meringue, like Key Lime Pie, is not something I would have ever thought to order at a restaurant. When I crave something sweet, I usually lean towards chocolate. However, in our backyard, we have a lemon tree in a whiskey barrel. Last year it produced 9 lemons, but this year it was weighed down by about 30, just waiting to be picked. But what do I do with that many lemons? It's not exactly the type of fruit one sits down and eats. So, after wasting an entire lemon so I could put a wedge in my beer bottle, I knew I needed to do something great with these lemons.

I found a recipe online called "Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie" at allrecipes.com. After looking it over, I stressed over the pie crust. Most crusts I've bought from the store were too salty. Then I thought about making one from scratch. That didn't sound fun either. Then, I started thinking about lemon bars, and it occurred to me that lemon meringue would taste good with a graham cracker crust. I've used prepared ones before, but I prefer a homemade one, so I found "Graham Cracker Crust I" also at allrecipes.com.

The crust was easy enough. Instead of 1/3 cup of sugar, I put in 1/4. I am all about lowering the sugar whenever possible, and since Graham Crackers are already sweet, I didn't think it would matter much.

Making the lemon filling was quite a task. I zested the lemons with the fine side of a cheese grater, and used an old ceramic hand juicer my grandma had made, to juice the lemons. I forgot to remove the seeds, so I ended up fishing around with a spoon in a cloudy measuring cup to get them out. In the meantime, my oven was preheated to 350 degrees.

The lemon filling was quite a task. I had used the prescribed 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, but it seemed to me that my filling was taking an awfully long time to get thick. Finally, I got impatient and dumped in a little more cornstarch. That was a bit of a mistake. Usually when I use cornstarch, I mix it in with a little of the liquid first to get it to mix in smoothly. In this instance, my filling was suddenly filled with little lumps that wouldn't disappear no matter how hard I stirred it. But, the good news was it had finally thickened up, so I poured it into the graham cracker crust.

My meringue was a little flat. The recipe calls for 4 egg whites, and although I kept whipping them and whipping them, when they finally formed stiff peaks, they still didn't reach the height I was hoping for. But, I continued on, and spread the meringue over the top of the filling.

I popped it into the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes (or until meringue is golden brown). When the timer went off, it was not golden brown yet, so I punched in another five minutes, and that did the trick.

So, Ashley and I had dinner, and afterwards, I invited Turner over for pie. After the first bite, we were all in agreement that it was freaking amazing. The crust was awesome. I hadn't chilled the pie, but it tasted great warm, and since I had thrown in that extra cornstarch, it was set perfectly.

A couple weeks later, I did it again. This time I didn't add extra corn starch, but I did use one extra egg white and one extra tablespoon of sugar in the meringue. This time the meringue was tall and fluffy. We ate it warm again, and it was slightly runny, but after chilling it, I noticed that the lemon filling had set just fine. Either way, I think it works, but if you do plan on serving it warm, I would use maybe an additional half a tablespoon of cornstarch, and definitely use the extra egg while and sugar in the meringue.

All in all, I'd say the recipe itself is pretty sound. I'm making it again this afternoon.

Let Me Set The Scene For You

I've just come home from a long day at work. Maybe I'm a little pissed off about something. Or perhaps I just need to re-energize. One thing is certain, I have been dreaming of cooking all day. I guess you could call the kitchen my safe haven. When we have company, my hub is generally in front of the stove where I can see everyone. But getting back to the present, I turn on some music...maybe a little jazz to calm me. With my recipe sitting on the counter, I begin to collect my ingredients and pull out my pots and pans. IF the stove needs to preheat, I'll turn it on.

Once my recipe is set in motion, I am in a groove. I pour myself a glass of Chianti and sip it contentedly. If the recipe doesn't require a lot of fussing, now is a good time to make a few calls. My friends and family are accustomed to talking to me while I cook. And when the recipe is done, hopefully Ashley has come inside and is ready to eat, so the food won't get cold.

By the time we eat, all the worries of my day have gone away. My enthusiasm for living has been renewed, and I am like a new person. Maybe it's partly the wine, and maybe it's being home, but I like to think my cooking has a lot to do with it.