Pancake Malfunction

So, I was testing pancake recipes. Attempt to perfect my bulk batch recipe to post. Couldn't figure out why the pancakes were so flat and refused to rise. Yeah. Had turned off the stove. DUH

Talk It Out

Yesterday's post sounded glum, didn't it? GLUM. BLUE. So blue it looked purple. Today I talked for two hours with a girlfriend and snapped out of it. Funks don't make for fun times. Good friends do. Just sayin'

One of Those Days

Ever have one of those days when you feel as if you're one comment from saying something so horrible no one will talk to you again? Or one email from making a complete fool of yourself. Or one phone call from permanently sticking your foot in your mouth? Yeah. I'm having one of those days. How odd that some days feel like you're teetering and others feel as if you're walking on air. Not a fan of the former, but there it is.

Getting Back In the Word

This morning I rolled out of bed to make coffee for my tired husband. Yes, I am that sweet. Sometimes. Make no mistake - I do not willingly share my chocolate. Even with my man. Usually. I digress. This morning I felt an emptiness and a hunger. For what, you ask? The Bible. Getting back in the Word. Hubby left for work, the kids still slept, so I had time alone with God. Haven't missed a day, thus far, since my Lenten Commitment. Yay, me! And yay, God! Thank you, Lord, for lighting a fire under me to get me back in the Word. Or is it a fire in my heart?

Blondies

Perfect Blondies

What You Need:

1 Cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, walnuts, flaked coconut or pecans (or throw them all in and experiment!)


What You Use:

microwave safe mixing bowl
small bowl
9"x9" square pan
parchment paper
cooking spray
wisk
spatula


What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray pan. Then cut a piece of parchment about 9" wide. Place the parchment in the pan with two "wings" hanging off the ends. Use your finger to crease the paper into the sides so the batter spreads evenly. (You're making a Blondie sling. When the Blondies are baked, you'll use the two pieces hanging off the end to lift the Blondies out of the pan for quicker cooling and easier cutting.)
3. Combine flour, salt, and soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Melt the stick of butter in the microwave safe mixing bowl.
5. Remove from microwave. Stir in brown sugar until sugar dissolves.
6. Add vanilla. Then add the egg. Mix well.
7. Stir in flour mixture. Do not over mix! Stir just until combined, streaks of white are okay.
8. Add chocolate chips or nuts or coconut or whatever floats your fancy at this point. Stir them in just until they're everywhere. Do not over mix! Streaks of white are okay. If you stir too much, you'll have a tough Blondie. (hahahaha)
9. Pour (or glob) mix into prepared pan.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Top will look crinkly and sides will look browned and start pulling away from the pan sides. Let sit for 10 minutes, then remove to plate or cutting board. Cut and enjoy!


Additional thoughts: If you switch out the baking soda for baking powder, you'll have a cake-like texture and they won't be as gooey.

Oven Fries

Save some money and make healthier fries! It took years of tinkering with recipes to find the perfect oven fry. Even my father-in-law liked them. If you knew what a fabulous cook my mother-in-law was, you'd know that's crazy-high praise. And without further ado:

Oven Fries

Prep time: 10 min.
Cooking time: 1 hour

What You Need:

6 russet potatoes
salt to taste
cooking spray
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil (or really any oil you like)

What You Use:

half-sheet pan
spatula


What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spray the sheet pan with a thin layer of oil.
3. Cube potatoes into ~1" (Give or take - Note: Small pieces make crunchy fries while big pieces make a crunchy exterior with a soft interior.)
4. Dump potatoes into a pile on the pan.
5. Drizzle oil on potato pile.
6. Toss potatoes to coat all sides with oil. They're ready for the oven when they glisten and no oil's left on the bottom of the pan.
7. Spread out potatoes in a single layer.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. (You'll hear sizzling and hissing in the oven. That's good.)
9. After first 30 minutes, remove pan from oven. LOTS of steam will rush out of the oven.
10. Quickly, but safely, scrape the potatoes off the pan and flip them over. Spread them out into a single layer again and bake for another 30 minutes. This step is important to get even browning.
11. Remove. Salt to taste. Serve!

Mmmm... Potatoes. Cube those suckers!
I like skin on. You might not.
To each her own.


My favorite baking pan - a half sheet pan.
Find them at Sam's Club or in restaurant supply stores.
And olive oil. Use what oil you like, but my
crowd likes olive oil. Heart healthy!


Spuds cubed and glistening with olive oil,
ready for the oven.


This is what they look like after 30 minutes.
Scrape them off the bottom of the pan,
toss them around, and shove the pan back in the oven.


Golden brown and delicious. Mmmmm...

Ways to use the leftovers (heat in a dry skillet):

- Serve with scrambled eggs - these make a great hash
- Cover with cheese and bacon bits, put in a 350 oven for about 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and you've got the best cheese fries ever, serve with ranch dressing.
- Stir in some caramelized onions and serve along side a nice piece of meat

The Cheap Cuts, Beef Vol. 1

We bought what amounted to half a cow. Keeping our price per pound down required a willingness to accept some cheap cuts. My freezer now holds multiple pounds of something charmingly named "plate meat."

What, pray tell, is that? Well, darling reader, "plate meat" comes from the "plate" of the cow. Think lower ribs, as in closer to the ground and on the side. Our butcher doesn't use fancy terms like "English Cut." Nope. It's "plate meat." It looks ugly and scary and even this seasoned cook felt daunted by the prospect.

The way to handle it is to cook the living daylights out of it. What I'm about to show you can be used on any cheap cut, be it brisket or plate meat or short ribs.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: Hours upon hours. Think ahead.

You Will Need:

Several pounds of cheap beef
Spices to your liking, total ~ 1/3 Cup*
Roasting pan
Aluminum foil

*When I cook, I'm a cook. I don't measure. My feeling is the only way to be a "cook" is to fake it until you make it. So, when it comes to spicing something, like meat, think about the flavors you like. Like spicy? Try cumin, chili powder, dried peppers, curries, or cajun seasonings. Like savory? Thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, oregano might work for you.

If you're a beginner, the best bet is to start with salt and pepper and add one or two spices you like. If you want to start experimenting, which is truly how the best things come about, mix your spices in a small bowl. Smell your mixture. Do you like it? What does it need? Taste a little. Do you like it? Too much of something? Too little of something? Keep in mind that flavors will be muted through the cooking process, so it's okay if it's a little too salty now.



What You Do:

Several pounds of cheap beef. Mmmmmm...

Collect your spices.
We like spicy, so this time around I used
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder,
and ground red chili peppers.

Heavily sprinkle both sides of meat with seasonings.
Here's our meat, seasoned and ready for the pan.
You can tell this is cheap meat by how much
fat and bone is in it. Look at the layers of meat
between the layers of fat. All that fat will
cook down and the meat will pull away from the bone.

Cover the meat with a tent of foil.
I like a "dome" over the meat. Don't know if it helps,
but it makes me happy.

The cooked meat. See how much fat melted away?
Cheap, cheap meat.

That whole pan of meat yielded a soup-bowl's worth
of meat - but it makes..

...a tasty shredded beef sandwich.
Take some leftover beef, heat it up with some
barbecue sauce. Slap it on a bun, park it on a plate
with some chips and salsa and you've
got yourself a mighty fine meal.