A SICK ADDICTION.....CHOCOLATE

A picture before digging into this week's recipe....Gooey Chocolate Cakes!

Here's the brand of chocolate I chose to use. It ended up making very rich chocolate cakes. Dorie advises not to skimp on the quality of chocolate, since it is the star of this recipe!
As usual, my shoddy photography skills give no justice to this chocolate goodness!


It's Tuesday again:) This week's recipe was right up my alley. Chocolate. Gooey, Melty, Chocolate. Why is it you either have general cravings---salty, sweet, or perhaps spicy. But what is it with that fourth craving, which is oh so specific--something chocolately. It normally hits me at 2:30 in the afternoon. When I have to sneak to the candy dish and dig for what I must have. Not the Wuther's Orignals or for god's sake not the sugar coated gummy things.


No, it must absolutely be chocolate! This month I keep digging out the leftover dark chocolate dove eggs. When those are all gone I will start on the Hersey kisses....I really should just leave those alone and go eat my chocolate pudding in the fridge, but who am I kidding? The pudding ain't gonna do it. Whoever writes those books and says eat the sugar-free chocolate pudding instead of the chocolate bar is a complete poindexter in my opinion. All I am going to do is eat the pudding, feel disappointed, then end up eating the chocolate bar. So really why waste the extra calories on the pudding?


So, when I found out we were making the Gooey Chocolate Cakes this week I was ecstatic. I have never made these little lava cakes before but my god they were simple. This is the kind of recipe that you could easily whip up before an impromptu dinner party and no one even guess it took such little effort. I ended up making mine in small ramekins that came with a fondue pot I received as a wedding gift. They were the perfect size. I also used some white chocolate chips in the middle of half the batch. They turned out to be my favorites. Eric enjoyed his warm with ice cream. But honestly no matter how you eat them they tasted wonderful.



As with most other Dorie recipes, this is definitely a thumbs up in taste and ease of preparation. I promise to post the recipe whenever I get a chance! Enjoy!

SEND ME ON MY WAY

Sorry, up front for the fugly photo. It was just not my night for photography.

TGIF. Our head underwriter quit today. We had to push several closing to next month. My pants feel really tight. Ugh. And it just keeps raining.......we head to Florida in two weeks, and I don't know if I can survive until then!





I really have nothing novel to write about, so I will spare you all. Plus, I hate my camera and all the pictures stink. I had an hour long conversation with a photographer that does the food stills for Cameron Mitchell's places. He recommended a few thousand dollars worth of equipment I should try. Sure, buddy. Maybe next Christmas. He told me he spent two hours photographing some drink with different umbrellas in them for an article on the best cocktails in Columbus. I told him I understood his pain. Fifty shots of the above coleslaw and they all stink. At least it tastes good.........

WALDOLF-ISH COLESLAW

1/2 head cabbage chopped
1 cup fat free mayo
4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons slpenda (more of less to suit your tastes)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
some celery seed
some poppy seeds
1 apple, chopped
1/3 cup, raisins
salt to taste

Mix it up and chill a few hours. Add more raisins if you want....I never measure anything in the recipe and interchange ingredients as I like. All I know is that I like my coleslaw sweet:)

HELLO MY LITTLE TURNOVER

Ever since I got my Dorie Greenspan "Baking: From My Home to Yours" cookbook, all I want to do is make all the recipes in it. There are like at least one hundred that I want to try. I really tried hard to convince myself not to make any recipes other than the one that is picked for every Tuesday. I did really try, I swear.

But.....it didn't work out. I kept staring at all these apples stacked in the bowl in my kitchen. And they kept staring back at me. Saying "use me before I wither up and rot".......so I had no choice I had to make something with apples. Now, I should have looked in other places--but that big shiny new book was sitting there staring at me too.

So, I just peeked in the apple section and found several versions of apple pies on the first few pages. Good, I thought, apple pie is just too boring. But as I turned to the next page, there it was staring right back at me......Flaky Apple Turnovers. Oh yes, that was it.

It turned out to be a good call. I loved them. I ended up topping them with large sugar crystals and baking them until golden. Eric and I both agreed they are best when warmed with a side of ice cream--so yummy!

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 sticks butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks

3 tablespoons butter cut into small bits

1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

Sugar, for dusting

To make Dough: Stir the sour cream and sugar together, set aside. Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl, then toss the butter bits over the flour. Working with a pastry blender, or your fingers, cut the butter into the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don't worry about being thorough--it's better to have an uneven mix than an overworked dough. Switch to a fork and, using a lifting and tossing motion, gently stir in the sour cream. The dough will be very soft.

Divide the dough in half. Put each half on a piece of plastic warp and use the plastic to shape each piece into a rectangle. Wrap the dough and chill for at least an hour. Remove one piece of cough from the fridge and roll it into a rectangle about 9x18 inches. The dough is easiest to work with if you roll it between two sheets of wax paper. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter, wrap it and chill it. Repeat with second piece of dough, and chill the dough at least 2 hours.

To Make The Filling: Whisk the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss to coat.

Getting Ready To Bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Roll out one piece of dough to a thickness of about 1/8th of an inch, and cut out 4 1/2 inch rounds with a large cutter (I used a jar lid) Repeat with the second piece of dough. If you like, you can gather the scraps together, chill them and make additional turnovers (I did this). You should get 7-8 rounds per piece of dough.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons apples in the center of each round and dot with the butter. Moisten edges of each round with a little water and fold the turnovers in half, sealing the edges by pressing them together with the tines of a fork. Use the fork to poke steam holes in each turnover, and transfer the turnovers to the baking sheets.

Brush the tops of hte turnovers with a little of the egg wash and sprinkle each one with a pinch of sugar (I used large sugar crystals). Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 10 minutes. When done, the turnovers will be puffed, firm to the touch and golden. Gently transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

Dorie says these are very easy to change up---fill with whatever fruit or jam you may have a hankering for! I think I am going with my mom's idea next time--Cherry Turnovers:)

THE FLAN SHOWDOWN

Okay, flan is (yawn) boring. I just couldn't get excited about it. Stir water and sugar together, pour in pan. Boil water in tea kettle. Mix some eggs together. Yawn. It also doesn't help that I think flan is just okay. Custardy-type stuff has just never really appealed to me. I like crust, I like crunch---not this smooth, sexy (as Dorie refers to it) stuff. I don't want my dessert to be sexy. I want fattening, messy, gooey. This is way too lady-like for a gal like me....and if I don't like it-- you know Eric won't even touch it.

Anywhoo-Making this was pretty easy. The caramel turned a lovely amber and it easily covered the bottom of my pan. The flan portion came together quickly and I shoved it in the oven in my trusty blue roasting pan. It baked, it cooled, and it went into the fridge for a chilling. I let Eric flip onto the serving plate while I attempted to get ready to go to Easter dinner. When I came down stairs he informed me that the caramel portion was almost dripping over the sides of the plate---so he drained it off, that way it would be much easier to tote to grandmas. Ah, god love him. I couldn't be mad on Easter and since we were already running half an hour late, I didn't have time to worry.

Good thing I didn't get upset. No one touched it. My feelings would have normally been hurt, but heck--I didn't even want it. Especially when it is sitting right next to my grandmother's homemade cherry pie. I felt really bad for my flan, so I ate a little piece to make it feel better. Then I ate a ginormous piece of cherry pie. Shame, shame on me.

Well, now I have a lot of leftover flan and I am going to eat it this week with berries and some biscotti. If you love flan, go ahead and try this recipe. I will not be making it again though. I would rather save my eggs for an omelet or more brioche:)

Caramel Topped Flan

(Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan)

For the Caramel

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp water

squirt of fresh lemon juice

For the Flan

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1-1/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan or a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with a double thickness of paper towels. Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Put a metal 8-x-2-inch round cake pan-not a nonstick one-in the oven to heat while you prepare the caramel. To Make the Caramel: Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Put the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar becomes an amber-colored caramel, about 5 minutes-remove the pan from the heat at the first whiff of smoke.Remove the cake pan from the oven and, working with oven mitts, pour the caramel into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom; set the pan aside.To Make the Flan: Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.Meanwhile, in a 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar. Whisk vigorously for a minute or two, and then stir in the vanilla. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the hot cream and milk. Using a large spoon, skim off the bubbles and foam that you worked up.Put the caramel-lined cake pan in the roasting pan. Pour the custard into the cake pan and slide the setup into the oven. Very carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. (Don't worry if this sets the cake pan afloat.) Bake the flan for about 35 minutes, or until the top puffs a bit and is golden here and there. A knife inserted into the center of the flan should come out clean.Remove the roasting pan from the oven, transfer the cake pan to a cooking rack and run a knife between the flan and the sides of the pan to loosen it. Let the flan cool to room temperature on the rack, then loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.When ready to serve, once more, run a knife between the flan and the pan. Choose a rimmed serving platter, place the platter over the cake pan, quickly flip the platter and pan over and remove the cake pan-the flan will shimmy out and the caramel sauce will coat the custard.Yield: 6 to 8 Servings

SPRING CLEANING

ABOVE: Sorry, Stinky Lighting=Bad Pictures

Ah, the first day of Spring has come and gone here in Ohio...too bad it is still stinking cold and gloomy out! Since the sun refuses to shine, I am staying indoors and cleaning. Yes, how exciting. If someone were to make a movie of my life, it would be so absolutely boring since I swear I spend most of my time picking up the house, doing laundry and cleaning. I don't now how two people can go through some many clothes and dishes....it is insane!

I decided to clean out the refrigerator and freezer today. I am always amazed at the things you find when doing this task. Forgotten about frozen unmarked containers, the salad dressing you opened and decided you didn't like, the half bottle of beer that got pushed all the back with the baking soda--I ended up filling up an entire garbage bag with these kinds of things. It made me disgusted with myself for this type of food waste. So I've promised myself to make an effort to be more conscious of using up things before I buy more (regardless of how pretty the package is or if I am getting the deal of a lifetime!).

The one thing also I have to use up is all this DEER MEAT! Ugh, I am just not a big deer meat fan. I've tried to make it in chili, casseroles, etc--but it just never tastes right to me. The only thing I can do is trail bologna. My grandma has made this for years for all guys who hunt on their land. She gave me her original recipe, which I have tweaked for our tastes. Eric eats about 4 pounds of this in two or three days---always with crackers and spicy brown mustard. At least it is high protein with virtually no fat. Oh so very Adkins-Friendly--if you follow that crap:)

TRAIL BOLOGNA

3 pounds ground venison


1 pound ground sirloin or lean ground beef


2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper


2 tablespoons liquid smoke


2 cups water


4 tablespoons quick curing salt (morton's)


1 teaspoon garlic powder


1 teaspoon marjoram


1 teaspoon fennel seed


2 teaspoon dry mustard powder


1/2 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt


1 heaping tablespoon McCormick's Hamburger Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, shape meat mixture into several 1 1/2" diameter logs. Place on wire rack and bake for approximately one hour. Flip logs halfway through baking time.
Allow logs to cool. Wrap each log in foil and refrigerate until ready to use.

I highly recommend this recipe if you have deer meat to use up. I have played around with different mixes, ratios, and seasonings and this by far is my "keeper" recipe.

HIP-HOP HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter all! I made all kinds of things this weekend, but I will only share an easy one today. Macaroni and Cheese:) We celebrated at my mom's house this year and I was instructed to bring a side dish. I told Eric to pick out somthing and Mac & Cheese was his first choice. He's all about the comfort food!

Use whatever cheese you want but I ended up using extra sharp cheddar and white cheddar. I also used 1/2 pound small shell pasta and 1/2 pound big shell pasta....I just love when some of the little shells get stuck inside the big shells! It it the best:)

EASY MAC & CHEESE

1 stick butter

1/2 flour

4 cups milk

1 pound shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

1 pound pasta

1 brick extra sharp white cheddar cheese, cubed

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta for 8 minutes or until al dente. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. When melted, add flour and stir to make a roux. Ad a little bit of the milk and whisk to get rid of any lumps. When smooth, add the remaining milk. Cook over medium high until comes to a boil, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and add 3/4 of the cheese (Set remaining shredded aside to sprinkle on top). Stir mixture until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the paste is done, drain and combine with the cheese mixture. Stir well and pour into a greased baking dish (I used two 8x8). Drop in cubed cheese and lightly combined. Then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly!

Dig in...it won't last long!

SUSHI, NO....ZUCCHINI, YES?

It's almost 8pm and I am still at the office. I have been sorting through business taxes and trying to come up with a profit and loss, but there are pages missing and it is all out of order. I've had people in and out of here all day and really have gotten nothing accomplished...except that I have developed an eye twitch. Get me the hell out of here~it's Friday for pete's sake!

I am actually going to head to the grocery store this evening to pick up items for my Caramel-Topped Flan (My TWD recipe of the week). Actually, I might not. I might need some bar food and a cocktail. I'm really hankering for some tuna tartare or sushi. Too bad the only sushi in this town is sold at Kroger's and I am not going into Columbus this evening (but oh Haiku would be so good!). Therefore, my hankering will have to wait, and I will settle for deep fried zucchini. Boy, am I not easy to please? Until tomorrow........

SORRY, YOU'RE GETTING LEFTOVERS TODAY

Yes, I didn't make any thing "fresh" today. No time, No way. It is Eric's sister's birthday dinner tonight (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOOG!) and I know it will be a mad dash after work to get downtown. We are going to Hyde Park for dinner and I love, love, love Hyde Park. The dark lush interior, the fabulous martinis, and the city slickers trying to be oh-so trendy. There's nothing like some good people watching and this is prime viewing grounds!

I did get my wallet stolen once there though...but I will not hold it against Hyde Park. I just know it was the two bimbos loitering next to us at the bar and I blame myself for leaving my purse strung around the bar stool (lesson learned). Nothing makes you feel so absolutely violated as having someone steal something so personal. It's not just cancelling credit cards and replacing your driver's license....but having to apply for new insurance cards, library card, and going back to Sam's Club to have your photo retaken. It's rebuilding EVERYTHING. It's having someone know your home address and that you are an organ donor. Agghh, thieves are the worst!

Anyways, today I am sharing the golden brioche loaf I made from my raisin snails. No need to post the recipe because it is listed in yesterdays post. Just after you divide the dough in half, take that portion and separate it into four equal parts. Then shape each into 3 1/2" logs and place crossways into the bottom of a loaf pan. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Eric couldn't believe how good this stuff was.......(as if I would make him something crappy!) and he has been making sandwiches with it all week. It is still soft and moist four days later. I told him not to get used to it though, unless he wants to learn to make it himself. I won't hold my breath.

MY FIRST TUESDAY

Look at my snail below! haha----totally unintentional, but I think he looks more like a hermit crab or a little old man with a beard!

Today I get to share my first Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Brioche Raisin Snails! I have no idea whether this is what they are supposed to look like or not, but they sure do taste delicious! I started the process early Saturday morning. Mr. Eric decided to sleep in, so he did not get to witness the lighting of my rum raisins! I used a long tapered candle and I barely got it above the lip of the pan when POOF the flame shot up near my bangs! Talk about jump back jack!

I was doggysitting my mom's dog, Isabella (the one near death) and she definitely gave me a funny little head tilt while this was all happening! Probably the most excitement she has seen in a long time! So, she watched curiously as I whipped the dough together and whisked the be-doodles out of my pastry cream.

Everything seems to have turned out alright, except I think I might have baked them a minute too long. Maybe just a little less golden next time. Also, I used about half the raisins the recipe called for because that was all I had at the house.....my bad! I did use plenty of Sailor Jerry rum though, which I swear hands down is the best rum EVER. Next time I will use lots and lots of raisins with lots and lots of Sailor Jerry. They tasted heavenly!

The recipe is very long, but here it goes:

Brioche Raisin Snails

1 cup moist, plump raisins
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 recipe for Golden Brioche Loaves(page 48), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating overnight)
1/2 recipe Pastry Cream (page 448)

For The Optional Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
About 1 teaspoon water
Drop of pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready: Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover them with hot water and let them steep for about 4 minutes, until they are plumped. Drain the raisins, return them to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, warm them over low heat. When the raisins are very hot, pull the pan from the heat and pour over the rum. Standing back, ignite the rum. Stair until the flames go out, then cover and set aside. (The raisins and rum an be kept in a covered jar for up to 1 day.)

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a short end toward you. Spread the pastry cream across the dough, leaving 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the raisins over the pastry cream and sprinkle the raisins and cream with the cinnamon sugar. Starting wit the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it up to 2 months; see Storing for further instructions. Or, if you do not want to make the full recipe, use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder.)

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends if they're ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into rounds a scant 1 inch thick. Put the snails on the lined baking sheet(s), leaving some puff space between them.

Lightly cover the snails with wax paper and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubles in volume--they'll be puffy and soft--about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Getting Ready To Bake: When the snails have almost fully risen, preheat the oven: depending on the number of baking sheets you have, either center a rack in the oven or position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the wax paper, and bake the snails for about 25 minutes (rotate the sheets if you're using two, from top to bottom and front to back after 15 minutes), or until they are puffed and richly browned. Using a metal spatula, transfer the snails onto a cooling rack.

If You Want To Glaze The Snails: Put a piece of wax paper under the rack of warm rolls to act as a drip catcher. Put the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and stir in a teaspoon of water. Keep adding water drop by drop until you have an icing that falls from the tip of a spoon. Add the vanilla extract, then drizzle the icing over the hot snails.

Golden Brioche Loaves

2 packets active dry yeast
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 3/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For The Glaze
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.

Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)

Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

THE ABSOLUTELY, NO FUN ST. PATRICK'S DAY

I really should have made something with Guinness (but I think we drank it all) or something with corned beef (but that's another trip to the grocery and I ain't going back!) to celebrate St. Patrick's day. Oh, it just stinks that on my way to work this morning they were interviewing all these people on the radio whooping it up already.

Must be nice. Instead I will go to work and wish I wasn't at work. It is a Murphy's Law kind of a day around here. The one day I think everything will go smoothly and we can get out of here early-- EVERYTHING GOES WRONG. Oh well, I have never been a four-leaf clover kind of gal.

But I did end of baking the one thing that always ends up okay---chocolate chip cookies. Eric's request, of course. It is the one sweet he truly loves. I used a recipe from Marcy Goldman. I had never used it before, but it turned out wonderfully. In my opinion, one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes I have ever made. Buttery, crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle.

I ran out of chocolate chips, so used to white chocolate ones too. I also took her advice and crossed-hatched the tops when they came out of the oven to expose the melted chocolate chips.....oh it is yummy:)

I'll post the recipe in a bit. Now I must get back to the pain and suffering of work. Say a prayer for me, I need it!

THE CHEESECAKE EXPERIMENT

Ah, the weekend is almost over and it feels like it just started. It is just not fair. It also stinks that St. Patrick's day is on a Monday. How do you drink green beer and wake up feeling good on a Tuesday? Ah yeah--yah don't.

So, we ended up celebrating last night at Doolins Pub. So nothing about the place is Irish, except for the name---but it's close to home, it has a good mix of people, cheap drinks, and excellent service. The DJ always plays good music, and not a bunch of trendy techno crap that all sounds the same. And you can dance your little heart out--which is exactly what we did!

Over the last few days, I also did some baking. My newest invention is what I have dubbed "Cadbury Creme Cheesecake". It is exactly what it sounds like-cheesecake with chopped cadbury creme eggs mixed in. It tastes very good, mostly creamy and chocolately--but not quite what I had in mind. I thought if I froze the cadburys first that they would stand up to the baking in the oven....but the nougat pretty much got lost in the cheesecake. Next time I don't think I will use the chopped big eggs, but instead just drop in the mini eggs whole. It just needs some tweaking.

I'll post what I did below, but feel free to play with it.....I know it could be better!

CADBURY CREME CHEESECAKE

1 1/2 cups shortbread cookies, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
14 cadbury creme eggs, FROZEN
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup chocolate chips
12 mini cadburys to garnish
1 recipe for Creme Egg Drizzle (listed below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss cookie crumbs through tablespoon sugar in the bottom of a greased 9 inch springform pan and press into bottom of pan to form crust.

In mixer bowl, blend cream cheese with condensed milk, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, flour and whipping cream, blending until smooth, about four to six minutes.

Turn out half of batter into prepared pan. Chop up the cadburys to your liking, and scatter half of them on top of batter in pan. Scatter half of the chocolate chips. Top with remaining batter, more cadburys, and remaining chocolate chips.

Place pan on prepared baking sheet and place in oven. Bake until just set, reducing oven temperature to 325 degrees around the midpoint and baking a total of 45 minutes. Turn off oven, open oven door, and let cool in oven one hour. Refrigerate cheesecake several hours or overnight.

Before serving garnish with mini cadburys and drizzle creme over top.

CREME EGG DRIZZLE
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/8 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 drops yellow food coloring

Combine corn syrup, butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Beat well with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix well to form desired consistency. Add yellow food coloring and mix well.



P.S. I only recommend messing around with this recipe when the cadbury eggs are on sale--otherwise you would have a fortune in those little devils!

HANGING WITH HANDKE

A horrible picture of the Peach Cobbler (please remember Eric was in charge of photography!)
Turkey Scallopine with Black Bean Relish and Herbed Polenta

Fun Fact: Three Restaurants Chef Handke dines at in Columbus---The Refectory, House of
Japan and Rigsby's

Another horrible picture courtesy of Eric as Chef Handke does his thing
Caesar Salad with Sauteed Filet of Salmon with Tomato Vinaigrette

Sorry, that I missed posting yesterday. I have a good reason though. I have a mysterious food allergy. All I know is that I had a meal consisting of grilled Cajun Marlin with polenta yesterday and by last evening I was swollen up like a helium balloon. Not cute---not cute at all. I couldn't breath and it felt like something was rotting in my stomach (sorry, that is probably too graphic, but lord it is true). I didn't sleep a wink. I've never been allergic to anything before, so now I am on a hunt to figure out what it could be........

Anyways, as I guzzled Benedryl today, all I could worry about was not looking like a chipmunk at my private cooking lesson tonight with Chef Handke. Thank god, the swelling went down and Eric and I headed to the underground realm of Hartmut Handke. He demonstrated how to prepare each dish, while everyone in the audience sloshed down wine. I sat in the front row, and made Eric sit in the back. It was much safer that way.

Everything was wonderful, except for the fact that I didn't know the bonus question "what is the alternative name of jicama". I know I have used it to make slaw and salsa. That it is kind of appley. Oh, so sorry, that I don't know it is also referred to as a Mexican Potato. At least no one else knew right off the bat...........

I also couldn't stand the guys in the crowd who wanted to show off their culinary geniuses by asking Chef Handke if the salt he just used was kosher.......or if you could use a processor instead of a blender for the salad dressing. Duh. He's a world class chef--like he is going to use table salt. You can wear your catchy martini glass shirt in here, but I'm not impressed. So shut up and let Chef Handke do the talking.

Alright, enough of my food snobbery--and on with the recipes. Everything we tasted was simple and delicious. Everything is either fresh or handmade there. No beans or chicken stock from a can here folks. If I had kitchen minions and six ovens, I would also have me some fresh stock everyday! Haha, I guess that is why we pay guys like Handke the big bucks!

Course One: CREAM OF RED BELL PEPPER SOUP

6 medium red bell peppers

1/2 onions, diced

1/2 carrots, diced

2 tablespoons butter

2 each cloves garlic, mined

1 cup dry white wine

6 cups chicken stock or water

2 bay leaves

Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon mixed herbs (chives, parsley, and basil)

1. Preheat the broiler or grill. Place the peppers close to the heat, turning the peppers as necessary until charred and blistered on all surfaces. Transfer them to a plastic bag and seal shut. The steam created will enable the skin to slip off easily. Peel off the skin, remove and discard the core and all seeds; cut the peppers into a rough dice.

2. In a large pot, cook the onions and carrots in the butter until soft, but not brown (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes then add the peppers and the white wine. Bring to a boil and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves. Leave to simmer until all the vegetables are very soft.

3. Remove the bay leaves and puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Put the soup into a clean pot, add the cream and bring back to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, garnish with mixed herbs and serve immediately.

This was probably my favorite dish. So simple, yet so good. Chef Handke made the comment that the cayenne is necessary, though not to make it spicy--but instead bring out the flavors of the dish. He is absolutely right, it was perfect.

Course 2: CAESAR SALAD W/ SAUTEED FILET OF SALMON AND TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

2 head romaine, cut into 1" long pieces

1. Wash romaine, lift of of water and spin dry. But in a bowl and keep chilled until ready to use.

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon white wine

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

6 each Anchovy filets (DON'T BE AFRAID, USE THEM!)

2 each cloves of garlic roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup ev olive oil

3 tablespoon Parmesan

1 teaspoon parsley

1. Put the first 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Add the cheese and the parsley and process a few more seconds. Remove the dressing and store in a container until ready to use.

2 1/2 pounds salmon filet

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Remove the skin from the salmon and cut into eight 4 ounce portions. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and Worcestershire. 2. When ready to serve, place olive oil in a hot skillet that is large enough to hold 8 pieces of salmon. When oil is hot, add the salmon and cook for two minutes on each side. Serve immediately with Caesar salad.

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons shallots, finely diced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 cup roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in skillet and heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent. Add vinegar and tomatoes, remove from heat (you don't want the mushy!). Add 1/2 cup olive oil and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

TO SERVE: Toss romaine with dressing and place on left side of plate. Put sauteed salmon filet on the right side of the plate and spoon two generous tablespoons of tomato vinaigrette over salmon and serve immediately.

DELICIOUS! The tomato vinaigrette was the best. I will definitely be using this recipe in the future.

Course 3: TURKEY SCALLOPINE W/BLACK BEAN RELISH

2 1/2 pounds turkey breast cut into 16 thin slice scallopine

1/4 cup olive oil

3 each cloves garlic grated on micro-file

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated on micro-file

salt and pepper to taste

1. Arrange scallopine on a tray next to each other. Mix olive oil with garlic and ginger. Brush mixture on scallopine; season with salt and pepper, cover with film and let marinate for one hour.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 each garlic cloves, grated on micro-file

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated on micro-file

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed

1 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup corn, cooked

1/2 cup jicama, diced

3 tablespoons cilantro

1 teaspoon jalapeno

1. Place oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well with a piano wire whip. Fold in rest of ingredients and let marinate for a couple of hours at room temperature.

To serve: Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the turkey quickly for just about one minute on each side. Spoon a little of the black bean salsa on a warmed place and arrange the turkey around it. Serve immediately.

*Note: He also boiled up some water and cornmeal to make a side of polenta seasoning with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese*

This was good, just not as good as the others!

Course 4: PEACH COBBLER WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM

6 cups fresh peaches, cut into wedges with skin left on

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup sugar

pinch each of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375. In heavy saucepan, combine peaches, sugar and water. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to a simmer and allow fruit to cook until softened.

2. In a small bowl, blend flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Pour into peach mixture, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.

3. Remove from heat and divide the mixture into 8 fireproof dishes and allow to slightly cool. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and milk. Using a piano wire whip, whip until well blended. Season with salt.

4. Pour some of the batter in an irregular shape over each of the cobblers and bake for about 5 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven, powder with confectionery sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Old fashioned, but wonderful Even though I was stuffed by this course, I managed to shove down all the cobbler and leave a clean plate:) Along with the food, we also had wine with each course--A pinot grigio, chardonnay, pinot noir, and a late harvest riesling. I manged to try all of those too! All in all, a wonderful evening (even Eric loved it!).

POTATO DREAMIN'

Okay, just a quick blog before I head off to bed. By the time I got off work, went to the grocery, stopped to fake and bake (I know so bad, but it feels so good!), and worked out it left little time to make a great creation. So, I settled for some potato soup. I always make the same kind and it is a variation of the California Dreamin' version I pulled from the CLBB. My version is healthier:)

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' POTATO SOUP (THE SKINNIER VERSION)

8 slices turkey bacon
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup fat free half and half
1 cup fat free sour cream
fresh parsley, chopped
green onion and cheese to garnish

Crisp bacon in dutch oven. Remove and set aside, keep drippings in pan. Add onion and celery, saute until tender about five minutes. Add flour and mix well. Stir in broth and water until flour is completely dissolved. Continue to stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add potatoes. Let soup simmer until potatoes are tender about thirty minutes. Add half and half, sour cream, basil, salt, pepper, and some parsley. Crumble bacon and stir in. Simmer ten more minutes before serving. Garnish with green onion and cheddar cheese.

It's creamy, rich and delicous. I swear just as good as the original version, even minus the heavy whipping cream! Pretty sure that's not any diet plan.

TWO NEW CULINARY ADVENTURES

This is a very exciting week thus far! Not only did I get a new kitchen toy, I also have signed up for two new culinary excursions. First I joined Tuesdays with Dorie, where a group of seventy plus bakers get to pick a recipe each week from Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking: From My Home to Yours". Then each Tuesday we post our pics and thoughts on the chosen recipe.

So, by next Tuesday I have to make Brioche Raisin Snails chosen by Peabody of Culinary Concoctions. Not my first choice (they sure do look like a pain in the ass to make), but I signed up knowing the rules, so no complaining! Since I am one of the last to enroll, I don't get to choose a recipe until oh, I don't know......2009 or 2010. Ah, the anticipation! Dorie's recipes are always kick butt, so I am sure these will turn out great.

My second outing is much more exciting though! Eric's boss invited us to a private cooking class lead by Chef Hartmut Handke. He is one of seventy-five Certified Master Chef's in America, has won a boatload of awards and owns one of the top-rated restaurants in Columbus-Handke's Cuisine.

Eric and I have only dined there once. I adored it. He left wanting to go to McDonalds. I think his words were "this tiny food is too artsy fartsy for me". I am pretty sure he didn't know whether to eat it or look at it. So, I am not sure how the cooking class will go. Hopefully, he will just behave and drink the complimentary wine. The theme is American Cuisine, so at least he will probably try the food. I'll make him be my photographer, so I can keep him occupied! Brent, if you are reading this, thanks for the invite!

JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS

COTTAGE CHEESE DILL BREAD WITH CHILI

Not only is there snow on the ground, but I got a new toy yesterday. A shiny, new, silver Cuisinart convection bread machine. Now, don't get me wrong I love to make bread by hand and will continue to do so. But gosh darn--it is so nifty to throw everything in the bin, go suck at three games of bowling in my Monday night league--and come home and have that fresh baked smell hit you in the face when you open the door.

Trust me, there was no shortage of suckage tonight at Tiki Lanes. I had a game high of 130 and a low of 92 :( I think we got whooped by 200 pins. Thank god my baking is better than my bowling.

For those of you that don't bake, you will think I am the biggest dweeb in the world---but this machine is wicked. It has settings for artisan, gluten-free and low-carb bread along with about 14 other options. It has crust and size options. It even makes jams and chutneys. Swoon. I really want to make some applesauce in this thing. Maybe next week..........

But for today, I was in a hurry so I decided on Cottage Cheese Dill Bread from The Bread Machine Book by Marie Lambert. It was dump and go..........I feel like such a cheater!

COTTAGE CHEESE DILL BREAD

2/3 cup cottage cheese

1 egg

2 1/2 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons dried dill

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast (I used rapid rise)

* recipe does not call for sugar, but next time I will add a tablespoon or two, the honey just wasn't enough to suit my tastes*

Put ingredients in bread pan in order suggested by your bread machine instructions. Set for whole wheat bread and medium crust. Press start. Whhoooo, now wipe the sweat from your brow, that was such hard work:)

SHOVELING FOR SMORES

S'more Cookie Bars

Before the Shovel Party

I promised myself that I would never use this blog as a place for my bitchin'. But just this once, I will ask "what in the world is wrong with my husband?" Why does he think our kitchen sink is the trash can? Soda cans, paper napkins, food containers all sitting on the left side of my sink. (I know it's "our" sink, but come on, I do all the dishes, so it is MINE!).

Is he broken? Is there some sort of button I forgot to push to reset? Does the garbage disposal confuse him? I'm at a loss. Maybe there is some kind of way to re-train him? I remember my dance teacher (who was a mean old cow) once told us girls that she trained her cat to use the toilet by placing the litter box on the toilet seat. Then gradually she removed the box, and put down saran wrap with litter, and eventually removed everything and the cat would do it's business right in the bowl. God, can you imagine saran wrapping the toilet bowl everyday? For pete's sake.............

So maybe if I paint the garbage can silver and put a fake faucet on it, I can trick him into throwing his garbage in the right place....or lining the sink with a hefty bag, perhaps. I bet the darn thing would be empty all the time.

Alright--enough, enough. I am stranded here in the midst of the white death with my honey, and I won't pick on him anymore. We are watching movies and playing monopoly. Exciting, huh? It's actually fun to be kind of "snowed in". The fire is roaring and it just the two of us. To warm us up after a day of shoveling snow I decided to make chili and some S'more Cookie Bars. I've pictured the bars above. They turned out delicious. A soft graham crust and crunchy graham top........with ooey, gooey S'more in the middle! They are from the Hersey's website.

S'More Cookie Bars

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6.2 Ounces milk chocolate bars (I actually used dark chocolate and milk chocolate mixed)

1 cup marshmallow creme

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an eight inch square pan. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham crackers, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Press half of dough into prepared pan.

Arrange chocolate bars over dough, breaking as needed to completely cover dough. Spread with marshmallow creme. Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow, carefully press to form a layer.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan before cutting.

Enjoy!

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Okay, you might be thinking......Okay, what ever is that mush in the bowl? I know, I know, that why it is not beautiful, it is damn delicious (and super easy).


So what is it? It is actually what I would describe as a topping. Just some apples tossed with raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, and some sugar. Then the best of all---it is thrown in the microwave and faked baked.

My sole reason for picking this recipe was based on my oatmeal---which I eat nearly every morning with a banana--and guess what I am getting sick and tired of bananas. Too tropical for this weather. So I just had to have a cold weather topper (ps. it's still snowing!). This did the trick, dolloped warm on top of my quaker oats. I also put in on top of some plain yogurt (pictured above). Eric didn't even get to try this---it didn't last that long!


FAKE BAKED APPLES

1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, pecans, almonds or any nut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup splenda
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 gala apples, cored and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 20 minutes or until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.

Adapted from Cooking Light

FIT TO BE THAI'ED

The last few days have been hectic. Tuesday, the majority of the day was spent at the funeral home. Ugh, the funeral home. The stuffy smell, the wallpaper, the horrible background music--what's not to love? It is the only time I have seen this many of my family members since my wedding. It's a shame the only time we get together is to mourn or celebrate.

I will probably go straight to hell for saying this, but I couldn't get wait to get out of there. No disrespect to my aunt, but the preacher just kept going on and on and on. I think he read a verse from every chapter of the bible. After every AMEN, I said thank you jesus! But it was just a cruel trick and he started praying all over again. As the poor lady in front of me nodded off, I wondered why we were here. Was it to celebrate my aunt's life or to listen to Reverend Windbag give his Sunday sermon? Ah, organized religion. Now I remember why I haven't been to church in forever.

Okay, now that I have my one way ticket, I can proceed to describe my culinary adventures this week. Okay, not much to describe--they have been lacking. I did make the above dish Wednesday evening for my dinner. I watched a late next episode of Good Eats which featured Pad Thai the day before and it got me a hankering for that combination of salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory. Thai food is supposed to awake all of those senses in one meal. His recipe involved an intense list from an Asian grocery. I barely have time to cook, let alone track down exotic items on the Southside of Columbus.

So, I ended up choosing this recipe from Cooking Light only because I had hamburger meat on hand. I made it exactly as instructed. Next time though I will only put in 1/2 Tablespoon of fish sauce (note to all: DO NOT DIRECTLY INHALE THE FISH SAUCE!). It will make you nauseous and that smell stays inside your nostrils for a LLLOOONNNGG period of time. It would be a rather cruel trick to play on a loved one, by telling them it is just like soy sauce...........

Anyhoo--This is some good stuff. I made mine with some terriyaki noodles and used iceburg lettuce to make wraps. I slathered lime juice all over them they gooooodddd. Eric ate the leftovers in tortillas. Definitely a repeater.

Thai-Style Ground Beef

1 cup leeks

1 teaspoon garlic

1 pound ground sirloin

1 teaspoon red curry paste (Thai Kitchen brand at Krogers)

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon grated lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (found at Krogers)

3 cups cooked rice or noodles

lettuce wedges

Chopped cilantro and green onions

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. When hot one tablespoon oil. Add leeks and saute five minutes. Add garlic, saute one minute. Add beef, cook seven minutes. Stir in curry and tomato sauce. Cook until half the liquid evaporates (about two minutes). Add milk and next four ingredients, cook two minutes until thickened. Sprinkle with cilantro, green onions and a lime wedge. Serve with lettuce wraps and noodles.

LAZY BUM BARS

Chocolaty, sticky, ooey, gooey, goodness. This bars are so easy.......normally I like a challenging recipe but sometimes (especially on a Monday) you just need a convenience recipe. And boy are these it. The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily tailor it to your own tastes. For the version above I used chocolate graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, caramel and cashews (decadent, I know!). I will post the original recipe below just keep in mind that you can play around with it and substitute the flavors of chips as well as adding in additional items like nuts, dried fruits, candies, etc.

These originally came from the Eagle condensed milk website and they are made for lazy bakers like me, who don't feel like dirting up the mixer somedays. You can even melt the butter in the 9x13 pan and mix in the crumbs while you pat them down. Only one pan to clean---and that's only after you've finished them all off! Perfect!

LAZY BUM BARS

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (regular or chocolate flavored)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) peanut butter-flavored chips

3/4 cup peanuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF (325ºF for glass dish). In small bowl melt butter in microwave. Add graham cracker crumbs and press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13X9-inch baking pan.
Pour milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store leftovers covered at room temperature.

Notes: You may substitute butterscotch flavored chips or white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips. Go crazy, the combinations are limitless!

SUNDAY OLE!

Carnita's Eric's Way..........

................Carnita's My Way

Sunday is really the one day I get all to myself. Eric is usually goofing out in the garage or scooting about town. Now no, I don't whoop it up all day--just catching up on laundry, housework, and some time in the kitchen of course.

I caught him before he left today and asked what he would want for dinner this evening. He gave me his usual answer "I don't know, whatever you want." Ahh, just once I would like a specific answer so I don't always have to choose!

I bought a package of angus round roast yesterday, so I finally decided on Beef Carnitas from Cooking Light. It is the perfect recipe for tougher cuts of meats. Since it simmers on low heat for a long period in time, the end result is tender beef that shreds beautifully. I ended up eating mine as more of a deconstructed salad with a crushed taco shell. Eric used soft tortillas for a more classic version.

All in all, this is an excellent recipe that I will definitely make again. It was so easy, just throw it on the stove or crock pot and forget about it for two hours. My kind of lazy Sunday recipe.

BEEF CARNITAS

Cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves

2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup less-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 large unpeeled orange wedge

1 Tablespoon packaged taco seasoning

Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, black olives, red onion, green onion, shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream for serving. Mix it up and add whatever you want. Eric even threw some jalapenos on his!

Tortillas or taco shells for serving

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until beef is browned on all sides. Stir in broth, sugar, salt, and pepper; nestle orange section into beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard orange. Stir in taco seasoning. Continue simmering, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

SATURDAY MORNING BLUES

Good mornin' everyone! Sorry there was no time for blogging or cooking yesterday! Instead lots of closings to pay the bills and after a long day of worrying-- the perfect ending was deep fried food and beer. Since I don't own a deep fryer, I just had to let someone else do it for me.

So as much as I try to be healthy, everyone needs to indulge in a platter of cheese sticks, chicken tenders, and onion rings:) Hey, I see all four food group listed in that sentence!

All that deep fried goodness was followed with an evening of booging and a little ditty called Purple Rain. I won't go into details.......

So this morning, before Glenn and I trek down to work on our investment property, I decided a filling breakfast was in order to charge me up to scrub dirt for the next 5 hours. I really need to take some before and after photos of this place. It's a dandy right now!

BLUEBERRY WAFFLES (the healthier version)

1 Cup Flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup fat free buttermilk

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup egg substitute

1 large egg white

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Dash of sugar

Cooking spray

Mix flours, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. Combine the milks, oil, and egg substitute and add to flour mixture, stir until smooth.

Place egg white in separate bowl and whisk until foamy. Add continue to beat until soft peaks form (you can use a hand mixer for this). Fold egg whites into the batter along with the blueberries.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon enough batter to cover your waffle iron that is coated with spray. Cook until golden and crispy. Serve with syrup or as I did with sweetened yogurt.