The Importance of Brownies

 

I was at the end of my rope. It has been a long, hard winter, today being no different with gusty winds and flurries to once again trap us indoors. The craft bin was exhausted, and the toys were all becoming old. I just wanted chocolate. Aha! Chocolate! One box of mix left in my cabinet, and it was my go-to brownie mix! Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix is semi-prepared dessert of the gods.

Having already decided that Hunter would be a future chef, I made this another great opportunity to introduce him to the nuances of baking.

I greased the pan, pre-measured the oil and water, pre-heated the oven, and picked two eggs from the fridge. All were placed at the table with a nice, easy-to-grip wooden spoon. I poured the mix while Hunter poured the liquids. We cracked the eggs together, Hunter assisting by holding my hand. Then the stirring began. I got the ingredients initially blended, then I let Hunter at it. My walls suffered slightly, but the first days giggles were worth it. Hunter helped pour, and the baking began. I didn't turn my back long to place the pan in the oven, but it was just long enough for Hunter to figure out the real treat was still in the bowl. I came back to find him engrossed in the sweet chocolate nectar that all kids, and many adults crave...the batter left in the bowl. He was so proud of himself that I let him have at it, hoping that the eggs I chose were raised with more care than the recent tomatoes making the news.

Clean up was easy, and the images priceless. This was a great outcome to another experiment in parenting. Go Brownies!!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 or 3 large chicken breasts, bone and skin on
1 large onion, shopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large jalapeno, diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Ranch Style Beans or Chili Beans in sauce
6 cups chicken broth (canned or from boiling chicken)
8 oz frozen white corn
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnishing
Juice of one lime
4 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
Crushed corn chips

In one pot, boil the chicken in salted water. In another 5 qt pot, saute onion, garlic and jalapeno in cooking oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, beans and broth and bring to a boil. Add corn, tortillas and cooked shredded chicken and simmer for 30 minutes. Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and fresh cilantro. Remove from heat and serve topped with crushed tortilla chips and more chopped cilantro.

Red Beans and Rice Soup

Basically I just took our traditional red beans and rice recipe and modified it to a soupier version. It is still very creamy and hearty. Great to warm you up on a cold day!

Red Beans and Rice Soup

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3-4 celery ribs, chopped
4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb of andouille or polska kielbasa sausage chopped (I only use about 2/3 of it.)
2 bay leaves
1 t chopped dried rosemary
1/2 t dried thyme
1 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t basil
salt and pepper
1 carton of chicken broth
4 cans dark red kidney beans
1 T Crystal Hot Sauce (or your favorite)
2 Cups cooked white rice

Pour about 2 T of cooking oil into a 5qt pot. Heat and add onions and celery. Cook for about 3-4 min on med-high heat. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add sausage and spices and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Pour in carton of broth and red beans(juice included).
Bring to a boil and allow to simmer uncovered for about an hour stirring occasionally. After one hour, scoop about 2 cups of the soup into a blender and blend the beans. Try to avoid much sausage getting in the blender. Add back to pot and stir in hot sauce and rice. Best served with garlic bread.
Makes 6-8 servings.

Can I Get That Recipe?

I am the world's worst at using recipes or writing down measurements. Those of you who already know me understand that I couldn't follow instructions if my life depended on it. Seems like I always have to make things my own. That said, I am going to finally attempt to accumulate a collection of all my past greats as well as document more of my recent concoctions while sharing lots of unrelated dialog. Most recipes will include pics, and any recipes I have actually followed will contain links to the site where I found them as well as any cooking notes.
My love for food started in my grandmother's kitchen. I can remember standing next to her on that old yellow vinyl-covered metal step-stool she kept close by. I watched her prepare three square meals a day for my grandfather, and being in Mississippi, that meant plenty of gardening as well. She spent most of her day in the kitchen during the summer months. We spent most of our time canning vegetable and jarring jellies. Every morning, we would go into the garden and weed and water the plants. Every late afternoon, we would look for veggies perfect for picking.
Her patience must have been outstanding. We rolled dough for fried pies, iced cakes, stirred batters and shelled peas...LOTS OF PEAS.
It just kept growing from there. As I got older, I would get up early on Saturday mornings, and instead of running to turn on the cartoons, I headed to the kitchen to make pancakes for the family. And since my mother was a party genius, I was always assisting her with decorating and prepping for her next shower or dinner. Home Economics was a breeze for me in junior high, and I think I owned more cook books than text books by college.
I remember watching my first episode of Emeril Live while visiting friends in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the small college town Brett Favre made famous. It was their ritual every Friday night to bust open a case of Milwaukee's Best (The Beast in college terminology) and turn the TV to the craziest chef ever seen. Keep in mind that we were a close neighbor to New Orleans, so all that crazy Cajun food was every-day fare for us! Anyway, I LOVED the show and quickly became addicted to Food Network.
While my career has been focused on marketing, advertising and publishing, I still managed to take several classes in culinary education. I even owned a successful coffee shop for several years that is now celebrating its 15th anniversary in business. While owning the shop, I made thousands of pastries and broadened my experience in catering for larger numbers.
Things just kept going from there. I had phases I would go through. There was the cookie dough phase, yeast breads, sweet breads. Then I would cross over to fish, shrimp and crab. Then back to king cakes. I burned through mixer after mixer until my family finally pitched in and bought me a KitchenAid Pro one year for Christmas. It should be about 12 years old now and still going strong.
My phases followed food fads, so I am pretty comfortable cooking anything popular in the last 10 years! I remember especially my risotto and pizza phases. I must have gained 20 lbs. More recent phases include eggs on everything, mac and cheese, marinara, stir-fry and chocolate chip cookies. The cookies have officially been perfected now. I will share the recipe as soon as I make them again to take pics!
In the meantime, I got married, had a kid and quit the day job. Now I am doing what I love, cooking. While I have a cake business, it is only a small window into my true love of all foods. Hopefully you will find as much amusement and love out of these dishes and treats as I have. Have a request? Chances are I can find it and make it!

Happy marinating!

Shelly