Not sweet... In a good way

Ugh, I couldn't stand the thought of everyone staring that those terrible brownie pictures.  Don't get me wrong, the recipe is a serious winner but the photo couldn't be any worse.  If you think that's bad, imagine all of rejected photos.  So embarrassing.  Anyways... life goes on.  Kinda.  See, I'm still posting recipes from my housewarming party two weekends ago!  That tells me that I really need to increase the frequency of my posts and that I need to take more pictures during the week.      The reason I don't typically take photos during the week is because I rarely get food on the table before 8pm... the sun is setting and any chances of catching natural light are gone.  Bummer.  So usually I end up re-making recipes on the weekends just so I can get a good picture in the early morning light.  I need to start experimenting with light boxes or get a better external flash... something!!  Maybe I'll make a visit to the photo shop this weekend.  :)  Does anyone know how to get great natural looking light indoors?

Anyways one thing at a time, we're here today to talk about smashed potatoes.   Not just any mashed potatoes, but SMASHED potatoes... I think they are named so because they are a smashing success with everyone!  I will warn you, when it comes to prep time... cook extra bacon if you happen to have 3 grown men in the house.  Somehow bacon always goes missing around here...

Smashed Potatoes

5 Large Red Potatoes
1 Stick Butter, Softened and Sliced
5 Slices Cooked Crumbled Bacon (preferably thick cut, fried crispy, and fresh)
2 Green Onion Stalks, Sliced into Small Rounds
1/2 C Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Bake potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Don't forget to poke them with a fork beforehand.  When still hot, add to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher (I used a meat mallot).  Add butter, bacon, green onions, and sour cream.  Mix until combined but still slightly chunky... smashed potatoes have character.  Serve immediately (preferably with 1" thick filet mignons cooked medium rare and asparagus).

Best. Brownies. Ever

Bad Picture.  Awesome Brownies.  Something had to give... 

Sometimes you get lost in the Internet.  Just keep swimming... just keep swimming... swimming swimming swimming... but endless promises of fudgy brownies always seem to fall short.  Crap.  After 8 blocks of chocolate, 20 cups of sugar, and 15lbs  on your hips you still can't seem to find a satisfying brownie recipe.  I was just kidding about the 8 blocks of chocolate and 15 lbs... that would be seriously unfortunate.  This brownie however makes up for it all.  Every little caloric gain is worth it.   It is thick, fudgy, and insanely chocolaty... because there is nothing worse than a non-chocolaty chocolate desert.  You know what I mean.  How does that even happen??  It's a travesty and I won't allow it in my kitchen. If I want chocolate brownie, it better taste like chocolate.  Otherwise, we should just pack up and go home.  But for now... pack up, go to your kitchen, and make these brownies.

Seriously Fudgy Brownies

1 1/4 C Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 C Butter, cut into slices
6 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped (go for 60% cacao or higher)
2 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 Eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a nine inch baking pan with foil so that the foil hangs over the side of the pan.  Butter the foil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
3. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring often.  Add in 1 C of sugar and mix for 30 seconds.  Remove chocolate mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Pour into a large bowl.
4.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and remaining 1 C of sugar.  Whisk well.   Pour half of the eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture.   With an electric mixer, continue to beat the remaining eggs until thick and pale.  Gently fold into the chocolate mixture.  Now add in the flour.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 35-38 minutes. Cool to room temperature then transfer to the fridge.

Chocolate Ganache Topping (optional, but highly recommended)

8 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp Honey
1 C Heavy Cream

1.  Heat cream in a sauce pot until slightly simmering.  Pour warm cream over chopped chocolate.  Stir until chocolate is melted and combined.  Remove chocolate mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature.  Spread/pour chocolate mixture over cooled brownies and return to fridge until ganache has hardened.

Use foil overhang to lift the brownies out of the fridge and slice into small squares.  Store brownies in the fridge.

Pop-Tastic!

OREO BALLS

Everyone loves a lollipop.  Whether you're 5 years old or 85 years old, you're a sucker for suckers.  Last week I was going about my business at the bank when the teller handed me back my deposit slip, my cash... and a blue sucker.  I can't tell you how long that smile stayed on my face after that simple little surprise.  That small gesture reminded me of a great party pop that would surely be the talk of my housewarming party, cake pops and oreo pops!  Now, I can't take the credit for the cake pops.  I follow a few food blogs, one of which is Bakerella (http://www.bakerella.com/), she is an awesome baking blogger who has a cake pop cook book in the works!  I'm clearly not that creative if someone else already has a published book, but whatever, cake pops are awesome.  What I did do was apply the cake pop idea to my beloved oreo balls and turn them into oreo POPS!  Everyone loves food on a stick, right?? :)  And then, instead of worrying about the candy coating sticking to the aluminum foil and the bottom of my sweet pops being ugly, I made them flashy!  If I learned anything from my golf lessons, it was that there is a reason golfers wear flashy pants.  'Cause they got great ASSets!!   Sorry... I got a case of the Mondays and all I have is my corny humor to get me through it.

BAM! That's a pretty pop!

Cake Pops!

Anyways, here are the recipes... you've had enough of me today, I'm sure.

Oreo Balls/Pops

1 Package Double Stuff Oreos
1 Package Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Package Lollipop Sticks
1 Package Candy Melts (Pick your favorite color)
Sprinkles, optional

1.  Place all of the oreos in a large gallon size freezer bag.  Take the largest rolling pin in your kitchen to your bag of oreos and go to town (great after work activity).  Crush'em!
2.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until softened.  Add in the crushed oreos and stir until well combined.
3.  Roll mixture into bite sized balls.  The definition of bite sized is up to you.
4.  Freeze the balls for about 15 minutes.
5.  Place a stick into each of the frozen balls.
6.  Melt candy melts according to package directions, dip each oreo ball into the candy coating, and finish with sprinkles if desired.  Place onto an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet to dry.
7.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cake Pops

1 Package of your favorite cake mix
1 Tub of your favorite icing
1 Package Lollipop Sticks
1 Package Candy Melts (your favorite color)
Sprinkles, optional

1. Bake cake according to box directions for a 13x9 cake.  Or alternatively make your favorite cake recipe.  Let cake cool completely.
2. Once cooled, break up cake into a large mixing bowl and work in icing.
3. Roll into balls.
4. Dip into melted candy coating.
5. You get the idea...

Housewarming Weekend... Literally

It's that time!  Time to celebrate our successful move in to our mansion.  The six of us are all settled in and we cannot wait to spend some time with our friends this evening in our new house.  Adam's outside painting the corn hole sets, Joe S. and Lisa are picking weeds on our back deck, Joe Z's at work making the moolah to pay for this shindig (jk), and I've been in the kitchen since 6 p.m. last night baking up a storm.  The oven has been on for at least 8 hours in the last 24 so I can literally say that our house is warm.   Nothing says 'welcome home' like the smell of a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven, and that is precisely how I plan on greeting our guests this evening.  I've been busy so you can look forward to recipes for oreo pops, cake pops, brownies, mini blueberry cheesecakes, mini peanut butter cheesecakes, and cheese straw recipes in the coming weeks!   Cheese straws?  Yup.  For some strange reason, I got the idea in my mind that it was only proper for a southern girl such as myself to serve cheese straws at my housewarming party.  It's random, but that's me.  There are a few things I will do differently the next time I make these (more cheese, more spice, and more garlic) but don't tell my guests, the ones I made this morning will be great... we just like things spicy around here. :)


Cheese Straws


2 C All Purpose Flour
2 C Fresh Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 C Slightly Softened Butter
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 C Water


(Note: Next time I will increase the Cayenne Pepper to 1/2 Tsp, replace the salt with garlic salt, and maybe increase the cheese to 3 C)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet or two.  Combine the flour, cheese, butter, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl.  Mix until well combined.  Slowly drizzle in the water and knead dough until you have a stiff dough ball.  On a floured surface roll dough to about half a centimeter thick (I like the metric system, I'm Canadian).  Slice into strips about the width of a pencil.  Arrange on baking sheet and bake for about 8-12 minutes.   

Everything's Just Peachy

Oh Dear.  I was a roll there for a hot minute!  When I posted that picture of Joe's beautiful birthday cake the number of hits the blog received went sky high!!  But I left again.  So is life, ya know? Sometimes things are hot... other times, not so much.  The strangest thing about it all is that since I stopped blogging, I really started cooking!  Now that I have so many people around to eat my food every day (including Joe), I cook regular meals like the rest of the world.  Every single day, I've been cooking!  I just didn't blog about it because I didn't think you all would find jarred indian curry sauces and frozen naan interesting.  Tasty! But not interesting.  Oh well, shoulda coulda woulda...  I've got muffins today!!

Wouldn't you know it that it was my home state's fruit which got me inspired again to begin blogging.   Only this Georgia girl's peaches are from Virginia.  I would know,  I picked 'em myself in the 100 degree heat last weekend.   I didn't know that Virginia Peaches existed... which makes me wonder, does that make me a Virginia Peach?  Hmm... something to ponder, I suppose.  Anyways, every single dang peach in these muffins were hand picked by yours truly.  Hand picked, hand cut, hand made.  Doesn't get much better than that.  And judging from the feedback I've received today, it was worth it.

Peach Muffins

2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
3/4 C Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 C Vegetable oil
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 C White Sugar
1 C Light Brown Sugar
2 1/2 C Peeled, Pitted, and Chopped Peaches

Crumb Topping
1 Tbsp Cold Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
1/3 C Light Brown Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare baking pans with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce, oil, and sugars.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined.  Lightly fold in the peaches and spoon into baking pans.
5. Combine crumb topping ingredients if desired using a fork until butter is roughly mixed into the sugar and flour (similar to corn meal).  Sprinkle over muffins.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.