Blackberry Cobbler

I didn't get any pictures of the cobbler I made which is too bad...it was lovely. Here is the method/recipe anyways...

You need a double pie crust. I simply used the Pillsbury pre-made roll out crust...I have an infant so I am allowed to take shortcuts...it is just as good anyways.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix 4 containers of fresh blackberries (approx 5 cups or so) with 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar, two teaspoons of cinnamon, two tablespoons of flour (I used tapioca flour for extra thickening), and 1/4 cup of Brandy (you could also use orange liqueur or orange juice if you are averse to alcohol). In a 9x9 baking dish place the bottom pie crust, scoop in berry mixture, dot with half a stick of butter, and cover with other crust (I cut and wove into a lattice top). Sprinkle a bit of sugar over the crust. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the mixture is hot and bubbly.

This cobbler was very easy and took no time to assemble. It tasted as good as the frozen cobblers and had the benefit of being mostly homemade. I wish I had a picture of it, but alas...no dice.

Pico!

One of my favorite things to indulge on is chips and some sort of dip. Since I was in middle school, Dad and Mom would throw a Christmas party for all of their business associates. I always enjoyed the party, but really enjoyed the days after when I got to indulge in all of the leftover food, especially the dip. There are very few dips that I do not like...spinach, green onion, regular onion, bean, 7 layer...the list is endless. The possibilities only get better when you breach the Mexican food "dip-age". My mom ate endless amounts of chips and salsa when pregnant with me and this is a tradition of sorts that has continued. In fact, we often have to laugh at Mexican food restaurants when they bring those teeny tiny little saucers of salsa because we need so much more for our mexican food.

I will first post about the "easiest" of the Mexican dips...pico de gallo. It is a simple method.

Chop and seed roma tomatoes (you can use whatever tomatoes you have, but Romas are cheap)

Chop red onion and cilantro

Cut a jalapeno in half and take out the seeds and most of the white "ribs" (this is where the heat is...so proceed with caution in using it...and wash your hands)...dice the jalapeno.

Throw all produce together.

Add lime juice, red wine vinegar (just a splash), and salt to taste.

This is simply the basics...adjust levels of the ingredients to your own particular desires.

Enjoy with tortilla chips!

I will try to do a "series" of posts about salsa and guacamole next!

might be a while

It might be a bit before I can post anything new and inspiring. We had our baby girl a week ago and are trying to manage that. I did have two great food experiences in the hospital...

First I learned that a midnight snack of peanut butter and honey graham crackers is AMAZING. Big kudos to Nurse Molly who brought that little bit of protein packed deliciousness into my life.

Second, if you have to order off the menu at Methodist Willowbrook, trust me when I say to go for the chicken fajitas. They were really good and fresh tasting and the tortilla rocked. It was the perfect amount of chewiness and would have been easy to make into a good taco. Top off the meal with their oatmeal cookie. It was the perfect balance of oat/cinnamon/raisin flavor and the consistency was soft with just enough give to make you feel like you are enjoying a nice dessert.

I will get back to better food posts soon!

Urge to Bake

I have recently had a strong urge to bake. I, however, have been unable to do so because of doctor's orders to stay off my feet for another few days to avoid pre-term labor. So I decided to post a few of the wedding cake pictures from the past to hold my urge over.

This was actually for a wedding shower...it is not the prettiest picture, but it is a brownie cut into a circle, topped with chocolate mousse, and surrounded by strawberries...delicious!

This cake was not the prettiest, but easily the heaviest. The bride requested a cheesecake grooms cake. I made half the cheesecake regular and half chocolate. We then doused the entire thing in raspberry sauce, covered it in chocolate ganache, added chocolate shavings, and covered in chocolate covered strawberries. I like the bride and groom strawberries in the middle! This cake was large, rich, and GONE in about 5 minutes once they began to cut the cakes!

This cake was for our friends Crystal and Darren when they got married almost exactly two years ago. They met and fell in love while studying abroad in Italy, so they found it fitting to get married at a vineyard in Austin. They gave me a color sample and asked me to match the icing to the cake and cover it in fruit. The flavor was a hybrid of a spice cake and a red velvet cake with a fruit filling.

This was the first stacked cake I made for my mom when she married my step father. It is a plain white cake with raspberry filling. The sides are made from sheets of white chocolate.

This cake was for my sister--in-law's shower. We actually used the shower to test out the flavors of filling she liked best. We ended up with three different kinds of cakes...raspberry and pineapple filled and Italian cream cake. Her husband came up with the idea for the grooms cake which I agreed to do (and also made my original idea for his cake as well). I made the chocolate raspberry truffle cake for me and for him I made a cake consisting of a layer of brownie, layer of fudge icing, layer of chocolate chip cookie, layer of fudge icing, layer of brownie, all covered in fudge icing. It was also a rich cake that disappeared quite quickly. All in all, because they love desserts and wanted a multitude of them they had 9 brides cakes (normal size round cakes), the chocolate raspberry truffle cake, brownie/cookie/brownie cake, two plates of chocolate chip cookies, and two plates of brownies. It was a tiring, but rewarding affair to remember!

I hope to get a chance to bake some goodies again soon!

Cuban/ Puerto Rican Stir Fry

A few years ago Mattie and I enjoyed a trip to Puerto Vallarta. Much to the surprise of the people at the resort we were staying at we took public transportation to actually go visit the town of Puerto Vallarta. It was a grand little adventure and along the way we found the most amazing Cuban restaurant. This is the us at our table:

So while we enjoyed the balmy breeze and beautiful view, we had some wonderful food. We enjoyed ropa vieja, black beans and rice, delicious crusty bread, and killer mojitos. I really enjoy mojitos in general, but nothing can beat the one I enjoyed along the beach here (until I get to go to Cuba as an educator).

Recently I decided to try my own version of a Cuban/ Puerto Rican concoction by taking leftovers we had and throwing them together into a Caribbean influenced stir fry.

Ingredients:

Saffron/ Yellow rice

Spiced Pork chopped or sliced

Sauteed Onions

Sauteed Bell Peppers

Green Olives (a must)

Black beans

Peas

There is not much spice involved...a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, but one of the great things about Cuban and Puerto Rican food is that it allows for depth of flavor to come from the ingredients of the dish itself.

Deep Freeze

We have just acquired a deep freeze to make meals ahead of the Baby T-Rex coming to join our foodie family. If you have any great recipes or ideas for meals that freeze well please send them our way. You can leave them in the comment section for all to enjoy or email me!

Thanks!

Your resident foodie

Molten Chocolate Lava Goodness

One of the hottest (literally...because it is served warm) desserts around right now are the molten chocolate lava cakes available at numerous restaurants. I highly encourage you to avoid the cakes served at chains because in the case of the lava cake they are pre-made, packaged, and nuked cakes that do not resemble the warm, flow of cake that you can make with relative ease in your own home.

If you have been living under a rock and have no idea what I refer to when I mention Molten Chocolate Lava cakes you are truly missing out...if you love chocolate. The cakes are personal to two person sized, unless you are Matt's sister McKay who can polish off two or three of the larger ones on her own. The cake is a relatively light, soft chocolate cake that, when cooked properly, has a decent crust to offer a pinch of resistance before your fork cuts into the cake. Once you have forged that teeny bit of resistance you will find nothing for your fork to cut through because the recipe is designed to "separate" itself into baked cake and warm, gooey center. The center is thick and fudgy in consistency and has a decent overload of chocolate flavor. It is best served hot (so the middle stays warm and flows) and with your choice of sauces (we prefer raspberry), or as shown below with fudge ripple ice cream and fresh raspberries.

Recipe:

Butter your baking dishes (either 3/4 cup souffle dishes or I prefer a regular muffin tin).

Stir 14 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped (or just use chocolate chips), 1 1/4 cups of unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Cool slightly.

Whisk 6 large eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract to blend. Whisk in 3 cups of powdered sugar until blended. Add the chocolate mixture and 1 cup of AP flour.

Fill dishes to top with batter.

Bake at 425 until the batter has risen above the dish, the top edges are dark brown and the center is soft and runny. For souffle dishes that is 18 minutes for cold batter or 15 minutes for room temperature batter. For the muffin tins I usually start checking them at 10 and it will take about 12 minutes.

Run knife to loosen the edges and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve as elegantly (or not...McKay probably couldn't wait) as you wish...you can always simply dust with powdered sugar and serve with a mint leaf.

The batter can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored in the fridge.

Any leftovers you have make sure to refrigerate and reheat (we usually nuke them chain restaurant style).

Enjoy!

Elk!

Matt is the typical guy's guy who likes to work on cars, go hunting and fishing, and drink beer. I especially enjoy the second listing because it means that I get tons of fresh game and fish whenever he does go out. I really like when they go to the gulf to go fishing because even if he is not always successful at fishing he brings me home gulf shrimp (which I love). Matt and his dad (and more recently his brother and brother-in-law) have been hunting a lot in the area of their house. Not long ago, in addition to the deer they took down, they took down an elk as well. Apparently there are people in the area who have wild game as pets and when some of them escape they join the herds of deer.

Mattie's family always takes their food to Slovacek's in Snook for processing. They always do a good job breaking down the meat into steaks, back straps, roasts, sausage, and ground meat. They also try to tenderize the tougher pieces of meat which leads me to my post today.

We usually eat more on the Mediterranean/Italian spectrum of things, but occasionally enjoy a good old country meal. So we decided to do just that with wedge salad, chicken fried elk, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

Wedge Salad:

Cut an iceberg lettuce head into wedges. I personally think that unless this is your meal fourths is too big...I try to go for sixths to eights.

Top with diced onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, crumbled bacon, and either feta or blue cheese.

Most wedge salads come with a creamy dressing (I usually splurge and make ranch), but we have had it with vinaigrette too and it is still delicious.

Serve with copious amounts of cracked black pepper, a fork, and a knife.

I usually prefer romaine or green leaf salads, but the iceberg is perfect for this salad. It acts as a "boat" for serving the other vegetables that have been covered in the creamy dressing and cheese. Additionally, the soft cheese and tomatoes contrast nicely with the crisp cucumber and lettuce.

The chicken fried elk was fairly easy to make.

Take your cut of meat (if you are unsure of what cut of meat to use, look for something that is already tenderized in the store...it looks like it has lots of wholes in it) and season it with salt and pepper.

I prefer to double dredge my frying meats so dip that sucker in flour (seasoned with salt and pepper), an egg and milk wash, then flour again. It makes the meat, once fried, extra crispy.

Heat an inch or two of oil in a frying pan, once hot gently place the floured meat in the pan. It is important that your oil is sufficiently hot for a number of reasons. I learned from Rachel Ray that the easiest way is to dip a wooded spoon into the oil, if bubbles appear it is hot enough. Make sure that it is hot because you will eliminate sogginess and a good golden crust will help from too much fat/oil entering into the meat. Once golden brown on both sides you can begin checking for doneness. This is obviously more important with chicken than it is with red meat, but you want a good amount of doneness with this too. Let the meat drain on a paper towel to soak up extra oil when done.

Serve with mashed potatoes, cream gravy, and green beans (we like to jazz up canned green beans with onions, mushrooms, and garlic powder). Enjoy!

Cornbread, onion, and bell pepper stuffed porkchops

Tonight's meal was a creation of my own mind and the main course turned out pretty well. We have finished dinner and the Spaghetti Squash is still cooking in the oven because it was not ready yet...o-well it will be good tomorrow with our extra two pork chops.

I had a deep desire for fall foods. I really enjoy fall and I especially enjoy the foods that come with fall. I love squash, pumpkin, maple, cinnamon and all of the other flavors that others seem to forget about the rest of the year. Some of my favorite foods are only available at restaurants at this time of year. I love a warm and creamy butternut squash soup and crave pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake all year long! Whether it be because of t.v. and movies or because of my own deep feelings, fall food is so comforting and helps to rejuvenate me for football season and gearing up for the winter.

Because I was wanting fall flavors and Matt wanted something different from our usual meals I decided to do stuffed pork chops. We had made a similar dish years ago, but I decided to wing it this time. The following "recipe" is not, I repeat NOT, my cornbread dressing/stuffing that I use for Thanksgiving. Thus I will appreciate it if the thought does not even cross your mind. I will try to replicate that delicious dish soon enough and post it well before Thanksgiving for the general enjoyment of the public.

Basically grab 4 (or so)1 to 1 1/2 inch pork chops. We look for a leaner pork chop so we usually go for the loin cuts. Salt and pepper one side of the chop and sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on each (trust me...cinnamon and pork were made for one another). Cut a deep pocket into the side of the pork chop: just take a sharp (steak) knife and run it along the side of the chop. You can separate the meat a bit extra if you need to. For the stuffing make a batch of cornbread. For this recipe I used a box of Jiffy cornbread mix because I like the sweetness and soft texture that Jiffy has. I used half of that (once baked) and combined with a teaspoon or so of butter, a third of a sauteed red bell pepper, and a quarter of a sauteed onion. Mix all of this together and spoon into the pockets of the pork chops. The cornbread should be soft enough that you can press (and mash) it into the crevices of the pork. Place in a glass baking dish with a third of a cup of chicken stock mixed with a tablespoon or more of maple syrup. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until cooked throughout. Enjoy with your favorite sides...we were supposed to have spaghetti squash and green beans but will have to wait on the squash.

The chicken stock mixture kept the pork nice and moist and the cornbread stuffing soaked all of the pork juices as the meat cooked. It had a good meat flavor without being greasy or fatty and the cornbread stuffing lent a sweetness that complimented the pork well. Hope you enjoy this and many other meals!

Baby T-Rex and Mattie like steak...

If it was up to Matt and we had an unlimited budget we would probably eat steak every other day. Mattie loves steak and partakes in it whenever possible. As most other people in the country, I grew up with the feeling that steak was a special occasion food and like that we only have it every once in awhile, it makes you appreciate it more. I would however like to partake in it more than we do and I feel like the baby T-Rex would agree seeing as I really enjoyed steak (and meat in general) for the first part of this pregnancy.

I will admit that Matt and I are both steak snobs. We would never choose to purchase a Ribeye and would rarely purchase a Sirloin. We would happily partake in a Sirloin at someone else's home and would eat a Ribeye there, but it would not be our first choice of meat. Plain and simple we are both Tenderloin filet kind of people. Matt does not like having to work for his meat and he hates having large amounts of fat in his steak, bacon, chicken, whatever. There has been no amount of marbling (the fat distribution within a steak) that we have found in a Ribeye that makes it worth it to him. Quite frankly I like the pure beef flavor of a Tenderloin and I like what a well defined piece of meat it is. I feel like you know where you stand when you get a filet and overall the quality of a filet is very hard to compromise, there is little room for deviation.

When I made the steak in the picture above I actually got them from the butcher at HEB. For me, if I am going to make a filet, I want to pick out what I will be taking home. I acquired the filets of my choice looking for little fat (and what fat there was having equal distribution through the cut), thickness (to acquire perfect medium-rareness), and a nice red color. Mattie and I both like our filets simple...kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper on the both sides and bacon wrapped. Matt likes the flavor of the bacon but not the usual softness so we have started par-cooking (cooking until barely cooked) and then wrapping so it can become fully crispy around the steak. I imagine you lose a little bit of bacon flavor this way, but it works out in the end. We will usually sear the steaks in olive oil and finish in the oven unless we have the grill going (which is rare).

These steaks we enjoyed with buttery baguette, green beans that had been sauteed with mushrooms and tomatoes, and a loaded baked potato. As far as baking the potato goes...don't. Pierce your potato (we prefer red potatoes) with a fork several times, rub in olive oil, and nuke in the microwave until you can pierce easily with a fork. Wrap that sucker up in foil to get an even, creamy texture, then indulge as usual.

So enjoy my foodie friends...I have a request for a certain recipe by one of my readers, but don't have any pictures to go along with the post...so we will see...

Quick props for Kroger...

I am usually unhappy with both of our nearby grocery stores. HEB has an awful tendency to be out of two or three of the main things we go there for which frustrates me to no end. I have been known to abandon carts full of groceries there (although I usually tell someone so they can put all the cold stuff away). HEB does have excellent customer service though. Their checkers are usually good about being able to tell that I don't wish to chit chat, I would just like my items scanned quickly. Their baggers are also excellent and I usually don't have to tell them that the insulated bags we got at the commissary (which we visited with McKay) are for cold things. I rather like the Kroger around our house because it is rarely out of what we need (but the items are still fresh) and it has great manager specials. However their checkers and baggers are notoriously slow, eat and drink while touching my food, are incessantly on their phones texting, and never know what the insulated bags are for. I have not noticed much of a price difference (overall on your entire bill) between either store. There are some things that are cheaper at each place and I think it balances out in the end.

However, HEB has been running a major advertising campaign against Kroger specifically and especially that their prices are much cheaper even without a special card. I would like to officially endorse my use of the Kroger Plus Card for a number of reasons:

A) You don't have to actually carry around the card, if it is linked to your phone number you can just type in the number on the key pad.

B) If you use your card enough you get extra free stuff...we always qualify for a free Turkey at Thanksgiving and we have recently been getting tons of Kroger specific coupons in the mail. These coupons are tracked through what we frequently buy so this last visit we got Free eggs, Free cherry tomatoes, a few other free things, and discounts on items we buy anyways. I like that.

C) We learned recently that by linking your phone number to your card and with their tracking (which is probably mainly for marketing research which I am ok with) that if you buy a "tainted" item, they will call you to warn you and you can bring said item back for a refund (if you still have it. Mattie was surprised to receive a phone call that a batch of cilantro (which was gone by two or three days) that we purchased may have been tainted with salmonella. I like that I do not have to worry about these items and that Big Brother Kroger is watching out for me...

So shop where you wish, but don't listen to the advertising scheme by HEB to shop somewhere just because you don't need a card...

A salty and sweet soap box

I am a firm believer that there needs to be a good deal more balance in this world. Aside from the saying that there needs to be darkness in order to appreciate light and Sirius Black's firm contention that the world is not divided between good people and Death Eaters, balance is an important component to the world of cooking and enjoying cooked food. One thing that I really appreciate about a good burger is when the vegetables (lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions) are cold in contrast to the hot hamburger patty. Throw in a soft bun to help hold together the crisp veggies and you get a very happy customer...me! The Japanese contend that this is part of the sixth sense of gastronomy...mouth feel...but it is more than that. However, I would argue that the Asian world has a better sense of where I am going. I refer mainly to that complete contrast of flavors that makes some food so appealing. The contrast of sweet and spicy or sweet and sour that awakens our taste buds in a way that more complimenting flavors can not. While most of us appreciate (and are beginning to appreciate even more) the presence of sweet and spicy in everything from fast food Sweet and Sour Pork to the Cherry BBQ glazed, Free-range, Lamb Ribs I had at Madden's a few weeks back, few of us realize what an important component this is to baking...especially when baking with Chocolate.

I didn't realize how few people realize the importance of salt to balance out the flavors of sweet items was until I continued to get crazy looks from several people when describing different cookies. Even people that know a little about baking would look at me strangely if I commented on a particular dessert having just the right amount of saltiness. I suppose that some would write off salt in a dessert because often (not always) unsalted butter is called for in the recipe, but this is to control the amount of salt in a dessert, not to eliminate it all together. Forget about the fact that many desserts simply cannot behave properly in a chemical sense if the salt is left out, the simple fact of the matter is without the salt you have an overload of sweetness that is not enhanced by more sweetness in the way that it is with that touch of salt. A really easy way for you to understand my soap box is to go buy a package of Rainbow Chips Deluxe cookies. Once you get home with them, do not enjoy them right away, instead stick them in the fridge for at least (and I really mean this) a day. When they are nice and chilled, slowly eat one specifically looking for the salty, buttery flavor. If you do not have the patience to wait for it to be chilled, buy Oreos, eat all of the creme filling, and look for the salty flavor in the cookie. You will be surprised by the depth of flavor in a simple packaged cookie when your mind is open to receiving it.

A place that knows a thing or two about the salty, buttery balance of flavor is the Corner Bakery Cafe. It is something of a chain and if you have not been there, it is like an upscale Panera with the same prices. I first partook of this wonderful Sandwich (and more) shop when attending the Holocaust Museum Houston's Summer Institute and was delighted to find a cookie very similar to this one in my lunch. It is a chocolate chip and m & m cookie with m & m's on both sides of the cookie. One might think this was too much chocolate, but you would be wrong because of one simple fact...yes...because of the salt/butter balance present in the cookie. I was given an extra cookie by a friend, took it home, and showed my complete devotion to Matt by letting him enjoy it after dinner. He did not believe how much of an act of love this was (thinking it was a regular store bought cookie) until he took his first bite. He now knows how much I love him with this simple gesture.

I had to include a picture of myself and Mattie's grandmother because she understands a thing or two about the salty necessity in her baking. Her chocolate chip cookies are famous among the grand kids. They are not ooey, gooey cookies, but there is something about them that screams "Eat me" when all of us make the trip up to Oklahoma to see her. The cookies are dense, chocolate chip filled, and not only do they have a nice layer of butter flavor (thus having a good amount of salt and butter) but they also have pecans which adds more texture and a contrasting flavor to the chocolate. She has so perfected her cookie that you can literally experience different flavors as you eat her cookie. It is first sweet, then chocolaty, then nutty, then has that wonderful bread/salt/butter flavor. Any woman that can take a three bite cookie and turn it into such complexity definitely has my admiration. In fact, I have some of her cookies in the freezer, I think I need one now.

There is no recipe for this post because the flavor is out there, I am just asking you to go look for it. And just because I mentioned cookies, does not mean that there are not other salty and sweet combinations already out there. Take your time, don't wolf down your food, and look for multiple reasons to enjoy it!

Really easy Chinese...thanks Paula Deen

I would like to thank the one and only Paula Deen for making this post possible. Surprisingly enough the recipe calls for no mayonnaise, no butter, and no sour cream. I didn't think it was possible, but I guess there are surprises everywhere. The recipe was super easy, it is simply Paula Deen's Chicken Stir Fry. I have listed my modifications below.

Because I am trying to find recipes that are quick and easy for when the baby T-Rex comes I did take a little help from the store. I used a bag of frozen Asian/Stir Fry veggies, nuked those, then threw them in the stir fry to crisp them up a bit. I did use fresh onion and mushrooms (I had regular mushrooms on hand, not shiitake) and sauteed those like normal. I love the crisp water chestnuts even though Mattie is not partial to them, so I just picked them out of his and added them to my bowl. Instead of powdered ginger, I used fresh grated ginger and it turned out fine and we served it over rice instead of noodles. We also used a bit less chicken (because it was what we had) and liked it with less chicken because it meant that we had a little more sauce. We are going to try freezing it next and I would think the best thing to do would be to remove it from the heat before the sauce tightens up too much from the cornstarch mixture so that when you reheat it, it will be nice and saucy.

I really liked this recipe because it was fast, light, and relatively healthy. As far as flavors go, it was the perfect balance of sweet and salty with a bit of an emphasis on the sweet undertones (from the Hoisin sauce). The veggies were a nice compliment to the chicken, so you could feel good about eating Chinese. We served it with brown rice which is supposedly healthier for you, but we like it because it adds a hearty, nutty feel to the meal. I think next time I make this I am going to add just a touch of crushed red peppers to the oil when I saute the chicken or veggies to add a little spice to the sweetness. This meal was light enough that we probably wouldn't feel incredibly guilty if we got egg rolls to go along with it next time.

Becco replica

Recently I took a little trip to New York for the JFR Lerner Fellowship. There were some fabulous meals and snacks to be had in an entire new part of the city that I had not explored (the Upper West side around Columbia). One of the restaurants that we ate at was called Becco. It is located just off of Broadway in the Theater District.

The outside of Beco

All in all the food was very good a Becco. We were a large group so we had a preset menu, but at one point I looked at the rest of the restaurant and it looked as though the entire restaurant may be preset. One thing that automatically made the meal wonderful was excellent conversation with the Croatian teachers that came to the fellowship whom we tried enthusiastically to teach how to be Southern/Texan. I was a bit envious of the friend next to me who ordered a glass (or two) of Prosseco. I really enjoy the Italian sparkling wine and it would have matched well with the variety of food we had. I do not remember much about the anti pasta we were given. It was marinated artichokes and red bell peppers and marscapone cheese with some sweet glaze that I felt would be better suited for dessert. The salad was mixed greens in a typical house dressing even though we were supposed to have Caesar until too many people complained about anchovies in the dressing not realizing that most Caesar dressings have anchovies. On to the unlimited (yes I said unlimited) servings of pasta. There were three types and I do not remember much about one of them. The other two were mushroom ravioli and oreichette with cauliflower. The ravioli was good and had a very nice sauce that complimented the dish well, but for me the real winner was the oreichette with cauliflower. All of the pasta was homemade and some of the shell shaped pasta had a tendency to stack together making a larger pasta filled bite (which I loved). The cauliflower was a little soft, but had good flavor when tossed with a really light and smooth tomato sauce. Topping all of this off with a good dose of Parmesan really made the dish come together. I rather enjoy the way that Parmesan acts as a last minute "binder" for lighter pasta sauces. I came home and duplicated what I ate!

We try to eat a lot of veggies and this was a new way to prepare them. I took zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots and using my vegetable peeler cut slivers of veggies. This was all sauteed with finely sliced red onion, garlic, olive oil, and a bit of fresh ground black pepper! Really good and fresh tasting.

I boiled the pasta (I used rigatoni at Matt's request) and used the steamer basket to steam chopped cauliflower. I took the cauliflower after it was "al dente" and sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic.

All real pasta dishes need lots of fresh basil. We roughly chopped this and tossed it when we were mixing all of the pasta together. The basil will wilt just enough from the residual heat of the pasta and sauce. We have found that it tastes a lot fresher and makes the basil much more noticeable when not cooked in the sauce.

For the actual sauce I took a shallot and half a red onion diced and sauteed that with a couple cloves of chopped garlic. When everything was translucent I added one large can of diced tomatoes, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a bit of Italian seasoning. After letting it mellow and blend a bit, I tasted and adjusted my seasoning. We like sauces like this sometimes because it is super fresh and almost raw in that it is not your all day simmered marinara or meat sauce. It is great for the summer time!

We tossed it all together with Parmesan and topped with sauteed chicken (this is when you add the fresh basil)!

A word about your chicken. Mattie and I sometimes buy vinegar based salad dressings that we end up less than thrilled about. When this happens, we keep it in the fridge and use it for a quick marinade on our chicken. Just because you don't like it on your salad doesn't mean that it won't impart wonderful flavor on your poultry!

Pasta E Fagioli

One of my favorite modified recipes is my recipe for Pasta E Fagioli. Pasta E Fagioli is pasta with beans and is often served in soup form. If you order this at Olive Garden you will get a soup tasting very much like chili. It is good, but a little less authentic than the recipe I modify. For the soup: In olive oil sautee one diced onion and two to three diced carrots. If red, yellow, or orange bell peppers are on sale I throw a finely diced bit of that in too. When the veggies are well on their way to being tender you can toss in some chopped garlic. I then drain three or four cans of Cannolini beans and rinse those to remove some of the salt and starchiness. I usually let those soak in some of the veggie-ness for a bit in the pot as well. This next step is up to you: you can add in a bit of tomato paste or canned diced tomatoes. I would not add a lot, just enough to add a bit of flavor. Top everything off with water or chicken stock. At this point I usually season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh rosemary and some Italian seasoning. Sometimes I also add a bay leaf or two (it is soup after all). Once the soup is to a full boil add ditalini or some other small shaped pasta. Once the pasta is cooked you are ready to stir and serve.

You MUST top this with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and parmesan cheese. Optional is browned Italian sausage (removed from the casing). With Mattie the carnivore, I must add the sausage!

Serve with salad and toasted bread or combine the two and serve with bruschetta!

Ole for Burritos

This is a method I learned from my dad. We would eat this fairly regularly and seeing as it is so easy and delicious, Mattie and I have it probably once a month or so. The concept is simple...you take a frozen burrito and spice it up to your liking. We always choose to bake our frozen burrito in the oven, but from what I understand the frying method is even better. While the burritos are baking and getting toasty we heat up refried beans and canned (or homemade) chili. We also shave some lettuce, dice tomatoes, avocado, and onions and grate some cheese. When the burritos are ready we put down a layer of beans, a layer of lettuce, the actual burrito, spoon a generous serving of chili on top, cover in cheese, avocados, and tomatoes and get ready to enjoy. My favorite part about this dish is that after the burrito is done, you usually have a little miniature taco salad left on your plate from all of the toppings and burrito guts. We have a neighbor who took this same basic concept and put all of the hot stuff (beans, chili, burritos, and cheese) in a casserole dish for easy transportation. This is a very simple meal, but sure to please and if people can find frozen burritos in other parts of the country or world, a nice way to remind them (fairly closely) of some good texas flavor!!!

Summer time means fruit galore!

Just a quick post to write about the glories of summer time fruit! We love this time of year when HEB and Kroger vie over customers with ridiculous weekly specials on otherwise expensive fruit. We find ourselves perusing the grocery store ads to see who has Strawberries for less than $1 or cherries for a cheap amount per pound. The plethora of fresh fruit means that Mattie and I tend to stay away from traditional dessert and opt for fresh fruit with a bit of sugar, cut up over our favorite light ice cream (Dreyers Slow Churned Vanilla Bean...you cannot tell it is lower in fat...I swear), or as a topping to angel food cake. It is a dessert or snack that you can feel really good about. We rather enjoy sweet strawberries that can be eaten as we cut them up in preparation for a dessert later in the day. We also like blackberries and raspberries that merely need to be washed and popped in your mouth for that burst of flavor. When we can get some good peaches or nectarines I will break out the ice cream maker for a nectarine/peach and raspberry sorbet. Lastly, we like to add cut up berries and granola to yogurt for a snack or breakfast (my favorite combo is a blackberry, cinnamon granola, apple turnover yogurt concoction). The picture was a fruit salad that Matt commissioned after he bought kiwi, strawberries, nectarines, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, it was a delicious and light end to a wonderful meal.

Yummy, Fluffy, Buttermilk Biscuits

I have a deep fondness for buttermilk biscuits. One of my earliest cooking memories is sitting with my father on top of our counters sifting the flour for our breakfast biscuits on any given Sunday morning. I loved to watch the flour "snow" into the bowl or wax paper and I loved spending the time with my father. He still comments about me being so little that I could scoot all the way under our cabinets and sit with my back against the back splash. As my father learned how to make a softer and softer biscuit, so did I. I learned from all that my father did and now replicate THE biscuit recipe often. Sometimes I want a biscuit from Popeye's or KFC...buttery, tender, flaky...my biscuits are not like this. My biscuits might be considered a little more "gourmet" and they are definitely softer. If you do not follow this method you will not have the softest possible biscuits. The choice is yours and yours alone!

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon baking soda (I lean towards the 3/4 side)

2 cups bread flour (not All-purpose, not self-rising...definitely not cake)

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt (I often measure just shy of a teaspoon)

1/3 cup oil (not olive)

2/3 cup buttermilk

Measure milk and oil in the same cup, but do not mix together. Set aside. Sift your dry ingredients together...twice...do not skip this part. Matt's mom thought that sifting was for mixing dry ingredients, but that is not the case. The purpose of sifting is for aerating the ingredients thus creating a lighter and fluffier product. Pour the milk and oil all at once into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined to make a soft dough. Sometimes I need to add a touch more buttermilk, you should know if you need more buttermilk by the third or fourth stir. I tend to stir less and have a bit of extra flour at the bottom of the bowl. This ensures a softer biscuit because I have not worked the bread dough. If you overwork the bread dough you will start to develop the gluten...this makes chewy bread...which is great for baguettes...not for biscuits.

As you can see in the picture above I am delicately forming the biscuits in my hand, usually with the help of a fork. I don't usually roll and cut my biscuits (goes back to the whole gluten thing). I take a biscuit sized glob with the fork, make sure it holds together, and place it on a greased pan. I then cook the biscuits (this recipe yields about 8 biscuits) in a 475 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Begin checking these suckers at 10 minutes or so...you want a nice golden brown color.

Now serve with eggs, sausage, gravy, jelly, whatever! These are not biscuits you can make into a sandwich...they will fall apart. I really like a good cream gravy with sausage bits in it, but do not make it that often. I prefer more "traditional" jellies like peach/apricot (they don't taste that different in jelly form) or strawberry, and sometimes some really good honey while Mattie likes "crazy" jellies like cherry, blackberry, and raspberry. Enjoy one morning! I am looking forward to one day making these biscuits with my own little one.

Aside...as far as sifters go I am a fan of the old "crank" style sifter, rather than the trigger/spring style sifter. It is less effort on your hand and seems much less pretentious when making something as homey as biscuits!

Taco meat por favor!

Matt and I frequently partake in making mexican food of all sorts. We recently decided to make beef taco meat. We actually ended up with a half beef/half ground venison mixture because the venison is free and adds nice flavor and texture. First chop half of a large yellow onion for each pound of ground meat that you have (I say half of a large rather than a medium because I have not seen any medium size yellow onions for some time in my grocery store). Also chop a small green bell pepper for each pound of ground meat. Once that has sauteed/sweated (very little color on the veggies) in vegetable (actually corn or canola) oil, add your ground meat. Before anything more than the very bottom layer that is actually touching the pan gets cooked add A LOT of garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and a bit of oregano. The cumin is the main ingredient. As you can see below there are a lot of spices in this pot for two pounds of meat. I stir this concoction around then let it sit, covered, on medium low heat until the meat is cooked. It should have rendered out some good juices, but if it has not add a bit of water to the pan. At this point I taste the meat and usually add more cumin and more pepper. Remember, it is easier to add more spice than it is to take away too much spice in a dish! I try to let this simmer for at least an hour, but it is always better the next day.

These are Matt's perfectly formed tacos. He requested flour tortillas that were bound to the crispy shell by a layer of refried beans so I obliged by having all that was necessary. We had the beef taco meat, beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream (which I have had an increasing fondness for in my pregnancy). He also indulged in a good Mexican beer with lime!

We also really enjoy making Mexican Rice. For this saute a small amount of onion and bell pepper (this would be really good with red, yellow, or orange bell peppers too). When they have gotten soft, add a bit of oil to the pan and saute the rice so that it can soak in some oil and get a little toasty. When it appears translucent, add your liquid...we usually use some Rotel style tomato juice, water, and chicken stock. Let that cook down, stirring occasionally to avoid stick-age. When the rice is almost done add corn, cilantro, and some of the Rotel tomatoes (get the mild unless you like it really hot, if you don't want it hot at all then go for canned diced tomatoes). Season to taste with a bit of salt or garlic powder.

The next day we put a twist on one of our favorite dinners which is mega salad. For mega salad we imagine that we are at Sweet Tomato or Souper Salad making one of their salads. For this one, due to the taco meat, we put a latin flair on it. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, fresh corn, drained and rinsed black beans, avocado, and bell pepper were all tossed with shredded cheddar cheese, warm taco meat, and tortilla chips. For a dressing, I threw in some sour cream and salsa and tossed to coat all the veggies. It was yummy!...and delicious!!!

Et tu anchovy???

Ever since high school I have had a deep fondness for Caesar salad. My sister developed her fondness, nay obsession, with the salad much earlier than that. There was a trip our family took to Colorado that she ate Caesar salad and/or Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo every day we were there. My fondness for Caesar salad is different though. As you can see in the picture above the greens are not your typical creamy coated lettuce salad. My father taught me this method after watching a waiter make table side Caesar salad at a restaurant. Because my family had a bought with Salmonella once before we skip the raw egg portion of our dressing and we up the vinegar. In all fairness, I try to top the salad with boiled egg (plus Mattie likes that it means extra protein for him). I cannot give you exact measurements for the dressing, but I will try to translate the method and approximate amounts as much as possible.

First, wash and dry your romaine lettuce leaves...this (and many other dressings) will not stick to wet lettuce. If you don't have a salad spinner, now might be a great time to get one. I would also recommend that you have your croutons and shredded Parmesan ready to go. This would also be a great time to put some salad plates in the freezer if so desired.

Next, in a large bowl (I have a good, shallow metal bowl that I usually use), crush two or so cloves of garlic. Add a few sliced anchovies and mash this together until it is a thick paste. I use the back of a fork to get optimum anchovy mash-age, but sometimes you need to break it up further with a sharp knife.

Next, add a few splashes of several different vinegars. We always use a good balsamic vinegar and some red wine vinegar. If it is a special occasion we break out the Mexican vinegar that we cannot find any more and add a splash or two of that. Also squeeze half a fresh lemon into the dressing. Mix all of this together. It should be fairly thick from your anchovy/garlic paste. If you want you can throw in a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce (to make it more authentic).

Next get out a small whisk. While beating slowly, stream in a good quality Extra virgin olive oil. You need a good quality olive oil (and extra virgin at that) because this is a dressing...you need the best flavor possible. The amount of olive oil is completely up to you. Matt's family can attest that I like a very tart dressing that definitely does not have much more olive oil than needed. Taste a bit and add if needed...it is easy to add more...impossible to take away.

Now add in your lettuce, Parmesan, croutons, and lots of freshly ground black pepper and toss together. I like to let this sit for a minute so the croutons can soak up any extra dressing. We often top with boiled eggs as mentioned before and if we are having this as a dinner we add chicken and sometimes fresh avocado.

Mark's

Mattie and I discovered Mark's on Westheimer two summers ago when we were invited to go to dinner with some guest speakers at the Holocaust Museum. Aside from me being ecstatic about sitting with some pretty cool people, we decided that Mark's was a restaurant to be reckoned with. I went there again with McKay and Deb for our girls shopping adventure and liked it even more. Thus, when Mattie and I were trying to decided where to spend our delayed anniversary dinner (delayed on purpose to coincide with having tickets to see Fiddler on the Roof) we naturally settled on Mark's. I will only comment on our dinner last night.

The inside of Mark's (from their website) almost where we sat...

Being in my motherly state I will be unable to comment on the adult beverages. I might be able to convince Matt to write a couple sentences about his martini and his glass of wine later though!

We first ordered their tomato appetizer. It was thin sliced heirloom tomatoes topped with avocado, watercress, and a citrus vinaigrette. The concept was good, but Mattie and I both felt that the tomatoes were not at their peak for such simple presentation. If you are going to have a dish that tomatoes are the super star of...then have super star tomatoes. These had decent flavor (but not a lot of that acidic bite that one desires with a good home grown tomato), but were slightly grainy. 

The next dish brought out redeemed the tomato salad. The menu described the soup as being a seafood and mushroom bisque, but this was so much better than that. It was not a typical bisque that I would think of (not very creamy looking), it looked more like a mushroom soup met gumbo (sans rice). It was topped with chunks of shrimp and lump crab meat and thinly sliced asparagus stalk. The base was very meaty flavored, but as far as I could tell, consisted of mushrooms and a seafood stock. The velvety texture of the fresh mushrooms gave a lot to making the "mouth feel" a bit more like a bisque. Also, there was the subtle hint of red or black pepper at the end of each spoonful (which I rather like in a bisque). 

Next we shared a Caesar salad. I realized as I took my first bite that as this was a nicer place, the dressing was probably homemade, which meant it probably had raw eggs, which is a definite pregnancy "no, no". I partook anyways feeling that I have done very good for the past 18 weeks in eating what the doctor has said is ok. The salad had a homemade parmesan crisp (which I love to eat and are really easy to make) and some (in my opinion) highly salted lettuce leaves that the actual Caesar portion of the salad sat on. The romaine was chopped (which I have found to be the new "in" for salad...chopped lettuce salads are very hot...or cold...right now) and tossed with bacon, parmesan, and a very good Caesar dressing. Their dressing was not too egg-y and not too creamy. It also had a nice zing of lemon in the dressing which I rather like (especially considering that my Caesar dressing is totally rogue). 

Matt enjoyed (although we traded plates midway) one of their featured items for the evening. He had the locally raised Kobe beef (which if it is locally raised I would have to put "Kobe" in quotation marks) and Bison. The Kobe beef was seared (or so the waiter said...when it came out I think he switched the two) and the Bison was slow, oven roasted. It was served with mushroom and parmesan risotto (which by the time I got to it was cold...so not as enjoyable) and a medley of summer vegetables (which were cooked and seasoned well. Seeing as we were confused on which was which ("Kobe" or Bison) I cannot say which I  liked more. Both were cooked to a nice Medium-rare and were seasoned enough to let the meat stand out on it's own.

I ordered their pork dish for the evening. It was slices of pork tenderloin (seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary), a couple of "chunks" of what only could be described as pulled pork (which really left me wanting a bun, pickles, bbq sauce, and a beer), and the most amazing grilled, bone-in, three or four inch tall pork chop I have ever tasted. As far as we could tell, the pork chop could not have been seasoned with much more than salt and pepper. It might have been brined, but it was not a complex brine if it was. When asked what made the pork so good, I would have to say the simplicity of the dish. It was grilled pork that tasted like pork. It had beautiful grill marks, it was juicy throughout, and it made me do a little happy dance. There were several relishes on the plate to go with the different preparations, but I only used the apple one for the tenderloin.

I will try to convince Matt to write about the drinks later and when he does I will talk all about the raspberry tart we shared for dessert. All in all, a great meal (with a couple of "ehs") and a wonderful date night!

Italian food in Mexico???

Mattie and I at the restraurant overlooking the marina

Two years ago Mattie and I went for a week to Nueva Vallarta which is just north of Puerto Vallarta. We had a wonderful time there and experienced some really great dining (including an awesome Cuban restaurant that I will have to write about some time). One of our wierdest, but most delicious meals was at an Italian restaurant at the resort we were staying at. It was wierd because one does not expect to find good Italian food in Puerto Vallarta. The view however was amazing because it looked over the marina so we could dream about having a yacht there one day! While at the Italian food restaurant (and I obviously cannot remember the name of said place) we had a very simple tomato and chicken pasta dish. While being one of the more simple things I had ordered on a menu, it was without a doubt one of the most delicious items I had ever had out to eat. It was clean, refreshing, and totally unpretentious. The chef (or cook...whatever) had let the tomatoes really stand out in the meal. The pasta was not trying to be anything it wasn't...it said I am pasta with tomatoes and basil...love me for it...and I did! Since coming back I have been trying to replicate said meal (without the marina of course).
For this dish I took fresh roma tomatoes. I like them a little firm so that they hold together better and so they have a little bite to them. However, with summer approaching, if you can get actual home grown tomatoes please use those. I wash, seed, and chop the tomatoes. In a pan heat olive oil and add garlic and diced red or yellow onion. I do not carmelize my onions for this dish, but cook them at a lower temperature until they are sweet and translucent. I then add the tomatoes and cook those on medium heat until heated through. Turn your heat down to low and add (about a turn of the pan) a good quality balsamic vinegar. Add salt, feshly ground black pepper, and tons of fresh basil. Toss with your favorite pasta (I like penne with this), some cheese (the possibilities are endless...I would recommend some grated parmesan and some chopped fresh mozzarella), and more basil. For extra flavor and nutrition, we like to chiffonade spinach to add to the pasta to let it wilt away. We top it off with sauteed or grilled chicken and serve it with salad. Enjoy!

List...

So...as many of my readers know I am in the process of busily growing a baby. I will keep most of the baby stuff to my other blog, however I did want to share some foods the baby does and does not like...

Does not like...

Grilled Cheese (way disappointed by this one...it was a craving)

Donuts (even Shipley's, which is the one donut Matt and I allow ourselves)

Food from Studio Movie Grill (or any majorly processed food like that)

Fried Shrimp (that was a bummer)

Skins on cucumbers (peeled are fine)

All meat pizza...or Little Cesar's the next day...

Does like...

Mashed Potatoes (even the flake/box mix...I regularly partake as an after school snack)

Macaroni and Cheese (craved it like crazy in Europe)

Chips and Salsa (which my mom ate incessantly when she was having me)

Sub sandwiches (my doctor approved deli meat as long as it is from a reputable place)

Foods that have been growing on me

Ice Cream (not with pickles)

Soup (any kind...I think the broth is comforting)

So overall, the baby has enjoyed healthier food rather than processed easy food. Which is good and bad...good because the baby is getting nutrients for the most part...bad because sometimes mama wants a corn dog, but knows baby won't like...

Crepe (not creep) video

Over spring break Mattie and I crossed the pond and went to London, Paris, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Durham (in North England). While we were in Paris we knew we had to have crepes for our many friends and family members who are ga-ga over the french delight! If you have not had a crepe is a very thin cross between a pancake and an omelet. I say that it is a cross between the two because it definitely has more of an egg texture than a pancake. There is a distinct chewiness that only comes from extra eggs in the batter. From my understanding there is only one kind of crepe, but the fillings vary. Both McKay (Matt's sister) and Roberds (one of my co-workers) freak out over Nutella filled crepes. SMurphy (who we met over in Paris) rather enjoyed a Nutella/Banana combo. I myself rather enjoyed the strawberry crepe. The crepes are usually made fresh (although they are sometimes merely reheated) and served warm. By the time we had our crepe the sun was setting and we could see the Eiffel Tower and the Arch de Triumph in the background. We ate our warm crepe filled with perfectly sweet strawberry jam and could not imagine a better Paris snack. Later, we walked over to Notre Dame and ate a savory crepe (filled with cheese and chicken). The picture is our savory crepes being made as the French guys made fun of us.

a little pasta salad method

So I have no pictures, but wanted to send out a little post about a pasta salad of sorts that was probably inspired by the food network, but modified by myself over a few preparations. Basically, take a package of orzo pasta (it is the rice looking, short grain pasta) and boil it in salted water. I don't really care if you cook it to al dente or if you cook it to mush...cook it to your favorite texture. While the pasta is boiling: dice one small tomato, 1/3 of a peeled and seeded cucumber, chop a tablespoon of Italian, flat leaf parsley (soooo much better than curly parsley) and a couple of fresh basil leaves. Throw in a pretty bowl. On top of these veggies (of sorts) add the zest of one lemon and either some Parmesan (grated) or feta cheese. Pour the cooked and drained orzo on top and toss with salt, pepper (freshly cracked please), and a little bit of olive oil. If you prefer add more cheese! 

We like to eat this with a variety of things, but it is a nice dish that can be served hot, cold, or room temperature. It is a great addition to your recipe list for the upcoming grilling months...we had ours tonight with beer in the rear chicken...more on that later...

Cake

I rather enjoy cake. A simple statement for what can be viewed as either a simple or very complex food. Over the years, the relationship between cake and I has changed. For my first two or three birthdays rumor has it that I did not eat my birthday cake and had a total aversion to sweets in general. Slowly, I learned to appreciate sweets, but had never been overly ga-ga over them. I have learned to appreciate cake when it is good. I can be snotty about a lot of food...cake is no exception. I rarely waste time with a cake that is what I would consider to be dry...or does not have good icing...or is just not right... I have also learned to really appreciate an enjoy a slice of cake that has been sitting in the fridge. You hand me a slice of good homemade cake that is cold and I am one happy little foodie.

As the years went on I witnessed my mother making a particular cake for friends and family. The German Chocolate Cake had been made into something of legend. Three people in particular always requested the German Chocolate Cake: my Grandaddy, my Daddy-o, and our neighbor Choc (nicknamed such because of his intense love for Chocolate). When I became old enough, I graduated from sifting flour for Dad's biscuits to number one assistant to helping mom make this cake. It is an intense and long process for the first cake maker. You have to sift the dry ingredients, you have to use a creaming method for the butter and sugar, you have to fold in the egg whites. There is absolutely no way around it if you want the lightest possible cake. Helping my mom make this cake, seeing the love she poured into it, seeing her fret over it being light enough or moist enough, then seeing the satisfaction on the faces of the people we loved as they took their first (and second and third and fourth) bite, I knew that taking an hour or two out of my time would not be a weekly occurrence, but one that was reserved and well worth it for special occasions and special people. The trickiest part of the cake is the icing. The cake itself will reward you with soft, delicate chocolate flavor if you take the time to follow the instructions. The icing will turn on you faster than a former Texas A & M basketball coach. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT follow the instructions on the icing. If you do...it will not taste smooth, buttery, and luscious. The icing has to be cooked at least three times as long as the instructions say in order for the sugar to cook all the way. I recommend cooking this cake and icing it a day before you need it. If you let the icing settle into the cake you will be much happier with your results. Here are pictures...

The cake itself...

The cake as a Box of Chocolates Grooms 

Cake for my Step-father

The recipe is not original...it comes from Bakers Chocolate German Chocolate. The recipe can be found on any Bakers German Chocolate Box (with an ingredient list conveniently posted on the outside) or here. One day, you will have a Saturday or Sunday with little or nothing to do...make it...enjoy it...then make it for someone you love.

you came in with the breeze...

...on Sunday Morning....

Sorry...my title is a tribute to the fact that No Doubt is on tour and will be performing in Houston! Will I be going to the show...less than likely...but I would be interested in going. However, this post (and this blog) are not about music. They are about the fine world of food. One thing we have really enjoyed lately is our Sunday morning routine (thus the song from my middle school past). We have been varying our routine a little, but we try to have a good, sit-down, Sunday morning breakfast where we dole out the bits of the Sunday paper that we are actually interested in and enjoy waking up a bit slowly (even on the Sundays that we go work out first).

Not too long ago, our good friends Mikey and Tami introduced us to a wonderful (and easy) concoction called cornmeal pancakes. This blog is less about snooty food and more about how to make cooking and food accessible for more people. The cornmeal pancake recipe is on the side of the Jiffy cornmeal box. You know the one...the little blue box that costs less than 50 cents in your local grocery store. There is one change suggested by Mikey and Tami (and supported by Mattie and I) to substitute corn or vegetable oil for the shortening. If you want to try the shortening, by all means, but I always have oil on hand (and don't with the shortening). In the picture we have added blueberries to the pancakes and served with venison sausage. It makes for a great breakfast, but an even better brinner (one of our favorite meals...breakfast for dinner). We both prefer fresh blueberries in our pancakes and frozen in our muffins (the frozen ones hold up better to the batter and to the longer cooking time). And while Matt will experiment with the different fruit syrups, on cornmeal pancakes I prefer Aunt Jemima. I think it is because that is the first way I had it, so that is the way I always crave it. Enjoy!