Losing Blogs, But Gaining Something Else

I've been reluctant to post anything since almost losing all my blog posts last week. I was actually a little scared to get on the computer! Add that with not cooking anything that I wanted to tell you about, and you have the reasons for my absence. But I have missed the writing. I find myself feeling as though this blog has become much more to me than I thought it would be. It is like a job - an integral part of my life. The research and recipe trials, and all the time trying to put into words what I am doing; it has become an important part of my life. I may not be posting every day - but I am always thinking about what I want to post next.

I got a huge ego boost the day after I re-posted everything. There was a comment from Crescent Dragonwagon, the author of many books, including "The Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread Cookbook". I used her recipe for Skillet Sizzled Cornbread in my Beans and Cornbread Post. I was so amazed that she had read my blog! Her cookbook was one of the first that I bought when I began teaching myself how to cook. I love that cookbook because she has stories with her recipes. I love books, and when I found a cookbook that I could read like a book, I was thrilled.

She is a fantastic writer, and I feel honored that she read my blog! She is having a copy of her new cookbook sent to me. It is called "The Cornbread Gospels" and I look forward to trying out all of the recipes, and sharing my thoughts with you. I have a link to Crescent's wonderful blog "Nothing is wasted on the writer" under a few favorite blogs.

I think that everything happens for a reason. We may not know the reason at first, but it is there. When I lost all of my writing, I kept thinking that perhaps there was a reason. Maybe I was supposed to try harder, work more and make this blog better. When I found the lost writings, I think I may have gained the knowledge that this is what I want to do. I wasn't sure what I was doing when I started this, but for the first time in a long time, I feel as though I am doing what I should be doing.

For Tammy and Marvin - Part 2

I'm making this a two part story because I couldn't let the occasion of Tammy and Marvin's wedding pass without something a little more special than Chicken Adobo. They needed something sweet and utterly sinful. I needed to find something just as sweet as she is, and I think I may have found it in these brownies. They are not exactly photo-perfect and I decided not to add the caramel drizzle, but I just had to test a little bit of one, and they are gooey and oh so good! With the pink, I think they are perfect for Tammy!

I will be honest here, the sweetest thing I usually make is cookies. And I don't make cookies very often at all. I do make scones more often, but scones are not very sweet - at least not the scones that I cook. Patrick is both the sweet-tooth and the sweet-baker of the house. He stopped making eclairs and cheesecakes after marrying me because I asked him not to. I would prefer not to weigh any more than I already do! But even he was not sure what to make to celebrate Tammy and Marvin's wedding. Then I remembered this cookbook that I bought for him "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey"by Jill O'Connor. It is described as having desserts for the serious sweet tooth, and as I was looking through it, I will have to agree! I did see many things that I wanted to make. But as I thought about Tammy and Marvin, I remembered how much she likes brownies, and there is a recipe in the book called Heart of Darkness Brownies.

Now, I'm not exactly sure why, perhaps it is the 5 full size Snicker's bars that are cut up and added to the brownies, or it could be the marshmallows melted on top, but these brownies remind me a lot of the South. A lot of good friends of mine are from the South - Tammy included. I'm not originally from the South, so a recipe like this scares me - it has too much sugar, butter and all of those things that we are told not to eat because they are so bad for our health. But I think that every once in a while - like a wedding - it is O.K. to eat something as sinful and delicious as these brownies!

Just a warning - these are extremely sweet and Patrick joked could cause a diabetic coma!

P.S. These would also be a great thing to make for Valentine's Day, which is right around the corner. Also, I think the men who work with Patrick are going to be happy tonight because these are not staying in the house!

Heart of Darkness Brownies

Adapted from "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely very coarsely chopped raw almonds or pecans, toasted

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

5 full size (2.07 ounces each) Snicker's candy bars, but into small chunks3 cups mini marshmallows

For the Caramel Drizzle:

6 ounces (about 25) unwrapped caramel candies

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Spray two standard 12 cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a small saucepan over medium low heat and stir until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and stir in the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Sift the flour and salt into the chocolate mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in the cooled chopped nuts, chocolate chips, and chunks of candy bar.

Fill each cupcake cup halfway with batter. Bake until the surface of the brownies has a glossy, cracked surface, about 20 minutes. Remove the brownies from the oven and top each one with approximately 1/4 cup of the mini marshmallows. Return the brownies to the oven and cook just until the marshmallows start to melt and puff up a bit, but not browned too much, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool just enough to handle, then remove from the cupcake cups, running a knife around the edge of each brownie to loosen it from the cup. Let cool completely on the rack.

While the brownies are cooling, make the caramel drizzle. Combine the caramels, cream, vanilla and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If the caramels are not completely melted, continue heating in 30 second increments, stirring until smooth.Drizzle the brownies with melted caramel and let cool completely for the caramel to harden. Do not chill. Serve immediately, or store for up to 3 days in a covered container.

For Tammy and Marvin - Part 1

Tammy and Marvin are getting married this weekend!

I think I may be the only person who always sings the song from "My Fair Lady" when someone is getting married. The song is going through my head right now -"I'm getting married in the morning. Ding - Dong the bells are going to chime..."

I became friends with Tammy while Patrick was on a six month deployment to Germany. It was July 4th when we first went out to dinner, and it felt a little strange because she is a lot younger than I am. It wasn't long before she became a very good friend. And now, well, she is one of my closest friends. After Patrick came home, he soon realized that she was a fixture at our house, and there were even certain days of the week that were dedicated to Tammy. She loves White Russians, and if it wasn't 10:30 in the morning right now, I would toast you with a White Russian!

We have a lot in common. Even her relationship with Marvin is very similar to my relationship with Patrick. They are both the same age that we were when we started dating, and they dated the same amount of time that we did before getting married! I will never forget when I asked her about their first date, her response was almost identical to the response that I had after my first date with Patrick! I'm trying to think of a way to describe the response, but I can't seem to put it into words. It was the look in her eye, and the way that she said it was - nice. I knew then that she was a goner! So, it was no surprise to me when he asked her to marry him right before they took a cruise to Alaska this past summer.

It feels like just yesterday that we were looking through Bridal magazines and talking about her wedding. I am sad to say that I'm not going to be in Corpus Christi smiling (with tears running down my face) as they say their vows. I'm not going because Patrick doesn't have vacation time yet, and I feel uncomfortable going alone to the wedding. But I want both Tammy and Marvin to know that I love you both very much and wish you only the very best.

A few weeks ago, I told Tammy that I wanted to do something for the special occasion on my blog, and I asked if she had any special requests. She said that she has always wanted my Chicken Adobo recipe. I learned this recipe from my friend Tara, but this is not exactly her recipe because in her family they never put garlic in the adobo. Sorry Tara!

This is not every one's idea of wedding celebration food, but it's what she wanted! I like to serve Chicken Adobo along with Garlic Vegetable Fried Rice. In order to get as many vegetables as I can, I use whatever I have on hand, fresh, frozen or canned. You can make this with only the rice and the garlic, if that is all you have, but I do recommend at least using the carrots - they add a certain something to the dish.

Chicken Adobo

4 lbs chicken thighs

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup rice vinegar (or regular white vinegar)

1 bay leaf

1-3 tablespoons sugar, to taste

3/4 cup water, or more to cover

Place the chicken, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaf, and one tablespoon of the sugar in a large dutch oven. Stir to combine all ingredients. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover until the meat is tender. Season to taste with a little more sugar if needed, pepper and even a little adobo seasoning (this is a Latin spice mix that you can find in the ethnic aisle at the supermarket, but be careful for it is very salty).

Garlic Vegetable Fried Rice

2 cups rice, cooked according to the package directions

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

1 can French style green beans, drained (optional)

1 can corn, drained (optional)

salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

Add the oil to a large pan over medium high heat and fry garlic until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Add onion and carrot, stir and cook until the onion is translucent. Stir in the rice, breaking up any clumps with the back of the spoon. Season to taste with salt (or soy sauce), pepper and red pepper flakes.

If it's snowing, it must be Chili!

I was not going to make chili today, I had planned on making shrimp and grits. That is going to have to be another post (on a warmer day) because when I saw the news reports that we were going to get our first real accumulation of snow since we've been in St. Louis... well, I had to change my plans and make a big batch of warm and comforting chili. This picture was taken from our front porch last night as the snow was just beginning to fall. I was excited about coming to the mid-west and finally getting some winter weather again. I have spent the last 7 years in warmer climates, and even though I am freezing because my blood has thinned, I still wanted snow! We've only had 3 dusting's of the beautiful white stuff, until last night. It was far from the blizzards that I was expecting when I thought of the mid-west, but 2 inches is enough for me! I am sure I wouldn't be so thankful that we got snow if I had to drive to work. But because I can sit back, have a big batch of chili bubbling away on the stove and read a good book... I'm happy!

I don't know if everyone loves chili as much as I do. I eat it all year 'round. I make big batches of chili at least 6 times a year, and freeze it in individual portions. When I was working I would take one of my day's off to make a big batch of something that I could put up in the freezer and have for those days or nights that I did not want to cook. I would bring chili in for lunch instead of going out to eat. I get happy when I know that I have a freezer filled with food food that I have prepared. It's even more fun with friends. I would get together with my friend Tammy and we would make two big batches of chili - so that we each had plenty in our freezer. While the chili is cooking away, you can sit and talk, watch movies or knit!

I very rarely make the same recipe twice. I have made so many different recipes for chili, I can't even recall all of them! There are so many versions out there, and I adjust each of them to my own taste. Sometimes I feel as though I should work for America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated because I enjoy trying out different versions of recipes, trying to find the best. I used to bring in chili for my co-workers in Norfolk. Lindsay, my boss in Norfolk thought my version of Rachel Ray's Uptown-Down home Chili was the best, and Joanna my co-worker liked my version of The Silver Palate's chili. It all depends on what you personal like. I don't think I will ever stop trying different recipes and I'm not going to say that the following is The Best Recipe, but it's one of the best I've made in quite some time.

Just a few notes on the recipe. I like to add a lot of vegetables to any recipes that I can in order to make them more healthy. In the rest of the world, meat is used as a flavoring, and I try to do that as well. I used dried kidney beans that I cooked separately instead of canned. I sometimes make my own chili powder, but this time I used store bought. I also like a lot of heat in my food. This chili is spicy, but it does mellow the longer it cooks and Patrick can eat it (and he does not like food as incendiary as I do!). If you do not like your food as spicy, please adjust the cayenne pepper or jalapenos to your taste. And if you are like me, add more hot pepper sauce in your own personal bowl!

Oh, and the title of this post was suggested by Patrick. For those of you who know him, you should not be surprised!

Jen's Winter Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal (or just use all beef)
3 carrots, finely diced
3 celery stalks, finely diced
3 bell peppers, any color, finely diced (I used one each - red, yellow and green)
2 fresh jalapenos (ribs and seeds removed), finely minced
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato puree
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups of water (enough to cover ingredients)
1 teaspoon beef base

Heat the olive oil in a very large heavy pot over medium high heat. Cook the onions and garlic until tender, stirring to prevent browning. Add the ground meat and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook until the water has evaporated and the meat has browned. Stir in all remaining ingredients, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the chili simmer for at least a half an hour, up to 3 hours. The longer the better, but remember to stir occasionally and add more water if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving. It will need more salt! Serve with your choice of garnishes. Depending on my mood I will add chopped onion, sliced black olives, shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream.

Finally a scone recipe!

A cup of tea, a warm scone and a good book is all I need to feel comfortable. I love bread in just about any form. When everyone was doing the Atkins diet, I just couldn't. I have to have my bread. I don't eat it every day, but the thought of not having bread... Well, that's a world I don't want to live in!

I used to love to make bread. For several years, we didn't buy our bread. Once people tried my bread, I would get requests to sell it. I was a bread making junkie. I loved the way the dough felt while I was kneading it. It was like meditation to me. But I stopped making bread when we moved to Italy. There were two reasons why I stopped, the first was that I did not have enough counter space to knead dough and it didn't help that the oven that we had only had 2 temperatures - 450F and 350 if I kept the door propped open with a sheet pan. So, I stopped making bread. By the time we got to Norfolk, I didn't really have the time because I was always working. I guess it didn't help that I was out of practice, either. A little over a year or so ago, we bought a bread machine so that we could have homemade bread again. It's good, better than store bought. But it's not quite the same thing.

No, I haven't gotten my hands floury with kneading - not yet anyway. I am thinking that I will be doing that again very soon. But my hands were a bit messy this afternoon, while I was making Cranberry Lemon Scones for Patrick to take to a potluck at work. I realized that I probably should put at least one of my favorite recipes for scones here, considering the name of the blog!

This recipe is great because you can use just about anything you have in your pantry. If you don't like cranberries, then use dried cherries. If you don't have lemons on hand, than use oranges, or leave the zest out completely. Every year during the holidays I try to buy several bags of cranberries to have in the freezer. They will last for a long time in the freezer in just the bag that you buy them in. I made a double batch of these scones today, and am down to only one bag in my freezer! Perhaps I should have bought a few more bags...

(Originally posted on January 21, 2009)

Cranberry Lemon Scones

Adapted from a Cranberry Orange Scone recipe from Bon Appetit, November 1998

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons grated lemon peel (a microplane is the best tool for this)

1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/4 cup fresh cranberries or 3/4 cup dried, chopped

1 cup chilled buttermilk

sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Mix in lemon peel. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add buttermilk and stir with a fork until moist clumps form. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into a 1 inch thick square. Cut square into four equal squares and then again to make 16 triangles. Transfer triangles to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown, approximately 25 minutes. Let stand on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room

Missing Seattle - Part 2 - It's for my Grandfather

The trip to Seattle was hard for many reasons - not only because we miss it so. We went to Seattle to lay my grandfather's ashes to rest. He passed away in August, but because many of the family were not in Seattle, we decided to wait a while to have any kind of ceremony. We layed his ashes to rest in the Puget Sound right under the cliff of his home on Whidbey Island. It was the same location that we layed Nana's ashes to rest almost 10 years ago.

When I began this blog not quite a month ago, I had no idea why I was starting it. I even thought of cancelling the whole thing, I mean who would want to read my random thoughts and recipes? But last week, while I was thinking of my grandfather it came to me. See, my grandfather and I had a lot in common. We both love fountain pens, books, reading and good food. And we both wanted to be writers. In his life he worked as an editor, a teacher and as a speech writer for McDonnell Douglas Corporation. I know as a young man he wrote poems, but I have no knowledge of anything else he wrote.

Ever since I can remember he would send me packages of newspaper and magazine clippings. Things he was saving for me that he thought I would be interested in. Invariably, he would send me the food articles from the Whidbey Island newspaper. He used to think I should start my own column on food. He wanted me to write a column for the Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper. He thought that my experiences and love of food would make for good reading. I never looked into writing an article for the Stars and Stripes because I don't have my degree in Journalism and I wasn't in the military, and I think you need one or the other to write for that particular publication!

I'm not sure when the idea that I could write a blog came about. I have been reading blogs for a while now, and don't know if I can do as good as some of my favorites. But, I am trying, for him. I didn't get a chance to cook for my grandfather as much as I would have liked because I was never in Seattle. I did get a chance to cook for him a few times, and my grandfather loves soup as much as I do! I remember making a huge batch of this stew, and filling his freezer so that he wouldn't have to cook.

(Originally posted January 20, 2009 - see my mistake)

Beef and Barley Stew

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can (14 1/2 oz) whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon each dried basil, marjoram and thyme
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)
5 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
4 potatoes, cubed
1 cup each chopped celery and carrot
3/4 cup barley salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until brown, stirring occasionally. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for an hour and a half. Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning before serving.

Missing Seattle - Part 1

It was too short of a trip to Seattle. It was not a trip for fun or visiting friends, it was to lay my grandfather's ashes to rest. We flew in on Friday, and flew back to our new home on Sunday. The trip went well, and we even got to spend a few hours walking around Pike Place Market, which is always fun, even if I can't buy any of the beautiful produce. But the trip got both of us thinking about home, and what we want from life.

Home, Seattle. Oh, the longing that both Patrick and I felt as we were walking around downtown. Our original plan when Patrick retired from the Navy was to move back, but no jobs were offered. The previous visit to Seattle (2 years before his retirement) we had a sudden "We Are Coming Home!!!". It was the type of emotion that makes you want to fly banners from the sky, you are so excited. This time it was a more subtle emotion. A dull ache that said "i want to come home..." in a very low growl deep in both of our souls.

Why do we have this feeling? Is it the people - the wide range of eccentric and artistic personalities that we miss. Or the beautiful water that makes me stop and take a breathe and almost makes me slow this brain that Patrick says never stops. Or could it be the mountains that when the sun is out (we got to see them, yeah!) just make everything seem right in the world. I'm not sure which it is, but the feeling of longing to come home is very much alive in both of us. We don't know when we will be able to make the move, but we are going to try!

(Originally posted on January 20, 2009)