How much is bliss worth to you???

When I was asked to make a couple of desserts for a Relay for Life fundraiser for Aunt Sharon (Love you S!) I figured I would make an apple pie, and then something chocolatey. After digging around on the net, the birthplace of good ideas, I came across a chocolate-peanut butter pie that looked amazing! The base of the pie was a dark chocolate brownie layer. The next layer was a peanut butter mousse, very light and fluffy. And the whole thing was topped with chopped Reese's cups, chocolate chips, and a drizzle of dark chocolate ganache. I figured that maybe the desserts would bring 15 or 20 dollars per pie. I didn't count on this pie bringing in $650 for S's fundraiser! At around 80 bucks a slice, this is definitely the most expensive dessert I've ever made!

Off the Waffle

Had a new experience for breakfast this morning. Hidden away in the middle of Eugene, is the dinky little diner called Off the Waffle, boasting authentic Beligian liege waffles. I had no idea what a liege waffle was before I read the mini-story on the menu. The place is funky, and eclectic...from the bartering wall, all-organic mostly local ingredients, and the t-shirt on the cashier that featured Jules and Vincent from Pulp Fiction, guns drawn, both sporting orange afros, and the Off the Waffle logo underneath. The menu is equally funky, with waffles topped with ingredients out of the ordinary, such as bacon, basil, havarti, swiss cheese, turkey, garlic puree, mozzarella, avocado, and pistachios. There are a lot of sweet toppings too though, so don't be turned off by the weirdness.

My wife had The Bully, which wasn't on the menu, but consisted of a waffle topped with chocolate chips and strawberries, drizzled with chocolate sauce. I had the Hot Avo-Prese, which was topped with a huge slice of tomato, a good half of an avocado, a slice of fresh mozzarella, and fresh chopped basil, drizzled with EVOO. My only complaint was that there wasn't another one on the plate.

Everything tasted very fresh and you could tell the amount of love that went into making this food with each and every bite. I'm definitely going back and maybe I'll try The VMB with the kalamata olives, or satisfy my sweet tooth with The H-Bomb, Havarti cheese melted over apples and cinnamon.

http://offthewaffle.com/Liege-Menu.htm

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever had one of those cookies fresh from the bakery and think to yourself, "Wow, how come I can't make cookies like this at home?" You know what I'm talking about, crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, huge chunks of chocolate...The kind of cookie that's so good that you forget how many you've eaten. Well I have a recipe that is super easy, and makes amazing cookies too! And the good thing is, you don't need any weird ingredients or special tricks. Here we go...

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 pound chocolate bar

Whisk together your flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat your butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Then add the vanilla and the egg and keep beating. Slowly add your flour mixture to create the dough. Coarsely chop up your mammoth candy bar (any of those big ones will do, try Special Dark!!!) and mix the chocolate pieces into the dough. Roll the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. I use tin foil to make cleanup easier. Then cook at 325 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Cool and eat!

This is a good all-purpose basic cookie recipe and it can be modified however you want. Some ideas for variations...trail mix, M&M's, Reese's cups, toffee bits, mint chocolate chips. Just think, you could have soft, chewy, hot out of the oven cookies in less than a half an hour! What are you waiting for!!!!

For my friend, Tim...

One of the hardest things to do, is to make good ribs. I have had hundreds of terrible ribs in my lifetime. Maybe even thousands. Ribs that require you to gnaw the meat away from the bone and shake your head back and forth like some sort of hyena. Most of the time, people get in too big of a hurry, and cook them too fast, too hot, and you wind up with ribs that will hurt your jaw by the time you are done. So a few years ago, I set out on a quest to make my own perfect set of delicious, fall-off-the-bone, ribs...without having to wake up at 3AM to start them. And I've come up with a method that works pretty good. But don't tell anybody...it's top secret!

First off, I like babybacks. They cost a little more, but the flavor and tenderness of the meat is worth it in my opinion. I also like the McCormick's dry rubs... you can find them in the spice section, and I usually use the Pork Rub or the Sweet n Smoky Rub. You can make your own rub too if you'd like. The same goes for the sauce. Pick one that you like, they are your ribs after all. I like the Stubb's brand...and I usually go for the spicier sauce. And last but not least, you'll need some apple juice and some tin foil.

I usually cut my racks in half, because not many people can tackle a full rack. Then rub them down generously with the spices. Make sure you rub the spices down into meat for a few minutes at least!!! It gets the spices down into the meat and also tenderizes the meat a bit. Once the rub is on, wrap them up in tin foil and pour a shot of apple juice in each foil packet. Refrigerate for at least an hour. If you can let them set in the fridge overnight, great!

Once they have had a chance to chill, heat your oven to 250 degrees and throw the tin foil packets in there. I know, I know...the bbq purists are screaming right now...ALAN!!! I THOUGHT WE WERE BBQING RIBS, NOT BAKING THEM!!! Yep...but I don't want to get up at 3AM to start my ribs! Bear with me here. Once your ribs are in the oven, set a timer for 3 hours. While they are cooking, the apple juice will keep the meat nice and moist. Although it isn't necessary, and I've made great ribs without the apple juice, it makes a great secret ingredient! :-)

After 3 hours in the oven, your ribs should be tender and falling off the bone. Be careful with them when you unwrap the foil so that they don't fall apart. Now for the final hurrah, and you can do this last part 2 different ways.

1. Grill em - Your ribs are done...you just need to grill them over medium heat and baste them with your favorite sauce. The sauce will caramelize and you'll get that tasty grilled flavor, but still have the tenderness of slow-cooked ribs. Don't mess with them too much, they will nearly be falling apart. And don't leave them on the grill for a half an hour. You want ribs, not jerky.

2. Smoke em - I like to take some wood chips (You can get them in the charcoal/grilling section of the store) and soak them either in apple juice, or whiskey, depending on what flavor you are going after. Once they have soaked for about an hour, I wrap them in tin foil and set them right down on the burner of the gas grill, and turn it up on high. After a few minutes, I have a nice smoke rolling, and I can turn the grill back down. I will smoke the ribs for a half hour or so, just to get that nice smoky flavor, while basting with the sauce the whole time. I might even crank up the heat at the end to get that nice char on the outside.

Total cooking time : 3 hours 30 minutes.

If you were to smoke them, you'd easily be looking at 6+ hours.

I have made ribs like this several times, and always have great results. Just remember to go low and slow, and baste several times with the sauce towards the end to keep them from drying out. Everything else will take care of itself. Enjoy your ribs...and get some extra napkins :-)

Triple-Layer Chocolate Turtle Cake

Here is a neat idea. Now this concoction actually came in a prepackaged deal from Pillsbury, and it was pretty good. But you could make it yourself without a lot of fuss. 2 of them actually.

Here's the plan. Get your favorite chocolate cake mix, and mix it up as directed. Pour half of it in a 13x9 pan and bake it at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then cut the cake into thirds. Now if you are a neat freak about it, you can pull out the tape measure like I did...or you can just eyeball it. Trim off the rounded edges and eat them now...just to make sure the flavor is ok. :-) So now you should have 3 thin rectangular chocolate cakes. Get a jar of the caramel ice cream topping and spread a tablespoon or two on one of the pieces. Then stack another piece on top, and repeat with the caramel. Then you can top with anything you want; nuts, fudge, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee, crunched up candy bars, or you can just leave it as it is.

What you wind up with is a decadent dessert that looks more elegant than just a plain old chocolate cake, and really only takes a few extra minutes of prep work at the end. And when you are done with all of that, you still have half a cake mix left over! You can make one for a friend...maybe a peanut butter cup version!!!

And don't let the cake mix stop you either...you can do this with any flavor, any topping. What about a pound cake mix with fresh strawberries and whipped cream? Carrot cake with cream cheese and shredded carrots? Spice cake with apple pie filling? Let your imagination take over! Oh, and save a slice for me! :-)

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Here is a new addition to our rotation of favorite recipes, and an easy one too. We picked up some tilapia fillets at the local grocery store. Dredge it in some parmesan cheese and fry it up in a pan, and the cheese browns nicely creating a sweet buttery-tasting crust. The fish itself is very light, white, and doesn't have a strong fishy taste. A little lemon juice would go well with this one, as well as some thyme or other italianish seasoning. We just had it over rice, which turned out to be great!

Sushi? Sorta...

So my new favorite at restaurants these days, is a dish called seared ahi. It's basically a thick sashimi-grade tuna steak that has just been seared on each side for a minute or so. Outback has added it to their menu, and I recently had it at Claimjumpers as well. It seems to be the hip new appetizer these days.

The one thing that strikes you when you eat the first bite, is that it's cold. I was expecting something at least a little warm. It is very sushi-esque and is usually served with some kind of wasabi sauce. Very tasty, and if you aren't quite up for full-on sushi...you might want to give this a try first!

Breaking bread with friends...

A couple of weeks ago, a ziploc bag filled with a creamy liquid appeared on the staff room table with instructions. (Thanks Kristen!) There is something kinda creepy, but kinda cool about the whole thing...a secret recipe, secret instructions...it's all very James Bondish. Here is this bag of goo, and in ten days with a little love, (and a lot of extra ingredients), it is supposed to turn into bread? Ok, I'll play along and see how it goes. And after the timer went off, this delicious, cinnamony bread came out of the oven. Almost like banana bread, without the bananas. This started me thinking about 2 different topics...

1. I wonder if the Amish know that their secret recipe is on the internet! Yes, after exactly 3 seconds of digging around, I was able to discover the secret ingredients without a problem. I wanted to somehow alert the Amish that their secret recipe had been compromised, maybe give them the website. But then I thought that they wouldn't have a way to get on the net...and that just opened up new conundrums.

2. Friends are pretty amazing. This world isn't always nice, and it isn't always fair, but if you have good friends in your corner, you can still smile at the end of the day, and come back for another round. I came across 2 quotes about friendship that really ring true. Think about the friends that you have, and let them know how much they mean to you. Break some bread, share some food, share some stories and some laughs. And listen. Sometimes, that's the greatest gift a friend can give.

Here are the quotes...

“We are friends and I do like to pass the day with you in serious and inconsequential chatter. I wouldn't mind washing up beside you, dusting beside you, reading the back half of the paper while you read the front. We are friends and I would miss you, do miss you and think of you very often.” Jeanette Winterson

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.” Brandi Snyder

Melting your face off

One wing at a time...

I love hot wings. I've had them all over the place. Bone in, boneless...fried, grilled, baked... bbq, teriyaki, oriental, mild, medium, hot... and then there's beyond hot. This is the sauce on the far right of the menu. Now "hot" is very subjective. What might be unbearably hot for one person, might be mild for someone else. So needless to say, I'm always on the lookout for the nuclear level hotness.

I set out tonight to find out if a place called Doc's Pad, in downtown Eugene, had what was rumored to be the hottest hot wings in the Pacific Northwest. The place itself is nothing fancy, just a bar on a corner in the middle of downtown. But the waitress's face changed when I ordered the Inferno Wings. "Are you sure you want those? They are HOT!!!" Yes...I'm sure. In the next 5 minutes, 2 different cooks came out to confirm that I wanted the wings. They even brought me a drop of sauce on a toothpick to sample.

The wings came out on a long rectangular plate, all drumsticks, and no wings, with a side of ranch. I usually like blue cheese, but I'm not picky. After 2 wings, I was sweating, my face was red, and my eyes started watering. The mixture of habanero and ghost peppers create a slow burn that doesn't fully hit you for a minute or so. And then the endorphines start to flow.

If you are in Eugene, and you are a fan of the spicy stuff, stop by Doc's Pad and try the Inferno Wings. Will it melt your face off??? Yes, just like in Indiana Jones... But they'll also be some of the hottest, tastiest wings you've ever had!

Stay back human!!!

You don't know what you're dealing with!!!

One of my favorite lines from Artemis Fowl, a children's chapter book. What better words to describe the amazing levels of chemistry, timing, voodoo, and luck that goes into making the perfect apple pie. My journey began 6 or 7 months ago, and after many attempts, (apple pie soup anyone?) I finally managed to get everything right. The result? A nice delicious gooey apple pie, with a delicious flaky crust, and apples that aren't mushy.

Seems simple enough right? Well let me share the final 2 minutes before the pie goes into the oven. I like to call those 2 minutes "The Countdown to Failure" because this is where so many things seem to go wrong. Now I'm not saying things can't go wrong outside of these two minutes. You could have crust problems, uneven heating, mismatched spices, apples that are too juicy, apples that aren't juicy enough... But I'll just concentrate on The Countdown to Failure.

At this point, the crust is in the pie plate, and the apple are all peeled and sliced. In the final 2 minutes, you have to mix the spices with the apples. Once you do this, the timer starts. If you leave the sugar on the apple for more than 2 minutes, the sugar starts to break down the apples, creating a sweet apple juice in the bottom of your bowl....not good. Mix your apples well, then transfer the apples to the pie crust. Dot the top of the apples with 2 tablespoons of butter. Then top the pie. I have been doing more crumb top pies lately, but you could also do a crust on top, or a lattice top. (Best to have those ready to rock before you start The Countdown to Failure) Once the topping is on board, get it in the oven. If the phone rings, or you have to walk away for 5 minutes, the sugar will start to act on the apples, creating a sopping wet mess of a pie when you cut into it later.

Frustrating? Sometimes... Hectic? Sometimes... Best apple pie I've ever had? Yep. This one's so good it'll make you close your eyes on the first bite. Good thing I have such a wonderful aunt to teach me the magical secrets of pie making :-)

Belgian Waffles

My son's great birthday present, a rotating gourmet Belgian Waffle maker, is actually really awesome. Not only does it make "Ginormous" waffles (his words), but they are thick too, nearly an inch from top to bottom. I put about 10 strawberries in a small sauce pot with a tablespoon of sugar and let it simmer down until I had a sweet strawberry sauce. I drizzled that over the waffles, and put a strawberry in the middle, then garnished the whole thing with powdered sugar. It came out looking like something you'd get at the state fair!

There are some things that you

just don't mess around with...

I'm a mad scientist at heart, a tinkerer, constantly tweaking and changing things hoping to make them just a bit better the next time. I'm the same way in the kitchen. But the better I get at cooking, the more I realize that there are some things that you just don't mess around with. Deviled eggs are one of those things. Why do they disappear so quickly at family functions? Because there are a ton of people who love deviled eggs! Nothing fancy, nothing exotic, just plain old deviled eggs. It's hard to fight the urge to throw in a different spice, or mix in a dab of this or that... but you don't mess around with deviled eggs. The last thing you want is for someone to say, "OOO DEVILED EGGS! oh...umm...what's in these?" So the next time you think about making habanero tzatziki deviled eggs...think again...for the love of Paula Deen...think again...

Let's talk coffee...

There are things in life that are worth paying a little more money for. Things for which there is no good substitute. Peanut butter, mattresses, shoes....and coffee.

I've had some really good coffee in my short time here on this earth. Coffee that makes you close your eyes it's so good. I've also had some really bad coffee too. Coffee that makes you want to just drink water instead. So I set out on a quest to find the best coffeemaker I could find, since my love of coffee only keeps growing. After checking out all the major brands, I came across this machine, called the Keurig B70. I have since dubbed it the Godbrew 10000, an improvement from the B60 Godbrew 9000 that I had before.

This machine has a lot of things going for it. For one, it makes really good coffee. They have already figured out the water/coffee grounds ratio so that you get the same really good cup of coffee every time. Secondly, it makes one cup at a time, and always has hot water at the ready. So if it is 3PM and you want a cup of hazelnut creme, and someone else wants a cup of decaf...you can do it without brewing two pots of coffee. I've probably poured out the equivalent of a swimming pool's worth of coffee in my time, just because I'll make a pot and not even drink half of it. Third, you can use your own coffee in this machine. Other machine force you to use their proprietary pods or cups, but the Keurig has a tiny cup and filter that you can use with your own favorite ground coffee. Too much trouble? No worries, the prepackaged "K-cups" are only about 45 cents a piece, the price you would pay for coffee out of a vending machine. I could go on and on about the great things about this machine...it's easy, convenient, cost effective, awesome. About the only drawback it has, is that it can't make espresso. But if you are looking for a great cup of coffee every single time, check out the Keurig. You can usually get a 20% off coupon from Bed Bath and Beyond, and their customer service is second to none! Spread the coffee...spread the love :-)

Never enough time...

Here lately, there hasn't been enough time to do much culinary stuff in the kitchen. We have been going through leftovers and doing our standby meals because things are super busy these days. Sleep seems to be coming later and later as well. I'm thinking that I could probably do something like on The Sims...where you can cut out sleep altogether, as long as you have a comfy chair and lots of coffee! :-) Besides...ninjas never sleep. Clowns don't either. Think about that while you are trying to keep your eyes shut tonight. Who would you rather have in your room at 3 in the morning? A ninja? A clown? What about a ninja clown? This is the stuff that nightmares are made of...

Tonight's topic? Tea!

Being born and raised in Georgia, it's no secret that tea was a huge part of my life growing up. The tea I grew up with in the south was usually mixed with anywhere between a 1/2 cup to 3 cups of sugar. The tea I'm learning to appreciate now in the Pacific Northwest is of the hot variety. I really love getting the variety packs, so I can have something new from time to time. I'm enjoying a cup of peppermint chamomile tonight. The peppermint is refreshing and soothing, and the chamomile is calming and relaxing. I don't think I've ever tried a tea that I didn't like. From bubble tea, to green tea...sweet tea to peppermint chamomile, tea just always seems to hit the spot for me. I would really like to try some of the blooming tea, maybe it's just the science teacher in me that wants to watch everything unfurl. But I think I might have to sacrifice some manliness in order to get a flowering tea teapot. Might have to turn in my macho card... I'll think about that as I'm finishing up my cup peppermint chamomile tonight :-)

PS If you are looking for some decent sweet tea, McDonald's has started to serve it. It's pretty sweet though, so you might want to ask them to cut it 1/2 and 1/2 with the unsweetened tea. Also, Wal-Mart has started selling sweet tea back where the juice is. If all you have is a gas station, and you need a sweet tea fix, Arizona makes a "Southern Style" sweet tea. It's sweet tea in a can, but it'll do in a pinch.

Confessions of a dull-knife addict...

Hello. My name is Alan, and I've had dull knives for 32 years. Struggling to cut even the simplest things in the kitchen. Sawing through food. Using much more force than was necessary. I told myself I could stop whenever I wanted. I tried to tell myself that I didn't have a problem, that I wasn't addicted to mediocre blades. But I was wrong. I did have a problem. I was lured in by the promise of a whole block of knives for $29.95. I was enticed by the promises of never needing to be sharpened, and a lifetime money back guarantee. Luckily, I was saved. For my birthday this year, my wife gave me a set of Henckels kitchen knives. My favorite so far is the knife in the picture above. It's called a santoku knife, which loosely translates into "three virtues". The three virtues of this knife being slicing, dicing, and mincing. It is perfectly weighted, razor sharp, and even has the grooves cut out of it so that the food doesn't stick to the blade. You really only need a few good knives in the kitchen, so do yourself a favor and get some good ones. They don't have to cost an arm and a leg to be decent. Get some good knives and you'll have a "HOLY CRAP! THAT'S AWESOME!!!" moment when you cut through something for the first time. Yes. That's the way it's SUPPOSED to work, every time.

Mini-Cheesecake Parfaits

Raiding the pantry tonight, I found a box of Jello cheesecake-flavored pudding, a couple of 100-calorie cookie packs, and a granola bar. Mix up the pudding and spoon into the bottom of the glass, then make a layer of cookies, granola, fruit, and top with more pudding. I would have done another layer if my glasses were taller, but this was just the right amount of sweet for a dessert, just a few bites. Plus, the pudding was fat free and sugar free! So not only a quick and easy dessert, but also not too bad for you either! Go look in your pantry, you'll be surprised what you might find!

Chocolate-covered...what???

One of my goals for this blog, was not only to get people out there cooking things that they might not normally cook, but also to try new things myself. I came across this recipe in Taste of Home magazine...Chocolate-covered bacon. Evidently, it started at the Wisconsin State Fair a few years back and has really caught on. Here we have two variations, the dark chocolate bacon, and the peanut dark chocolate bacon.

Making it was amazingly easy! I cut the bacon in half and microwaved it between two paper towels. This made it lay flat, and not spatter. I put the bacon in between some more paper towels to get the grease out, and put it in the freezer to chill. The chocolate is just a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and a teaspoon of shortening. Microwave again in 30 second intervals stirring each time until you get a glossy smooth chocolate sauce. Then just spoon the chocolate sauce over the bacon, and put everything on a piece of wax paper. Chill it in the fridge.

I didn't have high hopes for this one, but I was surprised that it tasted so good! It has the salty-sweet combo going on, like a chocolate covered pretzel, and the nuts add another dimension of flavor. Crazy? Maybe... Good for you? Nope! Delicious? Oddly enough...yes!

Teriyaki Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

Cooks and teachers are a lot alike sometimes. They are both constantly on the lookout for great ideas to use tomorrow! This one comes from my father-in-law, Garry, and has become one of my favorites at family bbqs. Super easy, super delicious, and super versatile! All you need is a portabello mushroom (you can find these in the produce section...they are the big mamma jammas!) and some teriyaki sauce. Garry uses Yoshida's, but you can use any kind you like. Flip the mushrooms over, fill with sauce, and throw on the grill over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender. Once done, slice them up and serve em hot. This makes a great appetizer or side dish, and is a great addition to the bbq if you have veggie loving guests!

Appetizers???

Unorthodox Appetizers

Here's an idea the next time you have a bunch of people over for a party. Check out the discount racks at your local stores and look for unique shot glasses. You can usually find a set of 5 or 6 glasses for a few dollars. Then raid your "special cabinet" for all of those half full bottles that you can't seem to get rid of, and have some fun playing bartender!!! In a few minutes, I was able to whip up a bunch of special treats! I was able to make a white russian, a classic margarita, a strawberry margarita, and a mystery drink on the bottom!

If spirits aren't your game, then get some cheesecake flavored pudding and some mixin' fixin's (candy bars, fruit, CHOCOLATE!) and make little mini cheesecake parfaits. Keep em in the fridge or the freezer and break em out anytime for a cool treat! You'll find that most people won't take a piece of cheesecake if you offer it to them, but a mini-cheesecake parfait???

I quote Donkey, from Shrek... "You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits. Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait"? Parfaits are delicious."

Spicy and sweet!

Tonight's dinner

Thai Peanut Chicken

I came across this recipe last year, and keep going back to it whenever I'm hungry for something different. One of the things I like about it, is its versatility. You can make this with any combination of meats or veggies and serve it over fried rice, pasta, or yakisoba noodles. The thing that stays the same though, is the amazingly awesome peanut sauce. It's super easy, and you probably have everything you need in the kitchen already! Well, ok, you might need to buy some red chili sauce. Look for it in the Asian foods section of your local supermarket.

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter (I like chunky for this), 1/2 cup soy sauce (I like low sodium to decrease the saltiness), 1/2 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you are motivated), 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of red chili sauce. Whisk everything until it is smooth and the consistency of pancake batter. If it's too thick, add more water, too thin, add more peanut butter.

Once I have my sauce, I usually will throw my hot chicken in it just before serving and toss it to coat everything. You can also use this sauce to baste chicken with if you are going the grilled chicken on skewers route. Just be careful that you don't heat the sauce too much! If you do, the fats and oils start to separate from the peanut butter, and your creamy peanut sauce turns into an oily chunky mess.

...and for dessert?

...and for dessert?

Pumpkin Pie

Nothing fancy here as far as the pie goes. I just used Libby's recipe from the label on the canned pumpkin. Make your own pie crust, if you get the chance. It doesn't take too long, and it really makes a difference. Plus you might have some leftover crust scraps that you can use to decorate the pie! Just cut out your decorations, brush with a bit of eggwash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, and then arrange them on your pie.

Tonight's Main Course...

Tonight's Main Course

Tuna Noodle Casserole

The main problem with this dish, is trying to make it taste delicious, without making it taste like just another tuna noodle casserole. Boil 8 ounces of noodles, you pick what kind, I used rotini. Then mix together two cans of tuna, a can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup of mayo (I used Best Foods with olive oil), and 4 ounces of sharp cheddar cubed.

As far as spices go, I have a secret weapon. Don't tell anybody, it'll be our little dirty secret. Are you ready?? Nutmeg. That's right...nutmeg. The little bottle in the back of your spices that you only pull out around Thanksgiving...should be next to the poultry seasoning. A few dashes of nutmeg in any savory casserole will have your guests saying, "YUM! What's in this?!?!"

A little freshly ground pepper and then dump the whole thing in a casserole dish. Top with 4 ounces of shredded cheese and half a sleeve of Ritz crackers, and chop up 2 tablespoons of butter to throw on top of the crackers. Bake the whole thing at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, and you are set to go! NUTMEG!

The kitchen gods are angry...

For some reason, the kitchen gods are angry with me. It all started a few days ago, when my idea for a giant cookie turned into a pound of cookie dough scorching on the bottom of the oven. This was followed by a pie crust that kept flying apart, instead of staying in one big beautiful piece, like all good little pie crusts should. Both instances involved throwing my hands up and looking at the ceiling, as if I naturally knew that's where the kitchen gods lived. At least one of the kitchen gods was smiling upon me though. I managed to salvage the cookie dough, and make a giant, chocolate frosted cookie. And I managed to piece together the pie crust and make a crumb top for it instead of a lattice top. Everything turned out great in the end. :-)