Blondies

No, I'm not talking about my next hair color I decided to try. I'm talking about the yang to the brownie and half sister to the chocolate chip cookie. The blondie; the rich, luscious, bar dessert. However, unlike the brownie, a blondie depends, not on chocolate for it's je ne sais quoi, but rather on brown sugar. And unlike the chocolate chip cookie it's baked in bar form and is often accompanied by a few extra ingredients, such as coconut and nuts.

This was the first time I have made blondies, and when I come to think of it it's the first time I have really tried the blondie. And let me tell you I am in love! These are easy to make and really deliver on flavor. I think my husband would agree as he went through half of the pan in no time. So if you like brownies and chocolate chip cookies, (like who doesn't) give these a whirl.

Tip: to toast coconut place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan, place in separate bowl and set aside. Also, if you are a nut lover you could add 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped. Add them when you add chips and coconut to batter. I refrained from the nuts.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Fold flour mixture into wet ingredients. Do not over mix. Fold chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and toasted coconut (and nuts, if desired) into batter. Turn batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula.

Bake until top is shiny, cracked and feels firm to the touch, 22-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack, try to resist until cool, but you probably won't.

Recipe adapted from "Baking Illustrated."

Chocolate Lava Cakes . . . for Two

Here is my shout-out to Valentine's Day, which I acknowledge is already long gone. However, this recipe is a real sweetheart of a dessert for you and your smoopy-poo. My husband loves this dessert and since I typically have all the ingredients in the cupboard I make it more often than I should. It is best topped with some ice cream or whipped cream. Following is a real gem of a whipped cream recipe. Store bought whipped cream should only be purchased in an emergency as making real whipped cream is very simple and tastes much better. And I would even venture to say is better for you because it has less preservatives and all that other gunk they put in our food to make it last forever. Maybe it's stretching it a bit to say that it's better for you but it makes it easier, in my mind, to eat a whole big smathering of it with my chocolate lava cake.

This recipe makes two cakes, to make four simply double the recipe. I know it sounds dumb to mention this but some recipes you can't just double, as they do not turn out as well. But this does, so go nuts!

Ingredients:
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped finely (2 ounces)- Baker's works well
1/4 stick butter (4 Tbsp.)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp. flour

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray two custard cups or 3-4 ounce ramekins with cooking spray.

Microwave chocolate and butter in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth when beaten with a whisk. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended. Blend in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir in flour. Divide batter between custard cups. Bake 13-14 minutes. Sides should be firm but center will be slightly soft. Run a knife around cake and invert cakes onto dishes. Top with whipped cream.

Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. orange liqueur (optional)

Place bowl and beaters in freezer for 15 minutes or so before hand. In chilled bowl combine all ingredients. Beat with hand mixer until cream forms stiff peaks.

Ceviche!!

Mmm. I love ceviche. It will always remind me of Costa Rica and my never-ending quest for more ceviche and guacamole. And of course my lovely friends that I made in Costa Rica, some of which also share this ceviche obsession. However, many people do not like ceviche. So beware if you are going to try this and don't know if you are a ceviche lover or not. If you know you are then this is a simple recipe that will remind you of wherever you traveled to have first tasted ceviche. Feel free to use any seafood you desire, however "cooking" times may vary. I enjoy a combo of shrimp and firm white fish, but other items like scallops will also work.

If you are not a ceviche lover or you are unsure, maybe you should take a trip to Central or South America and try it there first. Or if you are lucky enough to live in a region where a local restaurant actually serves ceviche try it there. It will be cheaper to try it in the restaurant then to buy all the ingredients.

Tips: The smaller the fish/seafood is cut up the faster the lime juice will "cook" the fish. Also, if you are unsure if your fish/seafood is "cooked" cut it in half and you will be able to tell, the uncooked part will still look transparent. But "cooked" fish/seafood will be white all the way through.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. firm white fish/shrimp/scallops/ cut into small pieces 1/4 inch or so
juice of 6 limes, please do not use bottled juice, fresh only
1/4 red onion, chopped finely (you can use more of less to taste, this is a conservative amount)
1 red bell pepper, chopped finely
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely
1/2 cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 avocado, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
salt and pepper

Pour lime juice over fish/seafood pieces, cover and let sit in refrigerator overnight. This process may not take this long depending on type of fish/seafood you are using. It has been my experience that shrimp take a long time, fish is faster.

Drain fish/seafood, reserving juice. Add onion, pepper, jalapeno, cucumber and avocado to fish/seafood. Combine gently. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours to let flavors blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with tortilla chips, adding back some lime juice of you like a juicy ceviche. Hot sauce can also compliment this dish.

Oven Lovin' Ribs

Nothing compares to ribs out of a real BBQ pit that were slow cooked over wood coals for probably close to twelve hours, tended to by a loving BBQ pit master. Unfortunately, many of us do not have a BBQ pit in our back yards, or we don’t live close to what I would call BBQ country; Kansas City or Memphis where one can get true BBQ. So what’s a rib lover to do? Turn to the oven I say! With a few simple steps the oven can help you produce some seriously good ribs. However, the one thing they will be lacking is that smoke flavor that accompanies open pit cooking. If you are a smoke lover you can try liquid smoke or a smoky BBQ sauce. Or just forgo the smoke flavor and concentrate on the tender, moist ribs you will be eating in a few hours. Yes, oven ribs are going to take a few hours, but some things just shouldn’t be rushed and aren’t we already rushing this process by going from a traditional twelve hours to just a few? Trust me, your little bit of effort will be worth it.

Tip: figure ½ rack ribs per person

Equipment needed:
Large skillet
Large roaster with rack inside
Saucepan
Cookie sheet lined with foil
Oven

Ingredients:
Pork ribs, excess fat removed, cut into 3-4 inch slabs
Salt and pepper
Cooking oil
3-4 cups cooking liquid: beef broth, red wine, or water would work
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

When ribs have been cut into slabs and excess fat has been removed sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In large skillet heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. In batches, sear ribs on both sides until golden brown, do not overcrowd pan. Ribs will NOT be cooked through at this point. Also, the underside of the ribs will be difficult to brown, as it will not come in contact with pan, simply heat for a few minutes on underside.

When ribs are golden brown, place on rack inside large roaster. In a separate saucepan heat your preferred cooking liquid to boiling. Pour cooking liquid into bottom of roaster. Liquid should cover the bottom but not be so high that it is immersing ribs. Cover ribs and cook at 250 degrees for three hours.

When ribs have finished cooking, remove from oven. Turn broiler on high. Place oven rack 6-8 inches from broiler. Place ribs on cookie sheet underside facing up. Brush with BBQ sauce. Broil ribs for 2-3 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Watching carefully, they will burn easily! Remove ribs from oven, turn ribs over and brush with BBQ sauce. Broil again for 2-3 minutes or until brown and crispy looking. This last step is to give them a grill-like finish. Enjoy your oven lovin’ ribs!

Coq au vin

Coq au vin, pronounced kohk-oh-vahn, is a very classic French dish that includes chicken, bacon, wine and a few other ingredients The one and only time I had this dish I remember that I wasn’t super impressed. I was even eating it in France, prepared by a real French person. Nevertheless, when I saw it again in one of Julia Child’s cookbooks I decided to give it a go. Mainly because, God bless Julia, it looked easy to prepare. One of the reasons, I believe, that Julia was so wildly successful was that she explained everything in grand detail. She really makes you feel like, yes, I can do that too! So when I reread the recipe I wanted to try it. However, sometimes even Julia went a little over board with her directions, so I thought about how I could make this still true to form but just a little simpler, and of course, faster. What turned out was an excellent version of coq au vin, if I don’t say so myself. I found the sauce to be so fantastic I almost wanted to drink it. But maybe I felt that way because I have been eating very healthy, with no butter, no bacon fat, and no wine to go along with my New Year’s goals. This is my version, but if you would like Julia’s you can find one in The French Chef Cookbook, p. 76.

4 slices bacon, cut into matchsticks

Cooking oil

Frying chicken, cut into pieces

Salt and pepper

¼ cup cognac or brandy

3 cups red wine; Julia suggests Burgundy, Chianti or California Mountain Red wine; I used a Chianti

3-4 cups beef stock or bouillon

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, sliced thick

½ lb. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

Butter

Flour

In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, sauté bacon with 2 Tbsp. oil until browned. Remove bacon, leaving fat. Season chicken with salt and pepper on all sides. Over medium-high heat brown chicken on all sides in the bacon fat. When chicken is browned return bacon to pan, cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning chicken once. Uncover, pour in brandy, and light with match. (Be careful! Flames will come up from the dish!) Shake pan back and forth until flames subside.

Pour wine into pan, and add just enough beef stock to cover chicken. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender when pierced with a fork. If chicken was not fully covered by stock turn chicken once halfway through cooking.

While chicken is cooking, in a large skillet sauté onions and mushrooms with 1 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. cooking oil until lightly browned and tender.

When chicken is done, remove from pan. Skim off fat and boil down to concentrate flavors. While sauce is boiling, in a separate sauce pan melt 2 Tbsp. butter. When melted add 3 Tbsp. flour, whisking until incorporated. Add butter and flour mixture to sauce, whisking well. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook until thickened. Off heat add mushrooms and onions to sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add chicken back to sauce. Serve as is or with rice, noodles, or potatoes.

If making this ahead of time, when reheating simmer chicken and sauce on low until chicken is just heated through. Do not boil, chicken will overcook.

Crap.

So Cookin' Mama was doing pretty good with her New Year's goals. I had been eating very well for the last 2 weeks, had lost a few pounds, and had been exercising very regularly but it all came crashing down Friday night. My husband and I were invited to a late Christmas party where there was lots of free food and drinks. And knowing that I was not going to resist free beer and food I decided to buy a pack of smokes on the way, which completed the perfect unhealthy trifecta. At the party I didn't way over indulge on the steak and potato diner, but I am pretty sure I drank about 1000 calories worth of beer and on the way out I decided we needed some sweets for the ride home. So I grabbed a paper towel, wrapped up a large handful of baked treats, stashed them in my purse and chowed them down while my husband drove us home.

To make my shame even worse Saturday morning I stepped on the scale to evaluate the damage, and there it was, all my hard work gone! And in one night! Oprah was right, you really cant drink and expect to lose weight. And on top of it all I had my husband pick me up a cheese burger and large fry from Vals, our own local, fantastic grease bomb burger stand.

Hopefully this week I'll bounce back. I did one shoulder, tricep, bicep video today and now it's time for the ab video.

Serial Cereal Cookies

Serial cereal cookies? What? They're cereal because they have two different types of cereal in them (this recipe is good for using up leftover, slightly stale cereal). And serial because you will want to eat them over and over again! This is a very light, crispy cookie. I find the taste and texture to be very pleasing and definitely a different variation from your traditional chocolate chip cookie. Plus, they are easy peazy.

So in case you don't feel fat enough from Christmas and New Years give these a try. I, however, will be abstaining from what I have left of these in my freezer due to New Year's goals. But the oatmeal in them might make you feel a little better about eating them, after all you are getting some whole grains, right?

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup oats
1 cup cornflakes or crisp rice cereal (or a combination of both)

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add oil, egg and vanilla; combine. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, oats and cereal. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. These also freeze well.