Category Archives: Food

Christmastime is here which means I stop being a psycho freak about what I eat but still try to maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle.

Usually in the mornings you can catch me measuring out the amount of milk I add to my cereal or carefully pouring agave syrup into a measuring spoon to top on my whole grain waffle. I know this seems freakish, it probably is.  I love it.

I actually find tracking what I’m eating and measuring fun.  I eat real food and don’t cut anything out I’m just weird about the AMOUNT I’m stuffing into my mouth. And it’s simply because if you put an entire plate of something in front of me, I WILL eat it.

I am also very careful about doing this in public. This measuring business is generally a creepy habit I do in the privacy of my own  home. If I’m your dinner guest, not to worry, I won’t be asking for a measuring spoon alongside my plate.

Bethenny Frankel has this theory that she lives by: “Taste everything, eat nothing”. Basically, don’t deprive yourself and have small amounts of whatever it is you’re craving.

Sound theory, right?

Well for me, it’s a load of crap. (Sorry, Bethenny. I still love your face.)

If I’m tasting it, and it contains chocolate, I’m eating the WHOLE thing. I have no will power and I fully embrace my weakness.

There is no having five M&Ms and saving the rest for later or only eating half a cookie. It just does not happen for me. I also think there must be something wrong with someone who can actually stop themselves when they’re halfway through a warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookie…. that is not normal!

And if you can do this, please share your secret! I’ve tried, really I have. I have wrapped that half of my dessert inside a napkin and stowed it away in my refrigerator only to go back to that napkin-wrapped treat eight times for “just one more bite” until the damn thing is gone.

As a general rule of thumb,  I leave these treats for special occasions.

But with Christmastime and all the treats waving their sugary goodness in my face, I pretty much consider sugar an honorary food group this month.   I know this is not healthful, but it just happens. I deal with it.

So the other day, I ate fudge for breakfast.

I was testing out fudge recipes for a dessert platter I want to make for Christmas Eve and thought I better get started early on trying out different recipes. Well, no need for me to test any further. I found this recipe from Giada  and made a couple tweaks to it.

The fudge is incredibly rich and smooth. I left out the cinnamon, added chopped walnut and sprinkled sea salt on top. Holy decadence!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips (recommended: Ghiradelli) see Cook’s Note
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• Kosher or flake salt, optional

Directions

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.

Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

So tonight I was hanging with my lil’ pumpkin nieces (that’s how I refer to them because well, it’s Halloween so it’s fitting and they are SO darn cute!) and remembered I have yet to share the recipe I found for super yummy pumpkin bread!

I know you think I may be really heavy on the pumpkin lately. You would be right.

I can’t help it. I’m currently obsessed.

Partly because it’s the season and partly because I overstocked on Trader Joe’s pureed pumpkin and I wanted to use it up.

This recipe I found on All Recipes is more than 40 years old, according to the submitter. Which means it’s not the most healthy pumpkin bread out there but in small amounts, it’s OK.

There is an alternative recipe I’m going to try next – you replace the oil with applesauce. Clever and sounds good!  It drops the cals way down without sacrificing taste, apparently.

This recipe was just for plain ol’ pumpkin bread so I decided to liven it up a bit. In one loaf I added some Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips and in the other i threw in some dried cranberries and walnuts. Delish!

This bread was moist and tasty. It goes great with a cold glass of milk or some rich coffee.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can solid pack pumpkin

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Combine sugar, oil, and eggs in a large boil. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with water. Pour into two greased 9-in x 5-in x 3-in loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

So I’m continuing on the salty-sweet kick, I guess with Ghiradelli Salted Caramel Brownies.

Now be warned on this post: I am not myself tonight so my creative juices and, at times, witty prose may be slightly depleted so bear with me.

Apparently a night out on Friday that involved too much vodka and a hell of a lot of dancing has left me injured.  I’ve been flat on my back all day sipping Gatorade and popping pain killers that make me happy but also leave me  in a bit of a haze.

I don’t know many who can actually manage to hurt themselves so bad on a night out dancing that it means having to lay flat on their back all day. Apparently, I can.

Maybe I should feel embarrassed, or old; but I don’t.

In my defense, it is an old injury that I’m still trying to figure out how to cure. My next attempt is to combine an intense Yoga schedule with occasional deep tissue massage so we’ll see how that pans out.

Anyway… I decided to perk up my miserable day by turning to the Betties and sharing this recipe with you.

My first baking project brought you the NYT Cookies, which were ridiculously good but also quite easy to make.

But the Ghiradelli Salted Caramel Brownies? Holy chocolate love in my mouth!

They’re sticky, gooey and extremely rich and I was SO proud I executed them successfully because the process was much more intensive than the cookies.

I made these specialty brownies for an upcoming family dinner in an attempt to further challenge myself on my road to Betty Crocker-dom.

Event though I was following directions, I was a little apprehensive, this being only my second attempt at a homemade dessert. The process involved making caramel and brownie batter from scratch and swirling them together into perfection.

I found the recipe on Brown Eyed Baker, a blog with all kind of yummy goodness that I think I’m going to try out. The recipe doesn’t specify what kind of chocolate to use but I highly suggest sticking with Ghiradelli.

Quality of chocolate is very important when you’re melting it down. The higher the quality, the smoother the outcome and the better it tastes!

The whole family gave these brownies a big thumbs up. For my aunt Peggy, it seemed the chocolate decadence was more than just a dessert: “I sort of feel like I just cheated on John,” she said.

Mrs. Fletch with Salted Caramel Brownies

You know a dessert is good when those eating it start equating it with lust and sex. Mission accomplished.

They really were an affair to remember!

Here’s the recipe along with a photo of my mom, Mrs. Fletch holding the finished product. Yum!!

Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 35 to 40 minutes

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
Fine sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. (Or, melt in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.) Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Brownie recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)

Salted Caramel Sauce

Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking as the sugar begins to melt. Some of the sugar will harden into clumps, but that’s okay – it will melt eventually – just keep whisking. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches a dark amber color. At that point, whisk in the salt, and then add the butter all at once and whisk until it is completely incorporated into the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream (it will foam up when first added). Continue to whisk until it forms a smooth sauce.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before using in the brownies. The leftover sauce can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (You’ll probably need to warm it up a bit straight from the refrigerator.)

My friend Chris dubbed these cookies “the best ones he’s ever had, seriously.”

I LOVE salty and sweet. I love to put M&Ms in my popcorn and eat chocolate-covered pretzels. Mmmmmm

If you like salty and sweet – these are the cookies for you!

The secret: sea salt sprinkled on the batter just before popping them into the oven.  Genius!

So for my first attempt at baking, I thought I’d try something simple and chocolate chip cookies seemed like a fantastic idea.

This recipe came to me from Chris’ wife and my friend, Angela.  She had found them online and gave it a try and we all raved about them for a week.

I call them the New York Times cookies because, well, the NYT did an article on just how awesome these cookies are and posted the recipe online so everyone could share in the secret.

These cookies are SO good I actually screamed.  SCREAMED at my husband because he ate the last one.

And yes, I am embarrassed by my behavior.

I had been saving it. It was tucked away in its disposal Ziploc container and put aside on the counter. I came home and the container was empty.

I yelled something like: “Where is my cookie?! You don’t even like cookies! Why would you do that?! I was saving that cookie specifically for today and now it’s gone. Gone!!”

At one point I swear I felt real, actual tears start to well up.

I couldn’t believe this was my reaction to losing a cookie. I threw a tantrum like a 5-year-old.

JD thought it was hysterical then when I realized my ridiculousness I did too.  (I have such a patient husband to put up with some of my crap!)

But that tantrum proved to me the power that these New York Times cookies have. It really is that influential.

They are definitely fancier than your average chocolate chip cookie, there are two kinds of flour and a very specific type of chocolate you have to buy.

Until I read this recipe I had no idea there was more than one type of flour. Oh, but there is. There are a LOT of kinds of flour. I felt like a total amateur in the aisle staring down the different colored bags of flour.

I bought the ingredients, drove home, pulled up the recipe from the New York Times and…. crap.

I didn’t buy enough chocolate and I had forgotten to buy the second type of flour.

So… back to the store!

The baking part was actually fairly easy and I have to say that I was quite proud at how my first baking-from-scratch recipe turned out.

So two days, two trips to the store and two 20 dollar bills later…. here is the recipe for the NYT Cookies!

Note: These aren’t pictures of the real cookies but… it will have to do until I figure out how to properly photograph food so it turns out nice.

New York Times Cookies

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.