Category Archives: Comestibles

Because it’s Monday, dudes. I can’t be bothered with real cooking!

Stupid-Easy Mocha Brownies
1 box brownie mix (we like Target brand), plus required eggs, oil, etc.
3 Tbsp instant coffee
12 oz milk chocolate chips, divided

Heat oven to 350. Mix the brownies according to the directions on the package. Add instant coffee and 1/2 of the chocolate chips to the batter and blend. Pour into greased 13×9 inch pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top of the brownies. When the chips have softened (1-2 minutes), use a rubber spatula to spread the milk chocolate evenly over the top of the brownies. Allow brownies to cool until the chocolate topping is set.

See? So easy it’s STUPID. But also really, really tasty.

I meant to put this up yesterday but never got around to it. We have a TON of leftover ham from Easter, so I’ve been trolling through my recipe files for creative ways of cooking it. A person can only eat so many ham sandwiches, you know? Anyhoo, I came across this recipe that I’d saved from November’s issue of Bon Appetit, and hello, GOOD. I actually think it would be good (if a little less hearty) without the ham, for you veggies out there – maybe add in some navy beans instead? Anyway, it’s a great combination of flavors and only takes one pot. Also it has bourbon in it. SO YOU KNOW IT’S GOOD.

Sweet Potato Soup with Ham
(Bon Appetit, November 2007)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 lb yams (about 2), peeled, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped (I didn’t have celery so I put in carrots instead, which resulted in a slightly sweeter soup)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
1/2 cup bourbon
1 lb meaty smoked ham hocks (or leftover Easter ham – a great use for the bone)
30-32 oz. chicken broth (about 4 cans or two boxes; I used 1/2 chicken and 1/2 vegetable broth)
2 small bay leaves

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add all potatoes, onion, celery, and thyme; saute until vegetables begin to soften, about five minutes. Add bourbon and boil one minute. Add ham hocks, broth, and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover soup and simmer 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer ham hocks to work surface to cool. Puree soup. (The recipe calls for pureeing the soup in batches in the blender, but who the fuck has time/energy for that? If you don’t have an immersion blender, which is what I used and which ROCKS for soup pureeing, then just mash the soup with a potato masher or leave it as is. It will just be a little more stew-like.) Cut meat off ham hocks and dice or shred enough for about 2 cups. Add ham to soup. If you have a cat, give the bone to the cat. (Optional step for suckers like yours truly.) Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

I was kind of a slacker in the domestic department this week, so yesterday I thought I’d better make an especially good dinner. We had some beef that needed cooking, so I decided to make BBQ beef with cornbread and spinach greens – a good southern meal. I used my mother-in-law’s barbecue recipe with some tweaks of my own, and I must say the whole meal was freaking YUM. Here are the recipes.

BBQ Beef
3 lbs. stew beef
3-4 slices of bacon
1 onion, diced
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 t. mustard
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. celery, diced

Put bacon and onions in large frying pan over medium heat. Saute until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and saute until brown on all sides (it does not need to be cooked through). Turn off heat and let pan cool slightly. Add all other ingredients to a large crock pot, and stir to blend. Add meat, bacon, onions and juices to BBQ sauce and turn crock pot to high. Once sauce is bubbling, turn crock pot to low, and let cook for at least 5 hours (or as long as 8 hours). Savor the barbecue-y goodness.

Southern-style spinach
In medium sauce pan, bring 2 c. water, 1 t. salt, and 1 strip bacon to boil. Add large package of chopped frozen spinach. When water returns to boil, turn heat down to lowest setting and let simmer for 2-3 hours. Drain before serving or use slotted spoon.

Cornful Cornbread
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1 can corn, drained

Heat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Grease 8 or 9 inch pan. Mix together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, beat egg, then blend in other wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients and corn to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve hot, with butter, and don’t forget to sop up the leftover BBQ sauce.

Mmmmmm.

Between various kinds of family insanity (’tis the season!), last minute Christmas prep, and the Hatchling having a bad head cold and consequently being Madame Le Cranqueass, I am tired, y’all. In fact, I’m taaaaaaaahred. I’m sure I have interesting things to blog about, but I can’t recall what any of them are. So instead I’m giving you yet another recipe, this one for something savory. Maybe you can have it before you eat the sugar cookies. It’s quick, easy, and oh-so-yummy; just spicy enough on a cold winter day; and you can either put it together right before you eat it or let it simmer in a crock pot all day and make the house smell tantalizing.

Spicy Peanut Soup with Chicken
adapted from Bon Appetit
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4- to- 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon hot sauce
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup canned carrot slices, drained
Combine chicken cubes and hot sauce in medium bowl and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again. Whisk chicken broth, peanut butter, and tomato paste in another medium bowl to blend. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken and sauté until no longer pink on outside, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Add broth mixture, tomatoes, and carrots to pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors blend, about 5 minutes. (Or until you’re ready to eat – it can stew a good long while.) Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

With the weather getting colder I get the urge to get in the kitchen more often, and between epicurious.com and blogs like the smitten kitchen (not to mention the subscription to Bon Appétit my lovely mother-in-law got me) I have plenty of inspirations for new things to try. Last week I made this crazy yummy soup that is definitely going into our regular rotation of meals. It’s simple to make and the sausage gives it a fabulous flavor. Also, as Deb notes, it’s funny to say. Sausage soup. Heheheheh.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup
adapted from Bon Appétit, October 2007

Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 10- to 11-ounce fully cooked chorizo sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large yams, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
6-7 small red-skinned potatoes, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bag fresh spinach

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add all potatoes and cook until beginning to soften, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add broth and wine; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot. Add browned sausage and white beans to soup. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and serve.