Stew on a cold winter day, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off on picnics.

And of course – the peanut butter cookie.

yum.

Regular, Everyday, Peanut Butter Cookies
the clueless baker, evelyn raab

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
optional 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

xo bex

(I also disappeared off of the face of the Earth, oops!)

I promise though, I’m back. and I’m changing things up. I realized I was trying to be perfect, but that’s never going to

happen, nobody’s perfect! (These brownies are pretty damn close, though!!)

Brownies and milk? YUM. These brownies are legit the best brownies I’ve ever tasted. I (sorry Drew!) could have done without the nuts, but I think if I would have replaced that 1/2 cup of walnuts with chocolate chips… Mmmmm, yummy! I made these and the whole pan was gone by the end of the night. DELISH.

These brownies were sticky and gooey, I find that with a lot of brownies there is such a fine line between overcooked and cake-y and undercooked and dough-y. Neither of which I won’t eat, but these turned out perfectly! I had to increase the time by about 7 mins, but I suppose it really just depends on your oven!

Is your mouth watering? Mine is. As a bonafide chocoholic, I honestly can tell you that these are worth making. DO IT. The aroma that fills the house is brilliant. So delish!

So without further ado, Here’s Mr. Drew Kime’s brilliant brownie recipe! (:

Bestest Brownies
by Drew Kime @ How To Cook Like Your Grandmother

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, creamed
2 squares baking chocolate, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup walnuts (or chocolate chips!!)
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients, and put in an 8″ x 8″ pan, and bake for 20 mins (you might have to bake for longer like I did, depending on your oven). Cut as soon as you get them out of the oven, and try and let them cool before you dive in, even though it’s hard!

xo bex

]]> http://theficklefoodie.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/the-bestest-brownies/feed/ 2 theficklefoodie BROWNIES BROWNIES2 BROWNIES6 BROWNIES8 http://theficklefoodie.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/the-perfect-story-and-the-perfect-sandwich/ http://theficklefoodie.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/the-perfect-story-and-the-perfect-sandwich/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:39:33 +0000 theficklefoodie http://theficklefoodie.wordpress.com/?p=18 ]]> A good story is all about layers. Full of suspense, secrets, and complex and ever changing characteristics. A good story can make or break an author, and can change the readers view on the world.
So can a good sandwich.

Similar to a complex story, the elements of a good sandwich must work together in such harmony that they combine delicately yet powerfully in your stomach. Although that may seem like a stretch, over my Holidays, I have been looking at many different 2 act plays for a drama project. Each one is different from the next, some lacking the basic ingredients of suspense or romance, while some adding too many different combinations, none of which seem to work out quite right.

In the midst of my search for the perfect play, I chose a random number and ended up with pulled pork. Well, I am a baker – pies are my specialty, and I have never attempted to do anything more with pork than a simple pork chop, but I was up to the challenge. On the list of ingredients was something I had never even heard of – “Pork Butt”. I went to 3 different local grocery stores (who’s butchers all seemed to be on their lunch breaks), and finally found one who told me, chuckling a little, that pork butt was in fact the more crass name for pork shoulder. Because as he said, “who’s going to want to buy something’s butt?”

In a perfect sandwich, as with a perfect story, there are a number of elements that must be covered.

First, the setting – the opening scene, and introduction of characters.
In the first bite, the sweetness of the brown sugar and the tang of the mustard powder comes through, with the melt-in-your-mouth sensation of the pork quickly following.

Once you’ve stopped picking bits out of the crock pot, you meet a new character – the toasted bun. I was going to make the buns, but then got lazy and used the store bought ones we had sitting on the counter. I toasted them grilled cheese-style, browned to perfection.

Now add a little bit of the sauce of your choice, I chose a little HP sauce for the kick, and you  have an amazing pulled pork sandwich, the perfect conclusion to a perfect story of flavors.

By Drew Kime @ How To Cook Like Your Grandmother

Before you start, turn the crock pot on high. (Alternatively you can do this in a dutch oven. If you do, for the rest of these directions “high” means “medium”.) Season the pork with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and lay it in the crock pot fat side down. If there’s any fat at all on the roast, you won’t need any oil for it to brown up nicely. If your cut is very lean, put a few tablespoons of bacon fat in the bottom first. Coat the top of the pork liberally with mustard powder and cardamom.

I held off on the cardamom, not my favourite spice.

Don’t worry about measuring, just cover the meat completely. Check after about 15 minutes, and once the bottom starts to brown up flip it over. Season the other side with mustard and cardamom.

Here is where I start to stray – instead of putting it fat side down in the crock pot to brown, I put it in a frying pan to brown up for a couple minutes.

Fill the crock pot with liquid until the pork is halfway submerged. Start with the pureed onion, then make up the rest with water.

Although missing in these directions – I found out later that you add the apple cider vinegar to the onion mush. About 2-3 tbsp worth.

Turn the crock pot to low, put the lid on, and leave it for at least eight hours. Twelve is better. You can turn the meat over once about halfway through, but it’s okay if you don’t. It’s better to leave it completely alone than to keep checking on it. That means you can start this before work and let it cook all day. Or put it in at night and have it for lunch the next day.

I waited 24 hours, maybe even more.

When you’ve waited as long as you can, pull the meat out and put the lid back on the crock pot. Shred the meat with a pair of forks. If you managed to leave it in for twelve hours or more, you should be able to do this with your bare hands.
Remove any pieces of fat or gristle, put the shredded meat back in the pot and add a cup of
brown sugar.

More brown sugar.

Check the salt and pepper. Decide if it needs more sugar. Put the lid back on and let it simmer on high for another half hour. Serve on kaiser rolls with cole slaw.

In the words of Mr. Chirman’s Uncle,

ALLEZ CUISINE.

xo Bex

My quest to delicious cuisine began in an all you can eat buffet. The North-Americanized Chinese food was a new experience to me, something new and unknown. My seven year old brain raced with the possibilities, looking at the buffet carts full of new, inviting, and unknown foods. I grabbed one of everything – although I’m sure I didn’t fill my plate, being abnormally short for my age – and returned to the table my appetite for new flavors ravenous.

The explosion of new and intriguing flavors filled my palate, going back for what seemed like an endless amount of food – probably a plate or two – I found myself faced with a challenge. On my plate lay a fried baby octopus, something I had never encountered before. Encouraged by my family – and not having to be told twice – I dove my fork into the squishy fried octopus that lay before me. As I popped it into my mouth, my family waited with baited breath, children at the tables all around me spitting out the food they didn’t like, screaming, and generally being obnoxious.

I have been told at numerous family functions, surrounded by more than slightly intoxicated relatives, that they knew from that day on, I was ‘destined’ to cook. The octopus had a slightly rubbery flavor, which I distinctly remember. I have been told, though, that after taking a bite my first words were – “Needs more salt” – and then I proceeded to finish of my plate. That night was full of lights, neon from the buffet tables and the tacky decor. It was full of greasy food. But I remember the octopus. For years after, I would ask my family to go to that grungy all you can eat buffet for one more taste of an octopus.

I am 17, and exploring the culinary world. It started from a little octopus – now I’m branching out. My first project as a food blogger is going to be to cook my way through (Yes, I know, very Julie Powell of me) Drew Kime’s How To Cook Like Your Grandmother. He has his cookbook available for purchase, if you are so inclined.

These biscuits were deliciously light and fluffy, full of butter and goodness. The cheese melted in an ooey-gooey sort of way, which melted in my mouth. Broken open with a fresh bit of butter with eggs, and bacon makes a yummy breakfast sandwich.

Buttermilk Biscuits
By Drew Kime @ How To Cook Like Your Grandmother

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lard
- or -
1/4 cup each lard – and – butter
1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°.
Sift the dry ingredients together, then cut in the lard (or lard and butter) with a pastry blender.Add the buttermilk. Flour your hands, the roller, and the table, and roll the dough out to a half-inch thick.Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter that is open on the top so it doesn’t crush the dough down.For soft edges where the biscuits rise into each other, place close together in a greased pie plate or cast iron skillet. For crispy baked edges, place an inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 1-12 minutes until a light golden brown on top.

Do not over bake.

Makes about 2 dozen delectable fluffy biscuits!

In the words of Mr. Chirman’s Uncle,

ALLEZ CUISINE.

xo Bex