On Our Way To Crazy

It has been ages and ages and ages since I shared a recipe on this site. I’ve never done a whole lot of cooking, really, and I’m doing none at all right now. Aaron is fully in charge of our food situation and it is such a relief to not have to think about it.

But when it comes to dessert I am still in charge. A few weeks ago we needed to bring a dessert to an event, so I turned to Pinterest. I have a whole board there dedicated to sweets because that is basically the essence of who I am. It was a tough call – sopapilla cheesecake? Homemade oatmeal creme pies? Better than crack brownies?

Better than crack brownies.

BETTER THAN CRACK BROWNIES.

Oh, you guys.

These things are easily the most delicious brownie/bar/layered things I have ever had. The combo is so perfect, so balanced, so rich and crispy and fantastic I don’t even know what to do about it. I can’t make them unless we’re going somewhere I know they will all be eaten, otherwise I will finish the pan that night by myself. With no regrets.

Better than crack brownies are basically this: a layer of brownies, a layer of peanuts and peanut butter cups, and a layer of chocolate peanut butter crisp. You chill them and serve them cold, and then they change your life.

Here’s the recipe:

Better-Than-Crack Brownies

1 batch brownies (boxed mix is fine)

1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups (or a bag of the tiny ones, then you don’t have to chop)

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (I used store brand once, not the same)

Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.

While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

I don’t really measure out the peanut/peanut butter cup layer, just shake them out until it’s pretty covered. I like to push them down into the brownies.

The end result is a solid, crispy topping over a gooey chewy brownie with a peanut and peanut butter cup surprise hiding in random bites. It is chocolatey and peanut buttery and crispy and chewy and magically delicious.

Seriously. You can’t go wrong. They rule. Make them. Then send me some.

Sweet tea. Gilmore Girls reruns. Sparkly pipe cleaners. Angry Birds on Aaron’s phone. Avett Brothers live albums. Boots. Our Nashville people. Messenger bags. Our newly rearranged bedroom. Sisters who mail you slippers. Our neighbor who grows crops in his front yard. The funniest youth group on the planet. Being 30.

Grey nail polish. Stacks of magazines. Mawmaw’s chocolate pie. TOMS. Elton John on vinyl. Playing Scabble online with my dad. Burt’s Bees lip gloss. Memories of Miles. Naps. Purple ink pens. Friday Night Lights. Friends across the street. Twitter. A church where you can ask questions and be unsure and fit in anyway. Rolos.

Harry Potter. Car dancing. Clementines. Adults who love teenagers. Hot pink watches. Gel eyeliner. Work friends. Mexican street tacos. Orange tank tops. Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. Friends you’ve had for 25 years. Procrastination. Shopping on the phone with my mom.

Family in all its forms. Taking risks. Choosing to take care of yourself. The unknown. Safe places. The best husband I ever had.

I’ve never been a big fan of homemade chili. I know I should like it, but it rarely works out for me. I grew up eating Wolf Brand Chili out of a can and I’m pretty sure my brain still thinks that’s what it’s supposed to be. Throw in some club crackers and a little ketchup and you have one fancy dinner on your hands.

The problem is that it’s never thick the way other chili seems to be. It’s less chili and more meat and bean soup. Not that there’s anything wrong with meat and bean soup, but it’s not exactly what I’m going for when I try to make chili. I’ve tried flour, tomato paste, long slow simmering, everything. I just couldn’t make it work.

Last night we had friends over for dinner and decided to make chili. We had the stuff, it’s easy, it’s fall. But I was still looking at a pot of soup. But then. Inspiration struck. In the form of a random chili starter kit we found in the pantry. The chili was already to simmer stage, so it was too late to use the spice packet, but there was a note at the bottom. “If you desire thicker chili, combine three tablespoons corn masa flour with water and add to chili.”

CORN MASA FLOUR. Genius.

So we did it, and it worked. Our soupy meat pot became beautiful, thick, awesome chili. It was so delicious.

BEST CHILI EVER

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 32oz can crushed tomatoes with juice
1 16oz can red kidney beans
1 16oz can black beans
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder (we usually add more to taste as we go)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp corn masa flour
1/3 cup water

Cook beef, garlic and onion together. Drain. Stir in all other ingredients except the corn masa flour and water. Boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. 15 minutes before serving, combine corn masa flour with water, then stir mixture into chili. Serve with sour cream and cheese. EAT DELICIOUS CHILI.

It’s still pretty sad around this place, y’all. We’ve gotten a little more used to the quiet, to the empty house, to the lack of dog hair on every available surface. But sometimes we are watching football and Aaron is getting all worked up and yelling at the TV and I say, “Miles, will you please tell him to keep it down?” without even thinking about it.

Here’s something else that sucks about a house with no Miles in it: we have to clean up after ourselves. I did not realize how much we counted on that dog to eat all the food we drop around here. It’s so annoying when you throw an almost empty bag of chips at the trash, miss, and then have to sweep it up.

I miss him. A lot.

I don’t think I’ve written about this yet, but it’s been a pretty big deal around here so I guess I should make mention. Aaron has been fairly jobless since mid-July. He ended his relationship with the band and has been working to piece together some new management and consulting clients. Things are coming along slowly, and it can get really frustrating and scary, but WOW are we in a good place. When push came to shove we chose sanity over safety. And I know that was the right decision. And when we have to sell our house and live in a box on the street I will still believe that.

Did you guys watch Freaks and Geeks when it was on? We’ve been watching the reruns on IFC and I’m pretty sure it’s one of my favoritest shows ever. I love Sam Weir so much. I think there are only a few episodes left and it makes me so sad.

I have a bit of a shoulder situation. We were at a friend’s house last week, eating and playing games and hanging out. It was midnight-ish when we decided to go jump on the trampoline. We jumped for a few minutes, then laid around and talked for a long time, then jumped again. I was standing in the middle of the trampoline when my friend decided to try to do a flip. Or so I thought when I took a big step backwards to get out of her way. Turns out I was on the edge and I took a big step backwards right over the springs and fell three feet onto the wet grass. Super graceful and not embarrassing at all, right? Right.

Now my right shoulder is sore and twingy and achy and I can’t really raise my arm up. I am awesome at life.

Yesterday afternoon at the bookstore I bought four gift bibles and a David Sedaris book. I got up to the checkout and the guy said he was pretty sure I was the first person to buy that particular combination of items.

I did my first Sunday morning big church baptisms this morning. OH MY GOSH it stresses me out so much. It is such a joy to be a part of those kids’ lives and get to participate in such a big day with them. It is. But I get super angsty and anxious about doing real serious church business on stage in front of everyone. I don’t feel like I’m good at it. I can do relationships and small groups and games and serious discussions. And I can get on stage and do announcements like nobody’s business. But when I have to do something with more depth to it I panic. I truly thought I was going to have some kind of breakdown this morning.

It went fine, of course. Not great. It helps that I deal with kids, so no one thinks twice when one of them forgets to take his shoes off until the last minute and then they sit on stage for the whole service. I just can’t do eloquent and meaningful and professional very well.

I made it though thirty years of life without knowing about the amazingness of Swedish Fish. How is that possible?

I have a new post up at The Button Club. It is about how I tried to make blueberry pancakes. Key word being TRIED. I failed, I think. Mostly. They still tasted good, so it couldn’t have been a total failure, right?

Last weekend I found myself home alone on a Friday night. This happens… never. But Aaron was out and my dinner plans fell through at the last minute, so there I was.

Generally, my solo dinners are always the same: wine and olives and hummus. Can’t beat it. But that night I’d had plans to eat pasta and the idea was already stuck in my brain, so I cooked for myself. I NEVER do that. Ever. I threw together this basil chicken pasta (delicious!) and settled in for some Gilmore Girls on DVR.

Now I don’t know if you’ve watched a lot of Gilmore Girls. If you’re reading this blog, I’m going to assume that you have. But just in case you haven’t, here’s what you need to know in the context of this post. They talk about food. A lot. All the time. If you watch it hungry you will end up jonesing for some french fries, some pancakes, maybe a roast something or other.

Or some chocolate chip cookies, perhaps.

Halfway through the episode, I was feverishly googling for a recipe that worked with what I had on hand. I happen to be very particular about my chocolate chip cookies… I like them chewy and on the crispy side, as opposed to soft and cakey. This recipe sounds like the exact opposite of what I would usually choose. But I had everything it calls for, and I love America’s Test Kitchen, so I went with it.

You guys. YOU GUYS. These cookies are amazing. Also, not so much with the thick, but they were perfectly chewy and brown sugary and REALLY FREAKING DELICIOUS. You have to make them. Immediately.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chips until incorporated.

4. Working with 2 tablespoons of the dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I am obsessed with strawberries these days. I am going through them like nobody’s business. So the other day when I needed a dessert for a meeting, I immediately thought of strawberries. Then I thought of cupcakes. Then I googled a bit and looked in the pantry and concocted a strawberry cupcake recipe based on what I could find.

I was pretty nervous – I am a by-the-book baker for sure. I don’t trust myself to make substitutions or change measurements or differ from what’s written down AT ALL. But I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, so I decided to wing it. And they were delicious. I was so impressed with myself.

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup strawberries
1-1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

————-
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions for cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add strawberries to food processor or blender and blend until pureed. Wisk together flour, salt and baking powder in medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk, strawberries and vanilla.

In another bowl (or stand mixer), cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar slowly and continue to beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time until just combined.

Add half the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add half the milk mixture until combined. Repeat, scraping down sides with a spatula, until everything is mixed together.

Divide batter into prepared muffin cups and bake 10-13 minutes (for mini cupcakes) or 20-25 minutes (for regular cupcakes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before icing.

Directions for icing:

Cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing until combined.

Next time you need to take snacks to a party or an appetizer for an event, you have to make these. There is nothing healthy about them at all. You may have a heart attack after the first one. But it will be worth it.

PIONEER WOMAN’S HOLIDAY BACON APPETIZERS

Club crackers
Grated parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can)
Bacon (one package will make about 28 pieces)

Lay crackers (as many as you want) on a cookie sheet.

Spoon a heaping quarter teaspoon of parmesan onto each cracker. (PW says to use a teaspoon, but I found that to be WAY too much.)

Cut the package of bacon in half. Carefully, so the cheese doesn’t fall off, wrap half a piece of bacon snugly around each cracker.

Place crackers on cooling rack on a baking sheet.

Bake at 250. PW says two hours, but mine were done at an hour and a half. Just watch them once you get close to the end – the bacon should cook through but not burn.

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During a trip to Trader Joe’s with my parents, the lady at the sample counter handed us these little bowls of berries with sauce on them. She made us taste it before telling us what it was, which was smart, because it sounds pretty gross. But it turned out to be fantastic, and I have consumed a ridiculous amount in the past few days.

TRADER JOE’S FRUIT DIP

1 16oz container of sour cream (I like fat free, the texture is perfect)
1/2 cup of brown sugar

Combine. That’s it. Dip some berries in. It’s delicious.

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A while back, my dad started experimenting with making pies. When we were shopping for our cookout this past weekend, he came across some key limes and decided to make a pie. He decided to go with regular limes, though, because key limes are a lot of work.

BRANDI’S DAD’S REGULAR LIME PIE, BECAUSE KEY LIMES ARE A PAIN IN THE BUTT

3 egg yolks
1 14oz can condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice (the juice of 4 to 6 limes)
3 tbsp water
graham cracker crust

1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat egg yolks with a wire whisk or fork. Gradually whisk in condensed milk. Add in lime juice and water. Mix well. (Mixture will thicken.)

Chill a metal bowl and the beaters on mixer.

Spoon filling into pie crust. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for one hour. Cover and chill for 3 to 4 hours. Meanwhile, beat the whipping cream, vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form. Spread onto pie and serve.

Friday night our new friends Jacob and Katie came over and hung out. At one point I asked Aaron what time it was, and he made me guess. I went with eleven, but it was actually 1:30, so they went home. I like new friends that you can sit and talk with for six hours without realizing it.

During that talk I told a story about how Aaron, Susan and I had gone to IHOP once after a concert and I ordered pancakes because I love pancakes. I mean, I really really love pancakes. I would eat them for every meal if I could. They are so delicious. Anyway, not only do I love pancakes, but I love playing with the food that’s left on my plate after I finish eating. I cut it into tiny pieces, or draw lines in it with my knife, or build little castles with it. It’s a problem. So after I had finished eating my pancakes, I still had some left. I took the straw from my water glass and stuck it in my pancake to make a circle. When I picked up the straw, the little bit of pancake stuck inside it. So I started making holes all over the pancakes and the straw started filling up with little pieces of pancake.

I thought this was pretty cool. Aaron thought it was pretty gross. I am unsure of what Susan thought.

Once the straw was totally full of pancake pieces, I held it with one hand and used the other to squeeze the pancake pieces out of the straw. This is where things got awesome. The pancake pieces came out in one long strand, making a giant pancake worm. It was the ultimate playing-with-your-food discovery. Pancake worms! Who knew!

I like to tell this story because I think it is funny and it makes me want to eat pancakes. Aaron does not like for me to tell this story because it grosses him out but also somehow makes him want to eat pancakes.

Saturday morning we slept in pretty good. Aaron got up before I did, but he closed the door behind him and left Miles in the bedroom with me. Miles hates that because if he doesn’t have easy access to both of us at all times he starts freaking out. It’s a hard life. So I got up to let Miles out of the room and found Aaron in the kitchen. Making me pancakes. From scratch. Scratch!

How awesome is that? To show my appreciation, I refrained from making pancake worms out of them. But I sure wanted to. Because I love pancakes. And pancake worms.