How the Internet Changed the Way I Cook

I thought about making that a click-bait headline, but I resisted.

I have a large collection of cookbooks, several dozen at least, some from before 1950, most from the 1980s. But they mostly just collect dust these days. If I need a recipe for something, I just turn to my trusty friend Google. The biggest drawback to cooking with Google, though, is that I'm real comfortable having my laptop on the kitchen counter next to things that could potential kill it, like eggs or milk or hot stoves. So I can either keep it on a table away from the food, which means running back and forth to check the recipe, or I can kill a tree and print it out. And then end up with a giant stack of papers for recipes that I may never make again because next time I have the urge to cook that thing, I go to Google, not the messy stack of printouts in my recipe bin.

Every once in a while, I will pull out the cookbooks and just browse through them. The pictures are gorgeous, except that one 70s cookbook where everything is just kind of creepy and weird, even the food. I'm not looking for a particular recipe, I'm looking for inspiration for something new, something different than my usual recipes.

That's the trouble with Google—most of the time you have to know what you are looking for. Recipes can be an exception. I'll decide I feel like making an Indian dish and end up in an ethnic recipe rabbit hole for several hours. It's a fun trip and I usually end up with a pile of new ideas to try. Usually, though, it's just too much. Too many different directions, too many choices.

So, this boils down to a question for you, my readers. Should I take my recipes I publish here every week and turn them into a cookbook? Should that cookbook be paper or ebook? Long or short? Should I do multiple cookbooks that each focus on one thing, like cookies or hamburger dishes? What would you be willing to pay for such a book? If there is enough interest, I'll do it.

Last question, mostly for fun—What's your favorite go-to recipe collection (website or book)? Mine is my old trust 1970s Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Thursday Recipe - Transformation Dough, aka PlayDough

Continuing the Harry Potter theme (and apologies for missing posts the last couple of weeks), this is one of the best recipes I've ever discovered. It tastes horrible, but that isn't the point. If you have small children, they love to play with messy icky stuff like Playdough, the real stuff. With this recipe, you know exactly what's going into it, so if they do eat it, you know it's safe. It's also cheap and easy to make. Colored or not, the dough cleans up better than the commercial stuff.

This recipe came from a cookbook I inherited from my mom. It's been around since the 1970s and I can't remember the name or anything else. But I still have this recipe.

Transformation Dough (AKA play dough)

1 c. flour
1/4 c. salt
2 T. cream of tartar
1 c. water
1 t. food coloring, optional
1 T. oil

Measure everything into a 2 quart saucepan. Stir it together. It looks like a mess but trust me, it is supposed to at this point. Cook over medium heat until the mess consolidates into a ball and looks a bit rubbery. Dump it out and let it cool until you can handle it without burning your hands. Knead it until it's smooth and pliable.

Store in a ziploc baggie or air tight container. It will keep for months. When it gets crusty or grows fuzzy bits, toss it and make another batch or three.

Thursday Recipe - Healthy Brownies and Toffee

I promised you something decadent and chocolate and wonderful this week. So I'm thinking. Hm. I'm trying to avoid decadent for weight and blood sugar reasons. How about a compromise? A lower fat, lower sugar version of a decadent dessert? Or you could just cut smaller pieces.

How about my healthy brownie recipe and a bonus toffee recipe? So you make toffee, then brownies, then top the brownies with lowfat whipped topping and crumbled toffee. Sounds like a good compromise to me. But then I'm a sucker for toffee.

A bit of family trivia for you: At our house we call the canned whipped topping snort. If you ask for snort, we give you a shot of whipped topping. We call food all sorts of weird names, though. My kids wouldn't touch shrimp. When I found shrimp poppers really cheap at the store, I loaded up. I called them breaded arthropods. They gobbled them up until one day, the breading fell off. My daughter, six at the time, glared at me and said, "These aren't arthropods, these are shrimp!" She wouldn't touch them after that. Technically, shrimp are arthropods, but she didn't want to argue semantics.

Here's the recipes:

Toffee (not recommended for anyone under age 12 to cook, it gets REALLY HOT)

1 T. butter, for greasing pan
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter (use the real stuff)
1/2 c. water
pinch salt
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Butter a baking sheet with a generous amount, about 1 T, set aside. Melt butter. Stir in sugar, water, and salt (use just a tiny pinch - less than 1/8 t.).  Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches hard crack stage. It will turn a darker color. Keep stirring. It's a fine line between crunchy and burnt. When it is a caramel color and a tiny bit dropped into ice water is crunchy, pour it out onto the buttered baking sheet. Careful, it is very hot. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Spread chocolate over the top. Set aside to cool for about 2 hours.


Healthy Brownies

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour

Heat oven to 350°. Mix sugar and butter. Add vanilla, eggs, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Beat by hand until well mixed. Stir in flour. Spread in greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. If you use a mixer, the brownies will be more cake-like. If you stir by hand, they will be fudgier.

Thursday Recipe - Potato Salad

I'm running way behind today. I whipped this up the other night. With some cold cut sandwiches and fruit, you've got a classic summer supper. This is one of my favorites.

Potato Salad

6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced, peeled if you want
1/3 c. dill pickle juice
1/3 c. dill pickles, diced small
1/4 c. sweet onion, diced fine
1/3 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. mustard
dash tabasco sauce
2 t. celery seed
1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. garlic powder
paprika for garnish

Put potatoes in a medium sauce pan, add cold water to cover potatoes, cover and bring to a boil. Remove lid and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes, rinse with cold water. Pour pickle juice over potatoes, toss gently. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix mayo, mustard, and spices. Add pickles, onions, and celery. Add potatoes. Toss gently until potatoes are well coated. Sprinkle paprika over the top to garnish.

Serve immediately at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate.

Thursday Recipe - Sweet Na'an

Na'an is a traditional flat bread from India. I've never been there (although I would love to visit someday!), but I do frequent our local Indian restaurant. One of my favorite dishes ever was the sweet na'an. Think cinnamon roll on steroids.

This recipe isn't authentic mostly because I don't have a clay tandoori oven. But it's the closest I could come with my home mixer and oven. It's still extremely tasty.

If you enjoy this, it's part of a 12-course Scherezade storytelling banquet I wrote for Abandoned Towers Magazine. It's in print issue #4 (http://abandonedtowers.com) if you want to try my version of middle-eastern/Indian cuisine.

Sweet Na'an

1 1/2 c. warm water
1 T. dry active yeast
3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3 egg yolks
4 - 5 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. raisins or chopped dates
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. anise seeds

Mix yeast and sugar into warm water. Let sit until it foams, about 5 minutes. Add salt, egg yolks, and 2 c. flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and refrigerate 3 - 4 hours.

Mix brown sugar, butter, coconut, raisins, pecans, and spices in small bowl.

Heat oven to 425°. Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into large circle at least 12 inches in diameter. Spread 1/4 of filling over dough. Fold in half and seal edges. Place on large cookie sheet. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Repeat with other 3 portions. Tear into pieces and serve hot.

Thursday Recipe - Fruit Cream

Thursday Recipe - Fruit Cream

This is a loose interpretation of Ambrosia Salad. Easy to make and dairy free, if you choose the right ingredients. It’s a great salad or dessert for summer.

Fruit Cream

3 16 - 20 oz. cans of fruit (fruit cocktail, peach slices, pears, pineapple tidbits)
1 large box vanilla or lemon instant pudding (6 serving size)
1 8 oz. tub whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows (the multi-colored fruit ones are always fun)
Optional: 1/2 c. shredded coconut

Open cans of fruit and drain juice into large mixing bowl. You need about 2 to 2.5 c. of liquid. Add the pudding mix and whisk until smooth and very thick. Fold in whipped topping. Add fruit, marshmallows, and coconut. Fold in just until everything is covered. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Variations (because life just isn’t fun without them)

Use pistachio flavored pudding (2 small boxes if you can’t find one large), 2 cans of pears, and 1 of crushed pineapple. Mash pears into chunks before mixing in.

Use vanilla pudding and 2 cans of pineapple tidbits. Add 2 - 3 c. fresh berries and 1 c. white chocolate chips.

Use 2 cans of fruit cocktail. Add 2 c. broken pieces of vanilla wafers.

Thursday Recipe - Eyeball Gelatin

Just for kicks, and because I can, I made a bowl of eyeball gelatin for the camp tonight. It looks utterly disgusting. I can't wait for their reactions, especially when I munch on a juicy eyeball. (Pictures will follow, if I remember my camera tonight.)

I specialize in food with disgusting names and appearances that really taste pretty good. I've got an entire menu based on the dinner scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Bugs, eyeball soup, snake surprise, chilled monkey brains - yep, all there and all delicious because they aren't really what you might think they are.

So for today, enjoy a bowl of delicious eyeball jello.

Eyeball Gelatin

2 boxes peach gelatin
1 can lychees (look for them in the oriental section)
about two dozen small red grapes OR maraschino cherries

Mix gelatin according to directions on the box. Set it aside to thicken. Open and drain the lychees. Insert a grape into each lychee. Doesn't it look like an eyeball? If the lychees fall apart, you can either discard them or put them in anyway as chopped eyeball parts. Gently fold your eyeballs into the gelatin. Refrigerate until set.

Serve and wait for the comments.

Thursday Recipe - Monster Cookies

My youngest is allergic to wheat, dairy, and soy. Finding treats she can enjoy is a real challenge. Gluten-free snacks don't contain wheat, but many use dairy or soy to compensate. Besides, they're expensive. So when I found a cookie recipe that my daughter can eat, that everyone else enjoys, that doesn't cost a fortune, you can bet it became one of our family favorites. These cookies also contain protein and fiber, much like a granola bar, without the dry cardboard taste or weird bits of woody things and unidentifiable fibrous masses.

We've made these as small cookies, giant cookies, and bars. They freeze well. The recipe is easy to change around, too. If you don't like the butterscotch chips, substitute in a different flavor, just not mint. That's nasty. If you don't like coconut, replace it with oatmeal. If you don't have M&M's on hand, just add more chocolate chips. My friend can't eat chocolate, so we make these with butterscotch and white chips when she's around.

Be aware these are NOT gluten-free; oats do contain traces of gluten.

The name comes from the original recipe, which made a monstrously huge batch of cookies. Anything that takes 18 cups of oatmeal, 12 eggs, and 6 c. of peanut butter is a huge batch. I've reduced it to a manageable size. It still makes a lot of cookies, around 8 dozen regular size cookies, 3 dozen giant cookies, and 2 cookie sheets of bar cookies.

Monster Cookies

1/2 c. butter
2 c. peanut butter, creamy or chunky, your choice
1 1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar (or just use 2 c. brown sugar and forget the white)
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 t. soda
6 c. oatmeal, regular or quick, doesn't really matter, just don't use steel-cut
1 1/3 c. coconut (or use 1 c. oats and leave it out)
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
2 c. M&M's

Heat oven 325° for bar cookies and giant cookies, 350° for regular size cookies. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, and soda. Beat smooth. Add oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, other chips, and M&M's. Stir just until mixed. Scoop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake regular cookies 9 - 11 minutes at 350°. For giant cookies, use ice cream scoop or about 1/4 c. dough. Bake 12 - 15 minutes at 325°. For bar cookies, spread dough on two greased cookie sheets. Bake 20 - 25 minutes at 325°. FOR ALL COOKIES - Let cool on sheet at least 10 minutes. Cookies won't look browned when you take them out, but if you cook them long enough to brown, they will be burnt.

To freeze - Let the cookies cool completely, then package 2 or 3 cookies per snack size ziploc. Chuck into the freezer. They never last more than a week at my house, so freezer burn isn't an issue. If it is at your house, then package the snack baggies into a larger plastic container or freezer bag.

Thursday Recipe - Ginger Honey Chews

I love Gingersnaps and Gingerbread, but I hate working with molasses. So one year, when our beehive had been extra productive, I looked at the bottles of crystallizing honey and thought, "Honey is thick and sticky and tastes sweet. I wonder if you can use it in place of molasses?" Turns out it works beautifully.

These cookies have a lighter color and taste than the traditional molasses version. They stay soft and chewy for several days, if they last that long. I like mine spicy, so if you aren't a big fan of ginger, feel free to cut down on the spice.

Ginger Honey Chews

2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. honey
2 eggs
4 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. ginger
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
2 c. white flour
2 c. wheat flour

Cream sugar, butter, and shortening. Add honey. Beat until mixed. Add eggs, soda, spices, and salt. Cream until light and well mixed. Stir in flours. The dough should be slightly soft, but not sticky. Add another 1/4 - 1/2 c. white flour if needed. Scoop into balls, roll in granulated sugar if desired. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Makes about 6 dozen.

Thursday Recipe - Oregano

Instead of just giving a recipe today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite herbs. I love oregano. It makes a great groundcover. The plants spread quickly (be warned!), grow easily in just about any soil, and are very attractive. I'm trying to encourage mine to choke out the grass. They grow about six inches and have tiny purple flowers when they bloom. When the oregano starts looking scruffy, we just mow it. Within a week, it's looking great again. So think about it for a moment - if I replace my lawn with oregano, it only needs mowed about three times a summer, it's very attractive (dark green with purple flowers, what's not to like?), smells heavenly, needs a lot less water, thrives well enough to choke out just about any weed, and I can cook with it. I'm all for an oregano lawn. It just isn't very kind to bare feet.


To prepare fresh oregano, simply pluck a few stems, rinse with water, then strip off the leaves to use. Discard the stems. If they are too tough, use a pair of scissors and snip them off. For some recipes, you can just wash the whole stem and use it. Discard before serving.

Oregano rice is one of my favorites. The flavor is subtle but so good with roast pork or chicken.

2 c. rice (long grain, short grain, brown, white, whatever you like, EXCEPT for instant. Follow the directions on the box if you are using that kind.)
4 c. hot water
1 t. salt
1 T. butter
3 stalks fresh oregano (for stronger flavor, pick stems that are blooming, leave the flowers on the stem)

Place everything in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-23 minutes for white rice, 40 - 50 minutes for brown. Don't lift the lid to check doneness until the time is just about up. Tip: when the water is mostly absorbed, test the rice by tasting a few grains. If they are still hard in the middle, cover and let them cook for 3 - 5 more minutes longer. When done, remove from heat. Tilt the lid to one side to let steam escape. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove oregano and serve.

Try using fresh oregano in tomato sauces or Italian dishes.

Fried Noodles (great for leftover noodles)

4 c. cooked macaroni, spaghetti, bowties, whatever you've got
1 T. butter
2 T. fresh oregano leaves
2 T. grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: chopped onion, green pepper, mushrooms

Melt butter in large skillet. Add noodles. Fry over high heat until noodles are crackling and just starting to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes. Toss with oregano and parmesan. Add salt and pepper. Serve hot. If adding vegetables, stir in with the noodles. You can also add cooked sausage, pepperoni, scrambled eggs, cherry tomatoes, pretty much anything you'd order on a pizza.

Have fun with oregano!

Thursday Recipe - Butter Toffee

I said I would, so here it is - butter toffee. Crunchy and sweet with just a hint of salt, you decide what you want on top. I prefer mine with semisweet chocolate and no nuts. This is a candy so it cooks very hot. Not a recipe suitable for children to help. It can be a bit tricky to get it right, but the result is well worth the effort. Candy is surprisingly easy to make. A good candy thermometer can really help until you get a feel for the different stages of boiling sugar mixes.

Butter Toffee

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 T. water
1 t. vanilla
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts, optional

Butter or spray a large baking pan. I just use a heavy cookie sheet. Melt butter over low heat in 2 qt heavy-bottom saucepan. Add sugar and water, bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often. Cook and stir to soft crack stage, about 300 degrees. (Drop a tiny amount into a bowl of ice water. It should form brittle strands when it hits the water. If it's still chewy, not hard and cracking, cook it longer.) This will take about 15 minutes, keep stirring the whole time. The mixture will turn medium brown. This is the critical point. It will burn very quickly so watch it closely. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour onto the prepared cookie sheet. Tilt it back and forth to get the toffee to spread if you want it thinner. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Wait another five minutes. Spread chocolate to cover top of toffee. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired. Set the whole pan aside until candy is cool and chocolate is set. Pry candy off sheet; if you buttered it enough, it won't stick but you will have to break a little bit of suction. Break candy into bite-size pieces. Store in a loosely covered container, if you have any left over. Makes about 1 pound of toffee.

Thursday Recipe - Basic Bread

The art of breadmaking isn't as difficult as many people believe. With a basic understanding of the ingredients and mastery of a simple recipe, you can create all sorts of breads, from savory to sweet. It takes time and patience, true, but not as much as you may think. I love yeast doughs because they are very forgiving. Unlike pie crust or other pastries, yeast breads love to be handled, shaped, stretched, punched, and kneaded. Breadmaking is a great outlet for frustration. Take it out on the dough, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

So take the plunge, try making bread. Nothing beats the smell of baking bread, either.

Basic Bread (This recipe is hand-kneaded. If you have a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook, you can use that. But be warned, it has to be heavy-duty. I've stripped gears on many cheaper mixers that just weren't able to handle the dough. Even if your mixer came with a dough hook, proceed with caution.)

Step 1-
2 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
3 T. sugar OR honey

The water should be about 100°, nice warm bathtub water. If it's too cold, the yeast won't activate. If it's too hot, you'll kill the yeast. If you have a thermometer, you can check, but I rarely bother. Yeast is forgiving, to a certain extent. The water should feel warm to your hands, but not hot. I usually use hot tap water.

Put the water into a 4-quart mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar on top. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.

Note about yeast - I buy yeast in the big bags. Seal it in a freezer-weight ziploc bag or a tupperware-type container. It keeps in the fridge for at least 6 months or in the freezer for a year or two. If you bake a lot, you'll save plenty of money buying yeast in bulk. If you're still timid, you can buy the individual packets or the small bottles of yeast. 1 packet is equal to 1 teaspoon of yeast. You will need 3 packets for this recipe.

Step 2-
2 c. flour
2 t. salt

Your yeast should have "bloomed", which means the mix in the bowl should be foamy and look almost like milk. It should smell yeasty, strong and almost unpleasant. This is a good sign. It means your yeast is active and ready for the next step. If the yeast is still in the bottom of the bowl, either your water was too hot or too cold or your yeast is too old. Dump it out and repeat step 1.

If the yeast is nice and foamy, go ahead with step 2. Add the flour and salt. Beat with a spoon, a big wooden mixing spoon is ideal, until everything is well mixed. The dough should be gloopy and sticky. We aren't done yet. Keep beating until the mixture begins to form stretchy strings. It should take about 2 - 3 minutes with a mixer or about 5 by hand.

Step 3-
2 - 3 c. flour

Add another 2 c. flour. Work into the dough. When it gets too thick for the spoon, use your hands until it comes together into a soft dough. Sprinkle 1/2 c. flour onto a counter or sturdy, clean surface. Turn dough onto floured area. Knead - push heel of hand into dough, spreading and smushing it, turn 90°, fold dough in half, repeat. Keep doing this process until the dough is smooth and elastic. If dough is sticky, add flour 1/4 c. at a time. But BE CAREFUL! You don't want to add too much or your bread will be dry.  It takes 5 - 10 minutes to really develop the gluten in the flour and make a nice chewy bread. The longer you knead, the chewier your bread will be.

Step 4-
Wash out the mixing bowl and dry. Spray inside with oil spray coating, just a light coat to keep the dough from sticking. Put the dough back in the bowl. Spray the top very lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place. Let the dough rise until it is about double in size. This should take about one hour. If your kitchen is really warm, it will rise faster. If it is cold, it will take a lot longer.

To check the dough, press a finger into the top. If it springs back, give the dough another 10 minutes or so. If the dent remains, you're ready for the next step.

Step 5-
Punch down the dough. Don't be shy, slam it around for a minute. Squeeze the dough into two equal portions. Pinch together and roll each into a loaf shape. Lightly grease two regular size loaf pans. Drop dough loaves into pans. Cover and let rise again. This takes less time, usually about 30 minutes.

Step 6-
Preheat oven to 375°. Let it get all the way to temperature. Set loaf pans on a rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Loaf should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack. Wait at least 20 minutes before slicing. Hot bread does not cut very well. If you let it cool completely, it slices much better. But hot bread is really good, so dig in if you want. Just don't expect it to be pretty.

Shaping:
This is an art form all by itself. Try making French bread loaves by stretching out the dough and baking them on a cookie sheet. Pinch the dough into 36 balls and bake as rolls. Roll it out flat and make pizza. The variations are truly endless.

Variations:
For a softer loaf, add 1/4 c. butter with the hot water.
For richer dough, add 1/2 c. powdered milk to hot water.
For egg bread, add 1 - 2 eggs with the flour. You may need to increase flour by 1/2 c. or so.
For healthier bread, replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour.
For sweet bread, increase sugar to 1/2 c.
For Italian pizza bread, add 1 T. Italian seasoning with the flour.
For Scandinavian sweet bread, add 1 t. ground cardamom with the flour.

Make sweet rolls, sandwich buns, raisin bread, pizza - whatever you can imagine. Bread is truly a versatile food.

Thursday Recipe - Accidental Brownies

I wanted to make brownies one day, so I started mixing away. Then I found out I was almost out of cocoa. No cocoa means no chocolately goodness. Not enough cocoa means pale brownies that just don't taste right. I dug through my cupboards looking for a solution. Inspiration hit when I found an almost empty can of gourmet hot chocolate. The flavor wasn't one my kids or I liked, I think it was Irish cream. Anyway, I dumped it into the brownie batter and continued baking.

The result? Extreme deliciousness. Accidental brownies were born. We've made these with other flavors of cocoa. My favorite so far is cherry chocolate, but feel free to experiment. These brownies have a cake-like texture.

Accidental Brownies

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/4 c. hot cocoa mix, dry
2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
4 eggs
2 c. flour (1 c. whole wheat, 1 c. white if desired)

Mix butter, sugar, cocoa, and cocoa mix. Stir in vanilla, baking powder, salt, and eggs. Beat until smooth and lighter in color. Stir in flour just until mixed. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Add frosting when cool, if you want.

Thursday Bonus - recipe and coupon!

Just for fun, here's an easy recipe to try:

Peanut Chews

1 c. corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. cold cereal - corn flakes, cheerios, corn chex, something not too sweet

Bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Pour over cereal, stir to coat. Dump out onto sheet of waxed paper, smooth into rectangle about 1 inch thick. Let cool. Cut into squares and eat, but not too many. These babies are rich.

And the coupon: My book is on sale until April 21 on Smashwords - get the ebook version for only $2.99 Coupon code: TF69P https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10672
The print version, signed and personalized, is only $15 (that includes shipping!) if you order direct from me through my website: http://www.nexuspoint.info

Happy Thursday!

Homemade Chili

As another cold spring storm rolls in, tonight's dinner fits the bill of hot and filling and easy - chili, made fresh. Since I'm allergic to cilantro and can't stand most canned chili, here's my take on it. Though it does take some time to simmer, it's fast to throw together, even using dried beans. The house smells so good as it cooks. After the beans are soft, you can throw the rest into a crockpot to cook if you like, it takes about 6 hours on low or 4 on high. Make it hotter by adding more cayenne powder or chopped jalapenos.

Chili

2 c. dried beans, any variety (pinto, black, kidney, navy, etc.)
5 c. warm water
1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1 quart canned tomatoes or 2 18 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. dried oregano
2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
OPTIONAL:
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cayenne powder

Put beans in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain beans. Add 5 c. water. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours until beans are soft. Add water if needed as they cook. They should always just be covered.

Brown hamburger, drain grease. Add browned burger, onion, tomatoes, green chilies, and spices to beans. Cover and cook for 3 - 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste and serve with corn chips, sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, salsa, etc.

Dark and Dangerously Decadent. Cookies, That Is.

One conversation lately turned to dark and dangerous heroes and sexy villains. Why are we so attracted to those things that will hurt us? Watch people around a fire. It's hot. It will burn you. But it's so pretty. Same thing with our stories. Why do we create such dark and dangerous men for our heroes? Because we like to play with fire, no matter how much we might get burnt.

Frances Pauli, an author friend, said about a character in my novel Nexus Point, "Tayvis is definitely dark and dangerous AND sexy as all hell." I should return the favor for her book Roarke. The title character is definitely dangerous and sexy. Maybe being a closet romance writer isn't a bad thing when it comes to speculative fiction. Dangerous? Definitely, but the kind of burn that feels so good. Most definitely a guilty pleasure.

Much like these cookies. My kids dubbed them Death by Chocolate Overload. Eat them warm, if you dare.

Decadent Chocolate Chunks

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 T. vanilla
2/3 c. cocoa
1/2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 2/3 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 bag semisweet choc. chips
1 bag M&M minis

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt. Beat well. Add flour, chips, and M&M’s. Drop by Tablespoon onto cookie sheet, bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes. makes about 6 dozen.

Butternut Custard

In honor of the March snowstorm now blowing through my yard, I'm posting this recipe. Part pumpkin pie, part baked pudding, it's all delicious. So bake some this week and curl up with a bowl. And don't feel guilty - it's low fat, low sugar, high fiber, just good for you and good to eat.

Enjoy!

Butternut Custard

1 medium butternut squash - about 2-3 pounds
3/4 c. milk
4 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. salt

Split squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds. Place squash in 9x13 pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350 until very tender, about one hour. Let cool. Scoop out flesh. Place 2 c. butternut squash in blender. Add milk and eggs. Puree until smooth, about one minute, it will be very thick. Pour into bowl. Add sugar and spices. Beat with whisk until smooth. Pour into well-greased 9x13 pan, spread evenly. Bake at 400° F for twenty minutes, turn heat down to 325° about 45 minutes, until filling is set and toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped topping.

Butter Rum Popcorn

Here's another recipe to brighten your day. I'd write about writing or marketing or something else, but life is so crazy right now, recipes are about my speed.

1 c. real butter
1/2 c. corn syrup
2 c. sugar
1 t. rum flavoring
8 qts air-popped popcorn

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add corn syrup and sugar. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and reaches firm ball stage. (Drop a tiny bit in very cold water. It should form a firm ball that is just a bit crunchy around the edges. This takes about 7 minutes.) Remove from heat. Stir in flavoring. Pour over popcorn. (Yes, it's 2 gallons of popcorn, use a really BIG bowl.) Stir carefully until popcorn is coated. Dump onto large piece of waxed paper. Spread and let cool for 30 minutes. Break into chunks. Store in loosely covered container.