in our house, blondes don’t have more fun…
A co-worker asked if I knew how to make blondies, and I said, ’sure.’ I mean, come on, how hard can it be? (Before I continue with this story, you should know I working the Miami unit, though not in Miami itself, and am one of the few non-Hispanic individuals. I’m assuming this is why my sweet little bilingual friend determined that I would be the best to ask for a dish called a ‘blondie.’) 
One of my 101 Things is to try new recipes & review them here, so this seemed like a good time to start. So I set about looking for a good blondie recipe. I found one with amazing photos at Smitten Kitten (I go to that particular blog just for the photos. They are amazing.) The photos make me think of smooth, creamy, lush goodness. The recipe was easy to follow, and the batter smelled tantelizing.
Smitten Kitten’s Blondies
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
- Butter an 8×8 pan
- Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
- Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie. Cool on rack before cutting them.
Further additions, use one or a combination of:
- 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
- 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
- 1/2 cup mashed bananas
- 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
- 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
- Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
- Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting
The result, however, not so swell. While the photos show thick, goowy bars, mine turned out thin and dryish. I was so disturbed, I tried twice. Same result… big pan, small pan. The taste of the baked bars wasn’t like the smell of the batter. I have no idea what I did wrong, but obviously, something went awry.
Now, Mike liked them. Ate both batches. But he’s never had any discretion. That’s how we made it through our first year of marriage when I couldn’t cook at all. The man would eat dirt if you sprinkled it with a little cayenne pepper.
But anyway, I’m on a search for a good blondie recipe. If you’ve got one, send it to me.
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Books for my 101 in 1001 list…
In my 101 Things in 1001 Days list, my goal was to read 100 books in the 1001 days. I was going to keep the list on Library Thing like I did with my last list, but I just can’t remember to add them there. So I’m going to keep the list here.
Another of my goals was to review half of those 50 books, so if you see one you’d like me to review, let me know.
- “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler” by E.L Konigsburg
- “Murder Boogies With Elvis” by Anne George
- “Mummy Dearest” by Joan Hess
- “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer
- “New Moon” by Stephanie Meyer
- “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” by J.K. Rowling
- “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J Fox
- “Eclipse” by Stephanie Meyer
- “Freakin Fabulous” by Clinton Kelly
- “Breaking Dawn” by Stephanie Meyer
- “Sex in the South” by Suzy Parker (I went to college with the author. It’s at times funny, shocking and … well, more shocking.)
- “Some Day You’ll Thank Me For This: The Official Southern Ladies’ Guide to Being a ‘Perfect Mother’” by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays
- “The Sloppy Copy Slipup” by Dyanne Disalvo
- “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Tagged with: 101 Things in 1001 Days • Books
Veggie Burgers… really!
One of my goals for the 101 in 1001 Days was to serve my family one vegetarian meal per week. I haven’t been quite that consistent, but I did make some amazing veggie burgers last night. I got the recipe from the new Food Network Magazine (a subscription I got for free thanks to my Coke reward points!).
Now, I did adjust some of the recipe for us… no mushrooms. Ew. But if you like that sort of thing, saute some mushrooms in olive oil and spread over the top of the burger. The recipe also called for 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, but given our nut allergies, we skipped that one just for kicks.
So here goes…
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans (I used white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 small red onion, shredded and squeezed dry
- 1 small carrot, finely diced (I used more than this. We like our carrots.)
- 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tbs parsley
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste
- English muffins
Put the beans in a bowl and mash with a fork until chunky. Put pretty much everything but the muffins in the bowl and mix. To be honest, I didn’t really measure anything. I just plopped stuff in till it looked good.I also threw in a small handful of shredded parm just for good measure.
Then, scoop out the mixture and make four burger patties. They’re delicate, so don’t try to grill them. Just put them on a hot skillet long enough to sear the sides and warm the insides.
While the burgers are warming, slice and toast the muffins. I used whole wheat muffins to give just a little extra fiber. When I took the muffins out of the toaster, I spread each side with Laughing Cow cheese (my newest favorite thing) so it got all melty.
Top with a burger pattie and mixed greens. Yummo.
On a scale of 1-5, I got a 4 from Mike and a 2.5 from Griff (though he ate the entire thing in about three bites). Eliza, of course, didn’t even try it. If it weren’t for bananas, apples and chips, that child would starve. Whatcha gonna do?
On the mama scale, it was a hit. I’ll make this one again. I loved it!
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