brown butter blondies (with molasses swirl)

Do you ever meet people who don't like chocolate? (They exist!) It's a bewildering experience. When someone tells me they're not "into" chocolate, I feel a potent mixture of sadness, anger, and fear. The statement "I'm not really a chocolate person" ranks somewhere alongside "not really a puppy person," or "not really a Christmas person."

What a sad life, to not be into chocolate, puppies, Christmas, raindrops on roses, or whiskers on kittens. Here's my contribution to these sad souls: blondies. At least they have blondies.

Blondies are akin to brownies, but they are brown-sugar based instead of chocolate-based. These particular blondies get their flavor from toasty brown butter, almond extract, and a pretty swirl of molasses. The molasses adds a deeper, more complex flavor to a very sweet blondie. These blondies are a little chewy in texture--great served with milk or tea!

BROWN BUTTER BLONDIES

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking Mix

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 cup molasses (optional but delicious)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease & flour an 8x8 pan.

2. In a small saucepan, brown the butter. Allow to cool slightly.

3. Whisk together the sugar and butter (it's okay if it's still warm) in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and almond extract. Whisk to combine.

4. Add the baking mix and salt. Mix until smooth. Spread evenly in the pan.

5. Drop small dots of the molasses into the batter. Using a knife or skewer, swirl the molasses in pretty patterns.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are set and golden-brown. As per usual in gluten-free baking, the center may still be soft. Worry not--the blondies will firm-up as they cool. Allow to cool before cutting. These will keep for several days if stored in the refrigerator.

sweet potato wedges with parmesan

Hi, remember me? I'm still alive.

I realize that I've been absent for months and I have very little to say for myself. I've been killin' it at school. I got a promotion at work. And let's not forget I have this little guy to deal with now.

Rest assured, I've still been cooking. I normally just devour it before I have a chance to take a lovely photo.

So, here's my "Hello Again" gift to you.

SWEET POTATO WEDGES
I make this small batch just-for-me.

1 sweet potatoes, sliced into wedges

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Toss all the ingredients together and spread on a baking sheet (use parchment paper for easy clean-up.)

Bake 20 minutes, then flip the potatoes over. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. Toss potatoes with the parmesan just before serving.

lemon meringue pie (gluten free)

This pie made me feel like a rock-star. I made a crust by intuition. I tempered eggs. And then, I piled a meringue on top. All of this, by the way, happened simultaneously, and in a 105 degree kitchen. It was Iron-Chef-esque. I'm not kidding.

I was in need of some fancy baking, since I've been pretty absent from the food blogging world lately. Texas is experiencing the hottest, driest summer in the history of the Earth. (Every summer I say this, and every summer it seems true.) I've been hiding out between the hours of 10am and 8pm, surviving on frozen waffles, peanut butter, and iced tea.

Then I saw the new issue of Bon Appetit, with that towering meringue pie on the cover. I thought about that soulful experience, making pie from scratch. Citrus custard and browned meringue. Graham cracker crust. My thoughts were fairly one-tracked from there.

If you're in the market for some leisurely pie making, this is a two-person job. But if you're feeling more like this guy, go ahead and tackle the project yourself. It'll make you feel cool.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Adapted from Alton Brown

Crust:

2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs*

1/3 cup melted butter

2 1/2 tbs sugar

Filling:

4 egg yolks (save egg whites for the meringue)

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 tbs lemon zest

3 tbs butter

Meringue:

4 egg whites

pinch of cream of tarter

3 tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sugar. Using hands, press into the bottom and sides of a pie plate. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Raise the oven temperature to 375.

Separate egg yolks into a large, heat-proof bowl and whisk until smooth.

Combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Allow to boil for 1 minute (keep stirring.) The mixture will start to thicken into a custard-like consistency.

Take the mixture off the heat and add a little of it to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Gradually add more of the cornstarch mixture, still stirring. Do this until you've added at least half of the cornstarch mixture.

When you've added half of the cornstarch mixture to the egg yolks, return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for one more minute. Remove from heat, and add in the lemon juice, zest, and butter. Add the mixture into the pie crust.

Quickly, make the meringue. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks (1-2 minutes.) Gradually add in the sugar, until the egg whites have reached stiff peaks (about 1 more minute.) Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, while the custard is still hot.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the meringue is browned. Let cool completely before cutting (at least an hour.)

* For the graham cracker crumbs: I used kinnikinnick crackers and ground them in a food processor.

brown butter chocolate chip cookies (gluten free)

Okay, okay, this is my third recipe in a row utilizing chocolate chips. But I feel a little like this guy right now, so don't judge me.

These cookies are cray-cray good. I used this recipe from Joy the Baker. To make them gluten free, I substituted the flour, salt, and baking soda for an equal amount of Pamela's baking mix. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They were melty and nutty from the browned butter. I just loved them. They were just what I needed today.

For the record, I liked them better than these guys. Okay. Link-fest over. Eat some cookies, and feel better.

gluten free banana bread (with chocolate chips)

Is there much more I can say about banana bread?

This is what I want today: for a hired baker to come to my apartment. I'd like them to bake banana bread 24 hours a day. I love the way it makes my apartment smell like heaven. It's a nice alternative to the second-hand cigarette stench my neighbor sends through the air vent.

(Dear neighbor: please read this and bake banana bread instead of smoking. Love Amanda.)

How could he say no? Look at that brown banana crust. Put down the cancer wand, my friend. Take a pinch of crust.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD LOAF

Adapted from Book of Yum

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup buckwheat or oat flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

---------------------------

1 1/2 cups smashed bananas

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

---------------------------

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the first six ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine the next 5 ingredients.*

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the well and fold until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

* I use an immersion blender for this step. Works like a dream!

cherry chocolate chip cookies

My words aren't really coming today. I think I've spent all my language power on essays. Many, many essays. On boring things, like comparing validity and reliability of available research on interventions for... Actually, can we not talk about this?

I admit, I'm a little on edge this month. School is crazy, life is crazy, and work is (you guessed it!) crazy. April seems to be the month of unpredictability. I'm not complaining--I thank the good Lord every day I can wake up and live my blessedly easy life. It's just, sometimes life doesn't go like we want it to. It rarely does.

I make plans, and I cling to them. I know this about myself. Sometimes I wish the universe would recognize how gorgeous and well-thought-out my plans are. It hasn't yet.

And until it does, I'm learning to let go of my plans. I know the future has things in store for me that are vastly different from what I imagined for myself. I'm on the "we'll see" plan right now. It's working alright.

Making cookies is my coping mechanism. I bake them, eat a few, and give the rest away.

These cookies are spreading, delicate, chewy little darlings. They'll make you and your friends smile. And they negate disappointment...true story!

CHEW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Recipe very closely adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl.

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup gluten free oat flour

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dark chocolate chunks

1 cup dried tart cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. With an electric beater, cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Sift in the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When combined, stir in the chocolate chunks and cherries.

4. Drop by the tablespoon onto the baking sheet. (Don't make them too big, or they will spread too much. Also, leave a few inches between cookies to prevent "blobbing.") Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. The center won't look cooked yet, but it will set as the cookies cool.

gluten free lemon cornbread cake

Can I just tell you how much I appreciate spring break? No school! No work! No grown-up obligations! I've been hanging out at my parents' house in my itty-bitty hometown. My parents have been cooking me dinner, and they do all the dishes. They're beautiful people.

When I was in high school, I couldn't wait to leave my hometown. I had known all the same people since kindergarten. College, I imagined, was a place where I would meet exotic, exciting people and do exotic, exciting things.

To a certain extent, that was true. But here's what I didn't anticipate... In college, you work like hell, and you get tired as hell. Most of the time, you're way too busy to party. Sometimes you start to feel like you're not a kid anymore. Other times, you feel ill-equipped and very childish.

So yes, it's good to be home for a little while. It's funny how perspective changes with time.

Now, what does all of this have to do with cake? Nothing really. But cake goes well with everything, even self-reflection.

This cake is a hybrid between this Gluten Free Mommy cornbread and this delectable Joy the Baker recipe. It is tender, crumbly, moist, and homey. The lemon makes it tangy and scrumptious. The icing is simple and adds an extra citrus kick.

LEMON CORNBREAD CAKE

1 cup rice flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbs butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400. In large bowl, combine the first 5 dry ingredients.

On a stove, heat a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Melt the butter and allow it to cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Pour the butter into a small bowl to cool. (It's okay if you don't get all the butter out of the pan--about 1 tbs should remain in the skillet for lubrication.)

When the butter is somewhat cooled, add the eggs, milk, lemon juice/zest, and vanilla to it. Thoroughly combine, and add mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the hot cast-iron skillet (you should hear a sizzle--this is the crust forming.) Immediately and carefully place the skillet into the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown & pull away from the sides of the pan.

Allow to cool, then poke the cake several times with a fork, making little holes for the lemon icing to seep into. Add the lemon icing when cooled.

LEMON ICING

1 lemon

About 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Juice and zest the lemon into a small bowl. Add the salt, then sift in 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Stir until smooth and thick. If needed, sift in the rest of the sugar. If it gets too thick, just add more lemon juice or water.

yellow cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting

I love Valentine's Day. I mean really, I love it. Whenever I meet a V-day hater, I always have to wonder if they are a.) lonely b.) bitter or c.) cheap. It's true, I have a boyfriend this year, but I love Valentine's Day even when I'm single. An entire day dedicated to pink things, hearts, sweets, love, and homemade cards? I'm in.

I work with kids at an after school program, and I promised them I'd bring cupcakes for Valentine's Day. Simple cake, simple frosting--sure to please. By the way, how much do you miss Valentine's Day in elementary school? I wish we still did that shoe-box business.

I didn't make these gluten free because I'm not eating them, but if you want to know I used this recipe, divided into mini-cupcake pans. But I did formulate my own frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

16 oz cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 tbs vanilla extract

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk, as needed

food coloring, if desired

Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter.

When smooth, add in the vanilla and lemon juice.

Sift the powdered sugar and add it in gradually, adding milk as needed.

Add the food coloring if desired.

Then go make some homemade greeting cards.

oatmeal cookies

Here's a life lesson for all of you: if you want to be liked, bring cookies. Who doesn't like a cookie? Bring homemade cookies somewhere, and you'll be welcomed with open arms. It's my number-one secret to parties, social interactions, and man-winning.

For these cookies, I took a cue from Jen & Juice and swapped the raisins for dried cranberries.

A word about oats... Conventionally harvested oats are often contaminated with trace amounts of wheat. Because I am merely gluten-intolerant, oats & oat flour have never bothered me. But if you have celiac disease, make sure to use certified gluten-free pure oats & oat flour.

OATMEAL COOKIES

Makes 2-3 dozen

3/4 cup shortening

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 tbs molasses

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups flour*

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the first six ingredients by hand.

When smooth, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Last, add in the oatmeal, cranberries, and chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned on top.

* For gluten-free, substitute 1 cup of oat flour and 1/2 cup white rice flour.

sweet potato hash

Carbs are my number-one vice. If I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would probably be a heaping bowl of spaghetti, garlic bread, and a side of mexican beans & rice. Maybe some mashed potatoes too, just for good measure.

Nonetheless, I have a conscience, so I don't feast on starches every single night. Most starches do undesirable things to my body (stomach and waistline alike.) For the most part, I avoid excessive carbs, and feel much better for it.

There is one starch, however, that always treats me kindly: my good buddy, the sweet potato. It has more vitamins, more fiber, and a lower glycemic index than white potatoes. When I'm not making them like this or this, I like to dress them up with a mix of sweet & savory spices in a simple hash. (If you're feeling up to it, top this with a fried egg--oh baby.)

SWEET POTATO HASH

serves one

1/2 large sweet potato

2-3 tbs olive oil

salt & pepper

1/4 large onion, diced

1/2 cup chicken stock (water will work in a pinch)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to broil. Peel & dice the sweet potato into small, 3/4" cubes. Rub a cast-iron or oven-proof skillet with the olive oil. Add the sweet potatoes with a small shake of salt & pepper. Toss to coat.

2. Put the potatoes under the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and bake for another five minutes. (This will allow the potatoes to form a crispy outside.)

3. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent.

4. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken stock, and cover the pan. Once the liquid evaporates, add the rest of the stock & repeat. (This will steam the potatoes to cook them through.)

5. Add the spices & toss to coat. Taste, & add salt & pepper if needed.

connie's lemon pudding

This is another lovely recipe I learned from my mom. Recently, I've realized that this is essentially lemon curd. But who wants to eat "curd" when you can eat pudding? "Pudding" speaks of childhood, of stove-top treats poured from a box long ago. "Curd" is just a weird four-letter word. It's the new year, and I'm closing in on my last few months of teenagerism. Let me eat my pudding before I'm old.

Tirade of vocabulary and quarter-life crisis complete.

I'm a citrus fanatic, so I prefer my pudding almost bracingly tart. If you like yours a little sweeter, up the sugar to 1 cup. This recipe is frighteningly simple, but it does takes a little time. The lemon pudding is indeed a labor of love.

Oh, and happy new year!

LEMON PUDDING

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice plus the pulp, if you can get it

1/4 cup water

1. In a skillet off the heat, beat the two eggs. Add the sugar, flour, and salt and beat until very well combined. Finally, beat in the baking powder. The mixture may foam up a little--this is normal.

2. Put the skillet over medium-low heat and add the lemon juice, then the water, stirring vigorously. It is very important to keep the mixture moving, lest you get lemony scrambled eggs. (Foam is still okay.)

3. For a few minutes, continue to stir steadily until the mixture just barely begins to boil. At this point, you will see that the mixture turns from a "cloudy" yellow to a "clear" bright yellow. It's done.

4. Divide the pudding into ramekins, or pour off into a bowl. Allow to cool, then refrigerate. Best if served chilled.

Fills 8 small ramekins.

cranberry bars

So, I made these weeks ago. I'm just posting them now because I had to wait for my film to be developed. Oh, my anachronistic photo techniques really catch up with me sometimes. Now I'm looking at these cranberry bar pictures, wishing I was actually eating one now. They were so good--the perfect thing for my holiday cranberry fix.

I followed this recipe from Good Life Eats, a really lovely blog. For the crust I tweaked the gluten-free flour blend suggested by Die Hard Foodie. It was perfect. Totally worth pulling out every single one of my jars of flours.

I know the holidays are over, but you should really make these. Cranberry is a humble berry that needs its love too, beyond the holidays.

GLUTEN-FREE CRANBERRY BARS

(Wheat-phages: if you want to make these with regular flour, just follow this recipe.)

crust:

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup almond flour

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup butter (cold)

1 egg

filling:

1/8 cup orange juice

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs cornstarch

4 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen & thawed)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the crust. With a fork or your hands, cut in the butter & egg, until the mixture is crumbly & cohesive. Pat one half of the dough into the bottom of your dish.

In another bowl, mix together the first 4 ingredients for the filling. Add the cranberries and toss until they are well-coated. Pour the cranberries in an even layer over the top of the crust.

Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the cranberries. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is browned.

Allow to cool in the refrigerator completely before eating (I know this is hard, but I'm serious! If you try to eat them warm, you'll be eating crumbly crust and scalding hot jam.)

chewy gingersnaps

As soon as December rolls around, I start to hear this little voice in the back of my head. It wakes me up in the night, growing ever louder and more persistent...

"Amanda...bake...the gingersnaps!"

Okay, so maybe it doesn't happen like that. But as soon as I see Christmas lights up, I start craving these cookies. It's like Pavlov's dogs. Hear "Jingle Bell Rock," drool, bake cookie.

These are everything I could ever hope for in a cookie. Thin, crispy on the outside, melty on the inside, and full of flavor. I'm not a huge fan of ginger (so sue me,) and these cookies don't actually have ginger in them (sue me twice.) I guess if we're going to get technical here, they're more like molasses cookies. But hey, we're all cool with that, right?

CHEWY GINGERSNAPS

Makes about 2 dozen

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar, plus a little for coating

1 egg

1/8 cup molasses

2 cups flour*

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cream butter & sugar.

3. Add egg & molasses, and mix well.

4. Sift in the dry ingredients.

5. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand it.

6. Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts, coat in sugar, and bake for 8-9 minutes.

7. Remove from the pan asap. They will get firmer and crispier as they cool, so don't overbake!

* I substituted a gluten-free flour blend (honestly couldn't tell you what's in it), but all-purpose flour works great as well.

chocolate pecan pie

So, after tasting this pie, I realized that it deserved its own post.

While I was searching for a special pecan pie recipe, my mom suggested chocolate pecan pie. And really, what could be better? It's pecans...it's chocolate...it's pie. I'm in. So I adapted a recipe out of our ancient Betty Crocker Cookbook. I accidentally underbaked mine a bit, but honestly that worked to my advantage. I ended up with an ooey-gooey chocolate pecan pie. Oh man. I'm double in.



For my pie crust, I made half a recipe of Smitten Kitchen's all butter pie crust. Though I only had a little sample (to avoid the wheat hangover), it was a really great crust, and very easy. But, if you want to substitute your own pie crust recipe or a frozen pie crust (hey, I know how it goes), that's cool too. The point is, you need one pie crust in a pan to serve as a vessel for chocolate and pecans.

I have to admit that this is probably the world's easiest pie. It's almost embarrassing. All the more reason you should make it.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
(makes 1 10-inch pie)

1 pie crust
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted & cooled
1/2 cup corn syrup (I know, I know, but this is tradition we're talking about!)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375. Press pie dough into a 10" pie pan.
Beat together eggs, sugar, butter, cocoa, and syrups. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pie pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the pie only quivers slightly in the middle when you jiggle the pan.

what i'm baking today

Traditional Apple Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie (Oooo it looks like the surface of some foreign and delicious planet.)

Apple Galette (This was a happy accident because it was just leftover apple pie stuff. I had no recipe and no idea what I was doing, so this is more-or-less a miracle.)

gf chocolate chip sandwich cookies with peanut butter frosting & a love story

Alright world, it's about to get sappy and personal. Here's something you might not know about me: I have a boyfriend. He lives three hours away in my hometown. I'm living here so I can, you know, go to college and have like, a future and stuff. What can I say? I'm practical. (If we've ever talked for more than five minutes, you'll probably find that previous statement hilarious.)

I like to keep things in my life pretty easy. But if you've ever been in a long distance relationship, you know that it occasionally sucks. Sometimes you want something a little more tangible than a phone call. Maybe he buys a bus ticket, or you drive home for the weekend if you can.



Unfortunately, we can't always meet up for the weekend. Life is busy--that's unfortunately just how it goes. Nevertheless, love is a bewildering thing, and sometimes you feel compelled to make some kind of gesture. Sometimes you just have to send that sweet boy a letter, a mix cd, and some cookies. And that's just what I did today.

I made the cookies gluten free because...well I had to be able sample them, didn't I? I got the recipe directly from the Land O Lakes website, and it was really great. The frosting recipe was adapted from All Recipes. The only change I made was to substitute almond milk for the heavy cream. I used plain ol' JIF for this one; I've found that natural peanut butter doesn't work very well for frosting.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP SANDWICH COOKIES

1. Make the cookies. Allow the dough to refrigerate as long as possible before you bake. The firmer the dough, the better they will cook up.
2. Make the frosting.
3. Allow the cookies to cool, and sandwich them with a spoonful of frosting in between.

Send them to your honey, your Momma, or just pig out and appreciate how much you love yourself, you fabulous human being, you!

turkey chili texas style

Let me start by dispelling a misconception about Texas chili. Many non-Texans seem to be under the impression that Texas chili is bean-less by doctrine. Myth! I don't know who spread this rumor, but we definitely love beans in our chili.

Chili is definitely one of those "soul" foods for Texans. My sister always tells a story about the time she lived in Rhode Island. She tried to throw a neighborhood chili cook-off, and a bunch of people showed up with clam chowder. Clam chowder? What a joke. The fact that someone would rather eat clam chowder than a spicy, meaty chili is incomprehensible to me.

It's funny how attractive soulful comfort foods can be. When I started making this chili, I had the intention to make a white chili with hatch chilis and spinach. But as I cooked, I couldn't resist turning back to my familiar flavors. Chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, mmmm. I wanted that smoky chili that would make my nose run without burning my mouth. In other words, I couldn't resist making a chili that felt like home.

TEXAN TURKEY CHILI

1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tbs cumin
1/2 tbs chili powder (to start, add more depending on your heat preference)
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

In a large pot, brown the turkey over medium heat. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Reserve a tablespoon of the fat in the pan.
Add the onions with 1/4 tsp salt, cooking until translucent. (If they start to stick, add a little olive oil.) Add the garlic and red pepper. Cook for a minute (don't burn!), then add the turkey back into the pot.
Add the the beans, tomatoes, and spices. Put on the lid and reduce to med-low heat. Allow to simmer for another 30-45 minutes, until the chili is thick. I suggest adding a little salt at at time, to taste. Remember that you can always add more salt. but you can't take the salt away once it's in.

baked sweet potato fries

My first year of college, I lived a right around the corner from the place called Kerbey Lane Cafe. If you live in Austin, you've heard of it. If you went to UT, you probably had a few wee-hour, post-party chow-downs there. They have these totally amazing sweet potato fries, served with chipotle mayo. And they're open 24 hours a day, every day! Also, I gained a hefty 15 pounds my freshman year--what a coincidence, right?

Since then, I've said a not-so-heartfelt goodbye to my freshman 15, along with the 2am meals at Kerbey Lane. But I still crave those sweet potato fries. Except now I make them myself, in a slightly healthier, baked incarnation.

BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

1-2 large sweet potatoes
4-5 tbs olive oil
1 tbs salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder

Preheat the oven to 375. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into uniform fry-shapes. Toss them on a baking sheet with a few tablespoons of olive oil and the seasonings (use your own seasoning discretion; it's an inexact science.) Arrange in a single layer and bake 30-40 minutes, turning once in the middle of baking.

flourless peanut butter cookies

If you know me "in real life," you probably know my love affair with peanut butter. It's one of my main food groups. I've been known to carry a jar around in my car. Just in a case of a, you know, emergency requiring, uhh, peanut butter.

I firmly believe that peanut butter deserves respect beyond pb&j's (though I love them) and pad thai (still one of my favorites.) It deserves to be fabulous. It deserves to be a cookie.

These are totally flourless, but they compromise nothing. They're gooey on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and oh so peanut butter. If you can spring for the organic, stir-up kind of crunchy peanut butter, do it. The taste is infinitely better, not to mention hydrogenated oils do scary and mysterious things in your gut.

Also, thus far I've found that these freeze pretty well. Keep them stocked for your cookie fix.

FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll them in the extra white sugar to coat. Arrange on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Press down with a fork (you know, those pretty fork marks.) Bake for 10-12 minutes.

roasted butternut squash soup with a secret ingredient

Check me out, being a grown-up, cooking squash! Enjoying squash, even. It's surreal. If I ran into my 10-year-old self, I do believe she'd give me a very scathing "I don't even know who you are anymore."

Clearly, I've jumped on the fall flavors wagon. While I was researching butternut squash recipes, I found a video of Giada making a savory butternut squash risotto with vanilla. Being a practical skeptic, I found myself leery of savory vanilla. Even though I love Giada. Even though everything she makes is heavenly. Even though I have what we may call a "girl crush" on her.

Yet again, foodie curiosity got the best of me. I threw some vanilla (acting on wild impulses occasionally works in my favor) in the soup. It is. So. Good. I'm sorry I ever doubted Giada. The vanilla makes the soup fragrant, and beautifully delicious in that "I have no idea why this is so good but it is" kind of way.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP with VANILLA

1 butternut squash

1/2 large onion

1 tsp ground sage

1 tbs vanilla extract

16 oz (half a box) chicken stock

salt & pepper

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400. Peel, core, and cut the squash into cubes. Dice the onion.

On a baking sheet, toss the squash with a drizzle of olive oil & a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, heat a large pot with a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until they are soft and start to brown, about 10 minutes.

The squash and onions should be ready about the same time. If the onions go to far, remove them from the heat for a few minutes until the squash is ready.

When the squash is cooked through, throw it into the pan with the onions. Toss together for a minute or so, then add the chicken stock. Allow to return to a boil.

When the soup is cookin' again, use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth. (I'm assuming you could do this in a regular blender, though I didn't try.)

Add the sage, and the salt & pepper to taste. Allow the soup to reduce for a few more minutes. When it's thickened to your liking, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.