I haven't given props yet on my blog to someone who inspires me culinarily more than most.... Paula Deen. It's not that she uses extra-technical savviness or know-how....it's just that she is a warm, Southern, hospitable lady who loves to cook for others. Though her recipes are not exactly on the list of the American Heart Association's "top ten" (by far), I turn to her sometimes....after all, what's life if you can't have a treat every now and then? I watch her show with enthusiasm....I look at her outfitted kitchen with a bit of envy....and I want so badly to crash through the television screen and get a hug from her cheery, grandma-self. I'd love to spend a day with her and just listen to her wisecracks and funny old sayings. And then, there's the food itself that she creates..... In honor of her, I am whipping up a batch of sausage balls this afternoon to serve at home group's "brunch" tonight. I am not the only home group
For one of the hundreds of parties we are to attend this year during the holidays (or so it seems!), I wanted to find something rich, finger-food-style, and oh-so-chocolatey. Our electric power was restored by this time (we had an ice storm, in case you don't read my other blog), but our cable internet was still out. Thus, I had to resort to magazines and cookbooks to plan this week's menu (yes, the old-fashioned way!). I found this recipe from Baker's chocolate company, and I amended it to make it a little less sweet and a little more chocolatey. Pure yumminess. BAKER'S DEATH BY WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES 1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate 3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 c. flour 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker's Premium White Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 cup Bakers' White Chocolate Chunks (I used semisweet chocolate chunks instead) 2 c. chopped
I have spent the past two hours completely gutting and organizing our office (including unpacking some more boxes that were, yes, still taped up and everything since the move). I have moved the bookshelf that Dad painted for me when I was six into this room, and I have placed on its shelves my slurry of cooking magazines. Most of them are Cooking Lights (they have plastic holding cases....the others aren't good enough for that, I guess)....but I do have a few issues of Martha Stewart Living, a handful of issues of Taste of Home, and one lonely issue of Hallmark magazine, a magazine that I adored at first copy, but later learned that it was never able to get off the ground. I now have no excuses to resort to the same old recipes time and again. Sure....tried and true recipes are sometimes called for...when there's a time crunch, or special company that you have to "impress" in some way. But for the most part, I have fallen back into a recipe rut, and now having thes
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