Overnight Oatmeal

So, I decided to try out AB's overnight oatmeal. I did not have dried cranberries or dried figs on hand. I decided to substitute dried dates. 

I've made this oatmeal in the past and did not have great results. The reason: I think this recipe is formulated for older crockpots. I've noticed that newer crockpots seem to heat much hotter than the older ones. I had to chisel the first attempt out of the crock. 

This time, I decided I'd put the ingredients in a ceramic bowl and put the bowl in the crock. Then, fill the crock about half full of water. Set for 8 hours and.....

Well, it is tasty. But, the dried fruit all but disintegrated. Which I do not consider good eats. The integrity of the steel-cut oats was great. Still had just a bit of solidity to them.

I will revisit this recipe once more. I think I'll add more water and set the slow cooker for 10 hours. If it still fails, I'll consider this a lost cause...unless any of you readers out there have some better advice.

Recipe Link

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Thin

Chocolate Chip Cookies have always been my favorite cookie. Ever. My daughter and I both prefer the thinner variety. To be honest, this version of the Chocolate Chip Cookie needs to be consumed while still warm. In my personal and humble opinion, I don't think this cookie stores well.

That being said, what I like about this version is that the edges are crisp while the middle is just a bit chewy and there is almost a caramel flavor to the cookie. While the recipe does call for 2 cups of chips, I think backing it down to 1 1/2 cups is a bit better ratio of chip to dough.


Recipe

Buttermilk Pound Cake w/ Citrus Glaze

I love spring. Berries are fresh and abundant. And nothing goes better with berries than pound or angel food cake and a little whipped cream. I decided to try out Alton Brown's buttermilk because, a) I had buttermilk and b) it took a lot less butter for this recipe and I didn't have a lot in the house. Since AB used a citrus glaze, I decided I'd forego the berry topping and add his glaze instead. I was not disappointed.

This pound cake is moist and flavorful all on its own. The citrus glaze adds a nice sweet and sour taste that nicely compliments the flavor of the cake.
Recipe - Cake
Recipe - Glaze

Burger of the Gods

I have a recipe I like to use for making homemade burgers. It calls for some of this and a little of that and wave my magic wand...and yum-o.

I remembered that Alton Brown had an episode where he made homemade hamburger. I remembered that he 'ground' his own meat, but I could not remember what seasonings he used. A quick trip to the Food Network site and I had his recipe sitting on my tablet (an ASUS Transformer Prime, if you must know). I marveled at it's simplicity. 8 ounces chuck. 8 ounces sirloin. 1/2 teaspoon of salt. That's it. Period. End of conversation.

And it is sublime. Better than my own with all of the special ingredients I add.

Now, what you see in this picture is what I call near perfection. Sadly, I had no pickles or shoe-string onions. This comes as close as I can to recreating Red Robin's Burger Royale. We have mayo, ketchup, mustard. Lettuce, bacon, avocado, and melted Cheddar cheese. Oh...and sitting atop that all is a fried egg. Nomalicious!

I have re-dubbed this: Burger of the Titans




Recipe Link

Shepherds Pie

This being St. Patty's week I had already been making and planning Irish-themed meals. I couldn't remember if Alton Brown had done a recipe for this dish or not. A quick trip to the Food Network site proved he did, in fact, have a recipe for Shepherd's Pie.

Now, the reality is, since I used beef and not lamb, this would technically be a cottage pie and not a Shepherds Pie. But, no matter what you want to call it, I call it Good Eats.

I will try this with lamb. And I will update.

Recipe Link

Cocoa Brownies

By my standard, a brownie is not a brownie if it is cake-like. As far as I am concerned, a brownie should have a consistency more like fudge than like a baked good. Actually, you cannot legally call it a brownie if it's cake like. That would be chocolate cake sans frosting. 

I like Alton Brown's brownies. Though the show recipe and the recipe on Food Network are slightly different (he has you sift all the dry ingredients together on the show while he has you add the sugars only to the eggs at first, then add the rest of the dry goods in the printed version) I went with the one from the show. And, while chocolaty, I think they would be even tastier using dutched chocolate rather than regular cocoa. And honestly, I don't mind testing out a few theories on building the best brownie. Not at all.

Recipe Link

Buttermilk Pancakes

Eat your heart out, IHOP.

Yesterday was "Free Pancake Day" at IHOP. While I did not go, I decided to make some at home instead.

Since having first tried Good Eats pancakes, I have found no other recipe that turns out pancakes that taste as good.



Recipe Link