I wasn’t expecting to do this today when I got up, but some switch inside of me got triggered this morning, and I decided to make this experimental recipe for creamy corn chowder that I had assembled.  I had no idea how well it would work out, assuming it worked out at all, nor did I know if it would really make chowder.  To me, soup with its runny liquid base is on one end of the spectrum, on the other end of the spectrum is stew (which properly made is thick though it runs a little), and in that sweet spot in the middle is chowder — not liquid like soup, but not as solid as stew.

Of course, the part that made it easy for me to decide on a whim that now was the moment to make this was its preparation in the slow cooker.  The slow cooker is one of my best friends in the kitchen (and should be so for everyone, I think).  For most things, you just dump everything in, set it, and forget it until it is time to eat.  And the smells it places in your home are just fantastic!

This recipe was no exception.  Here’s what I put into my 2-1/2 quart slow cooker for this recipe:

• 2 15-oz cans cream corn
• 1 cup potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 3 Tbl onion, minced
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cup chicken broth

Initially, I put in all the dry ingredients except for the bay leaf.  Then I added each of the wet ingredients and stirred until everything was more or less evenly distributed.  Finally, I added the bay leaf on top, covered it, and set it to cook on low for 4 hours.  After 4 hours, I came back, removed the bay leaf, stirred everything together so that it would once be even, and served it with some natural wheat bread.  I call it natural because it doesn’t have all the preservatives and other chemicals that most of the junk bread in the bread aisle has in it.

It turned out to have a very good flavor, which was wonderful.  I was happy to have developed a vegetable-centric recipe, as I need more convenient ways to get more vegetables into my diet.  That said, when I make this again, I will be making some changes.

First, the end result was more like soup than chowder, so to thicken it, I will reduce the chicken broth to one cup and hold back the flour and milk initially.  About a half hour before the dish is done, I’ll mix the milk and flour together separately, and then pour that mixture into the slow coker, stirring so it gets more or less evenly distributed.  That should thicken it up into more of a chowder and less of a soup.

Second, the flavor as is in this first attempt was really good.  I could sense that part of the reason for that was the smoked paprika.  The portion of smokiness it imparted was just lightly, however, so I want to double or maybe even triple the amount next time so I get more of that smoky flavor coming through.

Third, the wheat bread I served with the soup was a nice addition, but I’m thinking that some cheddar biscuits might pair better, especially if I have actual chowder and not just soup.

The aftermath of my hospitalization a year and a half ago forced me back into the kitchen in search of recipes that would help promote my recovery and avoid pain (which eating the “wrong” things would quickly bring).  I still have some trouble, though to nowhere near the extent it was when I left the hospital.  But it did bring some healthy habits into my life, and experimenting with and developing recipes like this one have reintroduced me to the joy I once had being in the kitchen.  It’s good to be back in there.

It’s not surprising that my neighbor decided to make noise (through playing loud music and other high-volume activities), but it surprise me he started so early today.  So I decided to do something that I had never before done — just get in my car and go get breakfast somewhere new.  I have visited a new place to breakfast before, but never on a whim; it has always been planned out in advance.

The new place is one that I had passed by a time or two or three — the Sunny Day Café in downtown Bel Air, Maryland.  I love breakfast, so a new place to catch a bite of breakfast easily makes my list of places to visit.  But this place tots itself as “voted best breakfast in Harford county,” so naturally I had to check out the claim.

And since I am verifying that sort of claim, I had to make sure that my favorite breakfast item, a.k.a. biscuits and gravy, was a part of my meal.  To this “side dish” I added scrambled eggs, home fries, and turkey sausage.  It took a while to get my order out, which is fine since that probably means that they were fixing it fresh.  But was it worth the wait?

I’m not sure.  Something about the turkey sausage was off.  It didn’t taste right.  I’m not sure if it was the blend of spices wasn’t quite right or if there was something wrong with the meat itself.  Whatever it was, it just tasted off, and given my previous experience requiring a stay in the hospital, I decided not to eat both sausages.  The eggs wee fine, but the home fries were very bland.  Good thing I had the gravy; it was the perfect complement that the home fries really needed.  The biscuit was okay.  It was essentially an old-time powder biscuit.  I don’t mind that so much, since the gravy paired well with it.  But I do prefer biscuits that are flaky and flavorful in their own right.  Again, good I had gravy, gravy, gravy.

The price was about what I would expect for a local joint.  If everything about the meal had been downright fantastic, I would say it would be worth the price.  But if this is what passes for the best breakfast in the county, I should set up my own shop.  It wouldn’t take much effort in my kitchen to snag that prize.  Still, for an impromptu visit, not bad.  I give it 3 stars.

No, I’m not talking about that wonderful Eddie Money song (though it most certainly is playing my head right now).  I’m talking about Crumbl Cookies!  If you don’t know Crumbl Cookies, then you should really check them out.  My sister, who I still contend makes the best cookies on the planet, introduced me to this very close runner-up in the cookie making world.  I thought she was talking about a local place, meaning something local to her.  But when I checked out their website, I saw that they are in almost every state across the country, including my own!

Each store offers chocolate chip cookies plus a rotation of other flavors that change with each week.  All the store have the same offering each week, which is great for me to compare notes with my sister.  And these are BIG cookies, about 4" or so in diameter.  And they’re so good, which is why I feel fortunate NOT to live close to one.  My first visit was a few months ago, and then a couple of days ago I made my second visit.  All I can say is WOW.  Actually, I have few more words than that.

I’m not one for lemon cookies, unless they come from Crumbl!  Of course, their website (first picture) makes it look better than what it actually is.  I didn’t see much of that lemon creme center in my cookie, but it still tasted outstanding!

This one was just heavenly, although there didn’t seem to be much frosting on top of the graham cracker cookie I got.  The raspberry puree also slide off the cookie during the drive home.  That’s a not a huge deal, but I have made a note for the future.

This cookie is aptly named.  It truly is like eating a miniature French Silk pie.  Of the three cookies I purchased, this one most closely matched what the website showed.

Now, let’s have one item clearly understood.  I never eat an entire cookie all in one setting.  They’re totally that good, but I don’t need all those extra calories, especially when they’re from sugar.  So I usually cut off a quarter or sometimes less — just enough to give me a little taste of sweet goodness.  Plus it makes the cookie last longer.

That said, I noticed something on the website that made me do a double take.  The Lemon Poppy Seed cookie has only 120 cal?  Raspberry Cheesecake 170 cal?  French Silk Pie 150 cal?  There’s no way!  Looking further on the site I found this quote: “Calorie counts are per serving. Serving size varies based on product.”  Hmmm . . . what might that mean?

I little more digging, and it all made sense.  One serving is 1/4 cookie, at least for the three that I bought.  That makes a lot more sense, and it redoubles my dedication to eat only a quarter of a cookie at a time.  It’ll be some time before I go back, how much I couldn’t say.  I’ll be checking out their website every week to get keyed on the new rotation for the week.  Barring the appearance of something that looks so good I just have to get it, it’ll probably be towards the end of the year when I go back.  Talk about de-railing a diet!  As I said, I’m glad I don’t live close to Crumbl.  But when I go, there’s no way I’m getting just one cookie.  They’re just too good!

This weekend I wanted quiche.  The only question was “What kind?”  Looking at what I had on hand, I opted for the ham and broccoli recipe I developed some years ago.  The recipe is simple to make.  You mix the eggs, stir in the remaining ingredients, add to a partially baked pie crust the same you would making any other quiche (450F for 4 minutes), and bake.

Here’s the list of ingredients:
2 cups ham, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
3 eggs
2 cups swiss cheese, grated
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup mozzarella, grated
1/8 cup minced onion
dash of chives
1 tsp nutmeg
1/8 cup parsley
1 tsp black pepper

The quiche bakes at 325F for 45 minutes.  When it came out, it tasted so good to me, I ate half of it in one setting.  It’s been said that real men eat quiche.  But in my view, real men not only eat quiche, they make it!

One of my favorite quotes from the movie America’s Sweethearts is from the director Hal Weidmann, who is played brilliantly by Christopher Walken.  “I wasn’t looking for it.  It came to me like a bus in the street . . . or the woman who changes the flowers at our desert house.”  I’m not sure about that woman, but I am sure that this quote describes how I came upon From the ground up Cauliflower Stalks.  They were arranged neatly there on the grocery store shelf, perfectly poised to catch my eye.

Again, I wasn’t looking for them, but I picked up a bag to examine it.  The nutrition label didn’t have any red flags (at least none that were obvious to me), and the price seemed fine, given the size of the bag and likely volume of contents.  I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower; it’s a particular bland vegetable.  But what convinced me to give it a try was that magical word on the front of the bag — cheddar.  I love cheese.  I can’t get enough of cheese.  In fact, if heaven doesn’t have cheese, I’m pretty sure I’m going to hell.  I just gotta have cheese in my life.

But what amazed me even more than my love of cheese amazes some was how good these cauliflower-based snacks are.  I’m talking addictive levels of good!  I couldn’t keep my hand out of the bag.  And there was no sense in pouring just a small bowl to “limit my serving size” because, as soon as my small bowl was empty (which took something like 30 seconds), I was off to the kitchen to grab the bag.  The only thing holding me back from consuming the entire bag in one sitting was the thought that I could have some tomorrow if I stop now.  This is the only reason the bag lasted three days.

For me, cauliflower has always been one of those vegetables low on the pecking order — until now!  If you’re looking for a new “healthy” snack to try, put your money here.  You won’t be disappointed.  And if you are, just give me the rest of your bag.

What is a deal breaker is the quality of pancake it produced.  You don’t need an egg, although you are free to add one.  All you really need is water.  After mixing, you’re supposed to let it set for 5 minutes before pouring onto the griddle.  The pancakes cooked up fine, but the finished product is much more like a mutated crepe than a pancake.  Pancakes should be fluffy, not spongy.  The flavor is okay, but the texture just overrides the okay flavor to provide a disappointing taste experience.

I tried different variations — using milk instead of water both with and without egg — all to no avail.  I have a mind to try using a little oil, no egg, and water.  But I’m not very hopeful.  My experience thus far has certainly been far below expectations.  I’m still sold on King Arthur flour, as I continue to experience great baking with it.  But their pancake mix?  No thanks.  I’ll pass and stick with my Krusteaz, a wonderful product from Seattle that has never disappointed me.  If it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it.

I settled upon something I haven’t done in years.  I went to Micky D’s for an apple pie.  The whole trip took roughly a quarter hour, and the pie actually tasted better than that fried thing I remember having the last time I got a pie there.  I don’t think I’ll be doing it again anytime soon.  But it did save the day for me.

And I got a better idea afterwards that I’ll use in the future.  Next time I’ll visit a diner for a real piece of pie.  Plus I can deviate away from apple if I so desire.  I think I will desire!

Recently I had a hankering for no-bake cookies.  I haven’t had any in I don’t know how long, but the craving was definitely there.  Or maybe the craving was just for chocolate.  At any rate, I decided to make no-bake cookies to scratch that itch.

I had never actually made no-bake cookies before, but it didn’t seem that hard, and in fact it wasn’t.  Recipes vary, but they’re all pretty much the same.  Still, I decided to modify my first ever batch.  I just couldn’t help but experiment.  I’m too curious.  Plus I wanted to reduce my sugar intake.  So half the sugar was gone.  Boom.  Just like that.

Then I decided to add in a couple of twists.  First, I added in dried cherries, which I thought would complement the dark cocoa I was using.  I always prefer dark chocolate to any other variety, so I always reach first for it over any other variety.  It’s supposedly healthier for you, and even if it’s not, I just love the flavor.  Adding dried cherries provided a very good complement to the dark chocolate flavor, although it added some sugar back into the batch.  For a recipe calling for 2 cups sugar, I used 1 cup sugar and then added ½ cup dried cherries.  I’m going to have to experiment with lowering the sugar content even more in future.

My second modification was to make cookie bars instead of individual cookies.  I don’t have the space in my place t put out all the wax paper sheets I would need for even half a batch of individual cookies.  Plus bars are always easier to deal with than individual cookies.  What I didn’t expect (but should have, being a metallurgist) is the hardened slab that resulted once the batch had finally cooled in the pan.  I needed a serious knife to cut off individual bars.

Still, my experiment was a huge success.  The cookies taste wonderful.  The dark chocolate and cherries go really good together.  And best of all, my craving for no-bake cookies is totally gone!

I was shopping for groceries the other day and saw a stand at the end of an aisle offering English muffins on sale.  It was then that an idea hit me.  Why not use an English muffin to make French toast?  It sounded intriguing, so I decided to purchase some English muffins and conduct a small experiment in my kitchen.

I started by mixing together the following ingredients:

1 egg
1 Tbl vanilla
1 tsp sugar
½ cup milk

In retrospect, I should have used only 1/4 cup milk, because it gave me way more egg mixture than I needed, and it was a diluted mixture at that.

Once my skillet got up to heat, I dipped halves of English muffin into the egg mixture, holding it down with a fork for a few seconds to let all the nooks and crannies absorb more egg mixture.

As you can see, my skillet was large enough to cook four pieces, which is all I wanted for an experiment.  I tried pouring additional egg mixture on the individual pieces in the skillet, but I just ended up dumping egg mixture in the skillet, which I separated from the French toast pieces with my spatula.

After flipping the pieces, I tried spooning extra egg mixture into individual pieces, but that didn’t get me very far.  Again, I should have used only 1/4 cup milk.

In the end I served my finished experiment with butter and maple syrup along with a side of hash browns and sausage links.  Again, I think using half the milk would make it better, but as it was, it turned out pretty good!  I might be making this again in the future, but with winter just around the corner, I have some other experiments I want to try as well as some tried-and-true baking standards to fill my kitchen time.  I’ll be sure to post on what glories come forth from my kitchen.

Traditionally, my mother spearheads the effort to make breakfast on Christmas morning.  This year, since she's lost some of her zest for the kitchen, I thought I would take over and make breakfast for her.  She loves blueberries, so I thought this gem might just do the trick.  It turned out far better than I could have imagined.  And best of all, it's extremely easy to make.

I made some hash browns as well, but I won't go into their preparation.  After all, if you don't know how to make hash browns, then . . . well, you should probably look into it.