my contribution to the holidays

I’m very iffy on Christmas spirit this year. One second I’m loving Christmas and the time I finally have to relax and visit some family. I’m known for sneaking looks at my presents and not sleeping the night before Christmas. But another second, I’m ready for it to be over. There’s so much drama related to Christmas and I don’t have the energy to assign dishes, wrap presents, and figure out the ever-changing plan for when everyone is showing up at everyone else’s house.

Too much work.

Plus, my mom is verbally not looking forward to the holidays since my brother Hunter is deployed. Last year he was deployed in Korea, this year in Afghanistan. And apparently I’m chopped liver. I kid, I kid.

Well yesterday I made an attempt at being spirited and finally made the sugar cookies my mom had been begging me to make. The pictures are a little sparse because a) I forgot to take them and b) I got distracted and went skiing halfway through making them (no joke).

I’d like to thank my best friend Tiffany’s husband, Johnny, for lending me an extra jacket!

But here they are, in all of their sorta holiday glory! Get out your butter!

Peppermint Sugar Cookies (makes 15-20 cookies)
For cookies:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 egg
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup flour
For icing:
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 T heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. When well combined, mix in the vanilla, peppermint, and egg. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mixing slowly, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until a dough has formed. Roll the dough into balls (smaller or larger to suit your taste, but I recommend ping-pong size) and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes until edges are just brown. Remove from oven and cool on a cookie sheet. They will be nice a chewy! After the cookies have completely cooled, beat together butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract for the icing, drizzling in heavy whipping cream to give it the perfect icing consistency. Once satisfied with the texture, add in the food coloring (optional) and mix well. Spread icing on cookies — lay it on thick! Enjoy!

Meredith’s 5 Laws of Food

My very real and official laws about food:

1. Cupcakes are only to be shared with a serious romantic interest. Or children under 5.

2. Pie scraps must be eaten in all circumstances.

3. Calories consumed while crying don’t count.

4. There is no such thing as a “bad” carbohydrate.

5. Butter is good. Amen.

this ain’t your mama’s mac n’ cheese

This ain’t your mama’s mac n’ cheese… Because this is my mama’s mac n’ cheese.

Rumors of this recipe have been floating around the Internet for weeks, maybe months. I mentioned it once in a Tweet or in a comment and since then everyone has been bugging me for it (hey, Sarah!). It is seriously one of my favorite memories from childhood. I used to help my mom grate all the cheese and always sneak bites of it when she wasn’t looking.

In the south, we bring food to people in times of sickness or sadness and this is a well-requested dish. It was always a special treat when my mom would put in the effort to make “real mac n’ cheese” as I referred to it. This is the mac n’ cheese I’ve been eating since I was in the womb. And the mac n’ cheese my mama’s been eating since she was a little girl. Life would be unbearable without it.

Well, fine. I will give up the secret because it is hard to imagine y’all living your lives without this recipe.

Sure, you can be fancy and add special cheese or bacon to this. But I believe it is just fine the way it is and I will never change it.

Mama’s Mac n’ Cheese (serves 6)
4 T butter
4 tsp all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
salt & pepper to taste
8 ounces elbow macaroni noodles
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Boil macaroni to al dente, strain, and set aside. Be sure to salt the pasta water and don’t rinse the noodles! In a sauce pan, melt butter and whisk in the flour until a smooth paste-like consistency is reached. Add in the milk, half and half, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil, then remove from the heat and pour into the macaroni noodles that are sitting aside. Stir well and mix in almost all of the cheddar cheese. Transfer immediately to a baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese on top. With the oven set to 350*, bake covered for 10 minutes then remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes, setting the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes. Broil until the top is golden brown (watch carefully). Remove from oven and devour.

sugar high

During my 3.5 years of college, there was one thing that never changed: my addiction to the dining hall’s lemon cookies. Yes, the same dining hall I climbed on top of the night before graduation.

I was lucky enough to go to a college with an award-winning dining service and about once a week or so, “lemon cookies” would appear.  I have no idea what they were actually called, we just called them that. In fact, many of my other friends had an addiction to these chewy, sugary, lemony cookies. One of my friends, Anthony (a really talented artist!), and I were really into them. There was a bulletin board of comments & complaints in the dining hall and once Anthony and I wrote a threat to the effect of “Bring back the lemon cookies or the carrots will get it.” (I’m not kidding.) And we were known to text each other when these delightful cookies appeared in D-hall, lest we decided to dine elsewhere and miss them.

Ah yes, those were the days.

Well recently I attended an alumni luncheon here in Austin for my undergrad and since I was the youngest alum there, everyone was asking about the dorms and the dining hall and it brought back memories… specifically of the lemon cookies.

In essence, they’re really just perfect sugar cookies with a touch of lemon. But in reality, they’re magical.

Oh hey, I got to use my new mixer!

And then I danced around in a sugar high for the next 20 minutes.

Lemon Cookies (makes 18-20 cookies)
Cookies:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup flour
Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
For the cookies, Cream together butter and sugar in a mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Add egg, lemon, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Once a thick, wet batter has formed, add baking powder, salt, and flour, and mix throughly in a mixer. Roll into small balls and press down lightly on the cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool on cooling racks. For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and the lemon juice and drizzle on top of the cooled cookies. Allow glaze to dry for a few minutes, then enjoy!

roasted chicken perfection

First of all, thank you all so much for the touching messages and support for me on Sunday. It was very heart-warming and I appreciate every single one of you.

But to move onto something happier and not at all related to Thanksgiving, I have a recipe! But speaking of Turkey Day, be sure to keep an eye out for my Foodbuzz 24×24 Thanksgiving post — my meal is being featured and sponsored by Foodbuzz!!

I have never successfully made chicken that was perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, and flavorful. It is usually cooked through, but dry. Or still tender, but flavorless and not cooked enough (yuck).

But I’ve been researching methods, practicing, and roasting a whole lot of chicken lately so that today I would be able to bring you what is, in my opinion, perfect roasted chicken. With just a bit of butter (okay, more than a bit) and some fresh flavors, you too can achieve chicken nirvana.

First we start by skinning some bone-in chicken thighs. Thighs are my favorite part of the chicken, I think dark meat is much more flavorful, especially when kept on the bone! You’ll want these as close to room temperature as you can get for easier skinning and best cooking results.

Melt some butter along with lemon juice, parsley, and a dash of season salt (way underrated, in my opinion). Once this is melted to perfection, you are going to dunk your chicken thighs in the butter on both sides and place in a roasting dish. You will have some extra of the butter mixture — keep it handy!

Roast these babies on 350* for 35-40 minutes until the internal temperature is 165* — when using a meat thermometer, stick it into the thickest part of the thigh NOT hitting bone. 15 minutes into cooking, pull the chicken out quickly and brush on any extra butter you might have left, then put them right back in the oven. Butter basting – the key to juicy chicken!

When fresh out of the oven, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice on top and serve immediately!

I saved one thigh for myself and packed up the rest to take to my professor who is very, very ill. The whole department has a Meal Train going for him, how amazing?!

The chicken was tender, juicy, flavorful, AND fully cooked.

Lemon & Butter Roasted Chicken Thighs (makes 5-6 pieces)
5-6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1/2 stick butter
3 T lemon juice
2 T fresh, chopped parsley
2 tsp season salt
pepper
Using bone-in thighs that are close to room temperature, remove the skin and sprinkle lightly with some pepper and set aside. In a skillet, stir together butter, lemon juice, parsley, and season salt until butter is melted and just starting to bubble. Remove from heat. Dip your chicken pieces in the butter mixture, being sure to coat both sides, and place into a roasting pan. Reserve the remaining butter mixture. Place in an oven heated to 350* for 15 minutes. Remove roasting pan quickly and, using a pastry brush, brush the chicken pieces again with any remaining butter. Return to oven to cook for another 20-25 minutes (35-40 in total) or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh and not touching bone reads 165*. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon on top, sprinkle on some some fresh parsley, and serve immediately! (Leftovers make amazing chicken salad!)

miss american pie

This week marks another challenge of Project Tasteless. Remember when I cooked meatloaf naked? Well, this time around, we’re talking “Girls who eat their feelings”.

So, other than busy with school work, how am I feeling these days? I’ll give you a hint: giddy & with butterflies in my stomach. Figured it out yet? That’s right kids — I’ve got a crush! I’ve found myself a nice, sweet, Texas boy – an American classic. I’ve been walking around with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. I also happen to associate these warm, fuzzy feelings with another American classic: Apple Pie.

So I stocked up on butter and got to work making “This Boy Makes me Feel All Warm and Fuzzy Like An Apple Pie” Pie (which is actually my Great Great Aunt Nell’s recipe I’ve made my whole life.

I decided that if I was going to whole hog and eat my feelings, I might as well go whole hog on the pie and do it 100% from scratch. I decided against the store-bought pie crust and braved making it on my own. My Aunt Josette, a chef, had confidence in my pastry skills, but I’m sad to say my own mother did not. But I persevered and made what is, in my opinion, perfect pie crust (I used this recipe from King Arthur Flour).

The key to my family’s apple pie, and what makes it unique from any other pie I’ve eaten, is the use of sweetened condensed milk!

(Shout out to my friend Mary for humoring me & playing photographer!)

When you make the pie crust, it makes 2 so you’re going to want to roll out the top pie crust to cover the apples. How you design this is up to you, but if you use a straight up pie crust make sure you cut some vents into it or use a pie bird! I decided that this guy was worth the “go big or go home” attitude and went for the lattice. 20 minutes and a lot of awkward dough later, I ended up with a semi-normal looking design!

Now you’re ready to bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Be sure to line the edges with aluminum foil for the first 35 minutes so they don’t get too brown!

“This Boy Makes Me Feel All Warm & Fuzzy Like Apple Pie” Pie
For this pie, you’ll need 2 pie crusts (I used this recipe which makes 2!)
3 baking apples (Braeburn or Granny Smith are the best), peeled and sliced thin
cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T cornstarch
1/2 can Eagles Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 egg (for egg wash)
4 tsp butter
Once you have one crust lining a buttered pie pan, place the sliced, peeled apples in the crust. Dust with a few shakes of cinnamon. In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, and the condensed milk — do not be tempted to add more than 1/2 the can, it will be too runny! Once that is all mixed up, simply pour it over the sliced apples and cover with the 2nd pie crust, using whatever design you choose (be sure that the top crust has some vents!). Beat up an egg to make the egg wash and brush it on the exposed crust. Cut the 4 tsp of butter into small chunks and drop onto the top of the pie crust. Line the edges of the crust with aluminum foil, and be sure to remove it 10 minutes to the end of baking! This bakes for 45 minutes on 350*. There you have it, perfect apple pie! Now go eat your feelings!

life lessons: how to score blondie points

As a graduate student, it is inevitable that I will eventually have to take some classes I’m not particularly crazy about. Unfortunately, that happens to be this semester, my first semester. I sometimes feel stupid and out of my league and hardly every participate. So my participation this week will come in the form of sucking up: Brown Butter Blondies.

If you don’t know how to brown butter, I suggest you grab a stick of butter and a sauté pan STAT. One of my favorite side dishes (typically served with my Mom’s Meatloaf) is brown butter noodles, so I’ve known the technique since I was practically an infant.

Drop the butter into a pan on medium high heat and stir constantly. It will get foamy and start to look like the head on beer (or at least that is how I think it looks) and then, as if by magic, after about 5-7 minutes, it will just turn brown. It starts out kind of slowly and then suddenly it is ALL brown and that is when you take it off the heat and dump it onto the mountain of brown sugar.

Important note: no matter how intoxicatingly salty sweet and caramely the browned butter smells (and it will), do NOT under any circumstances decide to lick the spoon with which you’ve been stirring the butter with. You will burn your tongue. Just sayin’.

Then I get another chance to use my hand mixer! Brown sugar + brown butter. I suggest you lick the beaters.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix it thoroughly. Fold in your (optional) chocolate chips. Pour it in a pan, bake it up, and revel in your cakey-fudgy blondies.

According to my prof, my classmates (who all had seconds), and my roommate, these were a total success. There were several audible moans. I’d say I scored some serious blondie points with my prof and classmates.

Brown Butter Blondies (makes about 16)
1 stick butter, browned
1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 T vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional
In a sauté pan on medium-high heat, melt the butter stirring constantly until it turns brown and starts to smell like caramel (5-7 minutes). Once it has all turned brown, take off the heat immediately and pour over the brown sugar, mixing well. Add in the other ingredients, incorporating the flour slowly until it is a sticky cake batter consistency. Fold in chocolate chips if desired. Pour into a 9×13 pan and bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting (trust me on this one, too!)

peachy keen

Good Thursday Wednesday morning! I am so confused, I am a day ahead of myself and had to look at my calendar 3 times to confirm it was Wednesday.

Anyways, I invented a successful recipe last night and just had to share it with you guys! My mom was really stressed from some work stuff so I made her dessert when she got home! (I went out to dinner with my grandma, or I would have made her dinner, too!)

Maple & Brown Sugar Peach Crumble

Maple & Brown Sugar Peach Crumble (serves 2-3)
- 1/2 cup  old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 T margarine/butter/vegan margarine
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
- 2 T maple syrup
- dash of cinnamon (to taste)
- 2 peaches, sliced into bite-size chunks
Melt butter/margarine and put into a mixing bowl. Add in all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss peach slices in and stir in milk & maple syrup. Once throughly mixed, place in a small baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350*, making sure peach pieces are soft. Serve warm with an optional dollop of Greek yogurt or ice cream on top!

I made my mom taste test it, because my opinion is biased, and she gave it the stamp of approval. It is like a crumble mixed with a cobbler but healthier. We didn’t have ice cream on hand, but it would have been killer with my favorite coconut milk-based ice cream!

After a sound night of delicious dessert-induced sleep, I got up and went to the gym to have my first official run on my half marathon training! Today called for 2 miles or cross training and I did the 2 miles since and I will swap out tomorrow’s run for cross training and then get onto the schedule. I definitely need the structure but I’m glad I can be flexible with it!

In other news, head over to The Power of Progress for some motivation! This blog is written by the son of my mom’s cousin (so my 2nd cousin??) who I have sadly never met. But my grandfather passed it along to me and we’ve since been in touch. It is awesome, please read!