Empirical Baker

Overcooking brownies imparts a nice bitterness to the brownie itself. While not a cooking disaster, it probably isnt a good idea. Must pull brownies sooner :)

This recipe has been in my family forever, and both of my grandmothers use it (as we shared and pulled it from an older cookbook. The kind that local organizations put out as a fundraiser. If you ever run across these, they often have the best recipes.)

Brownies

1 1/2 cup flour
2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecan halves (optional)

Place all ingredients in mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour in greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This recipe also halves well — cook in a 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan.

I halved my recipe, and cooked it in an 8×8 pan. I checked it at 20 minutes, and it was not done, then I got distracted and pulled them at 30 minutes, hence the slightly darkened bottom crust. Still yummy :)

I made chicken marsala again tonight. Used the last of our chicken breasts, unless I have missed some in the freezer :)

Made a few changes. I used onions, which added a sweetness to the final dish. I did not add the flour until later, which did not thicken the sauce as much as I would like. I had the heat on too high, so I removed the chicken before it was done, and let it finish cooking in the sauce at the end.

I do think I will use the onion again, it was good. I will endeavor to remember the flour at an earlier stage, so the sauce can thicken. :)

I love Rotel Diced Tomato With Green Chilis. Absolutely. The best (easy) cheese dip is a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Velveeta Cheese. Heaven.

I recently scored great deal on Green Enchilada Sauce at Target. In the same section, they had Rotel. But, rather than simply Rotel with Green Chilies, this was Rotel with Habaneros.

Awesome!

I took a bite of the tomato, and my mouth is still burning! :)

In the rice cooker, I have two cups of rice, 3.5 cups of water, some kosher salt, and half a can of Rotel. I warmed the other half with the chicken from the crockpot. Mix together, add cheese, and serve. Yummy, and very spicy!

(If anyone can tell me where I can buy Rotel with Habaneros online, I would love it!)

My friend cooked this for me a few months before I left Texas, and I was determined to learn how to make it so I could have it up here in Brooklyn.

But, up here, tomatillos can be hard to find. Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes with a wrapping. They are plentiful in Texas, but can be hard to find up here. They have them at my local store, but, well, not very fresh.

This time, I attemped to make it with Salsa Verde. This basically has what I would make in my own sauce, which are tomatillos, jalapenos, cilantro, and some spices. (You can read my recipe at AttemptedCooking or just use a jar salsa.

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Mixture
2 cups Cooked Chicken.
2 cups black beans (I used dried beans, or you can use canned).
Cheese, if wanted.

Cream Cheese Mixture
1 16 oz Jar of Salsa Verde. (or homemade Salsa Verde)
1 8oz package of cream cheese

Assembly
1 8ct or 10ct package tortillas (flour or corn)
Cheese

Heat salsa verde in a medium pot. When hot, mix in package of cream cheese. Mix chicken and beans in another bowl. You can mix this with cheese and some of the cream cheese mixture if you want.

You have a few options for how to assemble these. The easiest is to make a casserole. Corn tortillas work better for this purpose, as they dont fall apart as easily as flour tortillas. Put two small spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a loaf pan, and layer with corn tortillas (cut in half or quarters to make a more solid layer). Add the chicken and bean mixture, then cream cheese mixture, then cheese. Add another layer of corn tortillas, and layer until you either run out of a mix, or run out of room in the loaf pan.

Or, you can do more traditional enchiladas. These work with flour or corn, depending on your preference. You have to heat the tortillas in order to make them pliable. I tend to microwave them for a few seconds until warm. You can also warm them on a cast iron skillet or other flat skillet. Just warm for a few seconds on each side until warm and pliable.

Take a baking dish, 9×13 ish, and put just enough of the cream cheese mixture to moisten the bottom of the pan.

Take a tortilla and lay it flat. Spoon in the chicken and bean mixture, and top with some cheese. Roll the tortilla around the filling. Place the tortilla roll, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat until you run out of dish or ingredients. Top with the remaining cream cheese sauce, and cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly.

I love to cook.

I love to look at recipes, I love to try new things, and I love feeding others the results of my labor.

Problem?  Almost anything I attempt comes out, well, not what I expected.  When cooking for myself, I can typically try to rescue it.  Baking still eludes me, I cannot seem to do it.

This is my blog about my attempts.  So many cooking blogs seem like they effortlessly read a recipe, and produce a photography ready piece of food.  My blog will not be about that.  Well, perhaps, but you will see all the previous attempts as well.

So, Welcome!  Let me know if you want to see how I fail at your favorite recipe. :)