Make These Brownies; You Have The Ingredients Already

When someone told us about a three-ingredient, Nutella® brownie recipe, TheKiddo™ and I had to make some that day. We would have done it immediately; however, we weren't home at the time. 

Since the three ingredients are flour, eggs and Nutella (as I'm sure you've already guessed) we always have the necessities on hand. Now we're likely to have brownies on hand constantly, too. 

You need:

1/2 Cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 1/4 Cup Nutella

All you have to do is:
Preheat the oven to 350⁰  F.

Mix the ingredients;

Plop (because it's too thick to actually pour) the batter in a buttered pan (yes, we buttered rather than using cooking spray);

Bake at 350⁰  F. Since I used a square pan (no clue if it was 8x8 or 9x9), I baked them for approximately 25 minutes. A 9x13 pan would take about 15 minutes.

Go make these brownies, and make yourself happy. 

Pecan Lodge is certain to give you the meat sweats

It was overcast, windy, and threatening rain when the soccer game finished, and we went in search of some 'cue. TheKiddo and I wondered aloud if the line at Pecan Lodge would already be out the door at 11:15. We had considered visiting many times, and hadn't yet because our Saturdays are typically packed with back-to-back activities which makes the usual line we've seen a concern about our schedule issue. 

After a bit of a discussion we decided we'd head that way to find out, and it really wasn't all that cold anyway.

We rolled slowly past on Main and were glad to see there was no outside line. As soon as we hopped out of the car, we were thrilled. The aroma of smoke smothered us from half a block away. 

"Good decision," said TheKiddo as she took my hand to cross the street. 

The line was to the door when we entered, and the folks behind us were the first ones out the door. So we'd arrived at an ideal moment. 

The line lasted about half an hour, which was plenty of time for us to watch people, scout out tables we hoped would be open, and decide on our lunch. We settled on splitting a three meat platter - brisket, ribs, and sausage - with a sides of mac & cheese, fried okra, and rolls.

The food was heaped onto the tray in a gloriously gluttonous display. We actually started giggling. Almost immediately, we shut up with reverence as we tucked into the divine.

The brisket was smoked-meat perfection. A crusty exterior, with plenty of spice that was wrapped around tender, moist, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. We originally thought we'd have some left over to save for later. The foolishness of that concept was quickly apparent.

We were cramming it into our faces with both hands along with huge scoops of the bacon mac & cheese. 

While barbecue joints aren't typically known for their sides, I'd be tempted to roll into Pecan Lodge just to snag some of this. We all know this isn't probable. I'm unable to enter such an establishment and leave without smoked meat. It just doesn't happen. 

Like the brisket and mac & cheese, the sausage was simply sublime, and we've vowed to try the jalapeno variety on our next visit. 

The only disappointment, and frankly it's a matter of context, was the ribs. They had wonderful flavor and a delightful crust similar to the brisket. They just didn't fall off the bone, and match the tenderness of the brisket.

After devouring everything we could manage, which was almost everything on our platter, we sat for a few moments sipping tea and telling jokes. 

After several minutes, TheKiddo looked at me and said, "Daddy. I've got the meat sweats." Then she pushed out her chair, stood up, and started for the door.

There isn't a stronger endorsement for barbecue than that. We'll be back, and we'll be back often.

In the garden - May 12

With most of the two 10' x 20' beds planted, this weekend was primarily about maintenance. That means everything from beans, blackberries, and cucumbers to onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelon received a healthy dose of compost tea.

We removed the plastic from the cages surrounding the tomatoes that were planted on March 17. All of the plants seem to be doing well. The two wild tomatoes from Hunt County, Texas and the additional two tomato plants we recently added to the bed are all lagging behind. 

The onions of every variety are starting to flower. So it shouldn't be long before we're harvesting in earnest. 

Next weekend, we'll probably till some of the marigolds into the earth--in an effort to control nematodes--and then plant the long beans, squash, and pumpkins. 

Fall Feast

Today is a good day for braised brisket with cranberries, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and salad from the garden.

The Zingers Are Dead. Long Live The Zingers.

I grew up on Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Donettes, Wonder bread, and a host of other bits of baked goodness. Sadly, today it all may be coming to an end with the news that Hostess is seeking to liquidate the company.
We never gave TheKiddo™ many of these treats (and certainly no where near the number I was consuming at her age). So she won't miss them if they're gone forever. I will.
Honestly, it's the Zingers I'll miss most. From the days of the Peanuts characters on the Dolly Madison boxes until the chocolatey goodness I had just today, they always made me smile.

Review: Aladin "Cool Kid. Hot Lunch."

TheKiddo™ likes to pack warm food for her lunches some days. Lately, we've been using a new bowl and she loves it. It's keeping her food nice and warm until it's time for lunch. Plus, we haven't had any spills.
If you pack food you want to keep warm, get some of these.

Urban Gardening: A Day for Planting

We had a long day at the garden, or rather gardens.

It began with a lot of work at our two plots that are part of Gardeners In Community Development. We had a little bit of harvesting to do. The bush beans are producing, and several other items are growing well. The pole beans are blooming, and the broccoli and brussels sprouts are getting rather large.

Harvesting and tending to the first plot was followed by a whole lot of planting of carrots (multiple varieties), turnips, peas, lettuce, and spinach.

After several hours (and a bit of a sunburn), we ran out of steam and headed for home. Of course that meant a stop at our small plot at the Deep Ellum Urban Garden. (DUG also has a facebook page if you prefer that sort of thing.)

We started the DUG plot to have an herb garden much closer to home. It's going to come in very handy for cooking.

Vacation

This has been a week to relax. Sure we've had adventures, but this trip has mostly been about the beach. There has also been beer and briquets ... and even S'mores at night on the beach.

Urban Gardening: Quick Pickles

So, I promised an update about the initial pickle experiment. Well, as TheKiddo™ has become fond of saying, "Oh Em Gee"!

We made a jar of sliced pickles and a jar of spears. These are scary simple to make as you'll realize when you read the recipe below. And so very tasty. 

How tasty? Less than 48 hours after we began the pickling, the jar of spears is almost empty. And that includes the 24 hours we didn't touch them as they pickled.

Since our inaugural efforts, I've naturally hunted down several more recipes that I'll want to try including some that actually take a fortnight for the pickling process. At this point, however, I may just vary the seasonings as we move through our cucumber harvest.

Our first two jars of pickles were created using something TheBetterHalf® spotted in the July/August issue of "Everyday Food." It was in the letter from the Editor In Chief, Sarah Carey. (As a side note, I happened to find her YouTube channel while writing this post. I highly recommend it if you're a fan of cooking.)

The recipe as I wrote it in my cooking notebook is:

Toss one pound (1 lb) of sliced Kirby Cucumbers with two tablespoons (2 T) coarse salt. Chill for one hour. Rinse and drain. Combine one cup (1 C) each water and white vinegar, one tablespoon (1 T) pickling spice, two teaspoons (2 t) salt, one (1) clove garlic, a few sprigs of dill, and one tablespoon (1 T) sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add cucumbers and chill in a quart container overnight (or up to one month).

A few additional notes: 

1. I'm not sure what kind of cucumbers we used, because I don't recall what we planted in
our garden. 
2. The pickling spice we bought in the bulk spice and grain area at Central Market. Whenever you're looking for spices in Dallas, go there. 
3. Using more than one clove of garlic is recommended by yours truly.
4. Many of the other recipes I've found call for the use of red pepper flakes (approximately one-quarter teaspoon per pound). Our pickling spice had lots of black peppercorns in it, so I didn't add the red flakes. I probably will for the next batch.

Now, go out and grow some cucumbers. Then turn them into delicious pickles. You can thank me later.

Urban Gardening: Pickle Time

We have picked a wide variety of fresh vegetables from the garden so far. Yesterday, it was cucumbers. We don't eat a lot of cucumbers in our house. We do, however, like pickles. TheKiddo™ is the lone exception, and I chalk it up to her age.

We're currently testing a refrigerator pickle method. Granted, they'll only stay good about a month. That means we'll need to find a canning method, as well.

I'll provide a recipe once we see how they are.

Deep Ellum Dining: Pepes & Mitos Mexican Café

Pepes & Mitos is unquestionably my favorite tex-mex restaurant in Dallas. Even if it is another one of my Deep Ellum staples that was discovered by the frosted-spiked-dbag coifed fellow on Food Network. So far, it hasn't made it hard to get a table. And that's a good thing since we've been known to wander over just because we were craving chips, salsa and beer.

Their chips are usually freshly warm and crispy. The accompanying salsa is delightfully delicious with just enough heat to get your attention.

I tend to have the Tacos Al Pastor (pork, not chicken) on every visit. I cannot help myself. They're too tasty to ignore.

The Tacos Norteños are delicious, too.

Frankly, it's impossible not to enjoy the food here.