Iron Chef: Battle Cinnamon - Cinnamon Ice Cream

Without trying to be over confident, because I can sometimes - and by sometimes I mean more often than not - be slightly overconfident about things going on in the kitchen. But in all honesty, I knew I had a good Iron Chef dish this month. It rarely happens. And by rarely I mean never. When it came time for Battle Cilantro in November - 10 minutes before it was time to leave, I swore I was just staying home and not going out for the night. Not only did my dish taste "off" and nothing like cilantro, it also looked terrible.

Once the secret ingredient is announced, I usually spend a good 2 days agonizing over recipes, making things more complicated than they need to be, worrying about what might make for the perfect combination of flavors and ingredients, and really being completely indecisive. I find myself roaming the grocery store aisles on the Saturday morning of competition, with my phone in hand, as I still page through recipe possibilities - unable to commit to anything specific. At my Whole Foods, you don't get good cell reception in the actual store aisles, so you have to position yourself in the front of the store near the produce section to get any pages to load on your phone. I can only imagine what people think as they see me pacing, phone in hand, pad of paper and pen in hand, completely in my own world.

Secret ingredient this month: cinnamon. I can handle that ingredient. It is simple, approachable, and liked by just about everyone. I immediately thought of ice cream and once that decision was made, I really didn't look back. I found a good recipe, took out a loan on an ice cream maker and that was that. To add just a little something extra to the dish, I decided to make a crunchy cinnamon pecan topping.

The morning of competition day, I went to spin, ran a few last minute errands, took a nap, cleaned the apartment, finished up the ice cream churning, and was sitting at Starbucks by 1 - relaxing, drinking coffee and blogging. I was completely ready. I'm not sure if it was because I was hosting or what - but it was a welcome change of the routine to competition mornings.

The ice cream had just finished churning in the machine and I took a small taste test just to see what kind of progress I was making. Ummmm......yes.....the cinnamon ice cream was very much on track. I was onto something. Bring on Battle Cinnamon.

This Cinnamon Ice Cream recipe took first place. My favorite dish for the night happened to be Chris' Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies dipped in Cinnamon Scented Milk. I also plan on making Christina's Cinnamon & Lime Tacos with Roasted Potatoes in the near future.

Cinnamon Ice Cream w/ Crunchy Cinnamon Pecans

adapted from David Lebovitz and The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

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1 1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

5 egg yolks

1 bag pecan pieces

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Ice Cream:

Warm milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cinnamon sticks and 1 cup of cream in a saucepan over low heat. When mixture is warm, remove from heat and let sit at room temperature a bit to steep.

Pour the remaining 1/2 cup cream mixture into a bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks. Gradually add the warmed milk mixture to the egg yolks, stirring constantly - you don't want to make scrambled eggs. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan. Bring the heat up, stirring constantly with a heat proof spatula. Make sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Heat until the mixture coats the spatula - this should only take a few minutes.

Pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl with the remaining cream. Add the cinnamon sticks back to the mixture. Stir to combine. Lay a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the ice cream base and put it in the fridge overnight to chill.

Remove the cinnamon sticks. Pour the base into your ice cream maker and let it go according to the instructions for your machine - mine took about 20 minutes. Put ice cream in a separate bowl and freeze until ready to use.

When ready to serve - scoop into individual dishes and top with crunchy cinnamon pecans.

Crunchy Cinnamon Pecans:

Melt the butter and sugar in a saute pan over medium heat. When butter has melted and sugar has dissolved, add the pecans and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until pecans are just toasted and fragrant. Pour out onto parchment paper to cool completely.

Other Iron Chef Battle Cinnamon Dishes - not all but some.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Veggies, Chickpeas and Lemon Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Cinnamon & Lime Chicken Tacos w/ Roasted Potatoes - mmmmmm - one of my favorites

Sweet Potatoes w/ Achiote Chile and Cinnamon

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Cups

Spiced Goat Cheese and Cinnamon Dumplings

Moroccan Lamb Tagine w/ Caramelized Onions

Cinnamon Biscuits w/ Homemade Cinnamon Pear Butter

Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya

Warning: there are 2 more New Orleans/cajun food-related posts in my lineup over the next couple of days and then I promise I am done for awhile. This Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya recipe is one that I have probably eaten at least 20 times over the course of the last 15 years. I'd like to say it is the best recipe out there for jambalaya, but that might be a little biased, since this is the only one I've ever had straight out of my own kitchen. Over the past 15 years, I've actually never been the one to make this recipe - which is hard to believe. There are certain things at home that Dad was just always the one to make - the corn chowder, the homemade corn tortillas, the salmon patties, the potato wedges, the chicken tortilla soup and this jambalaya recipe.

Hosting a Fat Tuesday party though, called for something authentic - and what is more authentic than a spicy jambalaya? I requested the recipe from the cookbook at home and crossed my fingers that I would do it justice for those attending.

The Menu

Hurricanes

Abita Beer

Zapp's Jalapeno potato chips

Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya

French Bread

King Cake

I initially wasn't going to have any sort of snack food sitting out, but that idea didn't last long. I was immediately tempted by the Zapp's Jalapeno Potato Chips that were staring at me from the shelf while in Fox & Obel. If ice cream is my biggest weakness, Zapp's potato chips might be a close second - especially the Jalapeno, Cajun Crawtator, and Cajun Dill flavors. When I worked at Kalck's I practically made Melanie have the chips in stock on a regular basis. Zapp's chips are amazing smashed in between the layers of your turkey sandwich. If you haven't tried them before, I would highly suggest that you do.

It was also my first time trying Abita Beer which is bottled in Abita Springs, Louisiana - which is just outside of where I grew up in Mandeville, LA.

Jambalaya is actually a dish that is pretty easy to make, in that one step is not more complicated than the other. There are a few veggies to chop, and you have to saute them on the stove for awhile to brown- but after that - your Dutch oven does most of the work for you. The South Loop Whole Foods actually had fresh andouille sausage in the meat case last weekend- which is something I have never cooked with before. I've had to often times switch to chorizo when andouille isn't available, so I'm glad it was. My only worry was really in making sure the rice got done without it burning to the bottom of the pan. The recipe calls for you to not stir the rice once it is covered and to cook on very low heat, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I threw caution to the wind and gave it a stir about every 10 minutes or so. Better safe than sorry.

Mmmmmm. Jambalaya.

Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya

adapted from Emeril Lagasse

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1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped bell peppers

3 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne

1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch cubes

3 bay leaves

3 cups medium grain white rice

6 cups water

1 cup chopped green onions

Heat the oil in a large cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until they are caramelized and dark brown in color. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles. Add the sausage and cook - stirring often for 15 minutes. (I cooked the sausage first and then added it to the pot so I could drain off some of the fat).

Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Add the chicken and the bay leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat it evenly. Add the water, stir to combine, and cover. Cook over lo heat for 30 to 35 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Stir in the green onions and serve.

Valentine's Day Massacred Double Chocolate Cake

I can't stress enough - that it's the thought that counts - right? I feel like Sunday's events could possibly live up to the fiasco that lead to the dishes being done in the bathtub, hours before my BBQ Brisket dinner party. I'm not sure why things like this happen to me in the kitchen. Does this happen to people on the Food Network and it just happens to get edited out? Or it could really just be me.

I set out to make a chocolate cake. The idea seemed simple enough. It didn't take me long to find a recipe, as Smitten Kitchen's Double Chocolate Cake recipe had enough positive feedback to get nominated for an academy award - that is - if academy awards were given out for cake recipes. The original recipe called for the cake to be made in 2 regular 9-inch cake pans. Why follow the exact recipe though, right? That would be too easy. Too safe. I had it in my head that it would be much better to make a mini-chocolate cake - making 3 4-inch cakes instead of 2 9-inch cakes. A small cake just makes for a better presentation, especially when you are giving it as a gift.

I should have taken it as a sign when mini cake pans were no where to be found in the first 3 stores that I went in. Bed Bath & Beyond - no, Bloomingdale's Home Store - No, Williams Sonoma - no. I finally had luck at Crate & Barrel. Looking back, it would have been better for me to never find them in the first place.

I was pushing it slightly as I only had a good 3.5 hours to complete the cake baking process from start to finish. That was probably my first mistake, considering you can't frost the cake until it is completely cool, which takes time. I took the extra 10 minutes in the preparation process to cut out circles of wax paper to line the bottom of the mini cake pans. The last thing I needed was to have the cakes sticking to the bottom of the pans. Oh if that could have been my only hiccup in the entire process.

I wasn't sure how full I should fill the cake pans with batter - so to be on the safe side - I filled them higher than halfway full to make sure I got nice, tall cake layers. I definitely wanted the cake to have height. I got the 3 cake pans into the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes. I went into the living room, got on the computer and had the Olympics on in the background. About 20 minutes later, I started to smell something burning. Hmmmmm. I got up and went to open the oven - slightly scared as to what I was going to find. All 3 cake layers had overflowed, cake was pooling at the bottom of the oven, and the batter was crusting to the edges of the pans. Shoot. I grabbed a dish towel and started removing the cake pans from the oven, launching them into the sink. To say it was a mess would be a huge understatement. I didn't even know what to do with the piles of cake batter on the bottom of the oven. I just knew that these cakes still needed to get baked.

I composed myself - I think. I washed out the dirty cake pans. I even washed and saved the wax paper cutouts so that they could be re-used for the next batch. Thank goodness, I had saved the leftover cake batter as a back up - just in case something went wrong. I had enough to do a second round. And a third round if need be. I took my wooden spatula and started scraping up the batter off the bottom of the oven. I didn't know how else to remove it. It practically made matters worse as the cake just started spreading as it smeared all over the bottom of the oven. I slightly attempted to clean the oven with 409 - but you can only do so much cleaning with a hot oven and a wet paper towel. I really didn't have time to cool the oven down, as the clock was ticking for when I needed to be out the door soon - with the cake.

I refilled the cake pans - doing slightly less than halfway full this time around. Back in the oven the cake went. There was quite a burning smell coming from the oven. To prevent the fire alarm from going off, and the apartment filling with smoke, I opened both living room windows, the window in the bedroom, and turned on the oven vent fan. I was shivering by this point - as I think it was only 12 degrees outside - but I had no other choice.

15 minutes later I went back to check on the cakes - praying that they weren't overflowing as I opened the oven. They definitely weren't overflowing. They actually had not even started to rise - even 15 minutes into baking. Shoot. I had turned the oven off to scrape up the burnt cake and had forgotten to turn it back on. Back on goes the oven and I reset the timer for 35 minutes. 25 minutes later I really felt like the cakes were done. They were firm to the touch, the toothpick was coming out clean, and the edges of the cake were pulling away from the pan - all good signs. I removed the pans from the oven and turned the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Hmmmm. Am I sure these are done? They still feel a little soft around the center. I don't want a cake that isn't done. I'll throw the cakes back onto a baking sheet and cook them for another 10 minutes - just to be sure.

10 minutes later I pull the cakes out of the oven. I have about 30 minutes left to completely cool the cakes, frost them, package it, shower and get ready to go. To speed up the cooling process, I open up the bedroom window again and set the cakes right by the cold breeze. 10 minutes later, I return to the cakes to find them as hard as rocks. They were cool all right. Still slightly soft in the center, but definitely crusty around the edges. I think to myself - I'm just going to have to go with it at this point.

I got the cake frosted and put what little energy I had left into decorating the edges with the prepared red frosting. It looks like a cake. It smells like a cake. But I'm almost positive it doesn't taste like a cake.

It's the thought that counts though, right?

(Picture Details)

Things are looking good at this point. Pans are plenty greased - and I even went the extra step to do the greased circles of wax paper on the bottom.

The calm before the storm. Please notice the height at which the cake pans are filled with batter - not good.

Just like objects in mirror are closer than they appear - looks can be deceiving.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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For cake:

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee

3 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

3/4 vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

For frosting and filling:

1 pound fine quality semisweet chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 stick unsalted butter

Make Cake Layers:

Preheat oven to 300 and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until well combined. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I like the feeling of a normal routine. I commute to work via the same route each day. I tend to make the same thing for lunch, day in and day out. I get my Starbucks within the same 30 minute time frame each day - barring any unforeseen obstacles that might get in my way at work. I have a favorite bike in spinning that I think I just have to have. I'm guessing I'm not the only one that likes routine. For the past 10 years, I have been falling asleep with the tv on. It's a comfort. I just can't seem to fall asleep when it isn't on. When I didn't have a tv in my bedroom, I always fell asleep with the radio on - usually The Sports Huddle on AM radio. This is odd - over the past week, I have fallen asleep without the tv on. I get into bed and don't even want to turn it on. I actually think I am sleeping better with it off and seem to be falling asleep faster. I don't know how I can make the change so quickly - but it's true.

Oatmeal and raisins are made for each other. It is very similar to the relationship between peanut butter and jelly, french fries and ketchup, pancakes and syrup, cheese and crackers, prosciutto and asparagus, tomatoes and basil, chips and salsa, chocolate and strawberries, cottage cheese and applesauce. I could go on and on. I don't care for raisins on their own. They are dry, slightly chewy, and almost have an off taste. However, throw them into a cookie mixed with oatmeal and you all of a sudden have the perfect combination.

These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - courtesy of Smitten Kitchen - made their appearance as a recent Made for Monday treat. Deb insists that an oatmeal cookie must be thick and chewy - and I couldn't agree more. That line alone is what sold me on the recipe. Some oatmeal cookies come out crisp and flat - which is all good if you are craving a crisp wafer-like cookie. This cookie is not that. This recipe is also ideal because you can make the entire batch on 2 baking sheets. The cookies don't spread out much and the recipe doesn't make an over abundance of cookies - therefore decreasing the amount of time you are spending in the kitchen. It would be ideal to have a double oven in the kitchen, but I'm sure a place like that would put my rental costs through the roof. I'm lucky enough as of right now to have a room just for a couch and tv - with a completely separate room for a bed

Try these cookies out next time you are craving a great combination of ingredients - like oatmeal and raisins. It will make your house smell incredibly warm - thanks to the cinnamon - and you won't be able to eat just one.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup oats

3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until combined. Stir in the oats and raisins.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Scoop by the tablespoon onto the baking sheet. The cookies will not expand much. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

New Orleans is very well known for a holiday they like to call Mardi Gras - you might know it. We made the tour around the city and saw our fair share of Mardi Gras parades while living there - always the afternoon parades though - never the ones in the evening. I hear crazy things go on when the parades go into the night. We ate King Cake more often than not and had more Mardi Gras beads than you would ever know what to do with. King Cake is still on my list of recipes that I must try to make.

Unlike the city of Chicago, you could eat out at multiple places in New Orleans and feel like you had a handle on the restaurant scene in the city. New Orleans is a small big city. Chicago is a huge big city. I could eat out every weekend in Chicago and not even begin to tap into the extensive list of restaurants to try.

We ate at Commander's Palace when Emeril Lagasse was the head chef at the restaurant. It was just before he opened his first restaurant - Emeril's - in New Orleans. I don't remember the exact dishes that I ate - I just remember there being A LOT of courses throughout the entire meal. Although, when you are 7, anything more than the one plate of food for dinner would seem like a lot of courses. To me, it was very fancy food. My Grandma loved to tell a particular story about one of our dining experiences there. She always reenacted the scene for me - which I loved. She would say "you turned to the waiter, at age 7, in your cute southern accent and said I'll have the shrimp etouffee". Grandma didn't even know what shrimp etouffee was at the time - I was apparently on the up and up in the world of cajun cooking.

Gumbo is another must have when you are in New Orleans. Believe it or not, gumbo is very easy to make in your own kitchen. The base of the gumbo lies on the roux that you make right in the beginning of the cooking process. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat and is the thickening agent for the gumbo. The roux also provides tremendous flavor to the dish. You don't want to mess up the roux - meaning you don't want to under cook it nor do you want to burn it. In this particular recipe, the flour and oil cook together for about 25 minutes on the stove as the roux starts to turn a dark chocolate color. Once the roux is cooked, the gumbo comes together without much additional work. You can add just about any protein to the pot: shrimp, sausage, chicken, crab, etc. I tend to go for the sausage and chicken combination. This recipe doesn't call for okra, but you could easily add it.

Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez.

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

adapted from Emeril Lagasse

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1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped bell peppers

1 pound smoked sausage (chorizo or andouille) cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 bay leaves

6 cups chicken broth

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon rustic rub

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon file powder

Combine the flour and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour.

Season the chicken with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for 3 hours. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, green onions, and file powder. Remove the bay leaves and serve in bowls.

Rustic Rub:

8 tablespoons paprika

3 tablespoons cayenne

5 tablespoons black pepper

6 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons onion powder

6 tablespoons salt

2 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme

Combine all ingredients and store in an air-tight container.

Cranberry Orange Scones

We lived in New Orleans for 6 years. Mandeville, Louisiana to be exact - 1989 through 1993. And those dates are subject to change, because I'm going from memory knowing I was there from 1st to 5th grade. I loved every minute of it. I know I was young at the time, but I can vividly remember almost everything we did while living there. It's an amazing city. The heart of the city lies in the cajun lifestyle and amazing food that is served there. I learned to peel and eat my own shrimp - loving the burn of the creole shrimp seasoning. We often had crawfish boils in our back yard - throwing down newspaper on the deck and peeling and eating them right off the table. It's hot in New Orleans - not a dry heat, but a very humid, sticky sort of heat. I never seemed to mind it.

We left New Orleans about 12 years before Hurricane Katrina hit. I can't imagine living through a natural disaster like that. We survived Hurricane Andrew - it was a category 5 hurricane that hit New Orleans in 1992. It easily shut down the city, but didn't even come close to what Katrina did.

The New Orleans Saints weren't much to talk about when we lived there. The fans actually wore brown bags over their heads - decorated in black and gold - calling themselves the Bag Heads. The idea caught on. Pretty soon, hundreds of fans were wearing paper bags over their heads to the games. Fans of losing teams turned brown bags into fashion statements. Who can blame them? They only had 9 winning seasons in 42 chances. The only relationship that I had with the team referred to the fact that I knew the words to the song "Oh when the Saints, Go Marching In". Needless to say, I'm thrilled for the city and love thinking about our friends in New Orleans who are able to celebrate a Super Bowl win. Could they possibly teach the Bears or the Cubs a thing or two?

These Cranberry Orange Scones have nothing to do with football. There was a small coffee shop in Madisonville, Louisiana called Coffee Rani, that had the best orange muffins. But I guess Cranberry Orange Scones have nothing to do with orange muffins either.

I love trying new scones recipes. They are a great treat to take to work and make the perfect weekend breakfast treat. This recipe is a definite keeper. There is only 1/3 cup of sugar in the entire batch, so the cranberries and orange zest are really able to shine through. I tend to like my scones in rounds instead of the traditional triangle shape. You can make more of them that way and seem to cook more evenly. You don't even need to bring out the mixer for this recipe - which makes it even more kitchen friendly. I served the scones with a touch of orange marmalade - but I'm partial to that variety. You can serve it however you like.

Cranberry Orange Scones

adapted from Epicurious.com

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3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

3/4 cup chilled, unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)

1 cup chilled buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda in a large bowl. Mix in the orange peel. Add the butter and rub it with your fingertips into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Mix in dried cranberries. Gradually add buttermilk - stirring with a fork until moist clumps form.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead about 8 to 10 times. Form dough into a 1 inch thick round. With a cookie cutter, cut scones into desired sizes. Place the scones on the baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown - about 25 minutes. Serve with orange marmalade immediately.

The Baked Brownie

At what point does it become too late in the year to have white Christmas lights hanging up in your apartment? I can't seem to figure out what the breaking point is. As I look out the window at the other high rises surrounding my building, I quickly became aware that I am the only one with lights still up. It's a habit. It's the first thing I do when I walk in the door. I put my bags down on the bookshelf in the entry way (if you would even call it an entry way) and head straight for the lights. They've been up since October 31st. The lights warm-up my apartment in these dreary, grey, cold, winter days. They give the room that warm, homey feel. However, I know I'm hitting a point when the lights are going to need to come down. I just can't seem to part with them.

I've come along way. When I was younger, I hung colored Christmas lights in my room - usually ones that chased each other - and they would stay up for a good 6 months. No one ever said I had to take them down, and for that reason, they stayed up for months at a time. Maybe February 28th will be the day. However, if Chicago is going to stay with these sub-freezing temperatures, that thought may change. I'll keep you posted.

If I'm going to have dessert, I want ice cream. You know that by now I'm sure. Homemade if possible. If not homemade, then a good Edy's or Breyer's variety will also do. I've never been a huge fan of chocolate - unless it is the bittersweet chocolate chips in the black/blue package from Ghirardelli. I've never cared for chocolate ice cream and I will almost always pass on chocolate pudding. You might not want to make me a chocolate cake for my birthday either. I very rarely eat brownies. They just don't do it for me. This post is getting more tempting by the minute, isn't it?

Well, if you follow Whitney's blog over at Whitney in Chicago - you will know that she recently posted a brownie recipe that just sounded too good to pass up. "These brownies live up to all the hype" is how the final product is described. If you are going to do homemade brownies, you must do a version that doesn't come from the box. The ingredients are simple: flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate, vanilla. What isn't to like? The process is slightly more complicated than the box variety as you have to melt the butter and chocolate over a double boiler - but once you are through that step - they come together pretty easily.

I was worried that I slightly undercooked the brownies - taking them out of the oven at exactly 30 minutes. I took a very scientific poll: a chewy slightly underdone brownie is much better than an overcooked brownie. So there you have it. Crisis averted.

I need to take a cooking class on how to cut baked goods into perfect squares. I probably don't take my time to make sure each piece comes out evenly, but once the final product is done cooling, it's usually late at night or early in the morning. The last thing I want to do is precisely and carefully cut 24 squares of something. Maybe I'll start small and use a serrated knife instead of a dinner knife to make my cuts. Baby steps.

Try the brownies. It's worth it.

The Baked Brownie

adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and Whitney in Chicago

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1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

11 oz. bittersweet dark chocolate chips

1 cup butter (2 sticks) cut into 1 inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

Put the chocolate chips, butter and espresso powder into a large heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir every so often as the chocolate and butter start to melt. When the mixture is completely smooth, turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the stove. Stir in the sugars. Stir until smooth but do not over mix. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. With a spatula, gradually fold in the flour to the chocolate - do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely and cut into squares. Serve immediately.