Eggs and bacon and jalapeno grits!  With hot sauce!  I am one of those people who believes there are few foods that are not improved with an application of hot sauce.  And that is my first mug of hot cocoa for the season!  Love cocoa, especially with with drop of peppermint extract, or a spoonful of creamy peanut butter.  Mmm.  But this is ordinary cocoa, just a tablespoon of cocoa powder, two tablespoons of sugar, and hot milk. 

I had some grits left over, so I decided to try to make grits cakes.  I've heard of polenta cakes but never tried any so I thought this would be a good opportunity.
 

 

Jalapeno grits cakes with spicy tomato sauce:

Just let the grits cool down and congeal, cut them into squares, and cook them with a little butter or bacon grease (yes yes I know!  Leave me alone!) until they get nice and brown and crispy.

The tomato sauce is simply
 

 

 

 

 

 

This recipe came from the box of Baker's Chocolate.  I suppose I don't need to explain why I wanted to make brownies.  ;)  I had two recipes to choose from, the Baker's and Nestle's.  I went with Baker's because Nestle's called for baking soda and baking powder, which led me to believe that the brownies would be cakey (and who likes a cakey brownie, seriously?  just eat cake).  Now that I've made the orginal recipe I'm free to begin experimenting!  I think a few spoonfuls of peanut butter swirled in about halfway through baking would be yummy.  (Edit: Whyyyyyyyy is the cut not working?!)

( Give in to your inner chocoholic. )

• 4 ounces (113 grams) of unsweetened baking chocolate (I think, only think mind you, you could substitute an equal amount of unsweetened cocoa powder)
• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 2 cups of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup of all purpose flour (I used whole wheat and tasted no difference at all)

Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave.  It goes faster if you cut it into cubes first.  Then mix in the sugar, then the eggs, vanilla, and flour, until it just comes together.   Pour into your greased baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

This was at least as simple as making a boxed mix.  And coming from someone who heretofore had only ever had brownies-from-a-box, that means something.  And they taste so much better!  Not that boxed mixes are disgusting, but having tasted real homemade there's just something--off, something different about what's commercially available.  I guess it's probably the boxed stuff has stabilizers and preservatives and artificial flavoring.  I mean, look at this ingredient list and then look at the one on Huncan Dines or Betty Lee Crocker.  A lot shorter and easier to pronounce, isn't it?

In the interest of health, the next time I make these I'm substituting canola oil for butter, and 4 egg whites for 3 whole eggs. 

 

This recipe has a bit of history.  I first came up with it almost a year ago, for a recipe contest.  The recipe had to include a brand of frozen fruit and this is what I came up with.  Peach and Chicken Tagine.  I entered the recipe and later found out through another medium that I had not followed the rules completely, since it had to contain ten or fewer readily available ingredients and two types of fruit.  This was supposedly on the rules page (and I'm sure it was--I just skimmed over it and only read the part that said once I submitted the recipe it was the property of the fruit company and all that).  Well.  The recipe I submitted and this recipe are similar but not the same.  I changed some of the amounts of certain things and just generally tweaked it. 

Anyway.  I made this again last night only I used fresh peaches.  Let me tell you, there is no shame in using frozen produce!  Especially not peaches!  I am amazed I didn't cut myself.  (Edit: Gah!! sorry the cut did not work this time!)

( I know it's an odd combo but I think I pulled it off. )

• 1 bell pepper (red is prefered but green works too)
• 1 medium sized yellow or white onion
• two large-ish cloves of garlic (should be about 2 teaspoons)
• an inch or so of ginger (likewise as with garlic)
• 1 medium or large boneless skinless chicken breast

Get a soup pot preheating in medium high, and add a few tablespoons of canola oil (yeah yeah yeah, I know olive oil has the best flavor--but for stuff like this, come on, you won't taste it and it's $13--$15 a liter, for god's sake).  Dump in the pepper and onion and let it go for about ten minutes, just until they get nice and tender.  Then add the garlic and ginger and

• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t paprika
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t salt (kosher or sea)
• five or six turns of black pepper

and cook for another minute or two.  Next add chicken and

• 16 oz bag frozen peaches, thawed or not as you prefer (thawed peaches mostly dissolve in the finished dish, frozen ones will stay nice and chunky)  OR
• about four or five fresh whole peaches, skin removed and chopped into bite sizes (make sure they are cling free, otherwise you will have a hell of a time removing the stones!  I'm telling you, it's not worth it...)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Bring the whole thing back to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and let it simmer for twenty minutes.  Meanwhile, get a pot of couscous going, or Jasmine rice as pictured above (or any other grain you have handy).  When the tagine is done cooking, add a splash of lemon juice, kill the heat, take the lid off and let it sit for ten or even fifteen minutes.  This will be difficult but trust me, it makes it better in the end.  The peaches release a lot of liquid and it needs time to thicken up a bit.  Of course if you'd prefer it soupy, go right ahead....

This is one recipe that I really, really want to know what other people think of it.  Am I just weird, or does it really work?