The Pits

Is there anything that you have done in the past, learned the hard way that you shouldn't have done it that way, but STILL do it again? No? None of you are slow learners like me? Really? Be thankful that you have the brains that God gave a goose, because some of us aren't that lucky. It's the pits.

Example: I have a wonderful cherry/olive pitter from Pampered Chef (which after just looking on their website doesn't seem to be available any longer...sorry). The only tiny complaint I have about this amazing, little gadget (and I am not a gadget person, as a rule) is that it doesn't have a spatter shield. As the rod pushes through the cherry stem and pops the pit out the bottom of the fruit, juices spatter everywhere. I am left with what could be the crime scene of a million bludgeoned mosquitoes. Red, blood-like droplets cover every surface within spitting distance.

The first time that I pitted cherries, I was wearing a white shirt and had a stack of freshly washed dishes in the sink beside me. It was awesome to have everything covered in sticky, sweet, bright red spatters of cherry juice. Not. *eyeroll* You would think that I would have learned from that mistake, but unfortunately, I have a very hard head. I am left with the remains of a crime scene pretty much every time I pit cherries, and today was no exception. I wanted to make Cherry Studded Brownies and a Fresh Cherry Sauce to serve with them. And, wouldn't you know it...while I put on an old apron to protect the ancient t-shirt that I usually just wear as pajamas, I didn't think twice about everything on the counter around me. Splat. Splatter. Splosh. Slap! Yes, someone should have slapped me over the mess I made. I am the pits.

But, I think the mess was well worth it when this evening my dinner guests and I dug into ramekins of rich, chocolaty brownie studded with sweet cherries. Scoops of vanilla ice cream melted under the warmth of the candied, fragrant drizzle of fresh cherry sauce. Mmmmm. It is not the pits to have Cherry Studded Brownies with Fresh Cherry Sauce On My Plate.

Cherry Studded Brownies

(recipe adapted from Hot Polka Dot's Cherry Brownie Clafoutis)

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
30 sweet cherries, pitted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
Spray 6 dessert dishes or ramekins with non stick cooking spray and set them aside on a large baking sheet.
Melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. (Can use a double boiler, microwave, or as I do, just a really heavy cast iron sauce pan on very low heat.)
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
Stir in the cocoa powder. 
Add the melted chocolate mixture.
By hand, stir in the flour and salt until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared dishes, filling 3/4 full. 
Arrange 5 cherries in the top of each baking dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops are shiny and a toothpick inserted into the middle doesn't not show wet batter...some moist cake crumbs may cling to the pick.
Cool on rack for 20 minutes. (Serves 6)

Fresh Cherry Sauce

1/2 lb fresh cherries, washed & pitted
2 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract

Combine cherries, water, and sugar in saucepan.

Simmer for about 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Skim occasionally.

Stir in orange extract.

Serve drizzled over ice cream or other desserts.

Fridge Friday: Episode 9

I am cranky today. There is too much on my to-do list, and not enough hours in this day. The wind is a hot and blustery 20 mph pain in my backside with 30-40 mph gusts just to remind me that it can (and will) do whatever it wants. The dogs are barking at imaginary sounds, people are pestering me, and my bottle of Aleve is almost empty. It is one of those days, but here is my Fridge Friday fridge...

Is it just me and my grumpy mind, but does my fridge pretty much always look the same? Most likely, it does. Why wouldn't it? I tend to buy the same types of groceries over and over. On the top right, we have milk, OJ, and a few sodas; the top left holds assorted condiments and at this point, an impressive stack of blocks of cream cheese (I wanted cream cheese for the Candied Jalapenos, but forgot that I had already purchased some. *shrug*). The middle shelf always has the eggs, pickles, extra butter, and some veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, red & green cabbage this time), and today has a bowl of limes and a lemon. Bottom shelf is another mish-mash of fresh veggies (zucchini, green onions, spinach, celery, sweet corn, brussels sprouts), an icy cold beverage, and luscious blueberries and strawberries. There is also a Gladware container with a package of ground beef and some bacon perched on top of the beer. More odds and ends of produce in the bottom right drawer and some cheeses in the bottom left. I am a bit of a creature of habit, and pretty much always put things in the same places. I could probably be a hundred miles away and tell you were to find the jalapenos in my fridge (bottom right drawer, by the way).

Part of the agenda for the day includes Hubs smoking a pork butt at the farm for dinner with some family tonight. The cabbage will be made into coleslaw at some point, and I will fry up the bacon and ground beef to add to my big pot of Cowboy Beans to round out the side dishes for the meal. I don't have those things made yet (and if I don't get my butt moving and get this blog post done, we might just have to have pulled pork and no sides...like that would fly *eyeroll*). So, I am going to zero in on the bowl of limes. Last night, I zested and juiced a few of those tart jewels and whipped up a batch of White Chocolate Lime Cookies.

I am torn by these cookies. They are everything that I love in a cookie: sweet, but not too sweet; tart with real lime; soft and chewy; and EASY. I think that is what makes me feel so guilty. They are so completely, utterly, totally, easy because they start with a cake mix. (OK, serious bakers can click away now. Sorry.) Think what you want about my baking skills, but it has been a trying day and at this point, you might have to just shoot me before I would give up these White Chocolate Lime Cookies On My Plate.

White Chocolate Lime Cookies

1 box white cake mix

1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature (melting it makes the cookies texture tough)

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon grated lime zest (don't skip this, it is worth it)

1 1/4 cups which chocolate chips

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons grated lime zest (again, do it; really)

5-6 tablespoons FRESH lime juice (don't open a bottle, squeeze a lime, please)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cover cookie sheets with parchment.
With mixer, combine cake mix, softened butter, eggs and 1 tablespoon lime zest until blended and smooth.
Stir in remaining white chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 10-13 minutes or until set at edges and just barely set at center.
Cool 1 minute on sheets; transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
Combine powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons lime zest and enough FRESH lime juice make icing just thin enough to drizzle off fork.
Drizzle icing over cooled cookies. (4 dozen cookies)

Did you think I was going to let this post slip by without another voyeur slide show of other people's fridges? Of course not. I love it when you are willing to share your fridges here on the blog. 

Also, be sure to check out Jeanne at Jeanne Eats World and her fabulous Fridge Friday posts. Scallops on her plate tonight. Doesn't that sound good?