A Tasty Take on Grilled Chicken

Russ and I went to the beach this past weekend for a long weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. We had a wonderful, relaxing time and the only thing we cooked were eggs two mornings and Russ cooked them. I can’t believe how little I have cooked this month. I have actually really missed it and am anxious to get back in the kitchen. I did take my two latest issues of Fine Cooking with me to the beach. I have cooked some out of each, but wanted to spend some more time checking out the other recipes. Tonight I picked one recipe out of each for dinner, Grilled Thai Chicken Breasts with Herb-Lemongrass Crust and Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Olive Oil.

The Grilled Thai Chicken marinates in a fragrant coconut milk, spice blend for at least two hours. To make the marinade you combine the coconut milk, lemongrass, cilantro, basil, garlic, jalapeno, salt, pepper, ground coriander, and brown sugar. This is all supposed to pureed in a blender or food processor, however, I forgot this step and did not puree the mixture. I halved the marinade since we only used three chicken breasts instead of twelve. Also, I marinated my chicken in a ziploc bag instead of a shallow pan. I tend to always marinate in a ziploc bag, so that I can just toss it when I am done and have one less dish to clean. It needs to marinate at least two hours, so I did the marinade at lunch and let it marinate for about five hours until we were ready to grill it for dinner. Russ did an excellent job grilling it on the Egg.

The chicken had a wonderful flavor to it. We didn't think it screamed Thai, but maybe more Caribbean in flavor. No matter the nationality it was nice sweet, fresh, and a little bit spicy. Next time I think I'll try to start it marinating in the morning to capture a little more of all the flavors. We also thought it could have used a little more kick from the jalapeno. My jalapeno was a little small, so I probably should have used two. I also think that had I pureed the marinade that it would have given more of a crust (hence the name) to the chicken. As a bonus it smelled very fragrant from the coconut juice and all the fresh spices. All in all we thought is was an excellent dish that gets a 10 from Russ!

For the sides I decided to keep them simple, so as not to compete with the chicken. The asparagus is a quick and easy recipe that roasts the asparagus in a little olive oil and salt. Once they are roasted you season them with fresh lemon juice and salt. I also served fresh tomato slices with it. The asparagus was also a winner tonight. It was a very simple dish that produced asparagus with a great, fresh taste to them. The lemon juice was a nice complement to the roasted flavor of the asparagus. This is a great, easy way to prepare asparagus when you want a solid side that won't take center stage. Russ also rated the asparagus a 10!

Both recipes were hits tonight receiving 10s from Russ! I have only been receiving Fine Cooking since the beginning of the year, but it is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. We have had great success with all the recipes we have tried from it. Both the chicken and the asparagus will be repeaters for us.

On somewhat of a side note, I was excited to use basil and a jalapeno out of my garden in the marinade for the chicken. I have a small herb and vegetable garden in pots this summer. Russ and I will be redoing some of our backyard later on this summer, so I decided to do a smaller garden and keep it all in pots for now. I have already picked out a spot for my future garden once the backyard is complete. I hope to make it a year round garden with lots of herbs and vegetables. I’ll try and remember to take a picture of my current potted garden soon to post.

(Cash also went to the beach and had a blast! I have included a few pictures of him from this past weekend.)

Grilled Thai Chicken Breasts with Herb-Lemongrass Crust
Serves twelve.

1 ½ cups chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup coconut milk
¼ finely chopped lemongrass (from about 2 stalks)
12 fresh basil leaves
3 Thai bird chiles, 2 jalapenos, or 2 medium serranos, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbs. Kosher salt
2 tsp. packed light brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ tsp. ground coriander
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (5 to 5 ½ lb.), trimmed
2 limes, cut into wedges for serving

Combine 1 ¼ cups of the cilantro with the coconut milk, lemongrass, basil, chiles, garlic, salt, brown sugar, pepper, and coriander in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Arrange the chicken breasts in a nonreactive baking dish or other vessel large enough to accommodate them in a snug single layer. Pour the marinade over the breasts and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Heat a gas grill to medium / high or prepare a medium charcoal fire. Grill the chicken (covered on a gas grill) until it has good grill marks on the first side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken (cover a gas grill) and continue to cook until firm to the touch and completely cooked through (check by making a cut into one of the thicker breasts) about 5 to 6 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Olive Oil
Serves six.

2 lb. Asparagus, preferably think spears (about two bunches)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 to 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice; more as needed

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 450 F. Snap off the ends of the asparagus spears. Put the asparagus on a large, rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Gently toss the asparagus with the oil until it’s evenly coated. Distribute the asparagus so that it’s in an even layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and roast until tender (bite into a spear to check), 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a platter, toss with lemon juice, and salt to taste, and serve.

Summer Grilling and Bread Baking

Russ and I went to the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market for the first time this season on Saturday. We really enjoy going and getting some of the wonderful produce there. This was Cash’s first time to the market and he loved it! Russ and I got lots of peaches and some fresh corn on the cob. I decided to try another new recipe out of the June CL to go with the corn and peaches. It is Marinated Chicken Cooked Under a Brick.

This recipe calls for using a whole chicken. Last year I decided to try roasting a whole chicken and was pleasantly surprised how easy it is. It sounds intimidating (at least it did to me) because I think of people talking about cooking whole turkeys and how much work it is, time it takes etc. Well a whole chicken is a lot smaller and very manageable to cook even for a weeknight dinner. I highly recommend you try cooking a whole chicken if you haven’t done it before. We have now roasted and grilled them on with great results. Not only are whole chickens very inexpensive to buy, but we have always had them turn out to be very moist and flavorful. Roasting a whole chicken is especially easy and a good way to cook your first chicken.

You use a whole chicken in this recipe and it has to marinate for 8 hours or overnight. I had intended to prepare the marinade and get it going last night, but I got too tired and did it this morning. It took a little longer than I expected though, so I would recommend doing it the night before if possible. The marinade has minced garlic, chopped shallots, honey, dijon mustard, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped fresh rosemary and thyme. The part that took a little longer than when I normally marinate chicken is that you also have to prepare the chicken. I skinned it this morning and Russ cut the wings off and cut it so it laid flat prior to grilling it. Russ grilled it on low heat for an hour with the bricks (wrapped in foil) on top.

The chicken smelled and tasted fantastic. The marinade gave the chicken great flavor and cooking it for an hour made it very tender. It was moist, but Russ said next time we'll just served the breasts whole (he sliced it) to keep them even more moist. I think we will repeat this chicken again this summer. The only thing I will do differently is to prepare it the night before and let it marinate overnight. I think marinating it for a little longer will only enhance the flavor and not overpower it and it won't make my morning as rushed. Russ rates the chicken a 9.

While the chicken was grilling I had some spare time on my hands, so I decided to do a little baking with the peaches instead of serving them as a side with the chicken. I have been wanting to try more recipes out of my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking cookbook, but have not found time to bake recently. My peaches from the market were ripe, so I decided to try the Peach Oatmeal Bread.

The recipe is a simple one for bread since you just mix the dry ingredients together and then add the oats and sliced peaches to it. Then you mix the wet ingredients together and I did this by hand with a whisk and add it to the flour / peach mixture. I did drain the peaches as the recipe stated, however, next time with fresh peaches I won't bother draining them. Despite the juiciness of the peaches very little juice drained out and to be honest I would have rather had the juice in the bread. If you used canned peaches (which I wouldn't recommend) then do drain them. The only changes I made to the recipe was that I made 4 smaller loaves instead of 1 larger one and I sifted the dry mixture before adding the peaches and oats.

Russ and I both liked this bread. I think I could have taken it out a couple minutes sooner as I thought it was a little dry. I really liked the oatmeal / peach flavor combination, however, I think the bread as a whole could have been a little better. Next time I will add more peaches though as I would have liked to have more in there and cook it a little less time. I think I may even bump it up from 2 to 3 cups leaving everything else the same. I may also bump up the almond extract just a pinch as it adds a nice little extra flavor. I liked that this recipe doesn't use any butter, uses not a lot of sugar, very little oil, and does use whole grain flour. I am anxious to try the bread again today as usually whole grain baked goods are better the next day. This recipe did not call for any resting during the baking process, so I am thinking that sitting overnight has probably only enhanced its flavor. Russ rates the Peach Oatmeal Bread a 8.

* Pictures of the Peach Oatmeal Bread and the recipe will be posted shortly.

Spanish Style Chicken

Russ and I have had lots of fun dinner plans lately that have all involved me not cooking or just doing simple dishes like burger or steaks, so I have not blogged once this month. So, after slow start to June as far as cooking I did try my first recipe out of the new June CL tonight. This issue had a few that caught my eye, but overall was not a winner for me. The Spicy Basque-Style Chicken did stand out to me as a tasty recipe that would be great for a weeknight dinner. I also have a soft place in my heart for any Spanish cuisine after having lived there for a semester during college. While I haven’t been in the Basque region the tomato / green olive combination does remind me of Spanish cuisine.

Jess and Hugo came over for dinner tonight. Cash was very excited as this meant he had buddies over to play two nights in a row since Chester and Wag (and their parents) came over for a Corn Hole tournament last night. Since Jess spent a year and a half living in Spain and is a fan of CL I thought the Spicy Basque-Style Chicken would be the perfect dish for tonight.

You start by sprinkling the paprika and pepper on the chicken and sautéing it. Then you add the garlic and once the chicken has sautéed for a little longer you add the olives and tomatoes. This comes to a boil and then you bring it down to a simmer. Lastly you remove the chicken and bring the tomato /olive mixture back to a boil for a few minutes and then you sprinkle the basil and prosciutto on top. For the cans of tomatoes with chiles I used one mild and one hot. I did make a few minor changes to recipe including using chicken breasts (not tenders) cut into strips, adding sliced onions, and using speck instead of proscuitto (per Russ’ request). I served the chicken over saffron rice with a side of steamed broccoli.

The chicken with the tomato, olive mixture had great flavor to it with a kick from the chiles. We all really liked it and it definitely had a Spanish taste to it. I especially like the green olive / tomato flavor combination. I definitely think two cans of tomatoes with chiles that are hot would be too spicy for me. Unless you can handle lots of spice I would use at least one mild.

CL touts it as a 20 minute meal which it could be, but it took me a little longer. I sliced my own olives and chopped fresh garlic both of which would add a little time into the preparations. It is quick and easy dish to put together and cook. The part that took the longest for me was waiting for the rice to finish, however, in hindsight I should have started the rice sooner than I did.

It was a good Spanish style meal that made me start thinking that I need to make Gloria's paella sometime soon. I have only made it once before and it is a lot of work, but very tasty (although it falls very short of Gloria's who makes the world's best paella) and brings back wonderful memories. Gail - You and Martin will have to drive over to join us for paella when I do make it.

Russ and Jess rate the Basque Style Chicken a 8. Hugo had a small bite and gave it two paws up. Cash was too busy playing to try the chicken. He and Hugo got new stuffed animals from Mom tonight. Cash promptly set a personal best with destroying the bunny doll in five minutes. I have included a picture of him almost done with the bunny - stuffing was flying everywhere.

Mom's Simple One Dish Meal

It seems like Russ and I have had a non-stop schedule lately, so we wanted a meal for tonight that would allow us lots of time to relax and catch up on laundry instead of spending most of our time cooking and cleaning up the kitchen. We also wanted something that would have enough for leftovers for tomorrow night since we are going to Thirsty Thursday (yes, dollar beer night at the Baron's), but want to eat at home beforehand. I did some thinking and thought of one of my Mother's recipes that I used to make a lot in grad school when I had little time for cooking, but have not made it since. It is her Italian Chicken and Rice.

This dish is super simple to put together and almost all of the ingredients are ones that I already have on hand. You add the water, rice, tomatoes, seasonings, onion, and mozzarella cheese to a casserole dish and mix it all up. You then place the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture. Lastly, you add the cheese and seasoning mixture to the top and bake it. What makes this super simple is that the rice and chicken go in uncooked. You basically just dump and layer the ingredients and then bake it. If need be you can put it all together earlier in the day and then bake it later on.

As I mentioned before Russ hasn't had this dish before and he really liked it. He loves comfort food and this definitely falls in that category. The rice and chicken are moist from the water and juice from the tomatoes and the cheese and Italian seasonings give it good flavor. This is a great meal for anyone who is does not enjoy spending time cooking, is new to cooking, doesn't have much time on their hands, or just likes comfort food. It is a very hearty meal, so I served it with just steamed broccoli. Russ rates the meal a 8.

Italian Chicken and Rice (Mom's Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of water
1 cup long grain white rice (uncooked)
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes with garlic and herbs, undrained

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (uncooked)

½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine water through canned tomatoes in a 2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.
Arrange chicken on top and push down into the rice mixture.
Sprinkle the top with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the cheese on top is a little brown.

Flank Steak with a Kick

I recently received the July Fine Cooking in the mail and it is filled with lots of yummy looking recipes including many for the grill. Since today is Memorial Day we decided to try out one of the grill recipes. It for a Argentine Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Salsa Criolla. As a confession I had this on the menu for last week and didn't realize it needed lots of marinating time, so that is part of why we ended up using it as our Memorial Day dinner.

For this recipe you create a spice rub that you rub on the flank steak. It includes mashed garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and fresh thyme. You then rub the steak with it and let is sit in the fridge for several hours. The recipe calls for over 4 lbs of meat and I did one smaller steak since it was just for the two of us. You then prepare the salsa which includes a chopped tomato, onion, half a red bell pepper, spices, olive oil, and white wine vinegar. This also needs to marinate in the fridge for several hours. After the marinating is complete you grill the steak for just a few minutes on each side. Russ did a great job with it and ended up with a perfectly grilled steak. After it rests you thinly slice it against the grain and top it with the salsa.

The rub gives the flank steak a very spicy kick. I should have used less of the rub to compensate for the smaller steak and I think this still would have given it the spicy flavor without being a little overpowering. The salsa accompanies it well and helps to cool off some of the heat from the chili powder while adding a fresh flavor and good texture. We served ours with corn and leftover green bean and tomato salad (that Jess made as a side for the rib cook off). We really enjoyed it, but I think if I had cut down on the rub it would have been even better. There was plenty of steak leftover that I think we will use in tacos tomorrow. Russ rates the steak and salsa a 8.

Argentine Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Salsa Criolla

Fine Cooking, July 2007

Serves 12

3 cloves garlic, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbs. freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs. chili powder

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 and 1/2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. kosher salt

4 and 1/2 lb. flank steak (about 3 medium steaks), trimmed of excess fat

1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and finely diced (about 1 and 1/4 cup)

1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 1 and 1/3 cups)

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup white-wine vinegar

In a small bowl, mix about two-thirds of the garlic paste with 1 Tbs. of the thyme, 2 tsp. of the black pepper, the chili powder, brown sugar, and 1 and 1/2 Tbs. of the salt. Arrange the steaks on the rimmed baking sheet and pat the spice rub all over them. Cover and let sit for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day in the refrigerator.

In a 1 quart sealable container, combine the tomato, onion, red pepper, oil, and vinegar with 1/4 cup of water, and the remaining garlic paste, 1 Tbs. thyme, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper. Shake well. Refrigerate for up to 1 day before serving.

Heat a gas grill to medium high or prepare a hot charcoal fire. Grill the steak (covered on a gas grill) until it has good grill marks on the first side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the steak; if using a gas grill, reduce the heat to medium and cover the grill. Continue to cook until done to your liking (make a slit in the steak to take a peek), 4 to 5 minutes more for medium rare; 6 to 7 minutes more for medium.

Let the steak rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes and then slice thinly across the grain. Stir or shake the salsa criolla and serve with the steak.

Breakfast and Dessert

Russ and I were both exhausted from yesterday's rib cook off, so the only cooking that went on in our house today was for a late breakfast and a late night dessert. One of the many perks of being married to Russ is that he makes me coffee on the weekday mornings and frequently makes me breakfast on the weekends. He has been getting into making omelets recently. They started out where they tasted wonderful, but looked like a cross between scrambled eggs and an omelet. However, in the past few weeks they not only taste great, but look perfect too!

For the omelet this morning he used chopped green pepper, onion, and cheese for the filling. He uses whatever we have around which is usually a mix of veggies. However, he has made a few more gourmet omelets that include leftover salmon and feta or leftover steak with peppers and onions. Today's omelet was wonderful and a great, late breakfast! Russ rates the omelet a 8.

The only other "cooking" that took place today is that I made some frozen yogurt. This is a recipe I found online that is adapted from David Lebovitz's book "The Perfect Scoop". This may be one I need to get sometime soon... The one I tried is for Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt. Russ and I have a bunch of cherries in the fridge, so I decided to put them to good use. I have not made frozen yogurt before, but found it to be fairly simple just involving lots of stages and waiting. You first strain whole milk yogurt in the fridge for 6 hours. Then you put together the mixture and let it cool in the fridge for 1 hour. Then you follow your ice cream maker's instructions for the remainder.

We ended up trying it out as a late night snack! It was very yummy and smooth. We both thought it could have been a little sweeter, but I think this may have been that some of the cherries were a little tart. Russ liked this better than the pineapple sorbet, but I like the pineapple better. We put the leftover back in the freezer and it was very frozen the next day and didn't have the creamy texture it had when it was first made. Russ actually liked the more frozen texture better. Russ rates the cherry frozen yogurt a 8.

Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt

Adapted from "The Perfect Scoop", David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart

3 cups strained yogurt* or Greek-style yogurt

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cherries, pits removed and roughly chopped

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, almond extract, cherries, and coconut milk. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

*To make 1 cup of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth, then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

And the winner is....

And the winner of the first annual Rib Cook Off is.... Russ! That's right tonight was the rib cook off and Russ was the overall winner. Scott, Seth, and Russ all did a great job and used different styles and flavors that made it a very tough decision for the judges. More importantly the boys had a fun day of sitting outside barbecuing, drinking, and hanging out with the dogs. All the grills and dogs were brought over to our house, so that the boys and dogs could barbecue together. Meanwhile the wives in their respective kitchens were whipping up some delicious appetizers, sides, and desserts to complement the ribs.

While I cannot reveal Russ' secret rib recipes... I can tell you all about the other dishes that the girls made. I have had my eye on a pasta salad of Ina Garten's for a little while now and decided to try it out for tonight. It is called Pasta, Pesto, and Peas and it works great for picnic or rib cook since it can be made earlier in the day and is served at room temperature. To start the dish off you make a homemade pesto sauce that includes walnuts, pine nuts, lots of fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once the pesto is complete you add frozen spinach (thawed and drained) and mayonnaise. This was a fun way to really put my food processor to work. The end result is a thick, tasty sauce that is tossed with cooked, cooled pasta. Lastly you add peas, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper to it.

The pasta salad turned out to be really tasty. Russ who used to claim he didn't like pasta salads was excited that I had doubled the recipe as he knew there would be leftovers for him. When you make the sauce it is very thick, but when tossed with the pasta it covers it in a light layer that keeps it fresh and light tasting. I used a mix of bow tie and penne which worked well with the sauce. The peas add a nice additional flavor bust that keeps it interesting. I think you could make a meal out of it by adding grilled chicken or shrimp to it. However, I think it is truly perfect for picnic style events. I anticipate this showing up again this summer or for football season this Fall.

The pasta salad was only one of many wonderful sides last night. Jess made a really tasty and light Mixed Bean-Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette from CL. She used both yellow and green beans which mixed with the cherry tomatoes made for a beautiful salad. Elizabeth made two sides for tonight. She repeated her Uncle Richard's Slaw that was such a hit last weekend. It really has become my favorite slaw now. She also made her hash brown (aka "Hassbrown") casserole that was hearty, cheesy, and yummy. I boiled some corn, Mom brought a huge tray of mixed fruits, and Elizabeth's Uncle Richard brought very tasty fresh shrimp on skewers that were marinated, grilled, and served with two homemade sauces, a remoulade and a cocktail sauce.

For dessert I made blondies. This is my first recipe to try out of the "How to Cook Everything" cookbook. This is a cookbook that was a bonus in marrying Russ. He had some great cookbooks books and utensils that I didn't have and wanted which I consider bonuses in marrying him. The blondies were fairly simple to put together and one of the great things about this cookbook is that it gives you the base recipe and then lots of options as to what you can add to it. I chose to add dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips and a dash or two of bourbon. While these seemed to be a well liked by most everyone at the cook off I felt like they came up short on flavor and texture. I think I should have added chopped walnuts to them, but even then I feel like there would still be something missing for me in these. Russ really liked them, so I may make them again or I'll try a different recipe for blondies.

Jess also made a dessert for tonight. She made homemade oreos. We both enjoy reading food blogs and one of our favorite blogs is Smitten Kitchen. The blogger is both an incredible writer, photographer, and cook. She recently made these oreos and Jess and I both drooled over our screens looking at them. Jess did an excellent job with these and they definitely tasted like a wonderful homemade oreo. The only thing that would have made them even better would have been to serve them with a glass of milk instead of a beer.

All in all the rib cook-off was a wonderful time with friends, family, and yummy food! I think that Jess, Scott, Elizabeth, Seth, Russ and I (and all our dogs) had a fun time planning and cooking for tonight. Russ rates the pasta a 7 and the blondies a 8.

(I have included a picture of Russ' grill, The Big Green Egg. I have mentioned it several times previously, so I wanted to finally show what it is in case anyone was curious.)

Blondies, "How to Cook Everything"

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Butter an 8×8 pan
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter


• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting