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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Blizzards And Brownies



As I write this, West Michigan is getting it's share of the winter storm that is clobbering the Midwest... Blizzard warnings are out, and I've heard the fire trucks/rescue units twice today- and it's only 8:30AM!
Tuesday night, I had to make a big batch of my Wicked White chili for my wife's office luncheon Wed. I can make this in my sleep, but she threw a wrinkle into the mix- One guy is a Muslim, and could not have pork! I respect other's religions and made two batches.. Kind of a pain, but he was very grateful. All chili got gone, with the usual requests for the recipe!
Wednesday night we had a simple supper of scrambled eggs with Havarti cheese melted in, and a side of really excellent thick cut bacon..
I made some brownies for a sweet treat later.. I don't make them with sprinkles, and other bells and whistles, as my wife and I don't need the frosted, loaded brownie a kid would go for! It was an out of the box mix, 3 eggs, a handful of dried cranberries, a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips, a touch of almond extract, and vanilla... I love a subtle touch of almond in chocolate- don't you?
I still have a whole choice beef tenderloin (7lbs.!) I scored at Sam's Club to cut into fillets.. I like to do it myself, and save big bucks on a gourmet cut of beef!

40 comments:

Mona said...

wow! That sounds like a quite a storm a-brewing!

Now you have me craving for brownies!

buffalodick said...

Mona- We've seen worse, but it won't be over for another 24 hrs....

Kate said...

Yippee for snow! I got mine Tuesday night and it's so lovely! Now, it's 45 below, but I'm not complaining, because I GOT SNOW!

ExtraO said...

Wow, that sounds delicious! And yes, that was really thoughtful of you to make two batches. I am sure he really appreciated that!

buffalodick said...

Kate- I'm older than you... I have lived my life in this frozen wasteland (Nov.- March!) I don't mind the cold, I hate the snow!
Dawn- Welcome! Peace will only be achieved through respecting each other's differences- not by making us all the same..

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

got about 2 inches of snow here, but temps dropped to zero this morning...

Beef tenderloin is a great deal! I like to cook mine uncut and then cut into medalions. Course, problem if there are people who like them different temperatures.

Can't beat Sam's club pricing on these

Pretty Zesty said...

mmmmmmm brownies. I want some NOW!

Brian Miller said...

hope the blizzard blows on through, or the remnants of the chili keep you warm...can you please pass the brownies now?

Marjie said...

7 pounds is 2 to 3 meals for my current small family, and one plus leftovers for Mom when everyone's home. *sigh* I really do view the world differently, don't I?

The Blonde Duck said...

You're much nicer than I am. I would have just made the regular chili.

Barbara said...

Heard about the storm via my sister in Grand Haven. I get daily reports! You guys get a LOT of lake effect snow too. She's trying to get to Leland as they celebrate Christmas up there. Don't think it's going to happen soon.

Akelamalu said...

It was on our news this morning about the snow and blizzards over the pond. Sounds like you're in for a bad time of it. Take care if you have to go out Buff.

Chef E said...

Wow, we had one day of flurries, melted, then rain, stopped, now bouts of sun peeping through, I feel like Texas weather followed me up here...I could go for some wicked white chili right now! I first had it in St Louis (not sure if its the same), and I was hooked!

jules said...

Brownies. That is the magic word for me. I can be bribed easily with them. But add frosting and all bets are off. There is a time and place for frosting and brownies are not it. I'm glad you're with me. As for the cranberries? That sounds like a wonderful idea and I'm only mad I hadn't thought of it first!

Christo Gonzales said...

I can hardly wait for the day when I can taste some of this award winning chili - I am anxious as all get out!

pam said...

I love the addition of the cranberries in the brownies! And those eggs, melt some cheese in eggs and I am yours forever.

Liz Mays said...

The weather is nasty over here too. We've been holed up inside all day.

I never would have thought of dressing up a brownie mix! I love your idea!

Santa Claus said...

HO HO HO! leave me a plate full of brownies and some milk, and I am a happy man! Merry Christmas!

Martha said...

Yay, snow day! Hope all is well over there. I'll think about you as I dress in layers for work tomorrow (that would be a short sleeve open shirt over the tank top) here in our Florida winter wonderland.
The eats sound great as always! I buy all my meats in bulk at Sam's - try their whole pork loins if you haven't already - cut roasts, thin chops, thick chops, butterfly chops for stuffing, stir fry, whatever! It's excellent quality and definitely can't go wrong for the price!

Ileana said...

Wicked White Chili sounds like the perfect meal for a blizzard-y day...but it's those brownies that made my mouth water. I've added almond extract to my brownies before and they DO come out heavenly!!

HoodChick said...

Ok, I really want the recipe for the Wicked White Chili. I've been trying a lot of differnt "white chicken chili" recipes but Captain Clueless still thinks the stuff from Frickers is the best. And he wonders why I seldom cook for him!

Jeff B said...

Nice of you to make a special batch. You're right, almond is a great companion to chocolate.

Anonymous said...

First of all, havarti on eggs sounds very good. Never done that combination. 2) Denver has escaped the snow this time, Merry Christmas :-) 3) I've GOT to make that White Chili again 4) The brownies sound wonderful. Not a frosting fan and love the almond addition. 4) Thanks to you and reading this blog, I'm STARVING and it's only 5:30 a.m.

Rachel said...

So one of my favorite treats of all time is the brownie batter blizzard from DQ! When I saw your title, my heart started beating fast haha!

I think that was very kind of you to not put pork in the other guys too. Little things mean alot to people.

tavolini said...

How are you guys faring? I've heard more and more snow keeps coming at you!! Good thing you have plenty of chili and brownies (two of my favorites) to eat ;)

Can't wait to see what you do with the beef!

buffalodick said...

Griller- Same here- everybody likes it done a little different..
Kris- Just a little something sweet after a meal..
Brian- We are still getting it a little- and it's Friday!
Marjie- This will probably be Christmas dinner for family!
BlondeD- It wasn't too bad- hate to see someone go without..
Barb- Up by T.C. they got quite a bit..
Ake- We have plows, salt trucks, and are set up to handle it in Michigan..South of here they don't have as much ability to move snow..
Chef- Most white chili is more like spicy chicken soup- mine is different, believe me!
Jules- Kind of my answer to raisins..
DogB- Makes my wife Queen for a day where she works..
Pam- Havarti melts so well, too!
BlueV- I've made them from scratch before, and there wasn't much difference!
Santa- I used to put out a Heineken and Gouda cheese..told my kids Santa would like a change!
Martha- I buy what looks good, or I can't get easily at the grocery store!
Ily- Love that almond flavor!
Hoodchick- E-mail me, and I'll send you a copy of it!
Jeff- I'm glad I did that special batch for him..
Highlander- Grind the cumin this time!
Rachel- I thought of that DQ treat too!
Tavolini- Yeah, it's more snow than I care for! The beef will be pretty straight- too expensive to get cute with it!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I'm kind of leaning toward a beef tenderloin for Chirstmas dinner...tender, great taste and easy to prepare.

buffalodick said...

Katherine- The voice of reason, once again! Elegant isn't in presentation, it is in the ingredients! Simple, high quality stuff, doesn't need frills.. :)

The Good Cook said...

Buffalo - oh no to the weather! It's freezing here in the NE and we're heading your way at Xmas... I just want it to be warm again!

Great advice on buying a larger cut of beef and doing the butchering yourself. Saves lots of money and you can get exactly the serving size you need.

buffalodick said...

Good Cook- They don't call you that for no reason! I'm a strange mix of practical and whimsy... :)

G-Man said...

Ha...No Pork?
No Problemo!!!
I just use Turkey.

And in regards to your comment on my post...You gave me a terrific idea. I DO have one of those orange hunting 'Hot Seats'. I think that would work GREAT!
Thanks Buff....G

buffalodick said...

G-man- It's going to be a beefy week-end here!

The Blonde Duck said...

Ben adores beef tenderloin.

A lot of those ornaments were given to us by friends or family. That's where Betina came from. We have some new ones this summer from our vacation--they're just sand dollars we dug out of the ocean and hung on a ribbon!

Chris said...

The havarti eggs sounds fabulous!

Do you cut the entire tenderloin into fillets or do you keep part for a roast.

What do you like to do with the chain of bull that you trim off the side? I've done the Alton Brown cheesesteaks with it and have ground it into an 80/20 mix.

buffalodick said...

BlondeD- Our tree is a car wreck! I actually have ornaments from the 40's, and handmade ones from my youth and my children's..
Chris- Once I unwrap the tenderloin- I decide what to do from there..There are always pieces that don't belong on the fillet steaks! Dog gets the fell,after cooked quick in the micro, and the tapered piece is sometimes a roast..or butterflied for snack!

Anonymous said...

Glad the chili was a hit.

I love your box brownie mix in ideas. I might have to borrow o few of them.

buffalodick said...

K- Happy when people are happy.. I do what works, and never lie or embellish the final product! When you come here, it's the real deal!

Stacy Uncorked said...

White chili sounds delicious - as does everything else. :)

And of course I wouldn't expect anything less than what you did by making two batches to accommodate someone...because you ROCK! :)

buffalodick said...

Stacy- It's what we do that changes the world, not what say we'll do..

Shelly Rayedeane said...

Yummy! I read this post and for some odd reason it makes me feel like gambling!