introducing chef Jared

My baking buddy had his debut at being the head chef in the kitchen. After helping me make blonde brownies many, many times, I turned over the spatula to Jared. I was only his assistant. He got everything out, he measured everything, poured it in, and mixed at his chosen speed. I only had to remind him that if there was a b then that meant Table not Tea. When I tried to tell him about how when you measure brown sugar you have to pack it, I was reminded that he already knew that. So smart. And I must say, the final result was yummy! My compliments to the chef (and the assistant-who without, the brownies would have been a wee salty-that darn b)

mango salsa minus the mango

Today Claire and I made some mango salsa. She is following in Jared's foot steps in enjoying being my helper in the kitchen. I have been studying a lot this week and this was such a nice break. I found this recipe this summer online ( I think on a blog). It is very yummy. Claire of course ate as we went, but how can I say no to eating fruit? The sad thing is she doesn't like the end result. I think it is the vinegar that gets her. Well, as I was chopping and chopping, I realized I forgot to buy the Mango for the MANGO salsa. I swear this NEVER happens to me. It's still good, but Claire and I will stop by the store on the way to pick up the boys and buy one mango. I just love to go to the store for just one thing.

Here is the recipe, try it out, Yummy!

1-2 c. cantaloupe diced

1 c. pineapple diced

1 mango diced

1 cucumber diced

1/3 c. green onions

1 garlic clove diced

10 springs of cilantro

1 tsp. lime juice

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. rice vinegar (It calls for 1/2 c., but 1/4 was plenty for me, also I used the white wine vinegar I had on hand and it works)

the blonde brownie curse

I have a family recipe for the best blonde brownies you have ever had. It is a favorite at my house. Jared is my baking buddy-he likes to help with anything in the kitchen, but especially baking because he likes sweets as much as me. The problem is that 95% of the time we make blonde brownies they turn out gooey. The kids love them this way also, I am not going to turn them down and Allen eats around the side of the pan where it is more cooked. I have tried so many different ways to fix this problem-cook longer, more flour, larger pan. Nothing works, it's just luck if they turn out. And to make things even worse my sister Lori seems to have the magic touch and 95% of her batches turn out right. But, her husband likes them gooey (ha!) So, as Jared and I just finished up another batch of gooey brownies, I called Lori to see if Scott wanted some.