Priorities – I’m not sure I’ve got them in order, but I’m pretty sure my future guests will appreciate that I bought a sleeper sofa instead of making them sleep on the floor or whathaveyou. Maybe. We’ll see what they think after the sofa arrives.

Tamale Pie served with chow-chow and shredded cheddar

As for my late #LetsLunch recipe? It is the amalgamation of several recipes. And, as you might’ve noticed in the picture. There are beans in it.

Yes.

Beans.

Beans in my chili.

Any number of Texans are shuddering and shaking their fists at me right now since Texas chili is meat. No beans.

Quite frankly, I’m a little worried this could result in me being deported from Texas to some state like Ohio or something similarly terrible.

But I can explain, I promise.

My family lays claim to Texas as our home. My Dranny lived in Stratford. My mom was born in Houston. My Grandma Mary Lou lives on the Texas side of Texhoma and goodness help you if you insinuate she lives in Oklahoma.

But me? I’ve lived all over the place with my parents (that’d be my Mom and Dranny). And they lived all over the place to thanks to my grandfather’s Army career. And when you live all over the place and when money is as tight as it can be, you get creative with your leftovers.

In our case, a big ol’ pot of pinto beans was just fine for leftovers once or twice. But if the beans made it to a third night, it was more than likely that they were reincarnated as part of a pot of chili. This leftovers reincarnation served a couple of purposes. One: The beans were loved. Two: The beans stretched that pot of chili a little further than it might’ve gone if it’d just been meat.

When I left the family nest and was barely making ends meet in D.C. on my Hill staffer’s entry-level salary, beans in my chili were a necessity. Actually, they were probably about all that was in my chili.

And so, the tradition and even the preference for beans in my chili has carried in my house ever since.

What has changed though is how I season my chili. Growing up, our standard was to season the chili with that packet of chili seasoning you buy at the store. Then I found a recipe for Tamale Pie in my early 20s that featured cumin, chili powder, cocoa, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hence my fear of being deported to Ohio, where they put beans and cinnamon in their chili. And for folks who don’t know, Tamale Pie is, basically, chili with a layer of cornbread baked on top of it. (basically, right?)

Tamale Pie hot out of the oven

Since those early experimental, post-college, broke-as-all-get-out days, I’ve played with the seasonings quite a bit and don’t even bother with a recipe anymore. Not really. Instead, I use whatever seasonings sound good to me and that will complement the meat I plan to use.

While the recipe is never exactly the same, here is a rough guideline for making your own Tamale Pie. I will confess that this version contains no references to cocoa, cinnamon or nutmeg since I was using a spicy cajun sausage from Central Market. I couldn’t imagine those flavors going together at all.

Tamale Pie
Serves 10-12

2 or 3 poblano peppers diced (no poblano peppers? use green bell peppers instead)
2 jalapenos seeded and fine diced
1 large onion of your choice diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
several cranks of fresh ground pepper
1/2 pound chili ground beef (or regular ground beef if your butcher isn’t as helpful as mine)
1/2 pound ground bison (or just another 1/2 pound of beef, if you can’t get ground bison)
1/2 pound spicy ground sausage
1 or 2 cans of kidney beans
1 or 2 cans of black beans
more chili powder
more cumin
Tabasco sauce

Cornbread of choice (I used two boxes of Jiffy, prepared according to the directions)
Lots of shredded cheese

In a large, oven-proof Dutch oven or similar big, heavy-bottomed pan (5qts or so), sautee the peppers, jalapenos, onion and garlic in the vegetable oil. As the veggies start to soften, add in your first round of seasonings. This would be the 1 Tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt and the fresh cracked pepper listed above.

Crumble the ground meat into the pan and brown it until cooked through. That means no pink. As it browns, stir it and break up any chunks that you think are to big.

As it browns, I like to add more spices.

It’s about this time that I add another Tablespoon of chili powder, another teaspoon of ground cumin, another teaspoon of salt, more fresh cracked pepper and about 8 or 9 dashes of Tabasco sauce. You can use more or less depending on how spicy you like your food.

And you don’t have to add all the extra seasoning all at once. I am a huge proponent of the test-taste bowl. You know, the bowl you scoop a couple of bites into so that you can test the seasoning of whatever it is you’re making. Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this, am I?

Anyhow, once the meat has been browned and seasoned, add the beans. Taste again. Add more seasonings. For this batch, I added another Tablespoon of chili powder and a few more shakes of Tabasco sauce.

And then I let it simmer on the stove for a while. I recommend letting it simmer on low heat for at least an hour. You want all those flavors to marry together. You’ll also want to test the flavor, too. Adjusting as suits your taste buds.

At this point, pre-heat your oven according to the recipe for your cornbread recipe. Shred some cheddar, too.

Now, pull the chili off the stove. sprinkle generous amount of cheddar on top the chili. Then pour the cornbread over the top of it all.

Bake until the cornbread is done. If you’re using two boxes of Jiffy in a 5 qt pan, then you’ll need to bake it for about 40 or 45 minutes to make sure the cornbread is baked all the way through.

Serve the Tamale Pie with your favorite toppings. Mine are more shredded cheese and my Mom’s chow-chow. You might also want to try sour cream, diced onions, pickled jalapeno slices or other goodies.

Enjoy!

Basbousa (aka coconut and semolina cake bar)

When I read the recipe initially, I somehow managed to tell myself that the piroulines would be easy to make. The recipe for basbousa somehow struck me as being more complex because it called for making a simple syrup.

I could not have been more wrong. And clearly, my ability to read a recipe and accurately judge its complexity is flawed beyond measure.

Basbousa, described in the cookie book as a Middle Eastern dessert or tea treat, were stupidly easy, especially since I took the time to arrange my mise en place for once.

In terms of taste, these had a not-too-sweet, light coconut flavor with a cake-ish texture that reminded me of a good sheet cake. I’ll definitely be making them again, especially for potlucks or when I need a simple dessert to make on a weeknight when I get the itch to bake, but don’t have the energy for something too complicated.

The only change I might make is to add some coarsely chopped almonds to the cookie batter itself. The almond on top of each cookie bar added after baking gave the cookie bar some needed crunch and a little more depth to the flavor overall that I liked.

Basbousa
makes about 16 cake bars (because calling them cookies doesn’t seem so right)
Adapted from The Great Big Cookie Book (because, again, their directions aren’t so clear)

For the simple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small sauce pan, combine all three ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for a about 8 minutes. Let it cool down a bit and then refrigerate it.

Following this process, I was able to set my mise en place for the next part and nearly have the cookie dough ready to go into the oven by the time the syrup began to come to a simmer. However, times will vary if you set your syrup mixture on the stove at a higher or lower temperature. So just keep an eye on the syrup as it sits on the heat and then comes to a boil and simmers. And whatever you do, when it does come to a boil, be careful. There are few things more painful than having hot simple syrup burns.

For the cake bars
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used a whole wheat white flour)
1 1/4 cup semolina (A type of flour that you typically hear about in association with pasta. Bob’s Red Mill makes a good option, in case you’re wondering.)
1 1/2 cup grated coconut (I just used the sweetened kind you can buy in a bag.)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
whole almonds to decorate the top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Get out an 8-inch square cake pan and grease it with some nonstick spray (I like PAM’s nonstick spray for baking.)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add all the other ingredients and mix it together thoroughly.

Pour it into the cake pan and make sure it’s evenly spread out in the pan. The mixture will be a bit thick, so you may need to use your hands to get it in the pan evenly.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

When the cake bars are done, cut them immediately into squares or diamonds. Pour the chilled simply syrup over the top and decorate each one with an almond (or two, if you want).

Enjoy!

I know I sure as heck don’t. Most days it’s a crapshoot as to whether or not I’m going to slice a finger open, burn myself on the oven rack or manage to burn the living daylights out myself. And then there are the recipes that just don’t turn out right because I haven’t mastered the technique or I’ve totally misread the directions.

Regardless, I still keep at it. I still think my kitchen is one of the best places to be.

The cookie recipe I selected for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap tested that conviction, but it did not beat me. Well, it beat me up and singed the finger and palm prints off of my hands, but it did not beat me.

Sprinkles & Chocolate Make Piroulines Look Pretty

Here’s the deal with a recipe like piroulines; they take a ton of patience and practice. When you’re still getting to know your kitchen and all its quirks after a big move and starting a new job and celebrating a major holiday, piroulines might not be the best recipe to tackle.

Of course, I didn’t let that stop me. Nope. Not me. I decided I just had to make them; come burnt palms or singed finger tips.

The end result were cookies that are good, I think. They weren’t as beautiful as the piroulines that come in a tin from the store, but they were my homely little creations, and I’m proud of them. I just hope my Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipients liked them, too. You know, like everyone loves the toys from the Island of Misfit Toys in Rudolph.

First attempts out of the oven. Not so good, really.

Speaking of my Cookie Swap recipients, you should check them out! Erin at Knot and Bow, Suzy at Frosting for Dinner & Tripp at It’s Tripp. And thank you to lovely ladies who sent me my Cookie Swaps: Pam at Cave Cibum, The Collected Works of Clownface, and Athena Plichta.

Piroulines
(adapted from The Great Big Cookie Book, whose directions for making these beyond the batter making stage were crap)
Makes 20. Maybe. If you don’t have to chuck half of them for being ugly as sin.

Ingredients 

2 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line at least two cookies sheets with parchment paper. Be sure it lies flat on the cookie sheet or else it will be tough to make the cookie shapes.

Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff. Add sugar gradually or about a third at a time; make sure it’s thoroughly incorporated before adding more. Add the flour and butter, and beat until smooth. I add half the flour, then half the butter and repeated the process to make sure the flour mixed in well.

That was the easy part. From here on out, grab a hold of your patience.

Drop one small teaspoonful of dough on to the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Using the back of your flattest teaspoon, spread the dough out into a thing, crepe-like cookie. I also recommend making sure the edges are a uniform thickness. And, it sometimes worked best for me if the edges formed the tiniest bit of an ledge around the thinner center. Beyond that, you want the cookie to be as uniformly thin and smooth as you can possibly make it.

Repeat the process. Typically, I could only fit about four cookies on a sheet at a time. I could’ve fit more, but then it makes the post-oven steps more difficult. About half way through the second batch of cookies, I traced the bottom of a salt container in four spots on the reverse side of the parchment paper. This gave me a guide for how big to make the cookies and to help make them uniformly shaped.

Put cookie sheet in the oven for about 3 minutes. While cookies are baking, grab a very clean, very splinter-free wooden spoon, spray its handle with non-stick cooking spray. Set out your cooling racks, too.

Now, remove from the cookies sheet from oven and use a metal spatula or a plastic spatula flattened against the cookie sheet to separate the cookies from the parchment paper. Return the cookies to the oven for just a few seconds to heat them up again.

Open the oven and remove just one cookie from the sheet. Transfer the edge of the cookie to the handle of the wooden spoon and wrap the cookie around it using your hands to mold it. Be sure to lay the bottom of the cookie along the handle and to keep the top side of the cookie facing out. This makes it much easier to manipulate the cookie.

Repeat the process with the other cookies. Leaving the cookies you’re not yet shaping in the oven until it’s their turned to be wrapped around the spoon’s handle. You have to work quickly; not only because the cookie are hot as all get out and are burning the prints off of your fingers and palms, but because you don’t want to burn the cookies in the oven. Another good reason to only bake four at a time.

Progress. Please note the sprinkles on the cookies rolled top side out for ease of cookie making.

You’ll notice in the pictures above some of my cookies are dyed green and red. I just added a couple of drops of food coloring to the dough at the same time that I added the butter and flour.

The top photo also features cookies with candy sprinkles in the dough. I accomplished by sprinkling the candy decorations on before popping the cookies in the oven. The sprinkle side is the top side and the outer layer of the piroulines. In the first batch of cookies out of the oven, I had drizzled colored white chocolate on the cookies and rolled them top side in (that’d be the wrong way). They went to pieces because I used too much white chocolate drizzle and rolled them the wrong way (top side in).

To cover up some of the uglier edges of the cookies and to add a little more pizzazz to the ones that made the cut, I dipped the cookies in melted chocolate and white chocolate, and then finished them off with candy sprinkles.

All told, it took me three batches of dough to make enough cookies to send to my Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipients. And it took me four nights to do it all, too.

Now, you might be asking, would I make these cookies again? Not likely. Not unless my parents or someone else wanted to watch me make them for the laughs. Well, actually, I might make them again — just to prove that this cookie recipe did not get the best of me.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving is the Holy Grail of family meals.
-Virginia Willis, Dec. 8, 2011

This past Wednesday, I attended a cooking class led by Virginia Willis, who is on the road promoting her second cookbook, “Basic to Brilliant, Y’all!” that just came out this fall. Her quote above was in reference to her Winter Greens and Butternut Squash Gratin that has made its way on to the Thanksgiving menu of some of her friends.

Now, I know that Thanksgiving has come and gone. But in my family, the differences between our traditional Thanksgiving dinner and our traditional Christmas dinner were reflected in the desserts, not the dinner. And goodness help the poor soul who wanted to make a radical change to core elements of those traditions.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that we decided to chuck tradition out the window when it came to our Christmas dinner. Instead of turkey and the fixings, we had schnitzel and fried potatoes. Not to get into details that are not mine to share, but let’s just say we’d been through a rough time and letting go of this particular tradition was sort of cathartic in that we got to make a symbolic break with our troubles.

The perfect sweet potato casserole in my corning ware I got from my Mom's collection.

That Christmas dinner opened up the door for other crazy ideas when it came to our holiday meal traditions. And I was more than willing to exploit the opening by recommending new sweet potato dishes that had nothing to do with the yams in a can topped with marshmallows. As a kid, I liked this dish, but – as my Mom told me this year – it was never really the most popular dish on the table.

These new-fangled sweet potato casseroles have had varying levels of success with different family members. But in the back of my mind, I always knew that I was messing around with my Mom’s favorite dish, and it made me feel a bit guilty. Last year, we struck a compromise. I made a sweet potato casserole from scratch, but added marshmallows. It was a good effort, but there wasn’t much heart in it and it still wasn’t really my Mom’s favorite nor anyone else’s.

This year though, I struck the jackpot with a recipe from Saveur.

The Perfect Sweet Potato Casserole with its pecan crumble and smattering of marshmallows was, indeed, the perfect sweet potato casserole.

Sweet potato casserole in a gold goblet from my Dranny's collection of dishes.

My Dranny loved it enough to put the recipe into the family tin of recipes (high praise, in my world). And my Aunt, who hates sweet potato casserole went back for seconds and snuck bites while we were putting away leftovers. And then, while my Mom was urging me to take leftovers home with me, she put one caveat on it – Do NOT take any of the sweet potatoes. She wanted to have those and I could just make some more if I wanted more.

I gotta tell you. That was when I knew I had a winner and that my Mom wasn’t just saying she liked it so that she wouldn’t hurt my feelings.

Now that I’ve cracked the Holy Grail of family menus with the Perfect Sweet Potato Casserole, I can’t wait to start trying my hand at a new twist on a family favorite.

Have no fear though, family, I have zero plans of messing with the Cornbread Dressing. Messing with that recipe amounts to sacrilege, and I will not stand for that. =)

Now, to be honest, I used the Saveur recipe more as a guide. A close guide, but I will say the subtle hand with the spices and brown sugar were important. And the crumble was to die for. Just the right balance of textures and tastes in one dish. You can find the recipe on Saveur.com.

Today’s post is part of the #LetsLunch bunch’s gathering. We get together about once a month to have a virtual potluck hosted by Cheryl Tan of A Tiger in the Kitchen fame. This month it was all about festive holiday side dishes important to our families or cultures. I’ll share links to the rest of the group’s posts as soon as I can or you can follow us on Twitter using the #LetsLunch hashtag. And, we hope you’ll consider joining us next month!

More #LetsLunch Bunch Posts

• A Cook and Her Books: Black-eyed Peas & Greens
• A Tiger in the Kitchen: Singaporean Christmas Casserole
• Burnt-Out Baker: Butterfly Cookies
• Cowgirl Chef: Lime-Chipotle Carrots
• Eleanor Hoh: Easy Festive Side
• Free Range Cookies: Baked Salad
• Grongar Blog: Potato Kugel
• Hapa Mama: Of Loaves and Fruitcakes
• Joe Yonan: Holiday Dishes at the Maine Homestead
• Maria’s Good Things: Deviled Eggs
• Monday Morning Cooking Club: Potato Latkes
• Patrick G. Lee: Baby Pecan Pies
• Spice Box Travels: Trinidadian Baked Pastelles
• Taste of Oregon: Roasted Veggies & Mustard Greens
• Zest Bakery: Coconut Date Balls

The basic premise, as determined by Cookie Swap Masterminds Julie at The Little Kitchen and Lindsay at Love & Olive Oil, is that I send one dozen cookies each to three other food bloggers who raised their hands and volunteered to bake for strangers, too. In return, I get a dozen cookies each from three other randomly selected food bloggers.

Well, okay. Sure. Why not? Sign me up!

Uh… Wait just a second there, buster… Really? I signed up for this? In the midst of moving in to a new apartment in a new city while starting a new job during the holiday season? Maybe I’m crazy. But if I am crazy, I am not alone because 624 other people signed up to swap cookies, too. I wonder if Lindsay and Julie set me up with similarly crazy bakers?

Anyhow, logistically, my cookies will be made and shipped out this week to my secretly assigned cookie swap recipients. As of Sunday night, I’ve tested two cookie recipes. One is so much easier than the other, but I refused to be beaten by a cookie recipe. So, Monday night, I will tackle the tougher cookie recipe again. Now that I’ve got the technique down, I’m hoping it will work and look good enough to ship to strangers who’ll be subjected to my experimental cookies.

And, if you care to hear more about my cookie swap adventures and how I burnt the fingerprints off my fingers, check back on Dec. 12, which is the designated reveal date for Cookie Swap recipes.

Check out the results of these crazy antics in my Dec. 12 blog post.

In case you’re wondering, it turns out that guys do, in fact, appreciate a girl who knows the difference between a wide receiver and a running back. Well, at least the guys I flirt with do. I’ll resist lumping all guys into a category of football obsessed.

Not the point though… The point is, finding my way to a guy’s heart through his stomach has not been my style. That’s in part because I think cooking for a guy is pretty intimate. I’ll save that for the guy who manages to make me go all googly-eyed. (friends who know me & my commitmentphobia too well, you can stop laughing about the concept of me being all googly-eyed.)

So, what’s a girl who doesn’t cook to seduce to do when the #LetsLunch bunch honors my friend Mina (aka Rashda) Khan for her first published book, The Djinn’s Dilemma (it’s a paranormal romance!), by writing about Foods of Seduction? Well, in this for instance, I’m lucky because I just got back from Italy, where I’m fairly certain life revolves around food and drink.

I’ve been lucky to visit Italy a few times now, each with its own distinct food-related memories. For me, somehow food in Italy seems better, more exotic, more enjoyable and just … well, just more of everything. And let me tell you, those foods seduce me. The clementines I bought at the market when I visited my cousin last Thanksgiving? They’ll live in my memory as the best clementines I’ve ever had. The yummy little Italian crackers we bought at the grocery store? Yeah. Good luck beating them. And the joy that comes from sitting outside, watching the world go by and sipping a glass or two of prosecco? Immense.

The best clementines ever

On this last trip to Italy, my cousin and I went back to the Cantina do Mori in Venice. It’s this tiny bar off the beaten track where you can have a glass of wine, a little snack and some great conversation with the folks you come in with and with the guys behind the bar. My cousin and I found it last year when we purposely went in the direction with the fewest tourist and/or the most interesting sign. We loved the ambiance and it has become one of our favorite places in Venice.

Last time, the guys behind the bar were friendly and nice. No doubt about it. But this time, one of the guys behind the bar was awfully easy on the eyes. And, wouldn’t you know it, I found several reasons to ask him about the different cheeses, salamis and other assorted snacks available. And, shock of shocks, my cousin and I stayed for more than just a single glass of prosecco. Better yet, he was flirty in a rather flattering way. So yes, I spent the better part of an hour batting my eyelashes at him and managing a bit of conversation despite the language barrier.

A flirty snack and some prosecco in Venice (sorry for the fuzzy camera phone picture. i was too busy flirting to take a proper picture.)

Did I seduce him? No. Did he seduce me? No. But will the flirty encounter live on as a vivid memory for a while? Yes. And, in part, that’s because a glass of prosecco and a plate of cheeses, salamis, and lardo-topped bread provided just the right opening for some enjoyable flirting.

And really, when you’re in Venice, what’s better than flirting with a cute guy while enjoying a glass of prosecco?

Now, if you’re interested in a book that’s more than a little flirty, you should download Mina’s e-book. Personally, I liked her book and can’t wait to read her next book. And do not be bashful about reading a Harlequin novel. In fact, if you do have a significant other, maybe you should read it together. If you purchase the book before Nov. 16, you can also enter to win some Release Day prizes, including an Amazon gift certificate and chocolates.

Lastly, congratulations on publishing your first book, Mina! I’m so happy for you.

More #LetsLunch Bunch Posts

• Mina’s Red Hot Smokin’ Fiction and Seafood Soup
• Cathy’s Roasted Red Pepper Spicy Jelly
• Linda’s West African Groundnut Stew
• Emma’s Carbonara
• Lisa’s Pavlova
• Joe’s Swordfish Stew
• Grace’s Pasta Puttanesca
• Leigh’s Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Luckily, I did bake lots of goodies for their potential to be part of a High Tea as I envision it and then I narrowed it down to two.

Now, perhaps you’re wondering just exactly how I envision High Tea. Well, in my imaginary version of the world, High Tea is when I get to wear a floating, flowery dress in a flattering pastel color and sport a ginormous hat that would shade my delicate skin from the sun while sitting outside with my dearest girlfriends sipping on tea in heirloom china cups and nibbling on little finger foods. Preferably, this would all happen after we had spent a fabulous day shopping at Neiman Marcus or Harrod’s on an unlimited budget and clothing that fit on the first try.

Clearly, my version of High Tea belongs in a imaginary world where glittery unicorns exist. *le sigh*

That’s okay though. I also have a more realistic version of what High Tea can be. And it’s shaped by the time I spent living in my family’s B&B as well as the couple of times I indulged in a High Tea while studying abroad in London. The end result is that I consider High Tea to be an opportunity to take a smidgen bit of break, sip on some tea, nibble on some cookies or pastries, and bolster my reserves to tackle the rest of the day.

So, this past week at work, I have brought my High Tea snacks with me. I have taken a few moments each afternoon to fix a fresh cup of tea and to enjoy my Lemon-Lime Shortbread Cookies (excellent!) and my So-Not-the-Apple-Scone-I-Planned Cookies.

My Make Do High Tea - complete with fancy notebook as placemat

So, let’s start with the Lemon-Lime Shortbread Cookies. Those would be the cute, little cookies on the right. They came out just the way I expected them to. The recipe is a slight variation on Bon Appetit’s Lemon-Lime Basil Cookies (I didn’t have fresh basil in the house and it’s the only missing ingredient). I’ve made a similar cookie before, but with rosemary. All in all, I’d anoint these types of cookies as perfect for High Tea. You can nibble on them *and* you can dunk them in your tea.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the flat, smooshy cookies to the left. That, my friends, was supposed to be a scone. In fact, it was supposed to be an Apple-Cheddar Scone. Except, something went very, very wrong with my scone making. The most likely culprits in this scone-gone-cookie fiasco are 1) me and 2) me.

More specifically, while adding sugar to the recipe, I got distracted. I’m pretty sure I added at least 1/2 a cup too much sugar. If not a full cup too much. I also let the dough sit out too long, which led to the dough getting soft and sticky. All of that added up to a scones disaster, but a cookie success.

The end result of my errors was a soft, delicious sugar cookies with a hint of cheddar and apple flavor. There are jalapenos in there too, but they’re overwhelmed by the sugar, I think.

Either way, my High Teas this week may not have been all that fancy, but they have been rejuvenating breaks – just like they should be. Although, I think if I repeat this next week, I’m am so going to bring a nice cup to the office. And maybe use an actual plate…

Now… For more #LetsLunch bunch adventures, check us out on Twitter. We’re all posting our contributions to this virtual potluck today (and likely over the weekend too!). And, as I get the chance, I’ll add links to other posts below.

#LetsLunch Bunch Recipes for High Tea

• Cheryl at A Tiger in the Kitchen: Cheese & Onion Sarnies
• Cathy at ShowFood Chef: Sweet Potato Tea Bars
• Karen at GeoFooding: Puff Pastry with Mascarpone and Saskatoon Berry Filling
• Mai at Cooking in the Fruit Bowl: Cougar Gold and Shallot Shortbread
• Rebecca at Grongar Blog: Millionaire’s Shortbread
• Lisa at Monday Morning Cooking Club: Little Lemon Meringue Tarts
• Rashda at Hot Curries & Cold Beer: Spiced Chickpea & Sweet Potato Tidbits
• Emma at Dreaming of Pots & Pans: Brown Sugar Shortbread and lots to celebrate!
• Linda at Free Range Cookies: Mesquite Hemp Cocoa
• Linda at Spicebox Travels: Ginger Tea, Kaya and Infamy
• Charissa at Zest Bakery: Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
• Patrick at Patrick G. Lee: Welsh Rarebit and Onion Marmalade
• Grace at Hapa Mama: Taiwanese Tea Sandwiches

Considering just how vicious I can be when hungry, we stopped immediately at a little coffee shop figuring there’d be pastries or something that would tide me over until we could get a real meal. Unfortunately, we had no such luck.

On the other hand, I think the fates were giving me a sign. Because, while my friend was buying some water (and probably praying I’d survive for another five or 10 minutes without food), I saw this card next to cash register.

I bought six of these to send to friends and would have bought more if more had been out on the stand to buy.

As I’ve been putting the pieces of the puzzle in place for my next adventures, this card has become my personal mantra and my reminder to be brave enough to pursue my goals and dreams.

I may have made the decision to begin my new adventures, but I’m betting the mantra of “Follow That Dream” is going to be even more important for me to remember in the coming days and weeks.

I know this isn’t an odd position, per se, but I do know that there are plenty of other folks who don’t have the same need for stability that I do. My best friend from high school is a perfect example of someone who is free enough to pick and up go to the places that have most suited or interested her. I remember getting postcards from her and marveling at the fact that she was in yet another new place and having a great adventure. And those amazing adventures led her to Australia with a great husband and a beautiful, smart-as-all-get-out son.

Whatever jokes I might crack, I didn’t make this decision lightly. I thought about it … a lot. And when I need to think, I cook … a lot.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent goodness only knows how many hours making an absolute mess of my kitchen while making casseroles, soups, cakes, breads, cookies and more. My fridge and freezer are practically groaning under the weight of all the leftovers I have stored away.

For me, even when a dish goes awry, the joy comes as much from the process as from the end result. And along with the joy comes a clarity of mind that gives me a chance to think about what it is I really want or how to tackle a particular challenge. Some people go to the gym (that just empties my head while I pray I won’t die doing whatever it is my trainer is making me do) or go for a run (again, empty head while I pray that I make my running goal) or meditate (that just puts me to sleep). Instead, I cook.

Although, you might think the only thing going through my head while wielding a chef’s knife would be “don’t cut yourself!” It’s not. Instead, it’s while I’m cooking that most of my answers come to me.

So I guess it isn’t too surprising (to me at least) that the joy and comfort I found in my kitchen these past few weeks is what convinced me that being close to my family and friends is what is most important to me right now. I have always associated the kitchen with family and comfort. I want to be able to drive over to my parents house and bake up a batch of scones with them. Surely, if I was baking scones with my Dranny’s oversight, she would have stopped me before I messed them up this last time. Or, she and my Mom would have a good laugh with me over how very not like scones they turned out to be.

So yes, the kitchen is my therapist, but the kitchen is all about being with family and friends, and being close to home.