A Savory Moment by Life At The Table - Video Podcast Chef Sandra Lewis, Life At The Table

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Make the World Go ‘Round

It’s the treat realtors tell their sellers to bake when they have an open house so the house smells like a home.  And it’s what Cookie Monster has been chomping on for 50 years. 

Yes, it’s the revered chocolate chip cookie. The old standby.  The standard bearer of cookies.

This cookie is such a special treat that it has its own National Day on August 4th.

 



A Brief History of Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Where did this beloved cookie get its start?

We have Ruth Wakefield to thank. She owned the Toll House restaurant in Massachusetss and invented this chocoltay chunk of goodness in the 1930s.

Apparently Ms. Wakefield’s invention was no happy accident.  With a degree in household arts, it was most likely the result of diligent testing and development. 

Her restaurant was known for its desserts and she invented these cookies with the intention of serving them with ice cream. 

That was back in the day before so many flavors of ice cream were around so the chocolate morsels were most likely intended to be served alongside vanilla ice cream. 

Legend has it that she ran out of baker’s chocolate and substituted the now-standard semi-sweet morsels.

Her delectable creation was featured on the Betty Crocker radio program later in the decade. 

And homemade chocolate chip cookies have been a staple in most kitchens since then.

 



The Allure of Off-The-Chain Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

The aroma is alluring and there’s something comforting about enjoying one fresh out of the oven.

My chocolate chip cookie recipe is called “Off-the-Chain Chocolate Chip Cookies.” That’s slang for super good!

We all have our own take on what makes a perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies.

This recipe shared with me by a chef friend of mine does some cool things that you need to give a try. It’s the best of what you remember your grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies to be but with a modern twist.



Using kosher salt both in the mixture as well as sprinkled on top of the finished cookies

Mixing in semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips

Browning the butter in the basic mixture which gives a nutty flavor

* Adding in espresso powder for a richer, deeper flavor



 So much for reading the recipe off the back of the chip package.  

I bet you could almost taste the zip in these cookies once I said “espresso powder.” 

 

 

Cajun Zydeco music with its uptempo and strong rhythm matches perfectly with the Cajun culture of robust and rustic food. Consider Cajun Shrimp and Grits for your next weeknight meal. It might sound a bit intimidating if you’re not familiar with the dish, but it’s one of the easiest and quickest weeknight meals you can make.

 

What is Cajun Seasoning?

The band leader in the kitchen is Cajun seasoning, spicy, peppery, and earthy. It’s bold and built to give your taste buds a cayenne pepper kick in the backside. This love of everything spicy is everywhere even in the sports team logo for the University of Louisiana in Lafayette mascot, the Rajn’ Cajuns. The apostrophe where the “g” would be in the word “rajn” is styled as a cayenne pepper.

What exactly is a Cajun? Good question!

Great Britain deported a group of people from the Acadia lands, a good chunk of which today is known as Nova Scotia in Canada, for refusing to bow to the British crown. Many of these deportees made their way to the bayous west of New Orleans where they learned to live off the land. The word “Cajun” is an evolution of the word Acadia.

The cuisine developed here in these wetlands are a mix and a mingle of all the local cultures inhabiting those parts, Indian, free people of color, enslaved Africans, and other immigrants from Europe and South America.

 

How To Cook With Cajun Seasoning

Cajun seasoning is a mix as versatile as it is taste bud tingling delicious. Liven up just about anything with Cajun spices:



* Coat a steak and grill it

* Sprinkle it on popcorn

* Dose your scrambled eggs with it

* Dust cut fruit with it

* Stir it into sour cream or yogurt for a party dip

* Fry up your veggies with it



Honestly, the better question is, what isn’t made better with a little bit of cajun seasoning on it?

 

Cajun Shrimp and Grits

Why not get started with my Cajun Shrimp and Grits?

Dust up your shrimp with my Cajun seasoning and sauté them with a bit of garlic. (If you’re not a garlic lover, leave this step out.) But because sautéeing your shrimp is a really quick process, like just a handful of minutes depending on how many shrimp you crowd into your pan, get your grits cooking first. Once those near completion, heat your skillet to rock and roll on sautéeing your shrimp.

Play a little Zydeco music while you’re at it. You and your taste buds can dance a jig while you cook.

My Parmesan Grits recipe is here.

Want to cook this recipe with a group? More info here.

Looking for another grits recipe? Try Chef Sandra’s Grits Breakfast Bowl.

 

   

 

Four Tips To Pick a Watermelon

Hey y’all! It’s summer and I’m craving a watermelon.

I’m off to the grocery store to pick the juiciest, best-tasting watermelon there is. Come with me and learn how to pick your own.

Here are my four tips for picking the sweetest, juiciest watermelon you can. 

 

Tip #1 Look For a Large Field Spot

Number one, look for a large field spot. That’s the underbelly of the watermelon where it’s laying in the field. The larger the spot, the longer that watermelon lay there. 

 

Tip #2 Listen for a Deep Hollow Sound

Number two, listen for a deep hollow sound when you tap on the watermelon. This generally means there’s more water content which means lots of juice!

 

Tip #3 Pick a Dull Watermelon, Not a Shiny One

Number three, you want it to be dull, not overly shiny. If it’s dull, it means it’s been picked for a while, and it’s a little bit riper. A shiny watermelon is an indication of being under ripe.

 

Tip #4 Pick a Heavy Watermelon

You want it to be really nice and heavy. If it’s heavy, that means there’s more juice, more water, more than likely more sweet.

Hey, just got back from the grocery store. I am going to weigh this honking watermelon.

Oh, my, that is a huge watermelon. I just weighed this baby, 31 pounds.

Let’s cut into it. You do have a couple of choices when you cut a watermelon. You can go around the circumference. You can go through it longways.

Today, because this watermelon is so large, I think it will be easiest for me just to cut it around the circumference. 

So, here we go. I’m liking the sound of that. Ah, yeah. Look at that. It is beautiful inside. That is an amazing red, ripe, juicy watermelon. Look at that, incredible. 

All right, let me put one of these halves aside. I’m going to turn this over, so I have a flat, stable piece of watermelon here to slice. And I’m just going to go right through the middle of it again. Open that up just a little bit to get my knife down the other side. Perfect. Gorgeous.

Can you see the juice all over my cutting board? That is amazing.

Now I’m going to put this side over here to give me a little bit more room to work with. All right, now we’re going to take this, turn it flat, once more lengthwise. Voila. 

And now, turn it over. Oh, I’m loving it. Look at this beautiful flesh on this watermelon. Then if you want to slice individual slices for your friends or family, put them on a platter. All you got to do, take your knife now, and there you have it, gorgeous slices of watermelon. 

That is amazing. I am loving it. Okay, now the proof is in the pudding. Right? The proof is in the taste of the watermelon.

Here we go. So good, so juicy and delicious.

More From Life at the Table

Like cantaloupe? Here’s how to pick the perfect cantaloupe and the health benefits of eating cantaloupe. here’s a fun recipe to make with cantaloupe.

Want to learn how to cook? Register for one of our online cooking classes.

Top 10 Kitchen Tools – Part 1

 



Refresh Your Tools To Put Dinner On The Table In A Flash

Top 10 Kitchen Tools for Weeknight Cooking | Part 1

Several years ago, my upstairs washing machine leaked through the ceiling to the first floor.  In what now seems like a stone age experience, I used the yellow pages and my landline to locate a plumber in the middle of the night.

He surveyed the rogue washer, pulled out a wrench, and tightened a loose fitting.  If only I’d had the right tool, I’d be $120 richer today.

 



Proper Kitchen Tools Make a Big Difference

Does it take you longer to prepare dinner than it should?  Or do you struggle to carry out a recipe instruction because you don’t have the proper kitchen tool?

Then it’s time for a refresh.





Top 10 Kitchen Tools for Weeknight Cooking

Number 10.  Fish spatula.  This spatula is thin with a slightly curled end, and a bit of a give to its structure.  It’s perfect for lifting a potato latke, turning a pancake, breaking up hamburger meat, and for gliding under a delicate piece of fish.



Number 9.  Box grater.  With a large, sturdy box grater there’s no need to haul out the food processor for small jobs.



Number 8.  Silicon spatula.  When the heat is on, you need something that won’t melt.  Silicon is heat-resistant and flexible.  It’s definitely a work-horse tool from scraping roasted veggies off a sheet pan to scraping the batter from a mixing bowl. (I don’t have a brand to recommend here.)

Number 7.  Tongs.  The end used to grip the food should be solid, not a triangle with open air in between.  And the gripping end should be metal, not rubber.



Number 6.  Microplane zester.  A mircograter that is truly indispensable for zesting lemons, limes, and oranges.  And for finely grating ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, and hard cheeses.



Ready for the rest of the list to find out the number one tool you need in the kitchen?! Find it here.

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