Pregame goosebumps...

Football season is looming, and I mean that in the best way possible. High spirits. Plenty of beer. Rivalries. Good food. Really it just boils down to tailgating.

A few weeks ago a friend asked when we'd be sampling my jambalaya again. I can't tell you why I enjoy making this so much, but I really do. Originally, my friends had their doubts. It debuted at New Years in 2009. No one was that intrigued when I offered to cook dinner that night. (I believe someone asked what the big deal was about chicken and rice...) Luckily for my ego, they changed their tune after a few bites.

In six short weeks, LSU will play UNC in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A kick off game. This sounds like prime time to me. I typically prefer a a good chill in the air before I pull out my jambalaya pot, but I think this is the date.

I'm ready. Ready for purple and gold. Ready for my tiger earrings. Ready to pace a line behind my sofa. Ready for the way fresh cut grass smells like Trinity on a Friday night. Ready for football season.

The Diet Talking?

I'm going to amend my previous statement. I had a brownie this morning. (For breakfast. And yes, Emily, I counted the Points.) It was actually good.

I think I'll try the recipe again, but I won't

• Turn the music up so loud I don't hear the timer go off,
• Use milk chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips,
• Or double the nuts. (Go ahead, you are truly welcome to say I told you so.)

So it wasn't a total wipe. Plus, they might just need a day to sit and get better. (Could this be the diet talking?)

Well, the results are in...

I meant to grab a picture of the brownies last night. A few people enjoyed them, but I like to make impressive items. I've had better response from other recipes. A friend and I agreed: the white chocolate drizzle made the brownie. Otherwise, it was a pretty bland deal. If I ever make it again, I'll switch out some of the dark chocolate for milk chocolate. It just wasn't divine.

And I like divine.

Brownie Day

Today was brownie day, and it would be an understatement to say I've been looking forward to it. Before I pulled everything out, I put three Old 97s cds in the stereo. I turned the music up and decorated the kitchen counter with all my ingredients. Here is a picture of some of my set up. I like to play FoodTV host and line up all my ingredients. I measure it all out, take in the full picture and prepare to dive in.

I had a Pilates client this morning, so before I left I set out the eggs. Everything needs to be the same temperature before the throw down begins. The recipe starts off with two sticks of butter diced. How Paula of them! Only the diet gods would be sad about that. Side note: I stuck the butter in the freezer for about 30 minutes just to be able to cut it easily.

Now, I don't like to mess with baking recipes too much. There is science involved in the ratios. It is much more exact than cooking. So I try to stick to the plan. However, I grew up in a prejudice household. I was taught at an early age that nuts had no place in chocolate. In recent years, I have eased off of this paradigm. I like the crunch they add to a doughy sweet. I figure my mother might faint, but I actually doubled the nuts in the recipe. Let me be clear - I didn't just feel the need to be "creative." The recipe actually called for a 1/2 a cup of raisins. Raisins?? Raisins!!! What?! I couldn't in good conscience put raisins in a brownie. I didn't want to throw things too far off their course, so I made up for the absence of raisins by increasing the hazelnuts and the chocolate chips!

The brownies just came out of the oven, and my little one-bedroom apartment is host to a delicious scent. They are cooling now. In a few minutes I'll flip them from the pan and let them continue to cool on a wire rack. The recipe calls for a white chocolate drizzle on the top, so that is next on the to-do list. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks.

By the way, I had to do a little poll. I was doubtful about making brownies. I was afraid everyone would think they were boring, and there isn't much about them that excites me. I'm just not a brownie fan. The friends I asked were actually very excited. Two told me that brownies are their favorites, and one reassured me that homemade brownies would no doubt be better than the box mix that was (in my head) discrediting brownies everywhere.

** Please note the Fat Mama's cup in the pic. Home is never far away...

My friends must have known

I've been dying to get in the kitchen and do some baking, but I've got this "do unto others" thing going on. Well...do the calories unto others. I love being in the kitchen. I love making the shopping list, lining up all my ingredients on the counter, prepping, chopping and making the house smell like chocolate or the trinity. If I've been cooking, I can't keep my spoon to myself. I love tasting, making sure the spices are right, and generally eating my way through the creation. But the baking. For some reason, I love the baking, but I have no desire to eat it afterwards. I'm not sure if all the richness of the sugar satiates your sense of smell and eases your curious stomach. It does something. Something that leaves me to take one nibble and throw out the rest of the goodies.

Let's be clear here. I've got lots of friends who have offered to take one for the team. I've been told anytime I want to bake I have willing mouths. I should admit that I like to bake with a purpose. It is usually to win people over. Make a disarming treat and folks will love you for a bit. Whether it is new coworkers, new parents or a new love, baking is my way of shimmying into their good graces. Taking the time to make and deliver a special confection is my personal way of doting on others.

Anyway, my friends must have known I was needing a good dip in the sugar pool. My friend KN called two nights ago after we left work. We caught up for a bit, and then she asked the big sha-bang: Do you have a good buttercream recipe that stiffen and hold to the side of a 3D cake? (What -- I've become someone you come to with baking questions!!!!!) I've done some decorating - my most proud cupcake being two dozen little piggies I did for KN's daughter's birthday last year. I told her I do my digging. I can see the recipe paper in my head. I've just got to search for it. I'm definitely excited about the task, and if I weren't going to be out of town the weekend of the birthday, I'd have just offered to make the cake. In the mean time, I'll settle for finding her the perfect icing.

The real treat came in an email yesterday. Among our group of friends, the very first baby is due to arrive in August. AJ decided to throw one last fete before the baby arrives. I waited anxiously for my assignment. I figured I'd be making a side dish. In fact, I was already thinking roasted potatoes. Then she pulled out the magic carpet - she sent out an email, and my duty was the dessert. I have to admit I got very excited. I'd just needed an excuse to bake, and here it was. I've done my digging and wanted something that would hold its own with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. I've found a new brownie recipe. I know...brownies. I happen to think it is rather boring as well, but with muscovado sugar and hazelnuts, I figured it can't be something you would order at Ruby Tuesday's. It's my first homemade brownie ever, and I can't wait to see how it goes in the kitchen and on the plate!

This is all about learning there is magic in the twists and turns. Stick around.