Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Oh.

No, really, oh. Oh as in “Oh my, these brownies”  and “Oh damn, these brownies.”  Oh as “Oh I can’t believe this recipe is so amazing” and “Oh there goes any bit of self control I had.”

Get the picture?

You can roll your eyes a bit when you say “Oh”.  It helps.

Even though I don’t claim to have the world’s largest sweet tooth and go for salty over sweet most days, I can’t help but claim this brownie recipe as one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Because to me, brownies seem like the perfect treat in theory. Chocolately, studded with fun things like nuts or fruit, small and compact and enough to satisfy thanks to their rich nature. But sometimes, well, you can’t help but feel let down sometimes when you bite into a brownie that’s dry, too moist or not moist enough, tastes like a mix or worse, doesn’t resemble a brownie at all.

I am a morning person. Regardless if one is a morning person or not, getting 5 people ready in the morning and out of the house on time can be a bit chaotic. Thank goodness I am organized. By the time my eldest wakes at 6:00 a.m., lunches are packed, I have read the latest news on the Huffington, and have had my first and only cup of coffee.

Eli likes his breakfast. Usually oatmeal, pancakes, eggs and omelets, and the occasional protein shake. Isaac could care less(generally a piece of fruit with almond butter or a protein shake) and Levi is easy; oatmeal or pancakes ( he LOVES his carbs). Weekends are my opportunity to make special breakfasts and baked egg dishes are high on the list. The invitation to Kitchen PLAY’s ”Breakfast Duo” challenge came at the perfect time. It came during the week of Passover and during those eight days, eggs, cheese, fruit (avocado), and veggies become a huge part of our repertoire. It’s either that or matzoh and as we are primarily a gluten free home, matzohs are kept at a distance.

The challenge was to create something using Avocados from Mexico and Jarlsberg cheese. In our house, eggs and cheese go hand and hand, and can be found in an omelet at least one morning during the week. Baked eggs are great for a crowd and this recipe, inspired by my friend Nancy, is one of those dishes. Every year she hosts “Break Fast” on Yom Kippur for 100 people. Forget the bagels and lox, instead it is this dish that I most look forward to as I break my 24 hour fast for atoning for my “sins”.

My girlfriend took one bite of these and said, “this tastes like Mac ‘n Cheese”.  Voila, the Mac ‘n Cheese cracker was born.

I had been wanting to make more savory snacks and this was a really great place to start.

What I love most about this recipe is that these can be made in big batches, baked right away or frozen for future use, making last minute entertaining, either in our own home or at others, easy and stress free.

I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I am not addicting to shopping, but I do confess to overindulging when it comes to chocolate. I have always loved chocolate and I pretty much need it everyday. I do admit to being addicted and it isn’t an addiction I care to break.

Sees candy was my first love. It was always the same selection; California Brittle, Scotchmallow, and Almond Royal. A trip to Sherman Oaks Fashion Square wasn’t complete with out a visit to Sees. Bess, an elderly lady with short white hair, was always behind the counter and as she saw me opening the door, she would start filling a little bag with all of my favorites. Bess was one of the special ones. I was blessed to have found her and would have loved her even if she didn’t work behind the glass counter at Sees.

Other favorites included Honey Comb at Little Johns in The Original Farmers Market, the perfect melt in your mouth truffles from Kron and now, as an adult I treat myself to Recchiuti caramels, and anything from Fran's.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I am thinking about what to give to all of those that I adore. Last year I made caramels, heart shaped butter cookies, and a rocky road fudge(originally chocolate covered marshmallows that turned into a disaster). Truly, I am not there yet, but I wanted to start with one of M’s childhood favorites – Almond Joy.