Aunt Glynn's Chewy Cake

This is so easy to put together it's dangerous. You literally dump everything into a bowl, stir it up and pour it into a baking pan. I added this at the last minute to our Thanksgiving line up and I'm SO glad I did. It's what I ended up picking on the most while watching the Texas/A&M game (what? did someone just say poor Aggies?) ;)

It should be noted that this really isn't cake-like at all but more like a blondie (brownie) with extra chew from the shredded coconut. The misnomer didn't bother me though. I mean would you really care if Brad Pitt was named Clarence or even Dweebie? And besides whatever the hell it's called - it's delicious. Plain by itself... Dunked into brandy-spiked egg nog... Over vanilla ice cream... Eaten at 1 in the morning after too many Gueros margaritas... Or after church service. Yes church service is what I meant to say.

Anyway - Happy Holidays Y'all! And God Love Ya Aunt Glynn - whoever you are.

Aunt Glynn's Chewy Cake
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, mildly adapted by yours truly;)
* Easy peasy to throw together at the last minute!
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:
1 (1-pound) package light brown sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing (or nonstick spray)
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 (7 oz) package chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or a lil more)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7-1/2 by 10-1/2 inch baking pan or glass dish with either butter or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and stir well. Fold in coconut, pecans, chocolate chips and salt until well combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted through the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the pan before cutting it into squares.

Salmon Burger Fail

Have you ever made salmon burgers before? I made them for the first time a few weeks ago after seeing Paula make them on her show. I felt so chef-y as I ground the salmon up in the food processor from Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods) then added in the garlic, ginger, and other ingredients.

But then I grilled them and took a bite. To be fair there was nothing wrong with them. The seasoning was good and it tasted okay but for some reason I couldn't get over the fact I was eating ground up salmon. Do I need therapy? I can eat grilled salmon until the cows come home but for some reason this geeked me out.

Oh well. Onward and upward...

Bobby Deen - it's a good thing I'm married.

I've been worried about Bobby Deen for quite some time. Such a cutie. Such a sweetheart. Such foodie royalty (though girls - I want your opinion...do you think Paula Deen would make the world's best mother in law or the worst? I love her to death but I could see it going either way.)

Anyway - back to Bobby. The perpetual bachelor. Until recently (whew - I can go back to worrying about world peace and more important matters!) as he seems to be hooking up with the darling actress from Eastbound and Down - score!

Bobby made a recipe the other day on Paula's show where he slathered chicken breasts in a mayonnaise mixture and baked them. It looked delicious though I couldn't help but think it would have been better to let the chicken marinate in it for a while. After all - as mama Paula said - mayonnaise is basically an oil which just coats the chicken and makes it juicier.

Only Bobby's mayo mixture had so much more going on. First of all there was a ton of lemon zest in there as he admitted to being an addict. Again - it's a good think I'm married. He also had celery seed, paprika and cayenne.

Well I took his mixture and changed up a few things, mainly lessening the amount of celery seed as it's quite potent and adding dill. I also swapped the lemon zest for juice as I too often lately have found myself with a fridge full of sad, white lemons missing their yellow jackets. Honest to God - there isn't anything that lemon zest can't make better and that's exactly the problem with it. After all there's only so much zest in the world... I also chose to grill the chicken rather than bake as I worried the mayo would geek me out after baking.

I was quite pleased with my changes on Mr. Deen's recipe. This chicken is so flavorful and JUICY! Mr. Deen. I like the sound of that. Okay, I'll shut up now.

Juicy Mayo Marinated Chicken Breasts with Dill, Celery Seed, and Lemon
* Adapted from a recipe from Bobby Deen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayo (I used low fat)
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dried English mustard (I use Coleman's brand)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
fresh cracked black pepper
juice of 1/2 a large lemon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix up the mayo, dill, and celery seed through the lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the mixture to a large ziploc bag along with the chicken breasts and mix around to coat evenly. Seal and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off. Remove from the marinade, season lightly on one side with sea salt or kosher salt and grill.