"Foods That Can Seduce". And Other Goodies.

I found this in the Nov. 2008 copy of Cosmopolitan that I took from work after they ripped off the cover to get a refund at the end of the month. I love that perk.

These are all from Katie Lee Joel, author of "The Comfort Table". 

No giving credit to me. 

Like anyone actually reads this.

Hello?!? -echo-

To Make Up With Your Boyfriend

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies. Lucky you.

2 Cups of sugar

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) of butter

1/3 Cup of cocoa powder

1/2 Cup of milk

1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 Cup of peanut butter, smooth or crunchy, whichever you (or he) prefers.

2.5-3 Cups of rolled oats

1. Combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla. Bring to a slow boil and simmer (I thought she said this didn't involve baking...?). Stir in the peanut butter. Remove from heat. Stir in the oats.

2. Line a cookie sheet. Drop the mixture onto the sheet. Allow them to cool off and firm up for about an hour.

3. Eat a couple. Then deliver to your waiting Romeo.

To Win Over Your Guy's Parents

Nutty Banana Bread

Makes about 6-8 servings. Don't you wish you were your guy's parents?

...Ok wait. Not like that.

2 Cups of flour

3/4 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt

1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup canola oil

2 Large eggs

1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 Cup buttermilk

3 Medium bananas, mashed

1/2 Cup walnuts, finely minced

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 small circle F. Grease a 9x5x3 in. loaf pan. Because, let's just be honest, who doesn't have one of those? In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. In another bowl, beat together the sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla until you can't tell what's what. Add the dry ingredients and the butttermilk in three additions. Stir in the bananas and nuts. It's important that you do this gently so as not to offend the gods.

3. Pour the batter into the loaf pan (bet you didn't remember THAT, did you?) Bake until you intuition tells you it's done, or 45-55 minutes. Cool it off. Wrap. Send to 'rents.

Kick-Butt Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brought to you by Mrs. Fields and my Boyfriend's Mother.

Makes enough for a Christmas present of cookies if you don't want to overload someone but don't want to look stingy, either.

Basically, this is cheating. ALL you have to do is add one stick of butter and an egg to the stuff that's already in the bag, which, by the way, is a buck fifty (fiddy?) at Wal-Mart. But they taste really good. And it doesn't produce enough to make you fat. 

Serve warm, with milk.

Minty Fresh Hot Chocolate

You can thank the Boyfriend for this one. <3!!!

Makes, uh, duh, a cup of hot chocolate.

Make a cup of hot chocolate by following the directions on the box.

Pop in a candy cane or a couple mints and let them melt.

Yum.

This one has some sentimental value to me, because when it's cold outside, Tom always makes hot chocolate for me, and puts in a candy cane without me even knowing. It's always a pleasant surprise on the first sip. Love.

Chef Wannabe

I have a confession.

I fail at all things domestic. I can't really sew. I can, but I'm not a fan, and I always get tangled. I can't really cook. But I'm pro at heating things up. 

You ask me for a grilled cheese? For the longest time I just put some cheese between two slices of bread, buttered if I wasn't feeling completely lazy, and popped it in the microwave for thirteen seconds or so. That's not grilled cheese. That's nuked cheese, and although the taste wasn't completely lacking, it still sounds heinous to the tastebuds so I won't even bring that up anymore. The other day I tried an ACTUAL grilled cheese, the way my loving and oh so domestic boyfriend taught me to, and it set off the fire alarm.

My life can be chronicled in incidents like that. Whenever I'm home alone, I decide, foolishly, that it might be a good, no, GREAT idea to make spaghetti. We have coil burners. Every time I have attempted that, a few strands of spaghetti inevitably fall between the small cracks, and the stove catches on fire.

Popcorn. Many disasters there.

I believe it's hereditary. When I was little, my mother was heating up hamburgers in the oven (who does that?). Grease splattered everywhere and started a small contained fire. My mom started flipping out (duh) and told me to open the window. I was seven, and kept screaming "What's going on?!?" She answered by saying "Don't worry, honey, it's just a fire!" and opened the oven door and blew on the burgers until the blaze was extinguished. She served "flambe burgers" that night. Along with spinach. This was also during a period in which she refused to keep wheat in the house, so it was without a bun. That was, by far, one of the worst meals I've had. It was like eating a brick. 

If you're like my mother and I, you're no stranger to Chinese take-out or frequent trips to Culver's. 

Here's to everyone who has ever secretly wanted to be Emeril.

And tried.

And got a really good insurance plan after that attempt.

Enjoy these simple and hopefully delicious recipes gathered by yours truly from various magazines and cookbooks and hair-brained culinary experiments.