Treats All Around

Tonight was all about indulgences, mine and the guys'. I started with deep fried black eyed peas and ended with homemade chocolate chip cookies. What could be better than a new twist on a Southern favorite coupled with classic snacking?

First, let me explain that I'd never heard of fried black eyed peas until my mom sent me a recipe link (allrecipes.com) last week. It appears that someone has created this new "bar food" for those of us who just love our cow peas. The peas start out in the normal way - soaking overnight and then boiling until tender, but not mushy. The recipe calls for a couple of bay leaves and some onion chunks in the water, which I added, but I don't think it would make any difference to leave these out because the real flavor comes with the seasonings at the end. After cooking the peas, drain them well on some paper towels before frying. Heat the oil to 375 degrees and put in about a cup and a half at a time. The directions say to fry the peas between four and seven minutes, and it really took at least six minutes to make them crunchy. After draining the oil on more paper towels, toss the peas into a bowl with some kosher salt and seafood seasoning. (I used a shaker of shellfish seasoning that has a nice bite to it.)

I have to confess I was a little skeptical when I read the recipe, though now I can't imagine why. After all, we're talking about black eyed peas, deep frying, and good seasoning. What could go wrong? Nothing. These were interesting and tasty. I took them downstairs to munch on while we watching t.v. and enjoyed every bite. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. None of them were hard or chewy. My husband, who isn't a fan of black eyed peas, didn't care for them (big surprise), but my son did like them and actually ate a bowl of his own. There were plenty left over (since I boiled and fried the entire package), which went into the fridge. Hopefully, they'll reheat well tomorrow night at snack time.

While my lovely black eyed peas boiled, I whipped up a batch of cookie dough for the guys. Jeff swears I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world, but it isn't because I have a fantastic recipe. (I just use the one on the chip package.) The secret to great cookies is in the baking. Never cook them as long as the recipe says. For example, the toll house package says to bake the cookies at 375 degrees for nine to eleven minutes. So, set the timer for eight minutes and leave them on the cookie sheet for at least three or four minutes after you take them out. (Usually, I put the hot pan on a cooling rack while a second pan goes into the oven. About three minutes before the second pan will be ready, the cookies come off the pan and on to a second cooling rack. Then the pan is refilled and ready to go when the next one comes out of the oven.) Taking the cookies out early keeps them from getting crunchy, but leaving them on a hot pan for several extra minutes allows them to finish baking all the way through. Thus, perfect golden chocolate chip cookies that hold their shape but remain soft and chewy smacking of rich brown sugar and butter.

Of course, not all the dough makes it to the oven around here. The guys always have to have a couple of (large) spoonfuls of cookie dough once it's mixed. This doesn't bother me, though, because it's one less pan I have to spoon out and time! Whenever I make cookies I ask the guys if they want to eat the dough raw or baked. The answer (generally in unison) is always, "Yes!" This pretty much applies to all cookie dough, but chocolate chip is the hands down favorite around here.

By the time all this boiling, frying, baking concluded, I was ready to just eat peas and cookies, but alas the guys were interested in something more substantial. So, we tossed a couple of pizzas in the oven to satisfy dinner cravings and headed for t.v. time. The good news is there is plenty of leftovers, so maybe I won't have to cook tomorrow, although I might anyway.