So this spring, chaos in the kitchen will be four years old! And after three official Thanksgiving dinners I have never posted a recipe for mashed potatoes.  Wonder why?  I suck at mashed potatoes.  I make the worst mashed potatoes you’ve ever had.  Without fail.  It’s OK.  I am at peace with my failures.  My mom makes great potatoes and so does my best friend.  So I get to enjoy good mashed potatoes on a regular basis and pretty much quit trying.  Except this year I got a new stove.  This year, I am going to cook Thanksgiving dinner.  So this year I figured I better try again.

Here is my problem and the way you can avoid it:  I don’t cook my potatoes long enough.  Every recipe you’ve read says to cook the stupid potatoes until you can pierce them with a fork.  Yeah well, then cook them some more.  Because if you stop at I-can-pierce-them-with-a-fork-so-they-must-be-done you are gonna have some lumpy potatoes.  Trust me.  Click here for the recipe »

Absolutely NO secret recipes.  Sharing recipes is so much more than just passing on words on paper.  When you share a recipe with someone you are wishing the best for them.  You carefully consider the measurements and ingredients so that your recipient can succeed.  You want them to feel accomplished and satisfied, for their guests or family to be impressed by what they created, and to feel the same happiness or comfort that the recipe brings you and your family.

Despite my love for cookbooks and cooking magazines, I would choose another home cook’s worn and weathered recipe over any glossy, sleek cookbook recipe every time.  Like so many of the recipes on this site, I got it from a friend.  This is her mother’s recipe for shrimp etouffee and tasting her leftovers in the office got me half-way over the personal hurdle that is Cajun food.  I’m still climbing that particular mountain but, like so many foods I thought I would never like, I’m getting there-slowly and with lots of help! Click here for the recipe »

It’s here!!  The first order of business: Brownie Bake Off.  I have never used a convection oven before but with the Symmetry Double Ovens on my new range I have the option of both convection and standard baking.  So what’s a girl to do?  Bake two batches of brownies-one convection and one standard, just to see the difference.

We prepared two identical batches of box-mix brownies. And by “we” I mean the 9 year old and the 6 year old made them while Mommy took a nap on the couch.

This having kids thing is really starting to pay-off.

I used the range’s built-in Convection Converter button to set the convection oven properly (FYI the convection converter sets the oven temp to 25°F lower temperature so anyone converting on their own can just use the lower temp-same cook time) and in they went!

The verdict:  We didn’t really notice much of a difference between the convection brownies and the regular brownies.  They both had the typical crackly brownie top and moist center, and although they cooked at different temperatures, they took the same amount of time to bake through.  The only discernible difference we noticed was that the convection brownies stayed hot longer than the standard.  One nice advantage though is that the convection oven preheats super fast.  We tried setting both ovens to 400°F and the convection oven was ready almost 10 minutes before the standard oven.

I have had a couple of weeks with my new range (provided by Frigidaire as part of their Test Drive Campaign) and so far it has been a joy to use.  A lot of you on Facebook were curious about it’s features and I will try to touch on lots of them but please let me know if you have any specific questions!

Do you fantasize about other peoples’ kitchens?  I do.  I read my favorite blogs and I imagine what spacious, beautiful, high-tech kitchens they must have to be so inspired.  And then I look around at my decrepit, aging model home galley kitchen and I sigh.  Sigh.  Yes all of the recipes you have seen here have been cooked on this 14 year old GE electric range:

Only three working burners and the oven-not so much.  But I don’t have a gas hook-up and, though I have spent hours at the appliance store, I just could not spend the money on a new electric stove.  So when Foodbuzz announced that Frigidaire was Test Driving their new electric range, I thought: why not?  What if I threw my hat in the ring?  What’s the worst that could happen?  I could win the opportunity to test drive a brand spanking new electric range with all the bells and whistles??  Um, Yes Please.  Over here.

Well guess what?  I actually won.  I get to test drive (and keep? Yes? Please? PLEASE??) a Frigidaire Gallery Range with Symmetry Double Ovens.  I am so excited I can’t even tell you.  Not even.

FIVE burners and TWO ovens-one conventional and one convection.  I am so excited.  Thanksgiving is coming and I am actually excited to be hosting.  I cant wait to share it with you guys over the next few months!