Chili Rellenos, Perserverence and Triumph

Last night for dinner, I decided to try a new recipe, Chili Rellenos. Cooking vegetarian is a challenge in itself, so I like to try recipes that are already vegetarian, to lessen the chances of hearing that famous phrase, "where's the meat?" This recipe was really neat, and the fact that you eat with your eyes first, was really played up here.

This was the jalapenos, red bell, onion, cilantro, garlic and cumin, diced and sauteed.

The next step was to seed and cut the poblanos in half, to make a boat to hold the stuffing. Let me advise!!! Use gloves when chopping, slicing, dicing or handling anything spicy. I use gloves especially when I am working with jalapenos. If any of you have ever chopped them without gloves, then you know the pain. The jalapeno juices stay underneath your fingernails for days, so if you rub your eyes, or chew your nails, you will be in for a horrible surprise.

When I took the veggies off the stove, the next step was to add a can of drained baked beans, add a portion of the shredded pepperjack cheese and then stuff the poblanos and sprinkle the rest of the pepper jack on top. After that, they are ready to go on the grill and cook until they are tender. Bon apetite!

Not long after we got done eating, my fiance uttered three little words that would take this night from normal to challenging: "What's for dessert?" I cringed. How does one make a dessert with no butter and no milk...? Well let me tell you what not to do!

Don't try to substitute Smart Balance spread for butter...

Do not substitute SlimFast for milk!

And don't continue to make the concoction after you know a major element has already failed. I think this idea would make a wonderful s'mores pie, which I will revisit in the future.

After two attempts at dessert, Alex was ready to run to Publix and get something that was already made. However, I was not going down that easily. I kindly asked him to just pick up some milk and real butter. By the time he got back, I had already hand-picked a recipe that would make up for the failed attempts. This recipe was for iced brownies.

After icing the brownies, I sprinkled powdered sugar on top for aesthetic purposes. These brownies were absolutely amazing. Not too cakey and not too fudgy.

Last night, I ended on a good note. While I failed twice at a dessert, I perservered and ended with a triumphant return, complete with a wonderful warm brownie and a cold glass of milk. And, I learned some very valuable lessons that I would not have known otherwise, even though it seemed like common sense. I personally believe that sometimes, lessons learned are best done by experience. So my lesson? 1. Do not substitute margarine for butter when baking. 2. While SlimFast is a milk product, only use it as a meal replacement, rather than a milk replacement. 3. Try and try again, because if you don't try, you have a zero percent of succeeding.