Homemade Brownies

I finally found the recipe for brownies I've been looking for. Only took about 3 years!! I'm going to make more Peppermint Brownies tonight, but I'll use this recipe instead of boxed brownies. I'll also just throw in the peppermint extract. Oh, & by the way. The brownies? Tasted AMAZING. I'll take pictures tonight, when I make them (yes again, already). Ok. Here is my brownie recipe!!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preaheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter & flour an 8" square pan, shaking out excess flour. Whisk flour, cocoa & baking powder in mixing bowl & set aside. Whisk remaining ingredients together, & combine with first 3 ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool.

Sometime I add white chocolate chips, or regular chocolate chips to these. No nuts though!! Well, mostly because G & the boys are all allergic to nuts, but also because I believe nuts do NOT belong in brownies!! You can frost these, or leave them as is.

Peppermint Brownies

Oh people. I have not even eaten one yet, but the smell of these brownies are AMAAAAZZZZING. Seriously. Chocolate. Mint. TWO kinds of frosting. How could they NOT taste good?!?! Here goes (I'll come back with our verdict after we eat them!).

Brownies
1 box of brownie mix
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Place parchment paper into a 9x13" pan, & lightly grease. Beat all the ingredients together for 2 minutes (until moistened). Pour into prepared pan & bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool


Peppermint Buttercream
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 TBSP milk
1/4 tsp each of vanilla & peppermint extract

Beat butter together with 1 cup of sugar until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients & beat until smooth. If you have to, add more icing sugar (up to 1/2 cup) so it's not too runny. You can tint this red or green if you want to make it more festive! Smooth over cooled brownies & refrigerate until buttercream is firm.

Chocolate Frosting
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
12oz chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup icing sugar

Bring milk & butter to a boil over medium heat. Pour over chips in a heat proof boil & let sit for a couple minutes. Add vanilla, then whisk until smooth. Using your mixer, beat in icing sugar until smooth & glossy. Spread over buttercream layer. You can use decorator's gel (red & white) & swirl across the top in a pretty pattern.

Seriously. Try these. You will drool hours before you even eat one & I can GUARANTEE that you will be asked to make this every Christmas!!!

Christmas Means Baking!!

At least, it does in my house!! We bake for gifts, we bake for us, we BAKE! I love making Christmas cookies, & the boys love decorating (okay, and eating too!) them. I love to try new recipes, but have to REALLY want to try them if it's a recipe I've never made before. I've found a couple VERY good ones, "keepers", that I end up making every year. Some are ick, but for the most part, they are all yummy!

So, in the spirit of the season, I'm going to post some of my very favorite Christmas recipes. A couple I won't, just because they are "family secrets", but everything else is game!! I'm also hoping to go back & take pictures of what I've made, or what I make. Maybe I'll even post in here more often!!

Let the baking begin!!

Feta Cucumber Salad

This is my most favorite summer salad. My kids just gobble this one up! It's also done in under 10 minutes!! It is SO good with Greek marinated steaks & lemon potatoes (we are not Greek, but sure eat like it, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, olives, Feta, mmm, Fetaaa.......). A perfect summer meal!!

2 medium cucumbers
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 tsp pepper

Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove seeds. Cut cukes into 1/2" cubes; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Stir in onions. Whisk together cheese, lemon juice, oil & pepper; add to cucumber mixture & stir gently.

Minestrone Soup

I found this on the Kraft website, & tweaked it (adding garlic, of course, & more veggies). It was really good!! The cheese is the best part, hehe. Add lots! My 7 year old hated the kidney beans (but so did my friend who is 33!), yet my 5 year old loved them. If you have haters, add less. I plan to next time. It's a quick recipe (minus the slow cooker part), but taste awesome!!

1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 TBSP minced garlic
19 oz diced tomatoes & juice
1 can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed
20 oz beef or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups small pasta
Grated Parmesan

Cook onions, celery, carrots, & garlic in Italian dressing for 2 minutes. Put into slow cooker. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water & seasoning. Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours. Stir in pasta 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle Parmesan on before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

I made this on Monday for supper. G doesn't like so much pastry, so next time, I will just put the filling in a glass pie plate, & use 1 pie pastry on top. Other than that, it was really good! We had this with a Ceasar salad.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 large carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 large potato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can of mushroom soup
1 can of milk
pepper to taste
2 pie shells

Dice up chicken & cook until no longer pink. Add veggies & cook about 5 minutes. Stir in soup, milk, & pepper, & heat through. Pour into a pie shell, then place the 2nd shell on top, fluting the edges. Put steam holes in the top. Bake at 350F for 40 - 50 minutes, until golden brown, & the inside is bubbly.

Teriyaki

I made this for supper last night & it was a HUGE hit. I may have to triple the recipe next time!! It's so quick & easy, so it is perfect after sitting in the rink until 5pm!! We had it with rice, & then I bought egg rolls, mmmmm. I want more just typing this out!!

1 lb beef, chicken or pork (I used stirfry beef, it came pre-sliced from the meat department)
1 tsp ginger powder
1 TBSP minced garlic
2 stalks of celery, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced
1 onion cut into chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 TBSP soy sauce

Cook beef until done. Add ginger & garlic & mix together. Add veggies & stirfry until tender crisp. Whisk sugar & soy sauce together in a bowl, & pour over mixture in pan. Stir together. If too runny, I added a tiny bit of cornstarch to thicken it up. Serve over rice. Seriously, the YUMMIEST thing ever!!

So....Bored.....!

Well, not a ton going on. Which is nice in some ways. Also kinda boring! The boys are school right now (I pick Ry up in an hour & a half), so I'm just sort of hanging out, not doing much. I got some new scrap goodies yesterday in PA I'm thinking of "breaking in", but eh. Don't really want to get off the chair, LOL.

The boys & I went to PA with Reanna & her kids yesterday. I returned Garth's shoes (he can get his own next time!), hung out at Wal-Mart, & ate supper (mmm Arby's!). The boys got a new Wii game, they played it a little bit today before school. It is a Summer Package? It has like 7 games on it, volleyball, mini golf, etc etc.

I read A's notes from school this morning (I picked him up early from school & we went from the school to the city). A couple weeks ago, the school did a door decorating contest. His class won!! They won a pool party at the pool in town, but it doens't open until May Long Weekend, so they'll go after that! He was very excited! He also brought home a party invitation, for a friend's birthday that was April 9. Yeah. Brilliant. He still went to that party, the mom called me ;)

Well, I suppose that is my update for now. Nothing major happening this week, just hanging out at home & waiting for ball to start!

Ribs

I got this from my friend, the slow cooker goddess, Carrie. I hope to one day have her make these for me ;)

1 TBSP mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 brown sugar
4 lbs ribs

Whisk together everything but the ribs. Add the ribs & toss to coat. Arrange bone side up. Cook on High 6 hours or Low 10 hours.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Wow. 5 words but indescribily good. I made this last night for a friend that came over for supper. This was the first time I made "real" cheesecake, & not the cheater way with cream cheese & Cool Whip!

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 TBSP melted butter
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9" baking dish, then line with foil or parchment paper. Light butter foil/parchment. Combine crumbs & butter until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press into dish & bake for 6 minutes.


Cookie Dough
5 TBSP butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix together butter, sugars, salt & vanilla. Add flour, then stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.


Cheesecake
1 package cream cheese (250g or whatever the foil packs are lol)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese & suagr until smooth. Add egg & vanilla. Pour onto baked crust. Drop cookie dough on top. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until set. Melt chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag, snip a tiny hole in the corner & drizzle over the top. Let set 1 hour (or place in freezer for 10 minutes), then cut, cleaning the knife after each cut.

I didn't add the drizzle, I ran out of time, but wow. It is still SOOOO good without it!! So yummy!!!

Homemade Iced Tea

8 tea bags
hot water
1 can frozen lemonade
1/2 to 1 cup sugar

Fill a 1 gallon juice jug half full with hot water. Put tea bags & let brew for a couple hours (or as long as you want depending on how strong you like tea). Remove tea bags, add frozen lemonade & sugar to suit taste. Fill up the rest of the juice jug with cold water, stir & chill.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 chicken breast, cooked
8 slices deli ham
8 slice Swiss cheese
1 can of mushroom soup
1 can of milk
1 lg onion, chopped
1 package of button mushrooms, stems removed
1 box of Stovetop, prepared as directed

Layer chicken, ham & cheese in baking dish. Whisk together soup & milk, then pour over layered chicken. Sprinkly onions, mushrooms & mushroom stems over top. Top with Stovetop. Bake at 350F until golden brown.

Baked Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
1 cup cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions
6 bacon slices, crumbled

Bake potatoes & cool. Peel & coarsely mash. Put flour into Dutch oven, gradually add milk, whisking until blended. Cook over med until thick & bubbly (8 minutes). Add potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt & pepper, stirring until the cheese melts. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream & 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low for 10 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese, onions & bacon.

Smothered Chicken

4 chicken breast
garlic powder to taste
seasoning salt to taste
1 TBSP oil
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup bacon bits

Flatten chicken to 1/4" thickness. Sprinkle with garlic powder & seasoning salt. Over med heat, brown chicken in oil for 4 minutes; turn. Top with mushrooms, cheese, onions & bacon. Cover; cook until chicken juices run clear & cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

2 TBSP oil
1 cup sour cream
cubed steak
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of mushrooms
2 cloved minced garlic
2 tsp parsley
1 cup of water
1 tsp beef bouillon

Brown steak in oil. Mix the last six ingredients together in slow cooker. Add the steak. Cook on high for 8 hours. Add the sour cream during the last half hour. Serve over cooked noodles.

Scalloped Potatoes

I don't have exact measurements for this one! I just kind of wing it!

About 8 potatoes, sliced into rounds
1 can cream of mushroom/cheddar/celery soup
2 cans milk
2 big spoonfuls of Cheese Whiz
2 TBSP flour
1 onion, diced
1 can of mushrooms, drained

Whisk soup, milk, Cheese Whiz & flour together in slow cooker. Add onions, potatoes & mushrooms. Cook on high for 8 hours.

Cheddar & Apple Muffins

3 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups grated apples.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, & cinnamon with the eggs, apple juice, and melted butter. Stir in apples & cheese. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes.

Broccoli Chowder

1 TBSP Olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
1 lg carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 lg potato, peeled & diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 TBSP flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
28 oz chicken or veg broth
8 ouces broccoli, stems & florets seperated
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp salt

Heat oil in a Dutch oven, over med-high heat. Add onion, carrot, & celery. Cook until soft. Add potato and garlic, cook 2 minutes. Stir in flour, mustard powder & cayenne pepper. Cook another 2 minutes. Add broth & broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to med. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer covered until tender (10 minutes). Mash 2 cups of chowder, return to pot. Stire in cheese & sour cream, cook over to med until cheese is melted & heated through.