Chewy, Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies

WOW...these brownies really live up to their name. I was searching for a brownie recipe and when I saw this one called for melted butter it was the winner. I usually don't plan ahead and don't like to take the time to cream softened butter. These are a must try for all you chocolate and brownie lovers out there!

From: Annie's Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated

INGREDIENTS

5 ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into quarters (1 stick)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350°F Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

Fold two 12-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a double-boiler, or medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds.

Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then stir in flour with wooden spoon until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners, and level surface with rubber spatula; bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan using foil handles.

Cut into squares and serve. The original recipes calls for the brownies to be cut into 64 squares. I cut mine into 36 squares and cannot imagine them being any smaller than that. Store in an air-tight container.

I have had this double boiler for almost 4 years now and I finally got around to using it.

One year ago: Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Is there anything better than cheesecake and fresh strawberries?? I didn't think so. These are easy and impressive, but take a little time to make.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
crushed graham crackers

DIRECTIONS

Cut the tops off of the strawberries and stand upright on the cut side. Make a cut 3/4 of the way down from the tip of the strawberry towards the bottom in a crisscross pattern.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth in a mixer or a food processor. Place into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe into each strawberry and arrange on a serving platter.

Garish with crushed graham crackers.

One year ago: Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa

I have been wanting to try quinoa for a while, but it was either hard to find or too expensive. Luckily a trip to the local farmer's market changed that. They bag theirs by weight and cut out the middle man. I decided to go with Mediterranean flavors since I wasn't sure what else to do. It came out great! I certainly plan on trying other flavor combinations. Any suggestions?

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup of chopped cucumber
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, cup up
1/4 kalamata olives, cup up
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped basil
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a mesh strained rise quinoa. Add quinoa and water in a pan, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. Let quinoa sit and cool and allow any additional liquid to absorb.

To make your dressing combine lemon zest, juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Add dressing to quinoa and mix in cucumber, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta and basil.

Can be served cold of room temperature.

One year ago: Melissa's Homemade Mac and Cheese

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Salad

To celebrate my step-moms birthday I wanted to make a dish with asparagus because she loves it. But due to the timing of everything it had to be something that could be served cold or room temperature. Also, I do not even like asparagus so I talked with my mom to see if this idea would even work and she gave it the go-ahead. Everyone really did enjoy. I did try a piece of asparagus after roasting it and yeah, I still do not like it. I wanted to use cherry or grape tomatoes for this, but the store was out.

INGREDIENTS

1 bundle asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
3 tomatoes seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chopped basil
salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat the asparagus in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange asparagus on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and cut in half on a diagonal. (I cooked mine a little longer because the people I was serving do not like the asparagus to have a bite to it.)

Combine balsamic vinegar, garlic and onion powder and set aside. Gently mix together asparagus and tomatoes and stir in vinegar mixture. Garnish with fresh basil. (I accidentally took my photo before adding the basil, oops!)

One year ago: Brownie Pudding

Creamy Taco Mac

If you thought making hamburger helper was easy, then try this and you will not be disappointed. It is tasty, quick and easy. And it doesn’t hurt that you get comfort food and know all the ingredients that are in it.

Adapted from Delish

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces small pasta
1.25 pounds ground turkey
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
8 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup taco seasoning
shredded cheese, sour cream and hot sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Boil pasta in salted water until done to your preference.

While the pasta is boiling brown turkey (drain fat if necessary). When the turkey is cooked add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cream cheese and taco seasoning. Let simmer until the cream cheese is melted and it is warmed though, stir occasionally. Add pasta to sauce and mix well. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream or hot sauce.

One year ago: Laughing Cow Cheese + Crescent Rolls = Yum

Kielbasa and Roasted Pepper Trio

Once again we have another "no recipe" recipe using my slow cooker. I chose to make this because it was something I could make ahead of time and it gave a great secondary meat option at a gathering. To prep this ahead of time I roasted some cubanelle, poblano and red peppers. When they were cooled I removed the skin and seeds and cut them into strips. Next I prepped my kielbasa by cutting it into pieces. The next day I browned the kielbasa pieces in a pan (in batches) and combined that with the peppers in the slow cooker. Once it is warmed through people can dig in. You can also serve this with some small rolls so people can make mini sandwiches.

One year ago: Canadian Bacon and Cheese Quiche

Buffalo Style Meatballs

Now I realize this is hardly and recipe and some people may not even think it is blog-worthy. But when I made these they were a big hit. Plus I know people are always looking for another way to serve meatballs in the slow cooker for parties. I thought it as a nice alternative to buffalo chicken wings. I have also come to realize that I like putting wing sauce in traditional recipes =). All I did was throw some frozen meatballs in, poured in some buffalo wing sauce (I used Texas Pete brand) and stirred. Then I followed the cooking directions from the meatball package.

One year ago: Taco Bake

Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Chicken

I had some goat cheese sitting my refrigerator and was not sure what to do with….but I knew I wanted to make a meal out of it. This dish would also be good with some chickpeas in place of the chicken.

INGREDIENTS

5 ounces goat cheese log, crumbled
½ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
¾ pound chicken, cooked and chopped
3/4 pound angel hair pasta*
reserved pasta water
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Boil pasta in salted water. When pasta is done remove from water into a serving and reserve your pasta water.

While the pasta is still warm sprinkle in the goat cheese and stir. Add in some reserved pasta water (about a ¼ cup at a time) and until the pasta a nice consistency and the goat is mixed in thoroughly. (I used about a cup of pasta water total).

Toss in the warm chicken and sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

*The pasta amount stated about is only an approximate amount. I was using up two boxes that had already been opened.

One year ago: Salsa Chicken

Chicken Gyros

I have seen this on numerous blogs, but never got around to it because it required planning and prepping. I usually just cook whatever I am in the mood for at that time. That was until I lost my voice and could not go to work. That gave me plenty of time. It was nice to be off of work “sick” but still feel great and be able to whatever I want (expect speak).

From Elly Says Opa

INGREDIENTS

3 chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons
red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
tzatiki *see post below
sliced tomatoes
pitas

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in a resealable bag. Place in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using.

Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Heat your pitas to make them pliable. Stuff the pita with the chicken, tzatziki and tomatoes.

One year ago: Irish Beef Hand Pies

Tzatziki

I made this to go some Chicken Gyros. My mom loved it so much she was eating as a dip!

Adapted from Elly Says Opa

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces plain yogurt (not fat free)
1 hothouse cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers, seeded
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1-2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth (I used a paper towel that I set in a mesh strainer) over a bowl for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.

Peel and seed the cucumber. Shred the cucumbers and then squeeze them to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. I used a paper towel to do this.

Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice (if desired). Salt and pepper to taste. It’s best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top

One year ago: Basic Blondies