Brownies

Brownies, the delicious cake-like treat that can have many different fillings in it and each type of brownie still taste good. Nowadays, you can purchase cute brownie cutters for certain shapes, use decorating tips to make an everyday brownie look special, or pop them on a stick. Brownies are pretty versatile. I asked my fellow coworkers what I should bake tonight and the overall census was brownies. So brownies it is.

Making brownies from scratch really isn't hard but to be honest with you, I've been known to use a box mix when I've wanted brownies because I really didn't want to have to go through all the steps. I just wanted to add eggs, water and some oil, mix it around and throw it into a pan and slide the pan into an oven and then enjoy a nice hot brownie with a glass of milk 30 minutes later. If you are honest with  yourself, you've done it too.

A funny story regarding brownies. Several years ago my husband got the urge to make brownies; he was looking for a chocolate fix. He whipped up a batch of brownies and added cherries to the mix. For 30 minutes all he could think about was having a brownie. The aroma was divine and I even started counting down the time until the brownies were ready. The timer goes off, Bob takes out the brownies and then says, "Um, Joy?!" The "Um, Joy" was comical. I came down stairs and joined Bob at the stove. They smelled delicious, my mouth instantly starting watering, the whole Pavlov's dog thing, when I looked down into the dish. I tried to ask a question without laughing. You see, brownies didn't rise at all. I asked him to tell me what ingredients he used. He rattled off the ingredients and definitely put baking powder in the mix. I asked him, "Did you put eggs in it?" Bob gave me this grimace expression, "No?" Well, that would do it. He was totally bummed because he so wanted brownies. Even now when he goes to make brownies, I always remind him to "Not forget the eggs!"

Enjoy this recipe. Feel free to add whatever you want to the mix. You really can't destroy a brownie, unless you forget the eggs!

Ingredients:  1 cup of butter, 2 c sugar, 4 large eggs, .5 c water, 1 tsp pure vanilla, 1 c flour, 3/4 c cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, .5 tsp sea salt, 1 c chopped walnuts*, 4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips*

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 350 and prep a glass or metal baking pan* with cooking spray. (2) In a heavy, large, saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool slightly. (3) Add sugar and blend well. (4) Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition. (5) Add water and vanilla and mix well. (6) Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend. (7) Fold in walnuts and chocolate then spread into prepared dish/pan. Bake until cake springs back and toothpick comes out slightly clean (a few crumbs sticking to toothpick), approximately 27-30 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting. Serve slightly warm or cool completely.

*Depending on the dish/pan you use, the cook time might be longer. For dark or coated pans, decrease the heat to 325F. I usually use a 13"x9" nonstick pan and it takes about 30 minutes at 325F. I've used a glass 9"x9" pan it takes about 40 minutes for the brownies to cook.
* You can add anything to your mixture. If you just want chocolate brownies with nothing added, skip the beginning part of step 7. Dried fruit, chocolate chips, drops of peanut butter are all delicious. You can even frost the brownies after they cool completely with whatever frosting you want.
*We make these peanut butter brownies. They are a layer of chocolate cake-like brownies, topped with a peanut butter buttercream, and coated with melted chocolate. They are one big sugar high but they are very delicious.
*Another idea can be making S'more browines. Bake brownies like you normally would, just as soon as they come out of the oven, spread about 2 cups of mini marshmallows and 1 c of chocolate chips  on top of the brownies and put back in the oven for about 2 minutes to melt. Take out the brownies and add graham crackers to the top of the hot, melted marshmallows/chocolate and press down slightly. Cool completely and cut into servings around the graham crackers.

No Bake Cookies

Last week I headed home to spend some time with my folks. My mom and dad are retiring soon and will be moving to the Ohio area to be near the grandkids. No matter where my folks put down roots, it will always be home because that's where they are.

One of our 'homes' was in Louisiana. I moved my junior year of high school for Virginia. Before I digress, there were many experiences in Louisiana that still stand out in my mind. Between the food, the atmosphere, the music, and the friends, I can pick a pleasant memory anytime I want to take a trip down memory lane. Since this is blog is about food, I'll share a past time treasure with you.

A lady at our church, Ms. Barbara Blackwell, would make cookies for giving away. You could be having a rough day, been in an accident, had your heart broken, whatever, food always made it better. Ms. Barbara would give away brown lunch bags filled with her no bake cookies. Sometimes they would still be warm. These cookies were addicting. They wouldn't last the drive home in our family. When I think about Louisiana, these cookies come to mind.

Since I've been back from visiting my family last week, I'm cooking and baking foods that I remember eating or even turning my nose up at when I was younger. Most are Southern dinner dishes but I'm baking a few dessert dishes. I figured I would whip up a batch of no bake cookies because they are fast and easy to make and I can enjoy them with a glass of milk while I sit and enjoy the weather. I've played around with recipe to make Vegan no-bake cookies and even an gluten-free version. The sugar-free version is still being worked on.

Enjoy this trip down memory lane. Thank you Ms. Barbara for the recipe and for delicious bags of cookies when I needed them.

Ingredients:  1 stick butter (melted), .5 c cocoa powder, 3 c oats, .5 c peanut butter, 2 c sugar, .5 c milk, 1 tsp pure vanilla

Instructions:  (1) Melt butter in a medium sized cooking pan. Once melted, add cocoa sugar and milk and whisk til well-blended. Cook on the stove until bubbles form around the sides of the pan. (2) Remove from heat and add oats, peanut butter, and vanilla. Drop on to wax paper and let cool.

*I usually use a large ice cream scooper to drop uniform cookies on the paper and then will slightly press them down so the cookie doesn't cool raised.
*I've been known to also add coconut to my mixture for a chocolate coconut  cookie, which is quite delicious. 

Pootsin

Vernon Roger used to be an anchor for WAFB-TV and hosted the Roger At Large series. Vernon put together a cookbook called "Roger's Cajun Cookbook". All recipes in the cookbook were demonstrated by Vernon in his "Roger's Cookout" segments.

Pootsin is a different type of bread pudding. Not  Poutine, which is basically fries with melted cheese and gravy on them. I'm not usually a bread pudding type of person but since I tried some while in Utila, Honduras, I'm trying other types of bread pudding recipes.  This recipe has coconut and pineapple in it, so it's got my vote. Enjoy.

Ingredients: 8 slices of old bread, 3 bananas (chopped), 1 c coconut, 3 eggs (separated), 1.5 tsp vanilla extract, 1 c evaporated milk, 4 c milk, .5 can crushed pineapple, 1.5 c sugar + 4 TBSP, .5 tsp baking soda

Instructions:  (1)Preheat oven to 375F. Heat milk and pour over bread which has been broken-up and is in a mixing bowl and mix together. (2) Add egg yokes, pineapple, coconut, vanilla, evaporated milk, baking soda, 1.5 c sugar, and bananas. Mix well. (3) Pour mixture into a 11x13" baking dish or several pans that have been buttered and bake for about 1 hour or until it begins to brown. (4) Beat egg whites with 4 TBSP sugar and pour over pies and return to oven, which has been turned to 350F until topping begins to brown.

Supreme Banana Pudding

For the last few days, I've been enjoying time with my family that are currently still living in the South. Prior to coming home, a friend of mine in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area posted a question on Facebook regarding Banana Pudding. She wanted to know if it was just a Southern thing or did people in the North also enjoy it. All of us chimed in on our thoughts; some where down right hilarious, while others just made you shake your head.

Since I came home to grab some more recipes out of the family vault, I figured I would grab a banana pudding recipe from a lady I called 'grandma' while living in Louisiana. Mrs. Fisher, or Ms. Euince, attended Baton Rouge First Church of the Nazarene. Her husband always had a peppermint disc for me every Sunday morning. Both of them were very loving and for someone who's grandparents lived far away in West Virginia, they, along with the Hendersons, helped fill the grandparent gap.

This is her Banana Pudding recipe. I don't like bananas and never did. Grandma Wilks found that out the hard way, that's another story from my childhood in Louisiana. I would eat Ms. Euince's pudding though, just not the banana chunks. Enjoy this little bit of Southern goodness.

Ingredients: 2 large boxes of instant pudding, 5 cups cold milk, 8 oz sour cream, 9 oz. box of cool whip mix, 8 bananas, 1 box of vanilla wafers, 1 bowl of cool whip, pecans (optional)

Instructions: (1) Beat together pudding and milk. When thick, add sour cream and 1 carton of cool whip. Mix together. (2) Stir in sliced bananas and pour into a dish of your choice*(3) Stick wafers into the pudding mixture and spread cool whip on top. Add pecans if you want.

*I usually use a Trifle bowl but sometimes I'll use a 11x13" dish. I also sometimes layer wafers and banana slices between the pudding. When I get adventurous, I'll make the pudding from scratch and also make a meringue to go on top.

Chai Spice Muffins

 

I am a teetotaler. I love tea. I never learned to enjoy the taste of coffee. It smells good when it brews but that bitter aftertaste just doesn't do it for me. I'm happy with a nice black, green, red, or white tea in the morning. Because I enjoy tea so much, I have a lot of different varieties, both in loose-leaf or bagged from all over the place. Needless to say, I need a shelf in the pantry just for my teas. One tea I enjoy is my Masala Chai. A friend of mine brought me back a bag of Masala Chai from a nice tea shoppe in New York City. I usually don't put milk in my tea but when I'm drinking Chai, I do. 

Not to long ago, I made some chai cupcakes and figured I would make some chai muffins when I had time. Well, I had time this past weekend and I decided to experiment with my cupcake recipe and make some muffins but not just any muffins; Chai Spice Gluten-Free muffins. Next time I make these, I'll add like a chai concentrate or add some more spices to the mix but for a trial run, these weren't bad.

Enjoy.

Ingredients: 1 3/4 c gluten-free flour*, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1.5 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, .5 tsp cardamom, .5 sea salt, .5 xanthan gum, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 3/4 c light brown sugar, packed, 3/4 c unsalted butter, softened, 3 eggs, .25 c milk, 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 350F and prep a 12-c or 6-c muffin pan with liners or cooking spray. (2) In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, xanthan gum, and cloves. (3) Beat brown sugar and butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in milk and vanilla until blended. (4) Add flour mixture to egg mixture  and stir with a spoon until just blended. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups and bake for about 22-27 minutes or until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool pan for a few minutes then completely on a wire rack.

*I some times use a brown rice flour blend with making gluten-free muffins. Here's a recipe I use and it usually makes about 3 cups.  2 c finely ground brown rice flour,  2/3 c potato starch, 1/3 c tapioca starch. Items can be purchased at some grocery stores in their organic aisle or at specialty health food stores. 

 

Resurrection Cookies

Easter involves egg hunts, baskets filled with goodies, and chocolate bunnies. For some, it is a time to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus for all mankind. A friend of mine shared this recipe with me. It is a recipe that can be used to teach younger kids the meaning of Resurrection Sunday. I've had several inquires on how to present the meaning of Easter to kids and figured I would post this recipe. If you don't celebrate Easter, this recipe is still a good recipe to have. If you do celebrate Easter, this recipe is a good reminder of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us.  Happy Easter, Resurrection Day.

Ingredients: 1 c whole pecans, chocolate, or heathbar, 1 tsp. vinegar, 3 egg whites, pinch of sea salt, 1 c sugar

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 300F. (2) Place pecans or whatever you chose in a bag and let kids beat with a wooden spoon-Read John 19:1-3. (3) Let the kids smell the vinegar and the vinegar in a mixing bowl-Read John 19:28-30. (4) Add eggs to the vinegar-Read John 10:10-11. (5) Give kids a little salt and have them taste it. Place salt in the bowl-Read Luke 23:27. (6) Add the sugar to the bowl-Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16. (7) Mix the ingredients on high until stiff peaks form, about 12-15 min. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3. (8) Mix in nuts and drop cookies on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Read Matthew 27:57-60. (9) Place cookies in the oven and TURN off the oven. Place tape to 'seal' the oven. Read Matthew 27:65-66.  (10) Go To Bed. Read John 16:20, 22. (11) Easter morning, open the oven and give each child a cookie. Notice the cracked cookie and break it open or take a bite, it's hollow. This represents an empty grave.