Yummy Fudgy Brownies

The other night, after we got the kids to bed and collapsed onto the couch to eat dinner, Zack and I realized we wanted dessert. In the last few years I've discovered I almost alway have the ingredients to make brownies from scratch. I've tried many different recipes but this one was AMAZING. The batter was the consistency of fudge but the brownies weren't dry like unthought they might be. I HIGHLY recommend it the next time you are craving brownies. We used semi- sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate and it worked perfectly. We liked them so much the kids never even knew we had them!

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (1 cup) 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/3 cup butter 
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 large egg yolks 
• 1 large egg 
• Cooking spray 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. 3. Place butter and chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds. Stir until smooth, and set aside. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup sugar, milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, egg yolks, and egg; stir with a whisk to combine. Add butter mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Pour batter into an 8-inch square metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean.

Kathy Kitchens Downie, RD, Cooking Light 
OCTOBER 2010

A Long Time Coming

What feels like a really long time ago I decided to start this blog.  I figured, "I'm a mom, I understand the challenges of home cooking in the realities of everyday life."  I look back on that version of myself now and say , "Ha, you hadn't seen nothin' yet girlie."  Over a year ago I stopped blogging. "Why," you ask.  I'll tell you why, real life.  I found out I was pregnant again and was to sick to even think about food.  Then I was too uncomofortable.  Then Adele was born and busy took on new meaning.  Now Joseph likes to "help" and everything takes six times longer.  This is real life for a lot of moms and I thought, "I really need to get back to cooking and I need to get back to blogging about my kitchen adventures, and misadventures."  So here is what I am setting out to do:
1) Actually write on this blog at least once a week.  Of couse I cook more often than that but realistically I'll be lucky if even one meal a week is worth sharing and twice as lucky if I actually have time to share it..
2) Tell you how long it really took me.  Was toddler helped involved? Will my very picky 3-year-old eat it?
3) Tell you if it was actually worth cooking\eating.
I am not making up these recipes.  I'm honestly not that creative.  I do tweak them if the original didn`t quite hit the mark.  I try as often as possible to tell you where the original recipe is from.  I hope some of you will enjoy this blog, redesigned for the everyday mom (or dad).  I also hope you will tell me what you think about it and the recipes I post.  Let me know what you like, don't like, and whether or not you are even reading it at all.  Check back soon for our first dish, and welcome to real life!

Coming next week.....

Ladies and gentlemen next week is going to be macaroni and cheese week.  There will be several different variations and the wonderful classic.  Stay tuned!

Nanny's Goulash

Nanny's Goulash

I got this recipe from Robin.  Healthy is something it definitely isn't but it is delicious.  I have added a bit of my own spin to it.  It is extremely quick and easy as well as very kid friendly.  Actually I discovered it because she was bringing it over to feed Joey for lunch.

INGREDIENTS:

Tater tots

1 lb ground beef

frozen corn

milk

1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 bag shredded cheddar or shredded Velveeta

DIRECTIONS:

Dice the onions and crush the garlic.  Put them in a skillet with the ground beef and saute.  Once the beef is cooked add the cream of mushroom soup and 1/2-1 can of milk.  Pour into a casserole dish and top with the cheese.  Top with the tater tots and bake according to the tater tot package directions.  That's it!

Beer Braised Brisket

Beer Braised Brisket

This recipe is AMAZING!!!!!  It has a long cook time but the prep and hands on time are very brief.  And it is delicious.  I didn't even have good beer to cook this.  I had to use Pabst Blue Ribbon and it still came out great.  The gravy is smooth, delicious, and finished in a snap.  It was a good thing that I was making this too because I ended up with several unexpected dinner guests and they loved it as well.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 1/2 pounds flat-cut beef brisket, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups pale ale
• 4 cups lower-sodium beef broth
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 carrots, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 celery stalks, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions, each cut into 12 wedges
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Rub spice mixture evenly over both sides of brisket. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add brisket; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove brisket from pan. Add beer; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth and garlic; return to a boil. Return brisket to pan. Cover and cook at 325° for 2 hours. Turn brisket over; cook an additional 2 hours. Turn brisket over. Add carrot, celery, and onion; cook an additional 1 hour or until brisket is very tender.
•  Remove brisket and vegetables from pan using a slotted spoon. Skim fat from cooking liquid; discard fat. Bring cooking liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Place flour in a small bowl; stir in 1/2 cup water. Add flour mixture to pan, stirring until smooth; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve the sauce with beef and vegetables.

David Bonom, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011

 

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Well jambalaya is not my usual cooking style but this recipe looked fantastic so I decided to give it a try.  The wonderful folks at Cooking Light are correct that it goes wonderfully with garlic bread sticks.  I have to be honest that this is not my favorite recipe ever, but it is still quite good.  We used hot italian sausage but I have to say that it was not the best choice.  A low-fat smoked sausage was recommended but I tend not to like smokey flavors so I tried something different.  Experiment with this one and let me know if you find something you like.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 6 ounces sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup shredded  rotisserie chicken 

Preparation

• 1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage; sauté 1 minute or until browned. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add rice and next 5 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is done. Remove thyme sprigs; discard. Stir in tomatoes and chicken. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Vanessa Pruett, Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2011

Cooking Light Pastitsio

Pastitsio

This is a new recipe that I tried this weekend from the October issue of Cooking Light.  I'd never heard of Pastitsio before but it looked yummy so I decided to give it a try.  It was very quick to prepare, not terribly complicated at all.  I made it before Zack and I went out and we both ate it with Joseph, who also loved it.  Then our babysitter came over and had some and she loved it too.  She asked for the recipe as soon as we got home.  So Emily, this one's for you.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces penne
• 1 pond ground beef
• cooking spray
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 3 oz fat free cream cheese
• 3/4 cup part-skim mozzerella

Directions:
Cook pasta and drain.  Heat a large skillet and coat with cooking spray.  Add beef to pan and and cook, stirring to crumble.  Remove meat from pan and drain .  Add oil to pan and saute onions for 5 minutes.  Add garlic stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Return beef to pan and season with salt.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in milk, cream cheese, and tomatoes and stir until cheese has melted.  Stir in pasta.  Place in coated baking dish and top with mozzarella.  Broil for 4 minutes until cheese is browned.

*Cooking Light October 2011