Fudgy Frozen Brownies

I have been in a baking mood lately and was craving some chocolate so I decided to make these brownies. I have been baking these ever since I found the recipe when I was a teenager but I recently decided to revamp it by decreasing the eggs, using half brown sugar, and adding in sour cream. These taste even better with the alterations, if I do say so myself. As it happens my boyfriend isn't the brownie fan I am so the last time I made these I decided to freeze them. Of course after they were frozen I got a craving and decided to try them frozen because I was too impatient to wait for a brownie to thaw - I was in for a pleasant surprise, these brownies are even tastier frozen then they are while warm!

Enjoy!

Fudgy Frozen Brownies

2 Eggs

1 cup Brown Sugar (not packed)

1 cup Sugar

1 ½ teas. Vanilla

½ cup Butter melted

¼ cup Sour Cream

1 ½ cups Flour

¾ cup Baking Cocoa

1 ¼ teas. Salt

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla thoroughly in a bowl. Add in melted butter and sour cream and mix together. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until knife comes out slightly sticky when inserted into brownies. Freeze and enjoy!

Easy Roasted Vegetables

The vegetables before they went into the oven

These vegetables go with everything and I probably make them at least once a week. My boyfriend loves these veggies and will eat an entire tray of them if I allow it. This is such a simple and healthy recipe - two qualities in recipes that I always enjoy seeing paired up.

Easy Roasted Vegetables

2 Summer Squash thickly sliced

2-3 Zucchini thickly sliced

Lowry’s Seasoning

Cracked pepper

Olive oil

Toss summer squash and zucchini with olive oil and seasoning to taste. Lay vegetables out in a single layer on a large cookie sheet (10x15) and bake at 430 for 20 minutes turning once (or until slightly crispy and browned on edges). 

Sally Lunn Batter Bread

This bread is a no knead yeast bread so it is simple to make. It has an amazing delicate buttery taste and pairs well with almost anything. I found the recipe in a Taste of Home magazine years ago - I'm not sure what issue.

Sally Lunn Batter Bread
1 packet (1/4 oz) Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup warm Water (110-115 degrees)
1 cup warm Milk (110-115 degrees)
1/2 cup Butter softened
1/4 cup Sugar
2 teas. Salt
3 Eggs
5 1/2 - 6 cups flour

In a glass measuring cup heat water and milk to 110-115 degrees (where it is warm to the touch) and mix in a teaspoon of sugar, then pour in yeast packet and wait about 5 minutes to proof the yeast (this means that the yeast mixture will start to rise and bubble a little and ensures that your yeast is still good). Once yeast is proofed pour into a mixing bowl with butter, remaining sugar, salt, and eggs. Then mix in approximately 3 cups of flour to make a batter and gradually add in the rest of the flour until you have a soft slightly sticky dough. Let rise covered in a warm place with no drafts until doubled, about an hour. Mix or punch dough down and put into a greased and floured tube pan (I just lifted the dough out of the mixing bowl with my hands and laid it in the tube pan). Let rise in pan for an hour, or until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes then loosen edges with a knife and remove from pan to cool completely.

Chili Roasted Potatoes and Onion

Roasted potatoes and onions all hot and crispy

Mmmm. Just made my sweet and spicy roasted potatoes for dinner along with my boyfriend's mom's special cole slaw. These potatoes are so simple to make but are just delicious and go with pretty much anything. Since I was in a cooking mood I also made my tasty veggie heavy spaghetti sauce, but I will post that recipe later.

This dish before it was cooked - in case you were curious

Chili Roasted Potatoes and Onion

6 Red Potatoes chopped

2 Onions chopped

1-2 tabl. Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

1-2 tabl. Brown Sugar

Cayenne pepper to taste (if you want a little extra kick)

Olive oil

Toss potatoes and onions with spices, sugar, and olive oil and spread into a 15’x10’ pan. Roast for 30 minutes at 430° turning after 20 minutes in the oven. Let cool slightly and serve.

Sauteed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Onions

I made this delicious dish last week and my boyfriend liked it so much we made it again the next day; which if you know him is a huge deal because he absolutely hates to cook and will avoid it at all costs.

His usual idea of making a meal is to have a bowl of cereal but he said that this dish was so good he actually wanted to learn how to make it (with me guiding him along of course, I didn't want the kitchen to catch fire - that actually happened once).

The butter is what really gives this meal it's rich carmelly flavor so I wouldn't recommend substituting anything else for it.  

Sautéed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Onions

5-7 medium Red Potatoes cubed (don’t peel skins)

10 oz (approx) fresh Green Beans/Broccoli (could use frozen)

1-2 Onions chopped

4 tbs (approx) Butter (Can start with less but add more if it is not enough)

Pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Optional: 4 chicken breasts chopped

Microwave potatoes for about 5 minutes in a little bit of water to partially cook them. Put butter in a skillet on medium high heat and sauté onions and potatoes. Add in green beans or brocolli after potatoes and onions begin to caramelize and sprinkle with pepper and salt to taste throughout cooking. (I usually go pretty heavy on the pepper). Stir frequently but allow mixture to stick to the bottom of the pan somewhat so that everything caramelizes. Cook for about 20-30 minutes. 

Note: If you decide to use chicken cook chicken completely first and add when you put the brocolli or green beans in with the potatoes and onions.  

Mac and Cheese with a Bite

Mmmm. Just sitting down with a bowl of mac and cheese and steamed broccoli to watch Gossip Girl reruns. I added some cayenne to the the simple roux sauce for an extra kick and it provides just the right amount of spice to go with the rich cheese flavor. Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese with a Bite

1 lb. Whole Wheat Rotini

Roux

4 oz. Colby-Jack 2% Cheese shredded

4 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

1 1/2 cups 1% Milk

3 tabl. Butter

4 tabl. Flour

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 teas. Cayenne Pepper

Boil Pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan melt butter over low heat and slowly mix in flour after butter is melted. Begin adding milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, as the flour and butter mixture will thicken too much if not thinned; let roux come to a slow boil and boil for one minute then add in shredded cheese and spices. Mix until cheese is melted then pour in pasta. Serve after pasta has been coated with the roux. 

Mushroom, Spinach, and Onion Quiche

I found this quiche recipe a while back on another cooking blog, called Confabulation in the Kitchen, and modified it to suit my tastes. Instead of a crust I just sliced up some potatoes to put on the bottom; if you prefer a crust by all means use one, but I thought this was an excellent way to cut down the calories and fat on this quiche. 

I also took the time to estimate the calories in this recipe in case you are curious. One quiche (this recipe makes two so it is great if you want leftovers for a few days) is about 1440 calories and 1/6 of the quiche is about 240 calories. 

As far as substitutions go, I have swapped yogurt for sour cream and cream cheese of the ricotta when I ran out and still wanted to make this and it came out just fine, so don't be afraid to mix it up a little. 

Below is the recipe, enjoy!

Mushroom, Spinach, and Onion Quiche

Two 9” Pie Plates

2-3 cups of fresh chopped Spinach

1 Onion chopped

1 container of Portabella Mushrooms chopped

2-3 Cubano peppers chopped

2 tabl. minced Garlic

2 Red Potatoes thinly sliced

7 Eggs

1 1/2 cups 1% Milk

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

1 1/2 tabl. Flour

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (reduced fat works just fine)

Olive Oil for sauteing 

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Spray pie plates with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. Lay sliced potatoes on bottom of pie plates. Finely chop any remaining potato and sauté with onion, pepper, garlic, and mushrooms (season with salt and pepper) until browned and mix in flour until all vegetables are coated. Beat eggs, milk, ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 2 cups of cheese together and put in spinach and sautéed vegetables. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes and pour filling over it. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes and 350 for 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting. May be served warm or cold.