Outrageous brownies

Another winner from the Barefoot Contessa (find recipe here). The original recipe calls for 3 cups chopped walnuts. As I still haven't been able to overcome my nut allergy, I omitted these. These brownies are decadent and fudgey. They are the best brownies I've ever had.
Also, I didn't have unsweetened chocolate so I made my own. 3 tbsp cocoa powder plus 1 tbsp butter, oil or shortening equals one oz of unsweetened chocolate  (1 cup plus 2 tbsp cocoa plus 6 tbsp oil is what I did).

Ingredients:

1 lb unsalted butter

1 lb plus 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

6 oz unsweetened chocolate

6 large eggs

3 tbsp instant coffee granules

2 tbsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose four

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a jelly roll pan (12 x 18 x 1 inch baking sheet)

Melt together: butter, 1 lb chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate (I do this in the microwave, but can also be done with a double boiler). Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl stir together the eggs, coffee grails, vanilla and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl sift together 1 cup of flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss 12 oz of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup flour (would also add nuts if desired at this point). Add this to chocolate batter and pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake (I only baked an additional 7 minutes, but I also have a convection oven which bakes faster). Allow to cool, refrigerate and cut into squares.

Pork & shitake pot stickers

This recipe is found in cooking light and can be found here. Though they are a lot of work, they freeze great (I have about 30 in the freezer) and are easy to pop out and cook. These are very tasty and fun.

Ingredients

• 
  2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 4 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 5 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 14 ounces lean ground pork
• 40 gyoza skins or round wonton wrappers
• Cornstarch
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)--I didn't have this so I omitted 
• Cooking spray

1. 1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add sesame oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 1/2 cup onions, garlic, ginger, and mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove from pan; cool slightly. Combine mushroom mixture, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, hoisin sauce, pepper, and pork (that's been browned in a sauté pan) in a medium bowl.
2. 2. Arrange 8 gyoza skins on a clean work surface; cover remaining skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons pork mixture in the center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half; press edges together with fingertips to seal. Place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; cover to prevent drying. Repeat procedure with remaining gyoza skins and pork mixture.
3. 3. Combine 1/4 cup hot water and brown sugar in a small bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add remaining 1/4 cup green onions, remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, vinegar, and sambal, stirring with a whisk until well combined.
4. 4. Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Generously coat pan with cooking spray. Add 10 pot stickers to pan; cook 30 seconds or until browned on one side. Turn pot stickers over; carefully add 1/3 cup water to pan. Cover tightly; steam 4 minutes. Repeat procedure in batches with remaining pot stickers and more water, or follow freezing instructions. After cooking, serve pot stickers immediately with dipping sauce.
5. TO FREEZE: Freeze dumplings flat on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn­starch 10 minutes or until firm. Place in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag with 1 teaspoon cornstarch; toss. Freeze sauce in a small zip-top plastic freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months.
6. TO THAW: Thaw sauce in the microwave at HIGH in 30-second increments. No need to thaw pot stickers.
7. TO REHEAT: Follow recipe instructions for cooking, placing frozen dumplings in pan and increasing steaming time by 2 minutes.

Curried Coconut Soup with Chicken [gluten free]

I think this soup was delicious, but would benefit from something a little extra.  Maybe a little more chile paste or some kefir lime leaves (Marybeth's suggestion).  It was simple and different.  Also, something I recently learned about rice noodles-- there are two types, one made from basmati rice, and the other from sticky rice.  I think the latter can only be found at asian markets, but I think it would be extra good in this soup.
Original recipe here

• 2 teaspoons canola oil 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 4 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson) 
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced cucumber (This was weird in a soup.  I tried it but took them out)
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chile paste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil or sesame oil
• 2 cups cooked rice noodles (I used the thin kind.  I think next time I will try the thicker version)
• 4 lime wedges

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add curry paste and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes.
2. 2. Combine chicken, cucumber, basil, sambal oelek, and sesame oil in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1/2 cup noodles in each of 4 bowls. Pour about 1 1/4 cups stock mixture into each bowl. Serve with lime.

White Chicken Pizzas

These were my favorite.  The original recipe is here, in March's Cooking Light magazine.  I forgot to buy refrigerated pizza dough, so I made my own, using this recipe from All Recipes.  Patrick said it was the best pizza crust yet.  I think it had something to do with pre-heating the pan.
I found all the steps a bit overwhelming, but I do think it was worth it for a delicious finished product!!

• 30 ounces refrigerated fresh pizza dough, divided
• 1/2 cup olive oil $
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt 
• 4 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken breast  (I used a rotisserie chicken)
• 6.5 ounces preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Italian-blend cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
• 3 ounces fresh part-skim mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup small fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. 1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 450° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).
2. 2. Let pizza dough rest, covered, at room temperature as oven preheats.
3. 3. Combine oil and next 4 ingredients (through thyme sprigs) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve over a small bowl; discard solids.
4. 4. Combine milk, yogurt, and vinegar in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 6 minutes. Gently stir to form small curds. Strain curds through a fine sieve; let stand 5 minutes. Discard liquid. Combine oil mixture, cheese curds, and salt, stirring gently.
5. 5. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (about 2.5 ounces each). Roll each piece into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface (keep dough covered with a damp towel to prevent drying). Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons oil mixture over each pizza, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Divide chicken, Italian-blend cheese, and mozzarella cheese evenly among pizzas; sprinkle evenly with thyme leaves and black pepper. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven. Arrange 3 to 4 pizzas on pizza stone. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until dough is golden and cheese browns. Repeat procedure with remaining pizzas, or follow freezing instructions. Sprinkle pizzas evenly with fresh basil leaves.
6. TO FREEZE: Bake pizzas on preheated stone for only 5 minutes. Cool; wrap individually in heavy-duty foil, stack, and freeze up to 2 months.
7. TO REHEAT: No thawing: Place frozen pizzas on a baking sheet that's not preheated; bake at 450° for 13 minutes or until cheese browns.

Chicken Cutlets with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions [gluten free]

This was one of many delightful recipes from March's Cooking Light.  Find it here.  I liked it, so did my kids.  I didn't have brandy, so I subbed chardonnay, and it tasted wonderful.

Chicken Cutlets with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 3/4 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed and drained
• 8 ounces quartered button mushrooms 
• 2/3 cup brandy/white wine
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson) 
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

1. 1. Cut each chicken breast half in half horizontally to form 8 cutlets. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
2. 2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 4 cutlets to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining 4 cutlets.
3. 3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pearl onions and mushrooms; sauté 6 minutes or until browned. Remove pan from heat. Carefully add brandy to pan; return pan to medium-high heat, and bring mixture to a boil. Cook until liquid almost evaporates (about 2 minutes). Combine stock and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add stock mixture to pan, stirring with a whisk; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, butter, and thyme.

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

Stir Fry:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, cut in small pieces
1 small can minced water chestnuts, drained
1 package mushrooms, minced
3 tbsp green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 carrot, shredded
Lettuce leaves (iceberg or butter works best)

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar

Sauce for wraps (optional):
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1/2-1 tbsp chinese hot mustard (optional)
1-3 tbsp garlic chili paste

Directions:
Heat oil in sauté pan, sauté chicken. Remove chicken, set aside. Add onion, garlic, water chestnuts, mushrooms, peppers and carrots and sauté. Add chicken and stir fry sauce. Serve in lettuce leaves (that have been washed and dried).

*If using optional sauce, simply combine ingredients and spoon on wraps.

Slow Cooker Pasole

This is a mexican soup. Original recipe from a woman in my ward (Janet Duncan)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 can (28 oz) red enchilada sauce
3 cans hominy (can use white or yellow, or a combo)--original recipe called for 2 cans. McKay and I both felt an extra can would be good.
1 onion, sliced (can do big chunks)
1/2 cup green chiles (canned)
4 cloves garlic (no need to chop)
2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 cans chicken broth

1.  Place oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper pork cubes and toss in flour. Add to skillet and cook until just browned. Place browned pork in a slow cooker.
2. Slice and cook the onions until caramelized, then add the garlic cloves for several minutes. Next combine cooked onions, garlic cloves, 1 can chicken broth, cilantro, oregano and chiles in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add this to the crock pot.
3. Add an additional can of chicken broth and enchilada sauce as well as cayenne pepper to the crockpot. Stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours. One hour prior to serving add the hominy (drain and rinse first).

Serve as a stew with tortilla chips/strips, cheese, lime, cilantro, sour cream and avocado.

Simple Spaghetti

I have to be honest.  I have never liked spaghetti, ever.  This recipe changed my mind though.  The original recipe can be found here .  Naturally, I had to add my twist to this one, even though it was already ridiculously simple.

Simple Spaghetti

8 oz. ground italian sausage
8 oz.  uncooked spaghetti
1-28 oz no salt added whole tomatoes, undrained (I used the garden tomatoes I froze)
2 T. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1/2 c. shaved parm. cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cook sausage in a pan until done.  Remove from pan.  Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed red pepper and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Add sausage and stir to coat.  Use sauce to top pasta and garnish with fresh basil and parm. 

Pecan Pie

My husband requested Pecan Pie this Thanksgiving, and let me confess, I've never made one.  So I went to the trusted allrecipes.com and found some instructions.  The pie met my husband's approval, so I thought I would share.  I used my sister's fabulous pie crust recipe found here and reposted for your convenience.  I did make a few changes to the recipe.  I reduced the pecans, combined the dry ingredients, and covered the pie to bake.

Pecan Pie

1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 T flour
1 T milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped pecans, plus whole pecans to top pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter.  In a separate bowl, combine sugars and flour.  Mix well. Add gradually to egg mixture, then add milk, vanilla and nuts.  Stir until combined.  Pour into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Top with whole pecans.  Cover entire pie loosely in aluminum foil.  Bake for 10 min at 400, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 30-40 min, uncovering the last 10 min.

Pie Crust

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ cup butter flavored crisco (make sure it is cold)

1/4 cup COLD water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in crisco with a rubber spatula (make sure all the flour is mixed in, should be in small clumps). Stir in water with a fork all at once. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for an hour, then remove and roll out. Makes 1 pie crust, double if top needed. Bake according to pie directions or if it is a cold pie prick bottom with fork and bake at 425 degrees for 6-7 minutes.

Tacos al Carbon

I have found that the quality of steak really makes a difference in dishes like this.  I went ahead and bit the bullet, buying the pricier flank steak.  Boy, was it worth it.  Yum!  These were tasty!  I did make some changes, but you can find the original recipe here at cooking light.

Tacos al Carbon

1 med red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 lb flank steak, sliced thin
1 t. chili powder
4 oz diced canned tomatoes (I used frozen fresh tomatoes from my garden)
2-1/2 t. olive oil
3/4 t. salt
juice of 1 lime
8 garlic cloves, minced
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

For garnish
Avocado slices
cilantro
fat free sour cream

Heat a pan to medium high.  Coat with 1 t. olive oil.  Add bell pepper and cook about 4 min.  Add onion and 1 clove garlic, saute until vegetables reach desired tenderness (I like mine a little crunchy).  Remove from pan and place in a large bowl.

Add steak to pan with remaining olive oil and cook until almost done.  Add tomatoes, lime, salt, remaining garlic, and chili powder.  Stir to coat.  Add pepper mixture until mixed.  Serve on warmed tortillas with garnishes
of your choice.

"healthy" pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (or muffins)

Two quick notes. These make cookies or muffins. These are very dense cookies and are not real sweet. If your whole wheat flour isn't very finely ground you may want to consider doing half whole wheat and half white flour for a finer texture.

1.5 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, applesauce, oil, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Next, combine the dry ingredients and sift them into the wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If baking muffins bake 18-20 minutes.

Delicious dinner rolls

I have never successfully made tasty rolls…until I tried this recipe. These are fabulous. I froze the cooked rolls and they are still very good when thawed.
Original recipe can be found on How Does She.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons yeast
• 2 cups of warm water
• about 9-10 cups of all purpose flour
• at least 1 cup of butter

Instructions

*Please note I did NOT hand mix these rolls. I'm way too lazy. I used my Bosch and just barely mixed it. 

1. Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt.
2. add yeast to this hot mixture, but it will be too hot to just dump the yeast straight in (it would kill it!). To cool it down stir in 1-2 cups of flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast in 2 cups of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it is bubbly.
3. Make sure your milk mixture is just warm, not boiling and add the yeast mixture!
4. Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir in 9-10 cups of flour (counting the flour you have already added to cool it earlier). I would recommend only adding 2 cups at time and stirring in between. These rolls turn out so much better when they are mixed by hand.
5. At the end the dough will be dense and sticky, and may be hard to stir, you can use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour if needed. Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it rise.
6. When your dough is close to raising completely, butter 2 cookie sheets and set them aside.
7. Let the dough raise until it has doubled in size.
8. Cover your working space with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dump your dough out and divide it into 4 balls. Eyeball the sizes, then lift them up and feel the weight of each ball. Try to make them even, but they don’t have to be perfect.
9. Using one ball of dough at a time: roll the dough into a circle on a floured counter. Once it is rolled out spread the top with butter from edge to edge. You will use about 2 Tablespoons per circle of dough.
10. Cut the dough into quarters using a pizza cutter.
11. Then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. You should end up with 12 triangles from each circle of dough.
12. Roll the dough starting with the wide end of the triangle
13. Tuck the tail of the triangle under the roll and place it on the buttered cookie sheet. You will make 3 rows, with 8 rolls per row. This will give you 24 rolls per pan. Two balls of dough will fill 1 pan. You will get a total of 48 rolls!
14. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pans of rolls in a warm place (on top of the oven if possible) to let them rise. Once they are touching and full in size, cook (one pan at a time) in the oven ’till they are golden brown. About 10 – 15 minutes, It may take longer depending on how hot your oven cooks. Keep a close eye on your first pan to get the right time for the second.
15. While they are still hot and fresh out of the oven run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze.

Minestrone Soup

I got this recipe from my coworker, Suzanne Clissold. She's a fabulous cook.

1.5 lb ground sausage (I used chicken sausage--Lees makes it)
2 quarts water
4 beef boullion cubes
3 stalks celery with leaves, diced (I left this out, I am not a big fan of cooked celery)
2 small onions, diced
4 large carrots, diced or sliced
2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce
15 oz canned stewed tomatoes
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp parsley

1. Saute sausage and onions in a pot, then add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 2-4 hours.
2. Half and hour prior to serving add the following ingredients:

1 can french cut green beans, drained
1 can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup uncooked noodles

Caramel Toffee Dip

This delicious dip is from Our Best Bites.  The recipe can be found here.  Picture from ourbestbites.com

1- 8 oz package of cream cheese
3/4 c. brown sugar
1-1/2 t. vanilla
Toffee bits (find these by the chocolate chips)

Apples or fruit of your choosing.

Tip:  Make certain that your cream cheese is at room temperature.  Mine wasn't and I had a terrible time getting the brown sugar to dissolve.  I ended up heating the dip in the microwave and it finally worked!

Use a beater to mix cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Add desired amount of toffee bits (I prefer just adding mine on top for appearance) and stir in.  Serve immediately or chill and then serve.

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken

This is similar to the Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin in flavor, but it is quicker.  All the kids liked this one.  (Recipe and picture from cooking light.  Found here.)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard (I used regular dijon)

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. 2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan, and spoon mustard mixture over chicken. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Place pan over medium heat; cook mustard mixture 2 minutes or until liquid is syrupy, stirring frequently. Serve with chicken.