Mint Brownies

This recipe is SO good.  Besides being a great recipe, it has great instructions for making them.  They turn out perfectly every time.  This is from Make It Do, a wonderful blog with the best recipes.

Whisk together:
1 ½  c. melted butter
¾  c. cocoa powder

And then add:
3 c. sugar 
6 eggs beaten 
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt

Mix well and then add by hand:
2 ¼  c. sifted flour 

Do not over mix.
Pour into large baking tray, 10 x 15 inch, sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350° for 25-28 minutes.  Cool for a few minutes and then place in freezer for 20 minutes.

While brownies are in the freezer make first layer of topping.
Mint frosting:
¾  c. butter softened 
3 Tbsp. milk 
3 c. powdered sugar 
1 tsp. peppermint extract 
Green food coloring
Mix thoroughly.  Evenly frost brownies and put back in freezer for 20 minutes.

Make chocolate Ganache top layer.
Chocolate Ganache Topping:
¾  c. butter 
2 ¼ c. good semi sweet chocolate chips 
Melt and whisk together.  Melt them together in a Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave for one minute.  Be careful not to overheat.  It won’t look melted but once whisked it is.  Drizzle warm chocolate over brownies and spread smooth with a spatula.  (This isn’t a true Ganache because a true one is made with chocolate and cream)  Put back in freezer for another 20 minutes.

To cut, slice in about ½ inch for the edges so that every brownie is exactly square and smooth.  The edges are the best part so set those out for your kids to try.  Makes 4 dozen, 2-inch brownies or 8 dozen triangle brownies (the squares cut in half on the diagonal.)   They are better if they are chilled until serving. 

These make a wonderful gift or treat for a bake sale when placed on a disposable plate and wrapped in cellophane.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens years ago after trying different peanut butter cookie recipes.  I haven't tried another since.  This one is just so good. The perfect melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookie.

1 cup shortening

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

Cream shortening, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs.  Mix in flour and soda.  Roll into balls, place on baking sheet, press lightly crosswise with a fork.  Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you’re craving chocolate, this cookie will satisfy!

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

3 cups flour

½ cup cocoa

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix.  Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Shape into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.  Flatten slightly.  Bake at 350º for 10 minutes, until cookies puff and crack.  Makes 4 dozen.

Japanese Chicken

12 chicken tenders,

Egg, beaten

Cornstarch

Sauce:

2 T. soy sauce

1 cup vinegar      

1 ½ cup sugar

½ cup catsup

Dash salt

½ cup water

Roll chicken in cornstarch and then in beaten egg.  Fry in hot oil in a skillet.  Place in a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Mix sauce ingredients and pour over chicken.  Bake at 350º for 1 hour, turning chicken once.  Serve with ham fried rice and a good vegetable.

By accident I found out that I could make a pan full of these ahead, bake them and then cover them tightly with foil and freeze them.  When I wanted to serve them, I took them out of the freezer, put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with the foil on.  They turned out perfect. 

Ham Fried Rice

3 T. oil

Salt and Pepper

2 eggs, whipped

1 cup cooked ham, diced

4 cups cold cooked rice – (1 cup raw, cooked in 2 cups water)

2 – 4 T. soy sauce

½ t. sugar

2 T. sliced green onion

Preheat large saucepan.  Put in oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add eggs and spread out.  Cook, without stirring, turning once.  Remove from pan.  Add ham and sauté for a few minutes.  Add rice.  Mix soy sauce and sugar.  Pour over rice and stir well.  Dice egg and add to rice.  Cook until hot.  Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with green onion. Serves about 6.

Thanks to Stacie's great idea of baking rice in the oven, this recipe is even easier.  Put the rice and water in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes.  Comes out perfect and is easy to do the night before so that it is cold when you use it.  I have done it when the rice is warm and it is fine, just not quite as good.

Blue Ribbon Lasagne

This is my "go to" lasagne recipe.  I love it!

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 T. dry oregano

2 T. dry parsley

2 T. dry basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt (although, I usually don’t add the salt)

Pepper

1 (16 oz.) pkg. lasagna noodles

1 lb. small curd cottage cheese

2 eggs

1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, grated

1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef and diced onion until cooked through and onions are transparent.  Place in a big pot along with tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and herbs.  Simmer for 2 hours.  Before assembling, cook noodles according to directions and drain.  Mix cottage cheese and eggs.  Spray with cooking spray a 9 x 13 and 9 x 9-inch baking pans.  Using half of each, layer noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese and shredded cheese.  Repeat using the other half.  Sprinkle top with grated parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.  Serves 10 – 12.

"CTR" pretzels - The Friend Jan. 2012 recipe

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar

melted butter

course salt

1) Mix the first 5 ingredients until they form a ball. Then knead dough until smooth and elastic. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for one hour.

2) Pull off sections of the dough and roll into long ropes. Form the ropes into the letters "CTR" / Hearts / the CTR shield etc.

3) Put the pretzels on a greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 min. at 450F.

Brush pretzels with melted butter (and I added course sea salt!).

amazing - we love this recipe and pretzel making

Lemon Parsley & Parmesan + Pasta

2 cups flat-leafed parsley leaves, packed

2 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, plus more for garnish

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 pound trofie or other short twisted pasta such as fusilli

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) make the pesto: In a food processor, pulse parsley, garlic, red-pepper flakes, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon salt until coarsely chopped. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream, processing until blended.

2) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.

3) Toss pasta with pesto and Parmesan, then with reserved pasta water. Grate more lemon zest over each serving, and season with pepper.

(says serves 6 but I would say more)

makes aprox. 11 cups make (although this would depend on pasta size)

fun meatless dinner alternative, or use as a pasta side dish