Banana Bread Brownies

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Angie

Banana Bread Brownies

A few days ago Chris sent me a text to request I make these, with walnuts included. The recipe was listed on a friends Facebook page. This is absolutely a Chris kind of dessert. How do I know? Because I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. His work crew was having a party last night to send off one of the guys on their shift so I made them, let the girls sample it, and sent the remainder with him. The girls decided it was indeed, just as it’s named, Banana Bread Brownies, “It tastes like banana bread, but with frosting.” Chris and the guys liked it.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 stick of butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the brown butter frosting:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3-5 tbsp. milk, for desired consistency

Preparation:

Turn on oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 pan; set aside. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together the sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Fold in the walnuts.

Spread the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown or toothpick inserted comes out clean.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk together until smooth. The consistency will be thicker than a glaze, but thinner than a frosting. Spread the frosting over the warm brownies. It will take only a few minutes for it to set up

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Flourless Black Bean Brownies

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Angie

black bean brownies

I wasn’t suspect of these, but I know my kids well enough to know that I’d best keep my mouth shut before they’d had their first bite. I love those moments when they’ve already told me something is good and they’re halfway through a meal, dish, dessert or whatever when I ask them with a coy smile, “Do you want to know what’s in it?” Their faces fall, crumbs still on their lips, and with a mouthful proclaim, “Mom! What’d you do to these?”

I love it. Each.and.every.time.

And for the record, once they learned what was in them, they were not deterred. Let’s just say, that I only had one of these and the leftover crumbs. I will definitely make these again.

Ingredients:

  • 1 15oz. can of black beans
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. refined coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tsp. vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. instant coffee
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips, divided

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or use non-stick spray to coat a 9×9 pan and then line with parchment paper with a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Spray/ grease the top of the parchment paper as well; set aside.

Drain and rinse the black beans well. Add the black beans, eggs, cocoa, sugar, oil, milk, vinegar, baking powder & soda, instant coffee, and vanilla extract to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Fold in half of the chocolate chips and pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 28 – 32 minutes. Because these brownies are moist and have more of a cake-like texture, it’s important to allow them to cool completely before cutting and serving or you’ll just have a tasty, crumby mess on your hands.

Adapted from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/02/amazing-flour-less-brownies.html

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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Angie

jalapeno poppers

This past summer, for our anniversary, I bought Chris the Little Red Acorn, a ceramic egg-shaped griller/ smoker. And since that time, I don’t think we’ve used our gas grill once. It produces such fantastic tasting food because it uses lump charcoal and seals in the flavor and juices of whatever you put in it. That’s the case with these l’il guys. A completely different flavor than simply putting them in the oven: smoke-y & so flavorful.

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 jalapenos, halved and deseeded
  • 1 pkg. Neufchatel cheese, room temperature
  • 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
  • 1 pkg. bacon

Preparation:

In a small bowl, mix together the Neufchatel cheese and the onion soup mix, until thorough combined. Scoop the cheese mixture into each half of the jalapeno. Wrap with a half of a slice of bacon, or a full slice, depending on the size of the jalapeno. Since Chris also grilled steaks for dinner last night, he cooked the steaks first and then added the poppers and cooked them for 10 minutes. In the oven, you’ll want to cook them at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Posted in Appetizers, Sides | Leave a comment

Hummus Take 2

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Angie

Hummus

This was my lunch yesterday. Yum.

I’m easily impressed that a dish can have similar ingredients, but yield a different taste. This is the case with this hummus recipe. The primary difference in this one is that there is no Greek yogurt & less tahini.

Ingredients:

  • 1 15.5 oz can of chickpeas
  • 4 tbsps. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsps. tahini
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • parsley, optional

Preparation:

Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. For a smoother hummus, remove the skins of the chickpeas. Yes, this takes some time, but for me, it’s worth it. Try it, you’ll see what I’m talking about. In a food processor, combine the reserved liquid, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic cloves, olive oil, and salt; blend until smooth. Transfer hummus to a bowl, drizzle with additional olive oil, and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Adapted from:

book

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Parmesan Crusted Green Beans

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Angie

green bean fries

This is another recipe someone had shared on Facebook that I snapped a picture of so I don’t know who to give credit to, but regardless…make these for dinner tonight and you won’t be disappointed. They’re like green bean fries and we all enjoyed them.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsps. olive oil (I used coconut oil, melted & cooled)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 egg, room temperature and slightly beaten
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 12 oz. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • S&P, freshly ground

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, garlic powder, egg, & S/P. Add the green beans, stirring to coat. Place evenly on prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. To crisp, turn oven off and turn broiler on for a minute or two. Serve immediately. To heat leftovers, return to oven on lo broil for a few minutes.

Posted in Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Cinnamon Chip Scones

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Angie

Cinammon SconesScone

Perfect for a weekend brunch.

Ingredients:

For the homemade cinnamon chips:

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsps. ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsps. vegetable shortening
  • 2 tbsps. light corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

For the scones:

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 8 tbsps. butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup homemade cinnamon chips

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp. melted butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp. +2 tsp. of milk

Preparation:

For the cinnamon chips:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a silicone mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray; set aside. In a bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, shortening, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix with a fork until the mixture is uniform and crumbly. Spread on prepared baking sheet, flattening with your hands and shaping into a square about 1/4 inch thick. Bake until mixture is melted and somewhat bubbly, about 35 minutes. Cool completely. Using kitchen shears, cut into small pieces. Makes approximately 2 cups.

Source: http://www.mind-over-batter.com/sweet-situations/diy-cinnamon-chips/

For the scones:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until mostly mixed in. Or, do as I do and use my favorite kitchen tool, the Ninja: throw the dry mixture and butter into the Ninja and pulse a few times so it’s crumbly. Return to the bowl, and mix until just combined, the egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Stir in the homemade cinnamon chips.

Sprinkle about a 1/2 cup flour onto the counter and turn the dough once or twice on the flour, and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a pizza cutter, make 8 triangles and using a wire spatula dipped in flour, transfer the scones to a baking sheet to bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool as you prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, melt the butter & add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and milk whisk together and drizzle over the cooled scones.

Posted in Breakfast, Scones | Leave a comment

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Angie

40 cloves of garlic chicken

Yes, you read that right: 40 beautiful cloves of garlic. If you’ve never had it before, then don’t fret, I promise you will not reek as though you’ve bathed in garlic. Garlic is one of those diverse spices that changes its intensities based on how you use it. To get a robust and immense garlic taste, you crush it. In this dish, the cloves stay in their natural naked form – no crushing, slicing, or mincing required, and as a result, a smooth, delicious and flavorful chicken dish.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 40 cloves of garlic, free of the skins
  • 10-12 chicken thighs (I used boneless/ skinless)
  • 2 14.5oz cans of chicken broth
  • 3 tsps. each of marjoram, rosemary, & tarragon
  • poultry seasoning
  • 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • splash of milk, about 3-4 tbsps., more if needed
  • fresh ground S&P

Preparation:

In an electric skillet, set the temperature to low and melt the butter. Meanwhile, S&P both sides of the chicken thighs and add to the skillet, allowing to brown slightly on one side before turning. Add the garlic, sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth,  the marjoram, rosemary, and tarragon. Sprinkle the poultry seasoning over the chicken thighs. Cover and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring periodically. Lastly, whisk together the flour and milk, whisking to eliminate any lumps and adding milk as needed. Pour mixture into the skillet, stirring to incorporate. Raise heat to medium-high until the liquid mixture boils, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula and allow to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens.

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Spinach-Artichoke Chicken Bubble Bake

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Angie

Spinach bake

I was really excited to try this for dinner earlier this week. I love spinach artichoke dip and there’s a restaurant here in town that has a spinach artichoke chicken sandwich that I always order when we go. I was gung-ho…the rest of the family…not so much and truth be told, after having a plate of it, it was entirely too rich and I felt it just sitting in my stomach for the rest of the night. It’s safe to say I won’t be making this again. Chris ate it, to give it a fair shot, be he was less than impressed.

Ingredients:

  • 1 container Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits
  • 2 10oz packages of frozen, thawed, liquid squeezed spinach
  • 2 cups mozzarella, shredded & divided
  • 1 can of Artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 8oz container of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups chicken, cooked & chopped or shredded
  • S&P to taste

Preparation:

Spray a 9×9 pan with non-stick spray; set aside. In a medium size bowl, blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, cayenne pepper, S&P, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach, artichokes, and chicken, mix to incorporate. Quarter each biscuit and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to the pan and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, remove from oven, top with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, and return to oven for an additional 30 minutes.

Adapted from:

http://www.ohbiteit.com/2013/09/spinach-artichoke-bubble-bake.html

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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Angie

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I think it’s safe to say I’ve been on a lemon kick as of late. I actually made this soup a week and a half ago, snapped a picture of it, and knew I’d come back later to add it here. I’ve made this soup a few times before and I like that it’s zesty and refreshing; perfect for a light dinner. I especially love how the family initially turns their nose up at me, and says, “Eww lemon soup? Gross, mom!” And then once they have a spoonful, they have another and then sheepishly tell me it’s good. It’s all about the little victories, people!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots, peeled & sliced to 1/4 inch thickness (or a handful of baby carrots)
  • 1 celery stalk, sliced thin
  • 2 32oz. containers of chicken broth + 1 14.5oz can of chicken broth
  • zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • 2 cups shredded chicken (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
  • dry parsley (fresh, if you have it)
  • S&P to taste

Preparation:

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Discard the bay leaf, sprinkle in desired amounts of parsley and season with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt, to taste.

Note: It may seem like a lot of chicken broth, but overnight the pasta soaks up the broth and makes it more stew-like. This also freezes well.

Posted in Chicken, Soup | Leave a comment

Glazed Cranberry Lemon Cake

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Angie

whole cakeslice of cake

I bought a bag of cranberries before Thanksgiving with the intention of making a cranberry bread and well, it did not happen. The cranberries have been hanging out in my freezer ever since. I’m the only one in the family that likes them and I didn’t think they’d be their best a year from now so when I came across the following recipe, I knew what I would do with them. I made it last night and brought it to work this morning.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 cups (or 1 bag) cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • the zest & juice of 2 lemons, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or use lemon for an intense flavor)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Grease a bundt pan and sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom of the pan, then add the cranberries. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Using the back of a spoon, press the lemon zest into the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the butter and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla (or lemon extract – I’ll use this next time, or perhaps half vanilla and half lemon) and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition & scraping down the sides of the bowl.

In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Or, since I never have buttermilk on hand, make it yourself using 2 tbsp. of lemon juice and fill the remainder of the measuring cup with milk and allow to sit until it curdles. Starting and ending with the flour mixture, incorporate into the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beat until just combined. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly over the cranberries.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.

Once cooled completely, prepare the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar and drizzle over the cake.

Adapted from:  http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/12/17/glazed-cranberry-lemon-cake/

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