"Better than the Box" Brownies

So I came home last night and while my husband decided to go for a quick run, I decided to make a batch of brownies.  The last time I made some from a random recipe off google search, they were absolutely terrible and more like dry chocolate cake than brownies.  And then! I found my saved recipe that got wonderful reviews.  As expected, they turned out perfect!  Simple and so delicious! ... and now my dessert at work!

4 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used leftover Ghirardelli)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave until fully melted.  Let cool for a minute. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Mix.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Fold in flour and cocoa powder.  Bake at 350 for about 20 min, checking to make sure the center is baked through with a toothpick.

Done!

Recipe from: http://desertcandy.blogspot.com/2007/04/brownies-simple-sublime.html

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

One of my favorite snacks!! Salty, yet somewhat good for you too.

2 packages frozen spinach
1 can artichoke hearts
6 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup cheese: parmesan, mozzarella, etc (or more!)
salt
pepper

Defrost the spinach and squeeze to remove as much excess water as possible.  Drain artichokes.
Mix all ingredients, bake at 375 for about 20 min or until bubbly in the middle.  Cool slightly and enjoy!

Russian Napoleon Cake

This butter cream frosting recipe can and should be used for every cake from this point forward.
Note: not for those on a diet.

My grandma used to make napoleon cake when I was little.  It consists of several very thin layers of a flaky dough in between which are layers of frosting.   It takes quite a while to make the layers, so I cheated and used premade puff pastry.  It's worth it.

Russian Butter-cream Frosting

1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix together and set aside.

1 cup milk

Heat milk on the stove in a medium size pot until milk is steaming hot and almost boiling.  Turn off.  With a whisk, slowly VERY SLOWLY, add the sugar mixture into the milk, whisking all the way so the egg doesn't cook in one place.   Set aside to cool.

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

Beat butter until light and fluffy.  When the milk mixture is room temperature (not hot), slowly beat it into the butter batch by batch.  I usually don't end up using all of the milk mixture because it would be too sweet.  Add just enough for your sweetness level. Beat in 1 tsp of vanilla.  All done!  Put in fridge for a few minutes while getting ready to frost. Do not leave in fridge for long as the frosting becomes hard when cold and difficult to spread.

For this dessert, I cut up the puff pastry sheet into three pieces, based on the fold lines.  Baked at 400 for approximately 15 min and then let cool to room temperature.  Once cool, layer the puff pastry with the frosting.  For best results, I let the cake sit in the fridge over night, so the frosting can soak through the layers.

Tuscany Bread

My secret to homemade bread?

This puppy.  A dutch oven pot.  It's about $75 but completely worth it.  Very heavy too, so that's some arm exercises right there.

http://www.simplysogood.com/2010/03/crusty-bread.html

Mix it in the night before and make sure your yeast is not old.  Otherwise, you can't go wrong.

4 Ingredients!!

3 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water

Mix and let stand for 12-18 hours.  Follow baking directions in the link!

It's very cheap too. This would probably cost somewhere upwards of $5-$6 at the bakery.  And you can now make it at home for about $.75 or less.

Meatloaf

So I tried this recipe:
http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/blue-plate-special-very-best-meatloaf.html#

... and my husband said it was "literally, the best meatloaf" he has ever had.  That's a pretty good review.  I cut down the amount of sugar in the sauce and it was perfect.  Otherwise, it's very strong with the vinegar and I am not a fan of sweet meat.

Try it!

Pork Barbacoa and the Amazing Green Sauce

This recipe came from a good friend, who probably got it from another good friend.  While you don't have to make the pork and can instead make it vegetarian, the green sauce is a flavorful addition to pretty much any meal.

1 1/2 pork loin roast
1 to 2 cups black bean and corn salsa
1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
salt and pepper

Please all ingredients in a slow cooker set on low for about 6 hours.  Take two forks and shred the meat.  Let simmer another hour.  If your meat is not ready to shred and is still tough at 6 hours, set on high for another hour.

GREEN SAUCE

1 dry ranch packet
1 lime squeezed
1 lime zest
3 tomatillos (peel outside shell off, wash)
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 fresh cloves garlic
3/4 cup mayo (real, not miracle whip)
3/4 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until puree is smooth.  Add salt, lemon juice, more lime or cilantro to taste!

I serve this with jasmine rice, cut avocado, pico de gallo, and black beans.  After you make black beans at home once, you will never go back to the can.

Black Beans

1/2 lb dry black beans
4 cups water
salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 onion, chopped

Soak beans in water for 1 hr.  Add all ingredients, turn on medium to simmer then on low for another 30-40 min.  Taste test for firmness.

Enjoy!!