Lemon Brownies

I have a feeling these are going to be a go to dessert from now on when baking for an occasion. They may have just replaced these. Gasp!! I couldn't possibly have picked a more appropriate recipe for Sweet Tooth Tuesday! Sweet is the word. Holy tartness. These are just as amazing they look. There needed to be a drool bucket underneath me as I stumbled upon last night....mouth-watering good. Even better? A very short ingredient list! These turned out very dense and oh so moist. Oh, and lemony!!!

Ingredients:


1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; room temperature
4 eggs
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Additional lemon zest for garnish


Directions:


1) Preheat oven to 350°F.


2) Line the bottom only of a 9X13 inch baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray.

3) In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt; add butter. Stir together eggs, juice from 1/2 lemon and zest from 1 lemon; stir into batter and pour into prepared pan.

4) Bake for 30 minutes or until set, use a toothpick to check. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. When brownies are cool prepare glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon lemon juice; drizzle over brownies and sprinkle with additional lemon zest.

Confession time: I think I got carried away with squeezing the lemon juice into the batter. My tastebuds were not offended though....bring on the tartness! Half of the pan of sweet goodness was covered with the powdered sugar/lemon juice frosting and the other half was a thicker, sweeter frosting that I concocted....

I honestly enjoyed both frosting about the same. It's easy to tell that the recipe's frosting sets up quickly and forms a coating on top. I would say if you are going for prettiness then go with the recipe's frosting. If you are going for sweetness then go with this......I used a Tbsp of the leftover lemon juice frosting and used a mixer to blend it with 1/4 stick of butter and 2 oz cream cheese. Once blended I added a teensy bit of vanilla (so precise, I know ;)) and slowly added powdered sugar (roughly 3/4 cup) as I mixed it. Just add until you get the desired consistency.

The hubs is not a lemon fan. HOW???? HOW!!!!!! I just don't get it. Friends, I need you to try these. But you'll have to make your own because the pan here will be empty by tomorrow I'm sure of it. ;) Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!

Seriously!?!

New Recipe Night: Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is one of my favorite things to order at any restaurant. If they have this on the menu chances are I'm going to order it. I've never attempted making it at home (big shocker) but couldn't resist giving it a shot. I love anything with cajun spice....well, anything with spice for that matter. I was a little hesitant to present it to the hubs seeing as how he's not a huge pasta fan. Ok, not a pasta fan at all. Besides manicotti. That is always a winner in his book. So I thought I'd find a new manicotti recipe to make up for feeding him linguini last night. But ya know what? He LOVED it!! He even had a second helping!!! I stumbled upon this very easy on the eyes dish right here.

Ingredients:


*10 oz. whole wheat linguine
*1 large or 2 small chicken breasts (about 8-10 oz.), sliced
*3-4 tsp. Cajun seasoning, divided
*1 Tbsp. canola oil
*1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
*1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
*1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
*1 cup sliced mushrooms
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 cup chicken broth
*1 cup half and half
*3 Tbsp. chopped parsley


Directions:


1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the linguine. Cook until al dente.


2) Meanwhile, season the chicken breast with 2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning. Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan and, once hot, add the chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the pan.

3) Add the bell peppers and onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, and 1-2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning; cook until the mushrooms have given up their juices and peppers are crisp-tender.

4) Stir in the chicken broth, and scrape up all the browned bits. Boil over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and pour in the half and half. Simmer until it begins to thicken. Taste and add salt or additional Cajun seasoning if necessary.


5) Add the chicken and pasta into the sauce and continue stirring over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes to re-warm chicken and allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and serve.




I used Zatarain's Creole Seasoning simply because it was the only cajun type seasoning I found on the spice aisle. It passed the test! What didn't pass the test? Well, it's confession time. The recipe calls for whole wheat linguine but as usual I had trouble finding it at United so I settled for regular pasta. Ok, I can deal. What I can't deal with is a cranky, clingy baby while I'm trying to chop, stir and saute....the poor pasta was neglected.....

Al dente? More like al sticky...

Flavor! Flavor! Flavor! This dish is exactly how it looks. Delish! I added some extra cajun seasoning in (duh!) and it was super spicy. So if you don't like a lot of spice then follow the recipe or use a little less. Last night I dreamed of the leftovers waiting in the fridge...they are gone now. ;) Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!

Sweet Your Heart Out: Cookie's 'n Cream Brownies

So let's talk about this delectable delight shown above. I came across this recipe here while doing some blog-hopping on Friday evening. Never blog hop while you are hungry. It's so very dangerous. This is my first Sweet Your Heart Out blog post and I'm so excited about it! Treat Your Sweet Tooth Tuesday suddenly has some competition. I have realized lately that I get a certain thrill out of baking sugary treats when compared to preparing a dinner. Sweets are the treats that keep on giving throughout the week....well, as long as you make enough to last! So instead of reserving Tuesday's only as my day to bake goodies I've decided to broaden my horizons and ramp up my treat making.....and what better recipe to pick for my first non-Tuesday treat?!?! Could this sound more delicious? Let's face it....anything with Oreos involved is something I'm not going to be able to say no to. The only thing that might be able to top these brownies are the chocolate chip cookie dough brownies which are on deck for Sweet Your Heart Out!

Recipe confession time: ok, get ready to roll your eyes when I tell you this. I had absolutely no idea that brownies could be made without using a box mix. Yes Ashley, they can. And the icing on the cake is that they are super duper easy. I get the greatest satisfaction now out of gathering ingredients and creating an end result without having to read the back of a box. The recipe called for unsweetened chocolate but I had some semi-sweet chocolate in the pantry so I substituted which worked out perfectly. This was also my first encounter with kosher salt. Someone please tell me why it's so special. I'm too lazy to look it up. ;)

Ingredients:


Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate; coarsely chopped

3/4 cup butter
1 ½ cups white sugar
3 eggs; lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
8 Oreo cookies, crumbled

Cookies 'n Cream Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
5 Oreo cookies, crumbled




Directions:


Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 9×9 inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Microwave chocolate and butter or margarine in large bowl for 3-4 minutes or until butter is melted.


3. Whisk mixture until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar. Add in eggs, extract and salt. Gradually add in flour and stir until just combined. Fold in crushed Oreo cookies.

4. Bake for 28-32 minutes; do not over bake. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.

 Frosting

1. Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy with a mixer.

2. Add the powdered sugar slowly, mixing together until combined. Add vanilla and mix until combined.


3. Add milk to desired consistency. If your frosting is too thick add more milk and if it's too thin add some more powdered sugar.

4. Crush Oreos and fold them into the frosting.


5. Frost cooled brownies. Makes enough frosting for a 9X9 pan of brownies.

I tweaked this recipe a bit and I'll tell you how. I added a few several extra Oreos into the brownie mixture....I couldn't resist. How can you have too many Oreos!?! Answer: you CAN'T! Also, instead of mixing the crushed oreos into the icing I placed them on top of each brownie after icing and cutting. After my first bite I was immediately mad at myself. Why? Because I'd gone my entire life without making a homemade brownie. Holy sweet goodness!!! Goodbye box brownies. We've had a good run. But it's time to go. The sugary squares disappeared faster than I could say "hey, save one more for me!!" Between passing them out to my ever faithful taste testers and Riley and I eating a few  a lot, they were gone by the end of the day. Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!

New Recipe Night: The Best Chicken Enchiladas

First order of business is to tell you just how amazing this recipe is. I know I've put the cart ahead of the horse here but in this case I just want to shout it from the rooftops!!! These are AMAZINGLY amazing. I took one bite and I felt like I was sitting at Abuelo's eating a meal that someone had made for me. Have I ever mentioned just how much I adore Mexican food. Because I most certainly do. I could eat chips and queso on a daily basis for all three meals and follow it up with a big margarita and some quesadillas or enchiladas. I usually make easy chicken enchiladas using sour cream and green sauce. These are actually a favorite of the hubby's but I think after he taste tested this new recipe he may have changed his mind. So let me back up and give you the low down on this dish.....


I found the recipe right HERE (love this blog by the way). I just couldn't resist the picture that someone had pinned on Pinterest. They looked so good, in fact, that I didn't let the mile-long ingredient list deter me from taking a stab at making them. I was up for the challenge and had an evening to myself to prepare them...and believe me it took every bit of the evening. The one drawback to this recipe is that it is a lot of chopping, stirring, cutting, cooking, etc. But so worth every last bite. I realize for you seasoned kitchen dwellers this ingredient list probably seems very tame....but for an amateur like me who has no business holding a kitchen utensil, it seemed like a long list. ;) I had fun making this dish. Maybe it was the smell of the sauce that had me so giddy in the kitchen. Ok, I'll shutup. Without further ado, here is my new favorite recipe...

Ingredients:


*1 medium onion, chopped fine
*2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
*1 teaspoon canola oil
*3 medium cloves garlic, minced
*3 Tablespoons chili powder
*2 teaspoons ground cumin
*3 teaspoons sugar
*1 15-oz can tomato sauce
*1 cup water
*1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
*1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
*1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
*1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
*1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
*12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
*cooking spray
*salt and ground black pepper




Directions:


1) Preheat oven to 425.


2) Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

I discovered my love for this pull out drawer/cutting board...how did I just now figure out the convenience of this?!?!

3) Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

She looks done to me!

4) Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.


5) Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

6) Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

7) Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly

8) Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.


9) Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.


10) Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.


Hubby approved. Big thumbs up! And I'm not kidding.....it tastes just like Abeulo's enchiladas!!!! Oh yeah, one more thing...ENJOY!!!

New Recipe Night: Taco Soup

It was cold outside.

It was snowing.

I was hungry.

And feeling lazy.

What to make???

Ingredients:

*1 pound ground beef

*1 large onion, chopped
*1 envelope taco seasoning mix
*1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
*1 (16 ounce) can hot ranch beans
*1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
*1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
*1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes and chiles
*1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Directions:

1) Brown meat and onions together


2) Mix taco seasoning mix into meat.


3) Mix all other ingredients without draining into a large pot. Add meat and simmer for 1 hour.


Some tiny changes to the recipe.....I used Del Monte fiesta corn with peppers in it and pinto beans with green peppers to add some extra "umph" to the soup. I love easy recipes that you can toss in a pot and wait while the smell finds your nostrils and reminds you what you have cooking on the stove. Our easy dinner paired well with the weather outside. Could there be a more perfect day to make such a dish......

I popped some cornbread in the oven to have with our soup. It was my first batch I'd ever made (surprise, surprise). Not homemade by any means. It came from a bag (surprise, surprise). A very tasty bag I might add. I used the Shawnee Mills mexican cornbread mix and added a handful of cheese to the mixture before I poured it in the pan. It turned out so good! But I think next time I'll use a smaller pan to make thicker pieces of bread....

The ranch dressing mix definitely added a different dimension to the recipe. Ranch dressing and mexican food? Sounded strange to me. But tasted perfect. Try it! Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!

Cake Batter Rice Krispies Treats

Here I am again. It seems like it was all too soon that I had a picture of a box cake mix in my picture for SWEET TOOTH TUESDAY!! Today's excuse for an easy peasy treat is that life has been overtaken by work. This was a Sunday evening venture after spotting this snack on Pinterest. I realize that most of you have probably seen this pin whilst cruising through your favorite site....but for those of you who aren't seasoned pinners I thought I'd share it just for the sake of it's cuteness. I found the recipe here. I mean seriously, how can this picture not suck you in....

I saw the picture. I had to make them. "What a fun snack for kiddos!" I thought.

There's that darned box cake mix again

Ingredients:

*3 Tbsp. butter
*1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
*1/4 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!)
*6 cups crispy rice cereal
*1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles


Directions:


1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined.


2) Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix.


3) Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

Funny story (I use the term funny very lightly....it doesn't take much to make me laugh). I realized that the only sprinkles I had in the cabinet were the tiny round multi-colored dots. I wanted to have a few different colors and shapes so I sent the hubs out on a sprinkle run to the store. Pretty sure that will be the only sprinkle run he ever does. The grocery store challenged man returned with a container of funfetti frosting with a tiny amount of sprinkles on top of the lid. I laughed, snorted and cried real tears after he handed it to me so proudly. I made due as you'll see. Ok, he wasn't the only one who made a boo boo. It's confession time. I have never made Rice Krispies treats. Sad, I know. With that being sad, leave it to me to ruin one of the absolute easiest things to make. We munched on some when they were still warm and gooey. YUM! PERFECT! But after an hour they were like cutting into a rock. Don't ask me how I screwed up a no-brainer! Despite my mess up (whatever the cause may have been) they were delish before they turned into jaw breakers! This must be why I never have any volunteers when I ask for taste testers on Tuesdays. I don't blame you. Hey, I'll keep practicing. Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!

New Recipe Night: Mom's Meatballs

Best. Meatballs. Ever. Hands down. Ok, maybe I'm a tad bit biased since I grew up eating these. As I was sorting through my mom's recipe cards I smiled when I found this one in the stack. I loved just about everything she made....but this recipe was way up at the top of the list though. She used to make it a point to tell me each morning what she was planning on cooking for that evening. On meatball days it was hard to keep my mind on anything but dinner time (hi, my name's Ashley and I'm addicted to food). I think this recipe was actually borrowed from Aunt Sharon and became a favorite at our house too. Her family named them golfballs and the name stuck.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

*1 lb ground beef

*1/2 cup green pepper

*1/2 cup onion

*1 tsp black pepper

*1 tsp salt

*1/2 cup brown or white rice (instant)

Sauce:

*2 cans tomato sauce

*1 cup water

*1 can tomato soup

*2 Tbsp Worcestershire

Directions:

1) Mix all of the meatball ingredients together, form balls (about golf ball size) and place in pan

2) Combine sauce ingredients and stir. Pour evenly over meatballs.

3) Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes.


It's taken me quite some time to post this recipe as life has been so rude as to get in the way of my blogging/cooking time. Oh the nerve. ;) I actually made this recipe over a week ago when my dad came to visit. I was pretty excited to make a home-cooked meal for him and the fact that it was mom's recipe made it that much sweeter to share with him. Our tummies thanked us when we were done. But I soon realized that I'd commited a cardinal sin....I had forgotten to take a picture of the piping hot, steamy pan of meatballs. So I apologize for the less than desirable picture of the last three mis-shapen meatballs that were in the corner of the pan. Mis-shapen or not, they are still delish! Oh yeah, one more thing.....ENJOY!!

White Chocolate Sweetheart Cake

I never knew it was so easy to make a heart-shaped cake! Here's a peek at my second treat for SWEET TOOTH TUESDAY!!! This is my first recipe that I'm sharing without actually tasting the finished product. The cake needs to stay in one piece because it's a Valentine surprise for the hubby. Ssssh! Don't tell.

Ingredients:

*6 oz white baking chocolate, chopped
*1 box white cake mix
*3 large eggs
*1 small tub (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream
*1/3 cup oil 
*1 tsp vanilla
*1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
*1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Frosting:

*4 oz white baking chocolate, chopped
*2 packages cream cheese
*1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
*1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 325°F. Coat an 8-in. square and an 8-in. round cake pan with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with wax paper; spray paper

2) Melt chocolate in 1⁄4 cup water in a heavy 1-qt saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.

3) In a large bowl with mixer on low speed, beat cake mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla and chocolate mixture 1 minute to blend. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Stir in coconut and nuts until combined. Divide between cake pans; spread evenly.

4) Bake 40 to 45 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 15 minutes. Invert on rack, remove wax paper and cool completely.

5) Frosting: Melt white chocolate as package directs. Scrape into a large bowl; add cream cheese and butter. Beat with mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. On low speed beat in sugar and vanilla just until smooth.

6) To make a heart, place square cake on large serving tray or platter, 1 corner facing you. Cut round cake in half; use frosting to glue cut sides to top left and top right sides of square cake. Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake; refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm, then frost with remaining frosting.

So here's where things went awry. The whole icing and decorating part kind of turned into a disaster. My pretty fluffy cake sat in the fridge overnight covered in a thin layer of the frosting. In the morning I got it out and let the rest of the frosting sit at room temperature until I started to spread it on the cake. It went on nice and smooth since the other layer had time to sit overnight. I was pretty excited considering me and frosting never get along very well. The frosting looked superb and it was time for decorating. I followed the simple instructions that said to mix some powdered sugar with water and food coloring to drizzle it from a toothpick onto the cake. Drizzle my fanny. It looked like big messy dots randomly placed on the cake. So I tried to cover up my mistakes with some leftover icing and cover them but it only made a swirly red/white pattern in the cake. Then I really screwed things up when I brought out the sprinkles. I'm kicking myself for not making pink frosting....it would've been so pretty and perfect. Next time, next time! On second thought, I think it would look extra pretty to line the edge of the cake with raspberries.

Ok, so lining the square pan was easy....

But lining the round pan was not.....

In the end it didn't matter. I was worried that the cake batter would leak under the paper and the cake would be deformed. T'was not the case.....

It smelled sooooooooooooo yummy while it was baking! And it looked too good not to eat while I was taking them out of the pans.....

Don't eat the waxed paper! ;)

My favorite part was making the heart....duh! I had no idea it was going to be so huge though! I mean HUGE!!!!! Make sure you have a big platter to put the cake on.

Attatching the top of the heart

LOVE it!

So here is the finished product. It kills me that I can't tell you how it tastes. But it only takes one look at the ingredient list and it's no secret that it's going to taste like heaven! Here's to all of your readers.....wishing you a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!! Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!

Oh and guess what....I was pretty ehxausted after three hours of baking in the kitchen and didn't have the patience to chop up the chunky macadamia nuts so I left them out. Breaks my heart but I had to do it. Hehe. Oh and I backed off on the coconut with only 1/2 cup since it's not my favorite ingredient. I can handle a little but not a lot.