Moosewood Fudge Brownies

I honestly don't know where these brownies have been all my life. I have been looking for a simple, fudgey brownie recipe, not realizing I have had this recipe for years. Until now. It's another recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook*, and lucky you, I have compiled the recipes from both the original and 15-year revised editions. The basics remained the same, some embellishments were added and some were left out. They are all here for you. Take your pick.

{picture very soon...}

*link above is for the "new" 2000 edition, which I do not have.

Moosewood Fudge Brownies

butter for the pan
5 ounces (5 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour (use 3/4 cup for even fudgier brownies)

Many optional embellishments:
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 to 4 tablespoons strong black coffee
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange rind
1/2 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon
a small mashed overripe banana
Or anything else you might think of
Or, for purists, none of the above.

Yet another option: instead of uniformly blending in the chocolate, you can marble it. Add chocolate last, after the flour is completely blended in and only partially blend in the chocolate. It looks real nice.

1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Gently melt the chocolate. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a medium-sized bowl until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla.

5. Stir constantly as you drizzle in the melted, cooled chocolate. After the chocolate is in beat well for a minute or two.

6. Stir in flour and possible embellishments. Mix just enough to blend thoroughly.

7. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut into squares while still hot, then allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, if you can wait that long.

Bacon, Tomato & Fried Egg Sandwich

This sandwich was inspired by one in my new cookbook, Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2008. I did not have a clue what to make for dinner, and every recipe in that book that sounded good to me took well over an hour to make, not feasible when the clock is ticking past 5:00pm and you'd like to serve dinner by 6:00pm at the latest! Help!

Chef Thomas Keller's recipe calls for lettuce and jack cheese. We didn't have any lettuce, and we like cheddar better in lots of cases. We have lots of fresh tomatoes from our garden right now, and they are excellent.

I honestly don't think it's a very spectacular or original recipe, but it was darn good. I bet my dad would like this sandwich with a bit of mustard too.

Bacon, Tomato & Fried Egg Sandwich

Bread, toasted and hot
thick bacon, fried
cheddar cheese, sliced
fresh tomato slices
mayonnaise
butter
eggs

Fry enough bacon for however many sandwiches you are making, in our case we fried a pound of bacon for four people. That could be just us. Plan on using at least 3 slices per sandwich.

While the bacon is frying, toast your bread, place cheese slices on one slice of toast and spread mayonnaise generously on the other slice of toast, then top with the bacon and tomato slices. (I like my cheese meltier, so next time I might put the cheese on top of a partially toasted slice of bread and melt it in the toaster oven. Mmmmm.)

Fry your eggs, one per sandwich, in butter (we leave our yolks runny) and place one egg in each sandwich. Carefully close your sandwiches and enjoy.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I got this recipe from the inside of a store-brand cream cheese box. Of course it called for all the store-brand items, but I'm not naming the brand here. You just feel free to use whichever cream cheese, sugar, chocolate chips and Devil's Food cake you love. That's what I'm going to do...

Stay tuned for picture this weekend!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

8 ounce package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 package Devil's Food cake mix

Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt, mix until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips and set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Fill paper cupcake liners 1/3 full with cake batter. Top with heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Texas Caviar Dip

Now this is not any sort of real caviar. Rather its more of an upside down salsa, with beans being the larger ingredients, rather than tomatoes. It’s quite tasty, and addictive with chips.

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (green preferable)
1 bunch of chopped chives
1 tablespoon garlic salt
2 cans of diced tomatoes, jalapeño flavored
1 (8 ounce) bottle of Italian Dressing (I find store brands work best for this)
2 (15 ounce) cans of hominy (garbanzo beans are a good substitute if you can’t find hominy)
2 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
Shredded parsley if desired.

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl, than serve as a dip. It goes best with corn chips or some sort of salty cracker. It also tastes better after 24 hours, after it has time to marinade itself.

Bittersweet Chocolate Drops

This is another recipe from my Short and Sweet cookbook. If you only buy one cookbook I recommend, and you love quick and easy desserts, this should be the one you purchase. I threw a batch of these delicious little nuggets together in about 20 minutes total, including baking time, right after we were invited at the last minute to a dinner party. They were well-received, tasty, and so easy to make. You probably have most (if not all) of the ingredients in your kitchen right now!

I am going to make another batch of these very soon!
Stay tuned for pictures!

Here's what the cookbook says: "These easy cookies combine the pure chocolate of brownies with the crispness of drop cookies. If you like nuts in your cookies, stir in about 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts."

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick oil spray. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir the chocolate and butter until both are nearly melted. Blend in the sugar. Working quickly to prevent curdling, whisk in the egg. Then stir in the flour and baking powder to make a stiff dough.

Drop round tablespoonfuls of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are set and the tops are crackly, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. (The cookies can be stored, tightly covered, for up to 5 days or frozen for 1 month.)

We didn't have any cookies left to worry about storing them...

Blue Cheese Meatloaf (for the Blue Cheese lovers!)

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

Equal amounts of 3 ground meats, I like to use beef, pork & veal, 1lb. each
Or 3lbs of one ground meat.
½ cup of chopped onions.
1/2 to 1/4 cup of dry sherry
1/2 to 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Fresh bread crumbs if desired.
1 lb. crumbled blue cheese or less to desired taste.

Instructions

Mix together all ingredients but blue cheese in very large bowl. Or can split all ingredients and make each roll separate. Then divide mixture evenly into two.

Lay out mixture on wax paper in rectangular shape as if making a pumpkin roll.

Spread half of your blue cheese on each rectangle. Roll then place in baking pan lined with tin foil. Or you may place in plastic wrap to freeze for later use.

Bake thawed or fresh at 350 degrees until brown and bubble. Time depends on width and length of roll. Most times from 30-45 mins.

Creamy Strawberry Banana Jell-O Shots

Ok who doesn’t love a GOOD tasting Jell-O Shot? I have the perfect recipe for one that everyone will love. Even those who say they hate Jell-O.

Take a regular 3oz package of either Strawberry, or Strawberry-Daiquiri Jell-O. Boil half the required amount of water in a medium size pot. Once boiling, take the pot off the burner, and add the gelatin, stir until dissolved.

Now add a regular sized tub of cool-whip. Stir that together until there are no more lumps.

Then instead of using the other half amount of water, you substitute Malibu Strawberry Banana Rum. Pour that in and stir. NOTE- Please make sure the Jell-O mixture is cool, and still not hot. If it’s too hot, it removes the alcohol content, and you have a virgin shot.

Then you can pour the mixture (that should look pinkish and creamy), in Dixie cups, Martini Glasses, or what have you. Then place in the fridge to cool. Once the Mixture cools the cool whip part rises to the top, and the Jell-O part is at the bottom.

This one has been the most popular one I have ever made, and every time there is a party, I have been asked to make them. It only takes me about 15 minutes to make them, and it takes about 3 hours for them to chill in Dixie cups.

Min's Fresh Tomato Basil Cream Sauce (for Pasta)

I often cook based on what we have in the garden, fridge and/or pantry. The recipe below has become a family favorite, and is best served hot with some crusty bread and a nice red wine.

This beautiful sauce can easily be made while your pasta is boiling, so it really doesn't take that long. It is best made with fresh ingredients (we pick the tomatoes and basil out of the garden right before cooking) The ingredient amounts are flexible, this is not an exact science. The amounts listed will make roughly four servings.

Tonight, I didn't have an onion, so I used a large shallot instead. I didn't use garlic either. This sauce is fabulous and very forgiving...feel free to experiment! In the past I have also added zucchini, mushrooms, whatever we have on hand.

Fresh Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Diced onion (about one) or 1 shallot, minced
Minced or chopped garlic (2 to 4 cloves)
coarse salt
Several fresh tomatoes (about 4, depending on size)
Heavy cream (1/2 cup or so)
Butter (up to 1 stick)
Fresh basil, roughly chopped, about 1/4 cup

Dice a small onion, saute' in a couple tablespoons butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Stir in a couple minced or chopped cloves of garlic. Sprinkle with a teaspoon or more coarse salt. (I use kosher)

Roughly chop several fresh tomatoes and add them to the onions and garlic. Also add heavy cream, about 1/4 cup or more to lighten the color of your sauce. You can also add more butter at this time, and turn up the heat to reduce and thicken the sauce. When the sauce is nearly at your desired consistency, add the fresh basil and cook for a couple minutes longer. Spoon over spaghetti or pasta of your choice.

Creamy Seafood Crepes

These are subtly flavored, delicious bundles of goodness from a cookbook called Classic Home Cooking. A friend and I prepared these years ago for a small dinner party, and I'm not sure what brought them to mind this afternoon, but now I WANT SOME. They were a huge hit at the dinner party.

I remember this being fairly labor-intensive, but I'm sure it had a bit to do with my skill level at the time (about 15 years ago? ahem). I will make these again, and report back.

{picture soon! I can't wait!}

Creamy Seafood Crepes
A succulent filling of shrimp and whitefish in an herbed cream sauce makes these crepes an excellent light lunch dish or dinner party first course. The unfilled crepes can be made in advance and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month: leave them to cool after frying, layer them with waxed paper, and wrap in foil.



Serves 6


Filling:
1/2 pound cod fillet, skinned
3/4 pound shrimp, cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon dill seeds, crushed
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons light cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
basil sprigs and lemon coronets to garnish


Crepes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups milk
sunflower or corn oil for frying

1. Make the crepe batter: sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the egg, extra egg yolk, and a little of the milk.

2. Gradually blend in the flour, beating until smooth. Add the remaining milk to give the batter the consistency of thin cream. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling: cut the cod into 1/2-inch pieces.. Reserve 12 of the shrimp for garnish and peel the remainder.

4. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until soft but not browned.

5. Add the cod, tomatoes, dill seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and rich.

6. Stir in the cream and shrimp and heat gently. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Keep warm.

7. Heat a small skillet, and brush with a little oil. Ladle about 3 tablespoons batter into the pan and cook for 1 minute, until the underside is golden. Turn and cook the second side. Keep warm. Repeat to make 12 crepes.

8. Fill the crepes with the seafood mixture and fold *(see below). Garnish with the reserved shrimp, basil sprigs and lemon coronets.


*Filling and folding the crepes:

• Put a crepe on a board or clean serving plate. Put 2-3 spoonfuls of the seafood filling on one half of the crepe and spread it to within 1/4 inch of the edge.
• Fold the unfilled half of the crepe over the seafood filling to enclose it.
• Fold the crepe in half again to form a triangle. Transfer to a serving plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling.

Min's Huevos Rancheros

So. I had my huevos rancheros plated up, looking good, ready for their photo shoot. My digital camera battery was dead. I took a picture with my 35mm, but I'm not getting film developed until late next week. Until then, you'll just have to imagine what they look like...sorry.


Huevos Rancheros is a family favorite around here. We love beans, and fried potatoes, and we especially love this:


Hatch Huevos Rancheros sauce is perfection in a can. Find it, and buy some today. You want some now? Can't find it at your grocery store? You can order it here.

This dish has several components, and all together it is delicious! Prepare each component separately, and then pile them all together. It's easy, once you've had some coffee and get moving. This makes a very filling breakfast, a great brunch, lunch, dinner...you can eat these whenever you want. And trust me, you'll want.

The only thing about this dish I don't love? The sheer amount of pans you need to use. It really can't be avoided though. Darn it all.

Here is what you'll need:

warmed tortillas
refried beans (today we're using Prairie Fire beans)
fried potatoes
2 fried eggs per serving
Hatch Huevos Rancheros sauce, warmed

You'll need to fry your potatoes first. We fry ours in a healthy amount of lard, which gives them awesome flavor and golden-brown crispiness. You could use olive oil or butter if you're a lard-o-phobe.

While your potatoes are cooking, gently warm your beans in a separate pan. Our Prairie Fire came out of the freezer this morning, and our microwave (for defrosting) is broken, so they have been gently thawing in a saucepan.

Warm the huevos rancheros sauce in a separate pan too.

When everything is warmed, fry your eggs however you like them, (today I put the potatoes in a bowl and used the potato pan for eggs!) and warm some tortillas.

To serve, pile the following on each plate, in order:

1. tortilla
2. beans
3. potatoes
4. eggs
5. sauce

Give each person a fork and knife, and eat up while they're hot. You will be in love, as well as being the star of the breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner table.