Nutella Brownies There's absolutely nothing to say about these brownies except that they are in one word Un-Friggin-Believable! I am on a cookie/ brownie cooking spree of my bookmarks. I have also been keeping my daughter occupied during her holidays. And today I made these with my nephew - he's so enthusiastic and excited about cooking - so let me just say they tasted even better! I made a few alterations to the original recipe. Nutella Brownies(recipe from Noble Pig, and originally from Culinary in the Country) 1 cup Butter2 cups Sugar2 tsp Vanilla Extract4 large Eggs1 cup All-Purpose Flour3/4 cup Cocoa1/8 tsp Salt1/2 tsp Baking Powder1 cup Nutella1/4 cup Chocolate Chips Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. On a low heat, melt the butter and add in the sugar and vanilla while stirring to combine. Add the flour mixture, a bit at a time, to the egg mixture until completely mixed in. Pour into a square baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.
The Finger Test to Check the Doneness of Meat Print Photography Credit: Elise Bauer There are two basic methods to test for how done your meat is while you are cooking it—use a meat thermometer, or press on the meat with your fingertips. My mother has been trying to get me to test meat with my fingertips for years, and for years, being somewhat of a scaredy cat (won’t it burn my fingers?) Then my friend David showed me up. Now the point of this story is not to embarrass David (though that would be fun, if it were even possible) but to encourage you, if like me, you’ve been shying away from trying this approach. This is one of those things that gets easier with practice. MethodHide Photos Open the palm of your hand. Now gently press the tip of your pinky and your thumb together. Press the tip of your ring finger and your thumb together. Gently press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. Press the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb. Hello!
Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe Brown sugar frosting is one of my most favorite frostings. If you use light brown sugar, as shown above, the brown sugar frosting tastes like a thicker version of the glaze on a glazed doughnut. If you use dark brown sugar, as shown below, the flavor is a bit richer and the frosting is somewhat more creamy. You can’t go wrong either way. I got the delectable brown sugar frosting recipe from Southern Food on About.Com. Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe Ingredients 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup milk 2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar Instructions In a saucepan, melt butter.
Cheese-Garlic Biscuits (As served at Red Lobster) From: "Maureen Sgambelluri" Date: 21 Oct 1993 13:27:35 -0500 Heat oven to 450#161# 2 cups Bisquick(r) Baking Mix 2/3 cup Milk 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces) 1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted 1/4 tsp. garlic powder Mix baking mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix margarine and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science (SCS) graciously hosts the Recipe Archive. Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups » Annie's Eats Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups Cooking View Oh, how I LOVE these little cuties! What an ingenious idea – bacon, eggs and toast all wrapped up in a cute little muffin-sized package. Even better, these take next to no time to throw together so they are perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast, or a quick breakfast-for-dinner night. Growing up my absolute favorite breakfast was known in my family as an “eggy on toasty” (an over-easy fried egg on a piece of toast), even better when made by my sweet Grampa. These remind me so much of that favorite dish, and I hope that one day these will be a favorite breakfast of one of our kids. If you don’t like a runny yolk, simply bake your eggs longer until they are cooked to your preferred doneness.
How to Make Peepshi = Peeps Sushi [Photographs: Robyn Lee] Looking to expand your Peeps palate this Easter Sunday? There's no place like Serious Eats to satisfy all your sugar-encrusted marshmallow needs and desires. Continuing in the grand Peeps Week tradition, here's our offering for any occasion that calls for awesome and fun all at once: Peepshi. The first issue. Crisis averted, we could now move onto beheading Peeps. With glossy spreads from Masaharu Morimoto's The New Art of Japanese Cooking book out for inspiration, Carey, Erin, and I proceeded to fulfill our deepest Peepshi boat fantasies. A Primer on Peepshi Traditions The Peepshi tradition calls for certain deviations from the standard sushi-eating customs you're used to seeing at, say, a sushi bar. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. More Peepage Peepza = Peeps + Pizza »Peeps Krispies Treats »Cakespy's Peeps Fluffernutter »Deep-Fried Peeps »How to Make Peeps from Scratch »SE's Peeps Diorama »Video: Peeps Microwave Disaster »You Might Like Chocolate-Covered Peeps »
Garlic Knots – For Superior Garlic Breath When I was in High School, I thought garlic knots were the best things on earth. I guess I still kind of think that, but often I’m disappointed by the garlic knots I buy. I’m not sure if the quality of garlic knots has gone down in NYC or if I’ve become harder to please. These days, they are often hard and dry, probably from being left around too long. These really are a reasonable amount of work, and easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled for even more return. I’m assuming that pizzerias make their garlic knots with the same dough that they make pizza with, so use any pizza dough that you like. Garlic Knots~12-13 knots 3/4 cup +1 tablespoon all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon sugar1/2 teaspoon instant yeast1/2 teaspoon table salt1/3 cup water at room temperature (70 to 90 degrees)5 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, divided4 large cloves garlic, minced1/4 teaspoon kosher salt1 packed tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Instructions - 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Now, excuse me, I have to go buy some mints.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup | bitchin' camero It’s officially Sports Food season. Baseball playoffs are coming soon (go Red Sox!), college football is in full swing (go Eagles!) and the NFL is taking over Sundays and Mondays (go…uh…). I happen to love Sporty foods. You can set your soup station up like you would a taco or baked potato station: a big pot of soup, bowls and toppings. Loaded Baked Potato Soup 1.5 tbsp. olive oil 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 medium-sized Idaho (or creamer) potatoes (roughly 2.5 lbs.), diced 3 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek-style Yogurt is perfect here) Toppings: 1 cup chopped spinach 6 slices bacon, cooked til crisp 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese 1 – 2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, thinly sliced 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt More topping ideas: Green onions Chives Diced tomato Fresh salsa Sauteed or steamed Broccoli Sauteed mushrooms Anything you like to put on your baked potato goes! Set a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
Homemade Potato Chips Recipe [donotprint]A few years ago a friend of mine taught me how to make potato chips in a microwave. I thought she was kidding because I couldn’t imagine a microwave producing crispy chips. After cooking them for 5 minutes they were done, crispy, and wonderful! Ideally, a mandoline works best to cut the potatoes paper thin. If you don’t have one you can use a vegetable peeler or slice the potato very thinly with a knife. Homemade Potato Chips Ingredients: 1 russet potato Non stick spray Parchment paper or glass plate Salt and Pepper Directions: Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the inside of your microwave. **WARNING** Some people have had their microwaves short cut, plates shatter, and potatoes go up in flames. **UPDATE** I’ve made several batches of this over the weekend. Tagged as: Gluten-Free, microwave, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian
tomato sauce with onion and butter I could no longer resist this sauce, and frankly, I don’t know why I even tried to: food bloggers obsess over it, and they’re not a bad lot to base a recipe selection upon. Adam of Amateur Gourmet fell for it five years ago. Molly at Orangette raved about it over two years ago, with a bonus approval marking from Luisa at Wednesday Chef. Then Rachel Eats fawned over it too, and Rachel, you see, she lives in Rome right now — I want to be in Rome right now — Rome, where you can get authentic, perfect tomato sauce a zillion places every single day. And yet she stayed in and made this one. That sealed the deal. So what is it with this sauce that it moves people to essays over it, tossing about exclamations like “brilliant!” Butter and the juice of stewed onion is all it apparently takes to transform a two-pound can of tomatoes to something velvety and lush. Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions Adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking
Vanilla Extract It’s that time of year when you’re baking A LOT. And MANY recipes call for Vanilla Extract. I’m pretty particular about my Vanilla Extract. I like the Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract (PLEASE PLEASE don’t evah use imitation, it’s so pshew ~ well just please don’t use it) and well it’s not cheap. Depending on where you get it, it can run $10/for a 4 ounce bottles. I know right! You’re seriously NOT going to believe how simple it is to make your own Vanilla Extract! Now, since it ONLY has two ingredients you need to buy THE BEST quality you can find. & was quite pleased with their quality. So perfect in fact, that I’m giving these away as Christmas gifts this year! Baci e’ Buon Natale! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. What You Will Need: Vanilla Beans – 3 per jar good quality Vodka small jars w/tight fitting lids- I used 4oz Mason Jars What To Do: Copyright Paula Jones with bellalimento
Chili (the secret recipe) « Meats, Roots and Leaves When a friend innocently asked me for my chili recipe I froze, then I panicked. Then I lied. “It’s a secret.” That was simply boneheaded and I apologize. Don’t ask me why but I’ve always started my chili like a gumbo with the “holy trinity” of onions, celery and green bell peppers. This chili has become a staple around our house – I freeze it in two-cup containers because my son will take it for lunch and it’s the few ways I can get tomatoes and legumes into him. Chili (serves about eight) 2 large onions, coarsely chopped 2 celery stocks, chopped 2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped 4 pounds ground beef 1 1/2 cups dry red kidney beans (approx. 4 cups cooked) or 2 19 oz cans, drained 2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes (with liquid) 1/2 bottle dark ale or porter (optional, although the other half’s for you) 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup chili powder 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons hot (or sweet, or smoked) paprika 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste Like this:
Cupcakes for Dinner and Mashed Potatoes for Dessert?!? April Fools!!! Oh yes, those are meatloaf cupcakes, my friends (with mashed potato frosting)! Who can resist a meatcake?!? When I saw this post on Fine Furious Life while blog-surfing yesterday, I knew that I had to make them! :) The meatloaf is really good....scroll down for the recipe. And for dessert....mashed potato cupcakes! To make them, I followed the book's instructions for doctoring a cake mix. Once cooled, frost with vanilla frosting, mounding it in the middle. It was a fun April Fool's Day! Meatloaf Cupcakes:(adapted from Fine Furious Life) 1/2 lb. ground chuck1/2 lb. ground pork1 small carrot, chopped1/2 large onion, diced2 stalks celery, diced3/4 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs1/3 cup milk1/4 cup chopped parsley1/4 cup shredded Parmesan2 eggsSalt and pepper Preheat oven to 350F. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk and set aside. Saute the vegetables in olive oil until softened. For the frosting: Follow the instruction on the packages.