Brownies (Cakey)

I wanted to make brownies; my favorite time being the dense kind with the flaky top. Unfortunately, this was more of a chocolate cake disguised under the name of brownie. Still good though.

Rating: 3 of 5


Note: I never ever use a microwave to melt my butter and chocolate. I just use a tiny sauce pan; works wonders and doesn't destroy the integrity of the butter.

Ingredients:
For the Brownies:

• 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks/12 oz/340g) butter, cut up
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups walnut pieces

For the Frosting:

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick/2 oz/56g) butter
• 1-1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degree F (180 C). Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with foil, letting foil extend at ends. Grease foil.

2. For the Brownies:
Microwave the 1-1/2 cups butter on 100 percent power (High) in a large microwaveproof bowl 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until melted. Whisk in cocoa until smooth; let stand 15 minutes to cool. Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition, until blended. Stir in flour, 1 tablespoon vanilla and salt until blended. Stir in walnut pieces. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

4. For the Frosting:
Microwave chocolate and the 1/4 cup butter in a small microwaveproof bowl on 100 percent power (High ) 1-1/2 minutes; stir until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; add confectioners sugar, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat on low speed of electric mixer to blend, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and spreadable.

5. Spread over Brownies. Using ends of foil, remove Brownies from pan; peel off foil. Cut into 24 squares.

French Onion Soup

Rating: 5 of 5
 
Note: I wish I had doubled the amount of broth; this was barely enough soup to go around between 4 people.It also ended up being more flavored onions rather than soup.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 pounds onions (a mixture of yellow, red and shallots), sliced in thin half-moons
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 quart beef stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch slices slightly on the diagonal (I used my homemade french bread)
• 6 ounces Gruyere, grated (Smoked Gruyere gives the best flavor)
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Additional thyme sprigs for garnish

Note: I used a typical soup pot for the soup, not a Dutch oven.

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions, salt, thyme and bay leaves; stir, ensuring that the onions are coated in the melted butter. Cook the onions over medium heat for about 45 minutes, until the onions become very caramelized.
2. Once the onions have become very caramelized, add the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring continuously. Next, slowly add the red wine, stirring the pot to scrape up the caramelization from the sides of the Dutch oven. Then, add the beef stock and water. Bring the soup to a bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. When the soup is nearly done simmering, turn on the broiler. Place the baguette slices (enough to have two to three slices per bowl) on a parchment-lined baking sheet; toast under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. While the slices toast, ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls or crocks. Once the tops of the baguette slices have toasted, remove them from the oven. Float 2 or 3 slices, toasted side down, on the tops of each bowl. Place the bowls on the baking sheet and slide the sheet under the broiler for 2 minutes, until the tops of the baguette slices become very lightly browned. Remove the pan and top each bowl with an equal amount of the shredded gruyere. Slide the pan under the broiler for a final 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
4. Crack fresh black pepper on top of the bowls and garnish with a small sprig of thyme, if desired.

French Bread

 Ingredients:

•      6 cups all-purpose flour
•      2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
•      1 1/2 teaspoons salt
•      2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
•      1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional)
•      1 egg white
•      1 tablespoon water

Directions:

   1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
   2. On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
   3. Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
   4. Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
   5. With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls

Note: My fiancé technically made dinner. We wanted something easy and quick tonight. These turned out to be a nice substitute for my normal types of dishes.

 Ingredients:
     1 (8 ounce) can Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
     8 thin slices cooked ham
     4 thin slices Cheddar cheese, cut into strips

Directions:
   1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place 1 piece of ham on each triangle; place 2 strips of cheese down center of ham. Fold in edges of ham to match shape of dough triangle.
   2. Roll up each crescent, ending at tip of triangle. Place with tips down on ungreased cookie sheet.
   3. Bake 15 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Teriyaki Chicken

 Ingredients:

•      1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut in half
•      3/4 cup brown sugar
•      3/4 cup soy sauce
•      1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
•      2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
   1. Rinse chicken halves, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken cut side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
   2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, grated ginger and garlic. Mix well, and pour mixture over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
   3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   4. Bake chicken uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour, basting frequently. Test for doneness, making sure there is no pink left in the meat. Let cool slightly, then cut into smaller pieces to serve.

Taco Seasoning

Tonight, my fiancé and I enjoyed nachos...

 but instead of using grilled chicken, we used ground beef. I was trying to think of a way to season it when I decided to go on a hunt for taco seasoning mix recipes. This is what I ended up using and it was delicious.

Ingredients (per pound ground beef):

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp flour 

Directions:
After browning the  ground beef, sprinkle this mixture into the ground beef and add a little less than 2/3 cup water. Most recipes say to drain the fat and excess liquid, but instead, keep it in for extra flavor and just add a little less water. Let the mixture simmer until the water is almost gone.

My Own Chocolate Cake

This is my very first attempt at putting together a recipe on my own.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup Irish Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
   Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds more or until chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth and let cool.
   Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
   Beat butter in mixing bowl until creamy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
2. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk and 1/2 cup liqueur, beating until smooth at low speed. Stir in melted chocolate. Divide batter among prepared cake pans. 
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on racks. Chill cake layers in freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons of really good coffee in approximately 1/2 cup of hot water (French Press)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a small heavy saucepan dissolve the sugar in 1/3 cup water over moderate heat, stirring, bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it until it registers 240°F. on a candy thermometer. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the eggs until they are frothy, add the sugar syrup in a thin stream, beating, and beat the mixture until it is cool. Beat in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, the espresso mixture, and a pinch of salt and beat the buttercream until it is combined well. If necessary, chill the buttercream, covered, until it is firm enough to spread.

Chocolate Ganache 
 
Tips: Next time, I won't wait for it to cool so much. I want to drizzle it on and have it look all glossy and smooth.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Finely chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium bowl or on parchment paper. Heat heavy cream, stirring occasionally, until bubbles begin to appear around the edges. Pour chocolate shavings into the cream and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Let it cool in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally. It has to cool down for 20 or 30 minutes before it's ready to work with.
2. To frost a chocolate cake, cut cake into two layers and squirt simple syrup on the inside layers. To make the simple syrup, boil one part water with one part sugar. This is used to keep the cake moist.
3. Spread the ganache in the center of the cake, trying not to let any run down the sides. Replace the top layer of cake, squirt some more simple syrup on the cake and spread it.
4. To coat the cake, place the cake on a ring or a cake screen. Spread the icing on the top and around the sides of the cake. Use a cake comb to create a design on the top of the cake.

Cream Rosettes
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Irish Cream
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients and whip until stiff peaks form.

White Chocolate Roses
For the white chocolate rose go to this post.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My coworkers were kind enough to share the flu with me. I'm therefore posting some pretty simple chicken noodle soup. If you're too weak to make it, ask, bargain, fool, trick, do whatever it takes to have someone make it for you. This beats the canned stuff any day; not to mention it's probably much more nutritious.

Tips: The trick to making sure this soup tastes really super awesome, is to season the chicken and cook it in a way that really gives the soup that extra something. I sautéed my chicken with some garlic herb sensation, garlic powder, paprika, and a splash of white wine. Another trick is to not cook the noodles in the soup; cook them separate. It ensures the soup doesn't become starchy and the noodles don't become soggy over time.

Recommendation: This is by far my favorite brand of vegetable bouillon.

Ingredients:

•      1 tablespoon butter
•      1/2 cup chopped onion
•      1/2 cup chopped celery
•      10 cups water
•      4 chicken bouillon cubes
•      1 vegetable bouillon cube
•      1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
•      1 1/2 cups egg noodles
•      1 cup sliced carrots
•      1/2 teaspoon dried basil
•      1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
•      salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

White Chocolate Roses

Not bad for a first attempt... I think I started off with some awesome roses and slowly stopped doing as well. Practice makes perfect?


Tip: These are a lot harder than they seem.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz white (or milk) chocolate, finely chopped
• ¼ cup (4 tbsp) light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a wide skillet. Turn the burner off (if your stove is electric, remove the skillet from the burner) and wait for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl of chocolate in the hot water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
   Off the heat; add the corn syrup and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Transfer the chocolate mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat it into a thin disk, about 6 mm thick. Fold the plastic wrap over the chocolate and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or up to several weeks (check the expiration date on your chocolate). It is preferable to let the chocolate plastic rest in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Take the chocolate plastic out of the refrigerator. Leave it on a counter for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Knead the plastic with your hands to make it smooth and pliable before you start (it might appear grainy at first, but the kneading will change it).
4. Shape a small piece of the chocolate plastic into a cone - it will be a flower base. Then form another piece into a small ball (about ½-inch in diameter) rolling it in the palms of your hands. Pat the ball, between two plastic bags (like Ziploc), or between two layers of plastic wrap, into a thin petal. Refrigerate the petal, still between the plastic wrap, for a minute (to firm the chocolate plastic and make it easier to handle). While one petal is chilling, form another one for the continuous process. Take the chilled petal out of the fridge. Carefully peel the plastic wrap and attach the petal to the cone base. Wearing thin, surgical-type gloves helps significantly. Attach another petal to the base overlapping the petals slightly. Make the closed bud first, then start attaching the open petals around. Curve the petal edges gently outward using a toothpick. Repeat the shaping, chilling, and overlapping the petals until you get the desired size and shape of the flower.

My second attempt:
I find that keeping the roses in the freezer helps in between petals.

Sausage, Cheese, and Basil Lasagna

Rating: 4 of 5

Ingredients:
Sauce:

•      2 tablespoons olive oil
•      1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
•      1 cup chopped onion
•      3 large garlic cloves, chopped
•      2 teaspoons dried oregano
•      1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
•      1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
•      1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion (do not drain) (I used diced tomatoes with garlic and onion)

Filling:

•      1 1/2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
•      1 15-ounce container plus 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
•      1 1/2 cups (packed) grated mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
•      3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
•      1 large egg
•      1/2 teaspoon salt
•      1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Assembly:

•      12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package
•      3 cups (packed) grated mozzarella cheese (about 12 ounces)
•      1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
•      Olive oil spray

Directions:
Sauce:

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausages, onion, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper and sauté until sausage is cooked through, mashing sausage into small pieces with back of fork, about 10 minutes. 
2. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with juices. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. 

Filling:

1. Using on/off turns, chop fresh basil leaves finely in processor. Add ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using on/off turns, process filling until just blended and texture is still chunky.

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread 1 1/4 cups sauce in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles on sauce. 
2. Drop 1 1/2 cups filling over noodles, then spread evenly to cover. 
3. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 
4. Repeat layering of sauce, noodles, filling and cheeses 2 more times. 
5. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spoon remaining sauce atop noodles. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. 
6. Spray large piece of foil with nonstick olive oil spray. Cover lasagna with foil, sprayed side down.
7. Bake lasagna 40 minutes. Carefully uncover. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Bake until noodles are tender, sauce bubbles thickly and edges of lasagna are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Transfer to work surface; let stand 15 minutes before serving.