So, these brownies won a bake-off...

You won't believe this, but I never took one picture during this whole process. I knew I wanted to put these brownies on my blog since I first made them, but I couldn't post them until a special event took place---- a Brownie Bake-Off!

It all started with a brownie. I brought a brownie (not one of these) to a lady I work with. She decided that we should have a brownie bake-off. I become one of five contestants. I choose featured brownies. I make two trial batches of brownies. I mess up a pan of my beautiful brownies when taking them out of oven for the bake-off. I fall down steps while carrying afore-mentioned brownies. I am just more than ready to be done with these brownies.

The winning brownies were the following: http://www.joyofbaking.com/barsandsquares/CreamCheeseBrownies.html. One thing this recipe suggested that I found quite helpful was to stir the batter by hand rather than a mixer. I think this might possibly help matters a little bit. These brownies are not for those who do not like themselves a good, super moist, super fudgey brownie. Because they are all of the above.

This is the first recipe that I have added some personal twists to . I added flour, subtracted sugar, divided the baking time, and I multiplied all times two and came up with a slightly different answer.

My Revised Edition---

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer
1. Approx. 13 tblsp of margarine
2. 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3. 2 cups sugar
4. 2 tsps vanilla extract
5. 4 large eggs
6. 1 1/2 cups flour (although I think you could add even another 1/4 cup)
7. 1/2 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Layer
1. 16 ozs cream cheese
2. 2/3 cups sugar
3. 2 tsps vanilla extract
4. 2 large eggs


Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9x13 pan. The first time I made this recipe, I followed it to the letter and line the pan with aluminum foil. This was the first and last time I ever plan on doing that. It stuck to the brownies and was just very annoying. I don't know about you, but I do not relish the thought of eating foil. From that attempt on, I simply sprayed the pan with cooking spray.

Put chocolate chips and butter together and heat them at 30-second intervals in the microwave
until they are melted. Once melted, stir in the sugar and vanilla. Once these are combined, stir in eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour and salt until thoroughly blended. Set aside 1 cup of batter to top the pan off with. Pour rest of batter into the prepared pan. I then cooked this for ten minutes while I prepared the cream cheese layer. Ten minutes will not cook it through at all and it won't even look remotely like it was in the oven, but I think this helped take away some of the mushiness.

Next, you will need a hand mixer to prepare the cream cheese layer. First, you will need to whip up the cream cheese by itself. After it is thoroughly whipped up, add in the sugar, vanilla and eggs until it appears creamy and smooth without any cream cheese lumps. Pour mixture over the batter. Top with dollops of the set aside batter.

Cook for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cream cheese layer should appear set and not bounce all over the place. I then let them cool and then of course they are to be refrigerated. I personally prefer them cold, but have been told that they are good warm.

So, here they are. My winning brownies. I'm not sure how soon I will make them again, as I have had quite a few lately, but when I do, I will take pictures and post them.

Not a big fan of chocolate... try this Apple-Cinnamon Cake.

I needed to make a cake for a friend's birthday... the problem(s)? Well, this friend doesn't like chocolate, and making a plain-Jane cake is a challenge to me. I much prefer making cheesecake or cupcakes, but I decided to rise to the challenge rather than deflate in defeat. Last year, my sister made a snickerdoodle cake... yea, snickerdoodle like the cookie (btw, I am not a big fan of the cookie). It was a really yummy cake, and I really am not a big fan of eating plain-Jane cake, anymore than I am of making it. I decided that I too, would make a Snickerdoodle cake. I went online and searched for recipes for Snickerdoodle cake. Most of the recipes were the same, except this one (http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,186,133188-245193,00.html). It caught my eye because its liquid ingredient was different than all the others-applesauce rather then milk. I like different, so I went with different.

My sister had said that the one thing she had not liked about her cake was that it was a little dry. I hadn't noticed, but I decided I was going to try and watch for that when making mine anyway. After I had mixed all the ingredients together, I decided the cake did need a little more moisture, so I added a little milk. I didn't measure it, but if I had to guesstimate, I'd say that it was about an 1/8 of a cup. I must also say that when I first looked at this recipe I was confused as to what I was supposed to do with the cinnamon. After looking at a couple of the other recipes, I decided that I was going to put some cinnamon in the batter and then sprinkle some of it over the greased pan. Armed with this decision and determination and delight and... ok, I'll stop there, I made the cake.


SNICKERDOODLE CAKE

1 cup applesauce
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon soda
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cinnamon (divided)
approx. 1/8 cup of milk


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Per the recipe, I combined all the ingredients (1/2 of the cinnamon included) in the order they are listed, using my KitchenAid to mix them. I then sprinkled the rest of the cinnamon mixed with sugar over the greased 9x13 pan.

The recipe said to let it bake for 15 minutes and then bake it for 5 minute intervals afterwards if not done. I think that I ended up baking it for 25 minutes.


Buttercream Frosting:
http://www.food.com/recipe/Cinnamon-Buttercream-Frosting-77534

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 -4 tablespoons milk (I used half and half instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat butter. The recipe itemizes when and how to put each ingredient in. I think that I just put all the ingredients in at one time and beat them them in to the right consistency. When finished, spread it on the cake.

The cake turned out pretty good. It didn't really taste very cinnamony until I put the frosting on. After that though, the main taste was cinnamon. (I loved the frosting, btw)

My First Attempt at Crepes... and it went well!!!

After searching long and hard on the internet for a crepe recipe that appealed to me, I finally decided on the following link:http://constableslarder.blogspot.com/2009/02/savory-crepes.html. I had never made crepes before and at first found the thought a bit intimidating, but the more I looked at recipes, the easier the whole thing sounded. So, I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and make them... it went well, just ask my waistline.

Ingredients:

1 cup cold milk

1 cup cold water

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flours

4 tbsp melted butter

The writer of the above blog said that he always uses Julia Childs' crepes recipe and as he was telling, saying, writing, whatever you call it, about this fact, he stated that she always put the ingredients in the blender. His way of doing it, however, was to simply whisk all the ingredients together. I found out that I much preferred Julia Childs' way of doing things. I started out just whisking the things together, and that went well up until the point I put in the flour. The batter got lumpy and I knew that wasn't right, as the recipe stated it was to be a thin batter. I double-checked to make sure I hadn't made a mistake and put the flour in too fast, but no, the recipe said nothing about that. So, I decided to do what the well-known cook used to do- blend it. And that worked well. Very well.

After the batter is ready, it needs to be refrigerated. Some recipes said one hour, this one said at least two hours. I just let it sit for two hours as I was busy anyway.

Right before taking out the batter, I got out a small, non-stick frying pan that I put a light coating of butter on. I then let it sit on medium heat for a few seconds before putting batter in it. I used a 1/2 cup as my pourer. This particular recipe recommends a 2/3 or 3/4 cup, but I thought I had seen something in others about even as small as 1/4 cup. I am glad I did, as it was, the recipe didn't make as many as I expected.

So, you pour the batter in. Next you wait at least a minute if not closer to two minutes to let it cook the first side. Don't be afraid of the first side burning, it has to cook just a little bit longer then the second side. Then you test whether it's ready or not by gently lifting the edge of the crepe with a spatula... I REPEAT, a spatula. I used a fork for the first one--- BIG mistake. Crepes are too thin to be poked by tines. But if the crepe lifts easily it is most likely ready to be flipped. The second side only has to cook for about a minute.

Some of the recipes suggest you put the filling on when the second side is cooking. That is what I did for the ones I made and I think that it is a great idea as it softens up the filling quite nicely.

Here are some filling ideas-

Nutella... no hassle, no fuss

Plain cream cheese filling... this link is the recipe I used- http://caloriecount.about.com/cream-cheese-strawberry-crepe-filling-recipe-r58293, it was yummy.

Cream cheese with cocoa... I wanted to spice up the above cream cheese filling so I added some cocoa mixed with sugar into it... that was also PPPRREETTYY yummy!!

Enjoy... I did!!:-)

My mom bakes a lot. And when I was still at home, she baked a lot, and I, as a homeschooled child, baking was part of my education:). I am grateful for this though and this recipe is one I remember as always being yummy, well except for the first time I made it but that was my fault. Anyways, I was stuck at home one day last week and thought that would be a good day to make some good, old-fashioned, homemade yeast bread. Maple Oat Bread is a Taste of Home recipe and you can find it at the following link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Maple-Oat-Bread. My mom always makes it with regular old pancake syrup rather than maple and it tastes delish.



Maple Oat Bread:



1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup boiling water

1 package (1/4 oz.) dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

1/2 cup "regular old pancake syrup"

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

31/2 -4 cups flour



Topping:



1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons, old-fashioned oats




Place oats in a blender or food processor (I used a blender), cover and process oats for 6-7 seconds or until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl; let stand until mixture is cooled to 110*-115*. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in a 1/3 cup warm water; add syrup, oil, salt, oat mixture and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn on to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to greased top. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Mine didn't rise as high as I would've liked and I think that that has something to do with the fact it wasn't very warm in my kitchen at the time.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a 9-in. round loaf. Place in a 9-in. round baking dish. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Brush with egg whites and sprinkle with oats. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

This is a really yummy recipe. I have never had it with maple syrup before, but I bet that would taste really good.

Note:

• Make sure it is rising in a warm place.
• Make sure the liquids are not too hot or too cold when combining them with the other ingredients.

Truffles.... mmmm.... sigh:)

So, I have always wanted to make truffles, just never taken the time to or found a recipe I just HAD to try. Until now. While going through some holiday cookbooks to find some new Christmas cookie recipes to try, I found this one that just looked too easy to pass up. Hence, I made them and boy, was it worth it:). (And yes, I did just say that I was looking through cookbooks, the bane of my existence. Well, not quite that bad, but I do prefer Google:).

Here is the recipe:

1 10 oz package of mint chocolate chips

1/3 cup of whipping cream

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used marg.)

sprinkles

Line baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.

Melt chips with whipping cream and butter in heavy, medium saucepan over low heat (the highest I put it was 2), stirring occasionally (since it's on low, there's not a HUGE chance of it burning). Pour into pie pan. Refrigerate until mixture is fudgy, but soft, about 2 hours (I put it in the fridge for almost exactly 2 hours and it was a little harder than I wanted it to be but it worked).

Shape about 1 tablespoonful of mixture into 1 1/4-inch ball. To shape, roll mixture between your palms. Repeat procedure with remaing mixture. Place balls on waxed paper.

Place sprinkles in shallow bowl; roll balls in sprinkles. Place truffles in petit four or candy cups. (If sprinkles won't stick because truffle has set, roll truffle between your palms until outside is soft.) Truffles can be refrigerated 2 to 3 days or frozen several weeks.

Note: I totally forewent (is that a word?) the whole wax paper thing. I just shaped the balls, immediately rolled them in sprinkles, and then stuck them in a mini-muffin cup. The book rolled them in chocolate sprinkles, but I went for a more festive look with colored sprinkles. Although I haven't tried an actual truffle yet, I tasted it from the pan and it was PRETTY YUMMY!!! Enjoy!

Banana Bread- Scratch that- Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Once again, I found myself looking for a recipe online. Sometimes there are so many that look worth trying that I wonder, "Which one should I try?" Well, a couple years ago, I chose this one for Banana Bread.... and I haven't tried to find another one. I have made it many times, and every time, it has turned out right- no, not just right, it's turned out grand. I have even put the batter into two mini loaf pans rather than one big one, and that has also turned out great. The following is the link to the website I found it on:




http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/




The only way I have tweaked the recipe is by adding chocolate chips to it. I love chocolate, as do the people I cook for- my sisters. One of my sisters won't even touch Banana Bread that doesn't have chocolate chips in it. I must admit, I also prefer it with chocolate. I have never measured how much I put in, but I'd venture to guess 1/2 a cup.




Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed (I usually use 4)


• 1/3 cup melted butter


• 1 cup sugar (recipe says this can easily be reduced to 3/4 cup, which I have never done)


• 1 egg beaten


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• Pinch of salt


• 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter into already mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix in. At this point you would pour in the chocolate chips, if you want them in the bread. Pour mixture into greased 4x8 in. loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, if an inserted toothpick comes out clean, it is done. Cool on a rack. Removie from pan slice to serve.



TIP: No toothpicks on hand? Use part of an uncooked spaghetti noodle

Flavored Rice

So, I made a very healthy dinner tonight... Salmon, rice and green beans. Those three things are all rather bland items so each of them needs some spicing up. The salmon I doused in lemon juice as usual, the green beans I buttered up and sprinkled with lemon pepper, the rice... well, the rice I was drawing a big fat blank on. How in the world does one spice up or season rice??? With this thought in mind, I googled "flavorful rice". I found several plausible options if I were a bean fan... so I kept sifting through the links and found this one, which was actually one of the first choices.
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/flavorful-rice/Detail.aspx I tweaked this recipe quite a bit. The first thing I noticed was that I most definitely did not need 3 cups of rice, and I don't have a rice cooker, and I did NOT want the tomatoes in it, AND I only had minute rice on hand when the recipe calls for regular rice. So I decided to change the recipe a little bit, which I have switched recipes before but not a lot so I'm always a little nervous when I'm doing it.

But I went ahead with it and this is what I did:

According to the rice box directions for 1 cup of rice I needed 1 cup of water. So I put 3/4 cup of water in a pot, and then added 1 TBSP of olive oil and 1 TBSP of vinegar. Then I sprinkled oregano, salt, and pepper (I didn't have basil on hand) into the water solution which I then set to boil. After it started boiling, I poured in the cup rice, stirred it, covered it, removed it from heat, let it sit for 5 minutes (per box directions). After the 5 minutes, I checked the rice, it seemed a little too moist, and since the rest of dinner was not yet ready, I let it sit longer. By the time we were ready to eat, the rice was ready too. It was yummy and I would make it again. Have fun.