chocolate mint brownies

Chocolate Mint Brownies
via Mel's Kitchen Cafe

 

Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, beaten (FYI: the original recipe replaces two of these 4 eggs with 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup

Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring

Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. BATTER WILL BE VERY THIN! Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake. (Kylie prefers the non-mint version: she substitutes vanilla extract for the mint extract.)

To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

**got rave reviews from my family! Grandpa Lance especially.

broccoli salad

Ingredients:

2 heads fresh broccoli

1 red onion

bacon bits

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon and almonds, and mix well. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.

**love this salad.

samoa bars

Samoas Bars
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe


*Makes 30 bar cookies.
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (I used one 14 oz. package of the Kraft brand)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok – I didn’t coat the base of the brownies in chocolate so I only used 1 cup semisweet chips to drizzle on top)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden (mine took about 25 minutes). Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on 50% power for 1-2 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer (I kind of had to use my hands on this part to get it into an even layer). Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Alternately, you can omit the step to dip the base of the brownie in chocolate and simply drizzle the melted chocolate on the top of the bars (you won’t need the full 10 oz. if you choose this step). Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

mango salsa

2 mangos, diced
3 tbsp diced red onion
1/2 jalapeno, diced small
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

pico de gallo

we've had two bbq's here in the past week, the second one was tonight. Last week it was my dad's sister visiting, this week it's my mom's brother! it's so great having all these family get togethers...i love trying all these recipes out! here's some of the things i've made for my guinea pigs.

Pico de Gallo
from CDkitchen

Ingredients:
3 large tomatoes diced
1 large onion diced
2 tablespoons diced Jalapenos
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (diced)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in large container until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to set for at least 6 hours, better if allowed to sit overnight.

**this was delicious!

sweet and sour chicken

sweet n' sour chicken. super easy, super delish!

found it in my recipe binder (which i reorganized today, thankyaverymuch) and it says it's from a 1991 friends magazine, so there ya go. easy enough for primary kids, easy enough for me, i always say.


Sweet and Sour Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.

***i was a rebel and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, turning once and adding pineapple after 15 min. i needed it to finish at the same time as the rice...turned out great!

avocado corn salsa

I made this for a potluck 4th of July BBQ, and it was a hit! Nothing but bits of corn stuck to the bowl by the time fireworks started. I got the recipe here, but here is the whole thing.


Avocado Corn Salsa

1 avocado, peeled, seeded & finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded & finely diced
2 - 3 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 - 1 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, gently combine all ingredients. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with chips.

*I doubled the recipe and also added half a red onion, which really tasted good!