Femina » Recipes

Brownies worth doing business with.

lizziejank — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:53:39 +0000

I can’t say enough about these brownies. Really. Brownies are right up there with chocolate chip cookies in terms of personal preferences and biases. I think that brownies disappoint eager audiences just as often, even if they don’t have that old “it’s actually a raisin” trick that cookies do. Sometimes they look like they will be perfect but deliver a bit of a chalky pasty bite that brings a person down. Sometimes they just leave you with a meeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh. But these brownies will not. They will remind you why brownies were dreamed up in the first place. They are worth the time on the treadmill. They are worth making, worth eating, and worth wiping off five chocolate faces and 50 mudgy fingers. They stand behind the brownie promise and deliver. These brownies are it. Try them, really, do. No one will mind.

Here you go:

1/2 c. butter

6 oz. Milk chocolate chips

12 oz. Dark chocolate chips (divided)

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 c. flour

scant teaspoon cinnamon

Melt the butter and 6 oz. of each kind of chocolate chips in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour. Stir in the last 6 oz. of dark chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and pop into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Prepare yourself.

Christmas Mac and Cheese

Nancy Ann — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:49:27 +0000

I know you have probably figured out your Christmas Eve menu by now, so here’s a suggestion for later in Christmas Week or for New Year’s Day or whenever. I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman’s blog, and it’s called Fancy Macaroni. It has carmelized onion, bacon, and some lovely cheeses: Gruyere, goat cheese, fontina, and parmesan….okay, so are you convinced? I made it for our dinner tonight, which we’ll enjoy after the Christmas Eve service. Right now it is sitting in the fridge, but not before I had a sample (and Doug had a sample and my sis-in-law Meredith had a sample) and we all agree it is amazing. And it’s a good thing that it’s all locked up in the fridge or I’m afraid it would be long gone by evening!

Dinner’s On! Slow-Cooked Tuscan Pork with White Beans

lizziejank — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:51:24 +0000

Let me just take a moment to recommend a recipe to you all. This has got to be the easiest, cheapest little number ever. This time of year, we can all use a bit of that cheap and easy in our lives! But it is also super good and kid friendly too. Try it with a salad and crusty bread for the easiest ever entertaining menu!

2 c. dried navy beans (soaked overnight)

1 T. minced fresh sage, divided

2 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. coarse pepper

8 garlic cloves

2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, boston butt, or picnic roast

4 c. chicken broth

2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Mince a teaspoon of fresh sage and three garlic cloves. Grind in (with the side of your knife) a teaspoon of kosher salt and the pepper. Rub all over the pork. Place beans, 4 c. chicken broth, remaining five cloves garlic, remaining sage, teaspoon salt, and bay leaves in a dutch oven. Lay the pork on it, and bring to a boil. Cover and pop in the oven for 4 hours, or until pork is very tender. Discard bay leaves. Pull pork into chunks, and serve with the beans on the side. Would be beautiful in a shallow bowl with the pork on top and some fresh sage to garnish.

First Day of Fall

Nancy Ann — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:13:15 +0000

And what could be better than pumpkin cake? Here’s a recipe for a good one.

Pumpkin Cake

Grease and flour a 9×13 pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together 4 eggs, 1 2/3 c. sugar, 1 c. oil, 2 c. canned pumpkin.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: 2 c. flour, 2 t. baking powder, 2 t. cinnamon, 1 t. salt, 1 t. soda. Add to the wet ingredients.

Bake for 1 hour.

Frost with cream cheese frosting: 1 block of cream cheese (at room temp), 1/2 stick butter (at room temp), 1- lb. bag powdered sugar, and a 1/2 t. vanilla.

Breakfast Ideas!

rebekah — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:03:09 +0000

Over on my blog I asked for some good breakfast ideas for hungry kids . . . and let me tell you! There are some fantastic ideas coming in over there! So if you’re in need of some new recipes give it a look – and if you have any great recipes of your own to share then I’m totally eager to hear them! (And you’ll get a shot at a Tintin book to boot!)

The Easiest Ice Cream

Nancy Ann — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:54:05 +0000

Since I’m on a roll, I thought I’d include the recipe I’m making for Heather’s bday tomorrow. It’s the easiest ice cream recipe in the world, doesn’t have the custard to cook, no eggs, and tastes fresh and yummy. If you just happen to have three quarts of half and half taking up space in your fridge, and you don’t know what you’re going to do with it, here’s your answer. Mix three cups of sugar with one cup of the half and half and stir until it is dissolved. Then add the rest of the half and half and stir in 4 tsp. good vanilla (imitation vanilla just isn’t vanilla) and 1 tsp salt. Chill it up nicely in the fridge and then freeze it in your ice cream maker. Now is that easy, or what?

Coffee Punch

Nancy Ann — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:50:01 +0000

Have you ever made a big pot of coffee and then everyone changed their mind and went for something cold instead? And who wants to throw out a perfectly beautiful pot of fresh-brewed coffee? Well, here’s what you do. Pull out some of those plastic ice trays and fill them up with the leftovers and freeze them. Later, move the frozen coffee cubes into zip locks. Then when you want to wow everyone with a crazy wonderful coffee punch, you can pull them out and use this recipe. I have never worried too much about the exact quantities here, just make it and taste it as you go. I was making this long before I had ever heard of a Starbucks frappuccino, though it is in a different category all together.

Take a pot of freshly brewed coffee that you have cooled down, and combine it with 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 3/4 tsp. nutmeg. Set aside and whip up a cup of whipping cream. Take out your punch bowl and scoop out a pint of premium vanilla ice cream into the bowl in small scoops. Pour the coffee mixture over it, and add two trays of coffee ice cubes. Stir it gently and then top it with the dollops of whipping cream.

I’m telling you, if you serve this, you don’t have to even think about dessert. I’ve never tried to make a light version, but I’m sure it could be done. It’s the bee’s knees.

Christmas Cheer

lizziejank — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:43:43 +0000

I know I’ve busted out this recipe before, but I feel compelled by Holiday cheer to share it with you again. I think the last time I posted it, they were all pastels and it was Easter, so I assume that makes it fair game to repeat. We had the Christmas Ladies’ Fellowship last night, and it is now a little tradition to decorate cookies together. Anyway, this frosting is a charm to work with, and we put it into those little squirt bottles z9you can buy in cake decorating sections) to make the whole process easier, cleaner, and consequently more fun! If you get busy with multiple colors and some toothpick dragging through the wet frosting (move fast or it might start getting crunchy spots on you) – it is even more fun to play with. Either way, these cookies freeze well, and the frosting keeps well, making it very easy to use multiple days as an Advent surprise (ask me how I know).

Sugar Cookies! With Frosting Too!

Beat 2 c. butter in the bowl of a mixer. Mix in 1 1/2 c. sugar, 2 eggs, 3 egg yolks, and 2 t. vanilla. Tint the dough with paste food coloring if you like (but be prepared that it makes it a wee bit stickier to work with). Add 5 c. flour and 1 t. salt. Separate into two disks , wrap in plastic wrap, and chill Â for at least 2 hrs. Roll and cut into shapes, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for another 25 minutes before baking at 350 degrees for around 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are barely golden. Let cool, and frost as desired.

For Frosting:

Beat together 1 lb. powdered sugar, 4 t. meringue powder, 1/3 c. water, 1 T. lemon juice, and 1 t. vanilla until combined. Increase mixer speed and beat until icing holds stiff peaks. Tint with food coloring paste. If not using immediately, cover surface with a damp paper towel, then tightly with saran wrap. Refrigerate. Can be thinned with water (which you may need to do a bit if you are going to use squirt bottles). Have a party!

Cranberry Sauce

Nancy Ann — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:40:31 +0000

When I was a kid, the cranberry sauce (from the can) was my favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner. No joke. In fact, once I ate all the leftovers and broke out in hives the next day. But I still love cranberry sauce, though we don’t eat the jellied stuff from the can anymore. We make our own. I made two varieties this year, a fresh uncooked relish that is easy as can be and a cooked version. The first is called Cranberry Double-Orange Relish (and the recipe is in Hot Providence) and the other is from Thanksgiving 101 and it’s called Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce. Both use an orange with the cranberries, which is a perfect combo with turkey and all the trimmings. And it’s so beautiful.

In case you want the recipe, here’s the quick Cranberry Double-Orange Relish:

1 medium orange

1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries

1 cup marmalade

Cut the unpeeled orange into eighths and pick out seeds. Place half the orange and half the cranberries in a food processor. Process until evenly chopped. Transfer into a bowl, and repeat with the remaining orange and cranberries. Stir in marmalade. May be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

The Grand Marnier Sauce takes a bit longer to prepare.

2 large navel oranges

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 T Grand Marnier

Grate 2 tsp zest from the oranges and set aside. Carefully remove all the membrane from the orange sections and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine the berries, sugar, 1 cup water, and the zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to help dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thick and berries have burst, about 10 minutes. Add the orange sections the last few minutes of simmering. Remove from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier. Cool completely. May be made up to a week ahead, covered and refrigerated. Serve at room temp or chilled.

Avocado Salsa

lizziejank — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:52:46 +0000

It is like the best of guacamole plus the best of homemade salsa – and both of those are pretty rockin’ good! I got the recipe from a friend (thanks Jennie) a long time ago, but only recently remembered how much I love it when I busted it out to pair with chicken tacos. Â Try this at home, it is sooo nice and fresh.

Â 2 large shallots
Â 3 garlic cloves
Â 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
Â 1/2# of tomatillos
Â 2 medium avocados
Â 1 T. lime juice

Chop shallots and garlic, and add to bowl with cilantro. Discard husks of tomatillos and rinse off the sticky junk in warm water. Chop those and add to bowl. Chop avocados and add. Drizzle lime juice and stir. Eat half the bowl trying to decide if you need salt or pepper. End up just sprinkling a little kosher salt. Yum.