14 Aug
Samoas® Brownie - Browniebabe of the Month
Posted by Chelle as Brownies & Bars, Chocolate | 0 Comments
Until today I had never made brownies from scratch; I always used the box mix and as a result, I always felt a twinge of guilt. Making homemade brownies has been on my kitchen to-do list for a long time and when I saw the Browniebabe event I had the perfect excuse to finally whip up a batch!
Samoas® Girl Scout cookies are a favorite in our house and I couldn’t remember ever seeing these cookies morphed into a brownie. I had my brownie idea! Since Samoas® are based on a shortbread cookie, I used a blondie as my base for this so-decadent-need-to-eat-with-a-fork-and-wash-down-with-milk brownie.
Caramel Blondies
(adapted from Kraft Foods)
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb. caramels
1/4 cup milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Lightly grease foil. Mix brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended (I mixed by hand with a wood spoon); set aside. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to brown sugar mixture; mix well. Reserve 1 cup of the batter for later use; spread remaining batter into prepared pan.
2. Baking 15 minutes or until firm. Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl 2-3 minutes or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every minute. Pour over baked layer in pan; spread to within 1/2 inch of edges.
3. Spoon reserved 1 cup batter over caramel layer; with an icing spatula, spread batter together with caramel until a smooth layer appears. Bake an additional 18 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely.
Toasted Coconut Topping
(adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop)
2 (5-oz) cans evaporated milk
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 cups shredded, sweet coconut
1. Spread the coconut onto a sheet pan. Toast in a 350 degree oven, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the coconut is an even brown color, approximately 12 minutes.
2. Combine milk, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick, bubbly, and golden, about 15 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of the coconut, reserving the remainder for assembly of the brownie; stir to combine. Cool completely.
Chocolate Ganache
(source: Cupcake Bakeshop)
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan and then pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Let cool to room temperature.
ASSEMBLING THE BROWNIE:
1. Bake blondies and cool completely.
2. Prepare chocolate ganache and once cool, spread a thin layer over the cooled blondies. Put pan in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Prepare toasted coconut topping and let cool to room temperature. Spread over hardened chocolate ganache layer and top with extra toasted coconut.
4. Drizzle with remaining chocolate ganache.
And I took the suggestion of my friend Amber and cut mine out in the shape of a real Samoas® cookie 
**Store these in the refrigerator or they might get gooey on you!
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As mentioned above, I will be submitting this recipe in the Browniebabe of the Month event hosted by Myriam at Once Upon a Tart.
Check the event link on August 19th for a round-up of all the entries!
13 Aug
Pasta Carbonara Florentine
Posted by Chelle as Italian, Pasta | 0 Comments
Hold the florentine.
I grew up eating pasta carbonara, as both my mom and grandma make it often, but I had never attempted the dish myself. I saw this recipe in a recent Cooking Light issue and saved it for a night when I just wanted to throw something together. This was one of those nights.
The spinach would be a great addition to this dish, but it was fabulous without it as well! The texture was perfectly creamy and the combination of onion and black pepper gave it a nice bite. Thumbs up
Pasta Carbonara Florentine
(from Cooking Light)
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (6-oz) package bagged prewashed baby spinach
6 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 T. dry white wine (I omitted this)
8 oz. uncooked spaghetti (I used fettuccine)
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
1) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/4 tsp salt and spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Remove spinach from pan; place in a bowl.
2) Add bacon to pan; cook 3 minutes or until crisp, stirring frequently. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 tsp drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is reduced by half. (I omitted this step.) Remove from heat; keep warm.
3) Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well, reserving 1 T. cooking liquid. Immediately add pasta and the reserved cooking liquid to onion mixture in skillet. Add spinach and bacon; stir well to combine. Place skillet over low heat.
4) Combine remaining 1/4 tsp salt, cheese, pepper, egg, and egg white, stirring with a whisk. Add to pasta mixture, tossing well to coat. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
10 Aug
Chicken Spread
Posted by Chelle as Appetizers/Snacks | 5 Comments
I am hosting this month’s neighborhood girls’ night and have turned it into a spa margarita party! My sister is a consultant for an at-home spa company and I took the opportunity to invite the neighborhood girls over for a night of margaritas and pampering.
I made a chicken spread tonight and popped it in the fridge for tomorrow.
This chicken spread literally takes 5 minutes to throw together (now that I’m thinking about it, I didn’t really need to make it ahead… oh well, it’s the planner in me!). It’s a recipe that I received from my mom and one that is always popular at parties. I have received many requests for the recipe!
Chicken Spread (from my mom)
8-oz. cream cheese
Small onion, finely chopped
Small can (4.25-oz) canned chicken
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. soy sauce
Blend all ingredients together with a hand mixer until creamy and combined.
Serve with your favorite crackers (I am partial to Ritz).
09 Aug
Parmesan Chicken & Rice
Posted by Chelle as Chicken | 0 Comments
This is a nice light version of the typical Italian dish, risotto. I came across this lighter adaptation on Cooking Light and only made a couple of slight modifications on the original recipe.
There are no leftovers to speak of, so you know it was a hit! This was also a great clean-up meal since you only need to use one pot! I served this with a side salad - it was a very filling meal!
Parmesan Chicken and Rice (adapted from Cooking Light)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3/4 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice (in my pantry was Uncle Ben’s Fast & Healthy Brown Rice)
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 oz.) grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and mushrooms; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
2. Add chicken; saute 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned.
3. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.
4. Stir in rice and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Stir in cheese and parsley.
**Note: The original recipe only called for 1 cup of chicken broth but I had to add an additional 1/2 cup because the rice was not yet cooked after cooking through the first cup of broth.
06 Aug
Italian Stuffed Peppers
Posted by Chelle as Beef, Italian, Vegetables | 0 Comments
Tonight was a stop in Italy. Although stuffed peppers are not an inherently Italian dish (sshhh, don’t tell my Grandma!), this version certainly tasted like it was straight from the old country! The addition of the parmesan cheese and using spaghetti sauce versus plain tomato sauce made all the difference. This is my new official stuffed pepper recipe!
Italian Stuffed Peppers (adapted from Lunch with Lynn)
4 large bell peppers
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used homemade that I had in the freezer)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cut the tops off of peppers and clean out seeds and membranes. Place in baking dish that has a small amount of water on the bottom (it will keep the peppers from sticking and keep them moist).
3. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic, crumbling the meat. Season with salt, pepper and a couple of dashes of Italian seasoning. Drain beef mixture.
4. Mix beef mixture, rice, parmesan cheese and almost all of spaghetti sauce in a bowl. Stuff an equal amount of filling into each pepper. Top with a spoonful of sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on each pepper.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
**What I Would Do Differently**
The peppers were still pretty raw when they came out of the oven, so next time I would boil them quickly to get them started before stuffing them and baking them.
