Gooey chocolate brownie recipe

Hubby, peeps and I have been spending a couple of days with family.  My sister was doing dinner for all of us last night and I happened to walk in while she was making dessert.

I saw this lying there and thought....


Oh, this looks like it could be a good blog post.  










 
Super gooey batter, with chocolate chunks.  Looks good enough to eat doesn't cover it.  Shouldn't that be a skin conditioning wrap or something?



















In the pan it goes.  (Don't forget to spray first, but I find the aluminum foil optional -- I use a silicone pan.)

The finished product.  (and don't they look even more delish next to the hydrangeas?)




























My sister was kind enough to share the recipe.  Enjoy!


1/3 c dutch processed cocoa
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso (optional)
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp boiling water
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c sugar
1 3/4 c unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 tsp table salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces


1.  Adjust over rack to lowest position and heat to 350.  Push foil into a baking pan, pushing it into all corners and crevices.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2.  Whisk cocoa, espresso, and boiling water in a large bowl until smooth.  Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until melted.  Whisk in melter butter and oil  (don't worry if it looks curdled).  Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla.  Continue to whisk.
3.  Whisk in sugar.  Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined.  Fold in chocolate pieces.
4.  Scrape batter into pan and bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean (or with a few crumbs).   Allow to cool 1 1/2 hours.
5.  Use foil to lift brownies out of pan.  Allow to cool another 1 hour.  Cut into squares and serve.

Brownie making day with my peeps

In case you're never heard me talk about them, I have 3 boys all aged 3 and younger.  I love them dearly, especially when things go well.  *smile*  One of things as a parent that I want to make sure to do is to empower them to make good decisions and take care of themselves.  I realize at three there shouldn't be much for them to worry about, but I do encourage them to learn about everything around them. 

Since a lot of my time with them involves the kitchen, they are quite interested in helping me.  While the mess is twice as big when were done, I actually want them to help me.  I want them to be able to learn some cooking skills.  I read the blog of Nancy Grossi, a dairy farmer in California.  She recently shared a brownie recipe that my boys and I cooked together.  (The recipe is at the end of this post.)  I'm including a few pictures from our baking experience.

Notice how there are two spoons in the bowl?  Don't expect anyone to share.  *wink*











Cooking with little people has its challenges.  Food safety means nothing to them.  Raw eggs?  Who cares!  It's chocolate, mom!

This makes a big batch of brownies.  I made these in a glass pan, but I prefer a silicone baking pan.  (The silicone pan I have isn't large enough.)

Yes, they were delish with a glass of cold milk.  And the trick to getting them to cut nicely?  Use a plastic knife.  Who knew?

Best Basic Brownie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 whole eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non-stick spray on a 9 x 13 pan.
Melt butter. Remove from heat and add ingredients in the order listed, stirring well by hand.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cut with a plastic knife {best brownie trick}.

In case you want to see Nancy's post about her brownie making experience with her kids, click here.

Grilling pizza

Dinner at my house gets to be a battle between gourmet and something 3 small children will eat.  One menu choice we all can agree on is a grilled pizza and a salad (at least for me anyway).

My husband also prefers his pizza this way.  I thought I would share how I like to grill a pizza.  (Not an exact science, but you'll get the idea.)

Get some pizza dough.  I suppose you could make your own, but I just get a ball of it from my neighborhood grocery.  I like to let it sit out all day if I can.  It rises much better.

Spread it out into a pizza crust shape.  I usually end up pulling on the dough and letting it hang from my hands to stretch it out.



Preheat your grill on high for at least 5 minutes.  Once this is done, put the pizza dough on and turn it to low.  After about 3 to 4 minutes, flip the dough over with BBQ tongs.  It should flip over firmly.  If it still wants to "stretch", it needs a little more time.

I brush the freshly grilled side with olive oil and a couple of cloves of crushed garlic.  Then, I add an assortment of cheeses, usually white cheeses like parm, mozzarella and asiago.  I let the cheese melt about 3 minutes, then I add on my other toppings.  This night, I just did some roma tomatoes.  I let the pizza grill another 3 to 4 minutes.

Pull off your pizza (you can check the underside to see if it's done) and add fresh herbs to your liking.  We're not red sauce fans in this house, but I serve it on the side for dipping if anyone wants it. 

I usually do this recipe in this house a couple of times a month.  Enjoy!

Some down time from jewelry making

I had family in town for a few days to visit.  They were also wine drinkers and I always love trying out new wine.  My favorite new wine that I tried was Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, a white from New Zealand.  It had some quite fragrant pear notes to it and it paired well with the goat cheese we also enjoyed as an appetizer.  I almost always prefer red wine, but in this hot weather, a nice chilled white wine seems to hit the spot.  I'm looking forward to picking this one up the next time I'm through my favorite wine shop.

Death by chocolate

Sounds like a good way to go doesn't it? Actually, it's one of my favorite EASY dessert recipes. It works great for serving a large group of people and looks beautiful if you can assemble it in a large glass serving bowl. It has gotten rave reviews and it is so simple I almost feel guilty for letting people think I'm a gourmet cook. (notice I said almost)

Death by chocolate

1 boxed brownie mix (I prefer Ghirardelli)
2 packages of chocolate mousse mix
16 ounces of cool whip, thawed
4 to 6 Heath bars
1 thick chocolate bar (optional)

Make the brownies according to package directions. If you're a Kahlua fan, you can poke holes in the brownies after they come out of the oven and drizzle with the Kahlua. I have done it both ways and found it to fine either way. Once the brownies are cool, crumble into large pieces. Make the chocolate mousse according to the package directions. (You can do this while the brownies are cooking and keep the mousse in the refrigerator when finished.) Layer half the brownies, half the chocolate mouse mix, and half the cool whip. Crumble the Heath bars (use 4 to 6 based upon your toffee preferences). Sprinkle half of this on top. Repeat the layers. Shave chocolate on top of the mix as a pretty garnish, but this is optional. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

That's it! I would suggest making it no more than 8 hours before you need it. It lasts at least two more days in the refrigerator after making. This can serve 8 to 12 people easy. This recipe easily fixes my chocolate dessert cravings!

More plants and herbs

I got motivated the other day after planting the basil to get a few more things planted on my patio as well. At left is my tomato plant. He will only make little cherry tomatoes, but I thought they would go good with the basil. Now I only need a buffalo to make the milk for the fresh mozzarella and I could have caprese, but somehow I don't think my neighbors would like the noise. *grin*






I also got a oregano plant in a planter too. I love how this herb smells! If I find some good recipes, I will be sure to share.

Spending more time in the kitchen

I realize how strange the title of this blog post sounds. Who wants to spend more time in the kitchen? Actually, I do. I used to do a lot more cooking before my kids were born, but since then, it's a "How fast can I throw something together?" routine. My aunt gave me a subscription to Food Network magazine and I must say that I love it! (The latest issue is in the picture. It's a grilled cheese sandwich with ham, cheese, grilled onions and apple. Yum!) I can't gush enough about their recipes. I would say they are moderate on the complexity, but I love all the new ways to try the "same old foods". I have enjoyed almost every recipe I've made from the magazine and so has my hubby (who doesn't tend to like the "froo-froo" kind of cuisine. *grin* Does anyone have other food and recipe magazines you like?

So along that line, I started my herb garden in pots yesterday. I've only got the basil planted, but the oregano, cilantro, rosemary, and dill are coming. Any other suggestions for herbs? Maybe some mint or tarragon?