White Chocolate Brownies

I have a bit of a conundrum with the name of these.  They are essentially brownies, but  made with white chocolate.  Which basically makes them "whities" but somehow that sounds wrong...








So, you are on your own as far as what to call them, but I assure you they are delicious.  It took me several attempts to get the texture to come out chewy and soft like brownies; this is the best version I was able to come up with.



Melt 1/2 c butter with 6oz white chocolate baking bars (do NOT use white chips - they don't melt)


Stir until smooth and let cool for a few minutes.


Stir in 1c sugar and 2 room temperature eggs. Keep stirring until fully blended - it will look a bit thick and pasty.


Transfer to a medium bowl, then stir in 1c flour until smooth.  I tried doing this step in the same pan but it is difficult to stir.


That's it - five ingredients.  You can add nuts at this stage if you like.


Spread batter in heavily greased or parchment-lined 8x8 pan.


Optional- drop small blobs of raspberry or apricot jam and swirl with knife.


Bake at 325 for 55-60 minutes.  Center will be slightly soft, and top will be evenly browned.

Cool in pan on wire rack.

Cider Mac & Cheese

The ultimate comfort food!
The flavor is strong, sort of like cheese fondue, and goes really well with smoky ham or sausage.


13oz box macaroni of choice - cook as directed on package.



In medium pan on medium heat:


Melt: 3 TB butter.

Saute: 1 diced Granny Smith apple, 3 minutes

Sprinkle with 3 TB flour, mixing constantly.  The flour should make a pasty coating.

Slowly stir in 1 c. hard cider and 1 c. light cream.

Stir constantly over med-low heat until smooth.

Bring to boil, then stir in 12oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Mix until smooth.

Stir in pasta.

Pour into greased large roasting pan or casserole dish.  Top with more shredded cheese.

At this point you can refrigerate and bake later, but the flavor and texture will be better if you bake right away at 350 for about 20 minutes. If you refrigerate and bake later, increase baking time to 30 minutes.

Serve with the second half of the cider, if you haven't already finished it :)

Be sure to use hard distilled cider, such as Angry Orchard Crisp Apple (the alcohol evaporates during cooking and just leaves the cider flavor).  Sweet cider doesn't work for this. 

Only Two Steps to Homemade Ice Cream!!

Did you know you can make ice cream at home?
I was surprised at how easy it is, and it was really fun to be able to make any kind I want.


I used the ice cream attachment for my Kitchenaid, but you can also do it in a regular mixer.


1 pint heavy cream
14oz can sweetened condensed milk

Step 1: Pour both into the ice cream maker and blend according to mixer directions.

Or use a regular mixer, and beat on high until stiff peaks form. 

This will make soft-serve ice cream.

Step 2: For hard ice cream, spoon into plastic container and freeze at least 4 hours.

Thats it, just those two steps to make sweet cream ice cream. 

For flavored ice creams: during the mixing stage, add 2 teaspoons vanilla or other extracts, or 2 tablespoons chocolate, coffee, maple, or other syrups.

Gently fold in fruit or nuts or chocolate chips or other goodies just after mixing. 

I used apple pieces and cinnamon in the batch pictured.


It is really yummy, and doesn't have all the chemical additives of store-bought brands.

I tried several other recipes that had more ingredients, but none of them made a better texture than this one, and the ones that use milk come out kinda crunchy with ice crystals.

A Baddie but Goodie - Breakfast Calzone

There is nothing healthy about this recipe, but it is really very tasty. You can use more or less cheese to adjust to your preferences.



This can be made in advance and heated in the oven later.  I recommend allowing the potato and sausage patties to cool a bit before adding them - if they are too hot, they create a lot of steam inside which can mess up the top dough.  Don't let them get too cool though, because the inside won't be heated through by the time the dough is cooked.

Don't use thin crust dough - it rips.  Get the Classic crust.

Heat potato patties and sausage patties according to package directions.




Spread out one dough on greased cookie sheet.



Cover with layer of partly-cooled potato patties.



Top with cheese (you can use any kind of shredded or sliced cheeses.  I like spicy ones)



Next layer - precooked sausage patties.


Optional - another layer of cheese



Scramble 4 eggs with 3 TB milk.  Optional - add spices such as black pepper or Tabasco sauce.
Spread egg layer on top.


Optional - crumbled bacon


Cover with second dough and crimp edges.



Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.


Serve immediately with salsa and sour cream. 

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

Way back in years gone by, this recipe used to be on the Bisquick box.  I don't know why it isn't anymore, because it still works :)



I have not tried it with GF Bisquick; if anyone tries it that way, please share your results.



Saute 1lb ground meat and drain.  Optional: 1/2 diced onion.  Sprinkle with 1/4 ts. salt and spread in pie plate. (I use Montreal Steak Seasoning instead of the plain salt)



In medium bowl, mix:

1/2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1 c. milk
2 eggs


Pour over meat in pie plate.


Sprinkle with 1c shredded cheddar cheese


Optional: crumbled bacon, chives, sauteed mushrooms


Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Serve with salsa or barbecue sauce.

Best Ribs I Ever Made... Ever!

My experiments with brine went so well with chicken and with pork chops that I wanted to try it with pork ribs.  I have made ribs in several different ways over the years, but many of those recipes have too many steps, and some of them didn't come out very well.

Brining ribs has turned out to be the most successful so far - they were juicy and flavorful and falling off the bone with only a few steps.

Boil 4 c water with 1c kosher salt.  Stir until salt dissolves, which is only a few minutes.

Add 1 tsp red pepper flakes.   (optional)

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add 3-4c apple juice.  Soak ribs in brine at least 6 hours.  You can make more or less brine, as long as you have enough to completely cover the meat.  I usually do this in a plastic container, but you can use a plastic bag also.

Remove ribs from brine, place on a piece of foil in grill with low/indirect heat for 2 hours, flipping only once.  It helps to spray the foil with cooking spray before putting it on the grill...


Baste with bbq sauce and roast for another 10-15 minutes.  Flip ribs, removing foil, and baste the other side with sauce too.  After 10 minutes or so, flip once more just to flame the last side a little bit and caramelize the bbq sauce.

That is really all there is to it: soak the meat, then grill.  No parboiling, no messy pans, no browning in oil, no fussing with tons of ingredients, and no need to heat up the oven.

There now, wasn't that easy?

2 Ingredient Shortcake!

The awesome part is that one of the ingredients is ICE CREAM!  you can use any kind you like, which opens up a lot of opportunities for different flavor combinations.


You will need:

4 c. softened ice cream
3 c. all purpose flour

Mix together, spread in greased pan.

The dough doesn't rise, so the finished product will look the same as it does before baking.



This quantity will make one 8x8 baking pan, one loaf pan, or 12 muffins.


Bake 350F.
30 minutes if loaf or baking pan.
18 minutes if muffins.


Turn out onto wire rack to cool.



Don't use bread flour - comes out sticky.

DO use ice cream with fruit or nuts, or mix some in with the flour.

Serve as you would any shortcake, topped with ice cream, fruit, whipped cream, maybe even a cherry...

Cheesy Cornbread!

For years I've been on a quest for the perfect cornbread. This recipe is the most successful so far.  The only drawback is that they are much better when hot, so you can't really make them in advance and serve cold.  It is best to serve right after baking.

Blend well in medium bowl -

1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs

Add:
1/2 c. milk
14oz can creamed corn
optional - 2 TB chopped jalapeno

Blend well in large bowl:
1 c. shredded cheddar
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1/2 ts. baking soda
1/8 ts. salt

Gradually stir dry mix into wet mix.

Pour into greased muffin pan or 8x8 baking pan.


350F for 40 minutes.
Cool in pan 5 minutes.
Turn out onto wire rack.
Cool 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy right away!

Veggie Shake & Bake!

This is an easy one to toss on the grill or in the oven as a side dish or a veggie main dish.


Peel large carrots, cut into big pieces.

Small (fingerling) potatoes - cut in half.  I got the kind that has red, yellow, and blue potatoes, but any small potatoes will work.

Large onion - cut into large pieces.

I threw in the broccoli florets just because I had some, but any fairly crunchy vegetable would work.  They should all take about the same amount of time to cook.

If you want to make this into a non-vegetarian main dish, throw in some ham cubes.

Toss all into a plastic bag or container.  Drizzle with olive oil and shake to coat.

Sprinkle in any or all of the following:  rosemary, celery salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cooking wine.

Dump into metal pan or onto foil with the sides folded up.  Grill on low or bake at 375F for 2 hrs.  Stir occasionally.

The point is to roast slowly, which brings out the natural sugars in the veggies and adds a lot of flavor.

Keep On Brining - Cider Pork Roast

Since the brine worked out so well on the chicken, I had to consider other meats to experiment on... mwah ha ha!



This is a pork shoulder with the fat rind still on.

Boil 2 c water with 1/2 c kosher salt and 1 tsp mustard seeds. Stir until salt is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Cool and add 4 c apple cider.

Soak meat with brine and black peppercorns in refrigerator at least 5 hours; overnight is best for thick cuts like this.  You will want to start the brining early because the roasting stage takes about 5 hours.

Remove from brine, transfer to foil sheet on grill.

Cook with fat side up on low heat (I only turned on the two burners at the far sides and left the two middle ones off so the heat would be indirect).  This takes about 3 hours before the temp is about 140F.

Flip roast over so fat side is down.  Spread top with a mixture of brown sugar, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Keep heat low for another 2 hours or so, until temp at bone is 160F.

Allow roast to rest on platter for 10 minutes, then hack off some slabs and enjoy!

Juicy Chicken in Brine

This is the easiest way to juicy grilled chicken!

Seriously, these come out awesome with very little effort.


In a saucepan over high heat, boil:

1 c. water
1/4c. kosher salt
1 tsp black peppercorns

Stir until salt dissolves, about 3 minutes.





Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Add 1c ice and 2c apple juice. Stir when ice is melted, or use cold water.

Brine should be room temp before adding to meat.



Arrange 2# boneless, skinless chicken thighs in zipper bag or plastic container.


Add sprigs of thyme or rosemary and a spoonful of crushed garlic. (optional)

Pour cooled brine over chicken and seal.

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours.  Remove from brine and shake excess off.

(if you want to brine overnight for convenience, rinse chicken after to remove some of the salt)


Grill on medium or bake at 450F for 20-30 minutes, until browned with an internal temp of 170F.  Be careful not to overcook!


If you don't want the finished result to taste very salty, rinse the chicken with water before cooking.  The salt is needed during the initial phase because it allows the flavors from the herbs and juice to permeate the meat.

Fresh Salsa with Olives

It has been a few weeks since I posted a recipe; between vacation and other busy-ness it seems like time slides by very quickly!  I'm back on track now and have an easy and fun recipe for you to try...

I hadn't considered making my own salsa before, since there are many fine ones commercially available.  But then I tried it, and found that freshly made salsa is MUCH better than store-bought.  Plus, I can customize it for my own personal tastes.

I used a food-chopper to cut up the veggies into chip-sized bits.  Beware of pieces that are too large - you want each bite to have several flavors and not just one piece of something.

1 jar sliced green olives and 1 jar sliced black olives
(drain and chop small)

1 small can green chilis

2 roma tomatoes - cut into pieces, chop small.

1 green or red bell pepper and 1 jalapeno - remove seeds, chop small

green scallions - slice into small circles

mix with:

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder

splash olive oil, cider vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil.


I usually dump everything into a plastic container with a tight lid, and just shake the container every  hour.

Keep in fridge for at least 3 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. I tried making it a day in advance, but the tomatoes got too soft. 

Cherry Pie Bites

Simple to make with only a few ingredients.  Folding the wontons gets faster with practice...


Start with small wonton wrappers.

Those round black things in the photo are CHERRIES.
I used a can of pie filling cherries, but you could probably use fresh ones if you don't mind the horrible laborious job of taking the pits out. Or if you have children who you can foist off this step to :)

Place one or two cherries in a wonton.
Brush two adjoining edges with water.
Fold in half to make a triangle.
Press dry edges to wet edges, then fold the corners under.

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
Lay wontons across, then spray the tops with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.


There are other variations for fillings that I will post at a later time.

The cherry ones are also good with a little sprinkle of coconut inside.

These are more filling than they appear.  A package of wontons will make enough to serve 6 people as a snack.