Grams' Brownies, with a Twist

I got home, make dinner with Mike, and decided I just had to satisfy the little bit of a sweet tooth I had. For once there was no chocolate in readily available and edible amounts, so I decided to make my Grams' brownies. I always have all the ingredients on hand, and they're really quick to through together. This time I played with it a little because I found a heath bar and raspberry creme chocolate bits that I decided to throw in. I didn't have enough of either to make something else, so I figured why not through them in some brownies?

These brownies are soooo fudgeyn gooey, delicious, you'll want to eat them with a spoon right away (I might have done that a bit). They will harden up after they set for awhile, but sometimes it's so hard to wait that long!

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
2 squares of semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour

Method

Melt together the butter and chocolate on medium low heat. Gradually add in the sugar and remove from heat. Add one egg at a time beating it immediately (if you don't and the mixture is too hot, you could get scrambled eggs which is not a great addition to brownies). Then add the vanilla (again, don't add it on the heat because the vanilla can cook out) and the flour.


I then added the extra business of chocolate love.


Bake at 350F for 18-25 minutes (again, I have to take into account my crazy oven).

I really love these brownies. I actually liked the heath and raspberry business, too. It added a nice surprise to the bite. I won't do it all the time, and we'll have to see what Mike thinks, but this is on experiment that I think went well.

Skillet Tostadas

Quick? Check. Easy? Check? Good? Check.

This is not the most amazing meal I have ever cooked. But if you are looking for a quick and extremely easy meal that is great left over, this one's for you. We made this on Monday and it's lasted us until now. The dish also nice to prepare together. Easy to manuever around a small kitchen together.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cans black beans
2 cans condensed nacho cheese soup
1 cup bottled salsa
totada shells
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
sour cream

Method

Using a large (emphasis on large) skillet, cook the beef and onion until the meat is brown and the onion is tender. At this point you should drain the fat, but I never do. Mostly because I use my dad's grass fed beef raised on our farm which is lean and doesn't have the fat. Stir in beans soup and salsa. Let it simmer a bit (that's as technical as I've got for you).


Heat up your tostadas. Mike and I tried these:


We're trying to be a little more healthy where we can, and these have 7 grams of fiber per tostada and only 50 calories compared to the usually 100+. I think they are great when used like in this recipe: as merely a vehicle for the meat and bean mixture. If you want a dish that focuses more on the tortilla, I would go for the more authentic flour ones.

Pile up the tostada and enjoy!

Pumpkin Roll

This recipe has never failed me. Not even once.

Now I know that is a big assertion for the beginning of a post, but I've seriously never had anyone not like it. Even when they say they don't like pumpkin or cream cheese filling (believe it or not, there are people out there like that). And who wouldn't be impressed with how it looks? Trust me, it's a lot easier that you think.

This is another Mrs. Lindner recipe. I've never gotten a bad one from her. She's pretty solid at this baking business. :)

I make two of these for Thanksgiving this year. We had a ridiculous amount of dessert this year. My mom makes a pretzel, strawberry, cream cheese dish that is really a dessert, but we eat it during the main meal. Then my aunt brought four pies, another aunt brought another pie, and I brought these two pumpkin rolls.

Once you try this, I know that it will be a staple in your dessert repertoire as well.

Ingredients

Cake:

3 eggs
2/3 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour

Filling:

2 tbsp butter
1 - 8oz. package cream cheese
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup confectioners sugar

Method

Mix all of the cake ingredients together (easy enough, huh?) Grease a cookie sheet, put wax paper on it, and grease the top of the wax paper (trust me on this step, it will save you a lot of heartache later). Pour the cake into the pan and bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes until the cake springs back and it golden brown (my oven is crazy so I only baked it for 10-12 minutes).


When the cake is out, immediately flip it over onto a terry cloth that is covered in sugar.


Then roll it up. Literally.


Let it cool. While it cools, put together the filling.

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar. Beat until creamy.



Once the cake is completely cool, unroll it and and spread the filling over it. Roll up again, but this time without the towel. There you go.


I like to sprinkle some sugar on top, but honestly it soaks up once you put it in the fridge.


Share this with your family and no one will be sorry.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

This year marks a sad milestone. Every year that I can remember, my family has gone out to get our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. And for 18 of my 25 years, we have gone to Sinnissippi Tree Farm in Oregon, Illinois.


This is our last year because it is closing down for good. I can't tell you how sad this makes me. So to commemorate the occasion, I have a photo essay of the day. This year we were lucky enough to have my brother's to be in-laws along for the ride.

We start of the day getting fresh, warm apple donuts and hot drinks.


While we enjoy them, we wait for our wagon ride around part of the farm. This year it turns out that our driver built the house where the Atchinsons (Calvin's in-laws) used to always vacation each year. His kids also have a new song out on country radio called "Mr. Officer". It's pretty good. You should check it out.

Here's Mom, Mike and I enjoying the ride and conversation.

Once we finish the ride we go to another part of the farm to pick out our trees. This place is huge.


Goodness, am I going to miss this. My Dad got tired every year of waiting for us to try to pick a tree. That's why he's uninvited and has a much better time hunting in Wisconsin. But can you blame us? There are thousands to choose from!

I think I have more than one of these pictures, because this is exactly what happens every year.

Trust me, he hasn't always looked this happy. But he's gotten stronger and more efficient with time. :)

And here's mom. She does a great job of holding the tree.


Mike would, but he's extremely allergic and bad things happen if he gets his head in the middle of one of these trees. So he just measures. (Of course we all know I take pictures).


And then my brother tries stunts like these.


That's right. He's trying to ride the wagon with the tree down the hill like a sled. I swear it's amazing that we've made it to this age with relatively little injury to ourselves.

Mike and I are trying to get more photo record of our existence during the early years of our marriage. It's a struggle for us.


But can you blame me? I mean seriously. This is the time of year when I get so pale it looks like I'm sick. And if you get close enough you start to see double chin action happening. I don't have a double chin. I promise.

Uh, oh! Calvin got away from us while we were attempting to be photogenic.

And there here is the hero of the day:

The tractor to pick up our tree! Seriously, it would be a long way for Cal to haul the tree to the front of the farm.

And once we get to the front, our tree goes through a little mom-approved treatment. First it gets all shaken up to get the loose needles out (trust me, Mom loves this).


And then it gets all wrapped up for easy transportation.

Here's my brother with his fiance.

Don't they take good pictures? I'm so jealous. I know, not a much better color on me than sickly pale, but there you have it.

And that was our day. We've had a lot of great memories, and it was great that our last time my mom could spend it with both of her kids and their spouses.

I'm not sure we could ask for a better ending.

Oh Thanksgiving...

Gosh I love this day (well, the day was 4 days ago, but stick with me). I love the food, the family, the time to relax together. It really doesn't get much better. Mike and I went up to my parents' place for the weekend (that's why I didn't have any more posts - forgot the camera/computer connector). The best thing about the day: my mom's cooking. And when I say my mom cooks, she cooks. Here's a preview at just some of the food she created.


It's honestly pretty crazy how much she makes for all of us. I'm sure other families do just as much, but it will never cease to amaze me how much she can put together in such a short time and still be a pleasant hostess.

Unfortunately, I did not get any other pictures of our feast like I had intended to do. I just got so caught up in the eating and catching up with my cousin Ash that I forgot all about it.

I did, however, get some good pics of my fam.

Here's the turkey coma of the day.
Calvin and mom are down for the count.


Ever our fire hound is out. Isn't she just the most spoiled dog ever?


And then here is this buddy.


How adorable is the one with incredibly chubby cheeks! Can you believe that he is just 6 months old!?

And look how cute he is with Uncle Chip (my dad)!


If you knew how much this kid spits up, you wouldn't think this is a good idea.

And there is the infamous "boof" that my dads is known for giving every baby he can get his hands on.


I'm not sure that Greyson quite knows what to think about this.

And that's my day. I did make a pumpkin roll that will be coming later, but I just had to share some family pics with you. How great are they?

Peanut Butter Temptations

I love the holidays. I think they are wonderful. And while I would like to say that I have this giving spirit all year round, it really comes out during the holidays. Yesterday I decorated my house. I know, it's a little early. But my family tradition is to decorate the day after Thanksgiving, but I'm going to be back home and will decorate my nostalgic home the day after. This means that if I wait, I really won't have time to decorate until two weekends after Thanksgiving and then I have to leave in two weeks to travel for more family holidays. I really do love spending all this time with family, seriously. But if I'm going to have enough time enjoying my own Christmas decorations at home, they've got to go up before Thanksgiving. So we deal.

Here's my favorite display of holiday decor (I don't even want to talk about figuring out lighting for this picture - it still doesn't do it justice):


I'm starting to go a little overboard with the snowmen, but I love them! Anyway, my home is so warm and cozy with all of the cheer. It even smells like the holidays.

Here's what was baking in my oven yesterday. They are Mike's favorite cookies (I only make then so often because we can't leave them alone). I got this recipe from my friend Eliz's mom, Mrs. Lindner (she's fabulous). Unfortunately I lost it and had to use the recipe off the back of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Minatures bad. I'm not sure if it is the same recipe, but it still tasted pretty darn good.

Ingredients

1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
aprox. 40 Reese's Peanut Butter Bups Miniatures

Method

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter. Then add the egg and vanilla. Last add the salt, baking soda and flour. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and put into miniature muffin tin. Bake for 8 minutes.

Here's what happens when you try to be moderately artistic:


They get too dark. It doesn't look like it here, but they are too dark. Don't make that mistake. They should look almost not done so that they stay moist enough. You also have to press in the peanut butter cups right away. Otherwise they don't go in as easily.

Here's what they actually should like like:

Okay, so the difference doesn't come out quite as stark in these pictures as they do in person, but there is a HUGE difference in taste even if you can't see the color difference here.

Side-note: Did you know that Reese's can expire and go very, very bad? Well, they can. I didn't have enough bought, so I went to my chocolate box (yep, I actually have 2 chocolate tupperwares in my cupboard), and found I had some. Some really old ones. Reeses where the peanut butter is no longer creamy but crumbles in your mouth when it opens up. It's pretty disgusting. That's why some of the cookies don't have the peanut butter cups in them. They still taste decently okay, but the chocolate really makes it. Like these.

I know it's just chocolate in a bowl, but doesn't it make you salivate?

They're pretty delicious, and they make your house smell wonderful. These are going to my house for the night before Thanksgiving. I'm bringing pumpkin roll and dad has already threatened to eat it before the Turkey Day. Therefore, I'm bringing these to tide him over. Sort of like a warm up. :)

White Chicken Chili

So envy is not a nice color on me...or anyone for that matter. Unfortunately I get it a lot. Especially when I see someone eating something that looks delicious. Especially when I'm eating half of a deli sandwich - the same one I've had every single school day. Especially when I have to go teach with more energy than I have left. Luckily, my co-worker Julie helped me out with that envy. She shared this recipe with me which is what I will not be eating for left-overs in the lunch room. Thanks Julie!

Ingredients

1 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbs. flour
2 tsps. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken, dice...(do you actually dice chicken? you get what I mean, right?)
3 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can so-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
Mexican blend cheese
sour cream
cilantro

Method

You'll notice that the ingredients sound pretty healthy. That's because they are. This is a Cooking Light recipe. I think it only stays light for so long. You'll see. Combine first 13 ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low all day. (The recipe says cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 4 hours...I didn't want to do that. It's so much more fun to smell it all day in anticipation, don't you think?). Hears where I loose the health value. The recipe says to only add in one tablespoon of cheese and sour cream. I add a little bit more than that. In fact, I add even more than the picture shows. I just couldn't resist. It makes it really good. Trust me.

Speaking of the picture, I would just like to mention at this point that I hate having to photograph a mostly bland looking meal in a white dish. It's what I've got. So again, I have photo envy. I'm trying to get better...really I am!

I'm Getting Called Out...

So today my journalism students, some of my few readers (yay!), called me out about not posting for awhile. I told them it's not that I'm not baking/cooking, I'm just lazy/tired by the end of the day. Then I realized, I make them write a blog every week. This just won't do. I've got to get my act together. So here is my newest post, thanks to my students! :)

So a few years ago I tried Paula Dean's Gooey Toffee Butter Bars, and I absolutely fell in love with them. The only problem with them is that if you want to share, say in a classroom setting, they are a little bit messy. Then I found Paula's Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies and I instantly thought of my students.

How sad is that.

Even when baking I think about my job. But I just can't help myself when I saw how ridiculously easy making these cookies were (you think about these things when you are exhausted most of the time because the children take it out of you). Especially when I had already promised one of my classes cookies if every single student turned in their paper on time (I assign at least a one page paper every week. I know. I'm a hard-ass. But you should see how much they have grown as writers in just 12 weeks!

Anyway, I was positive that they were not going to do it (because they never have), so I decided to be incredibly mean and show them just what they were missing when inevitably 4-5 students turned in their papers late and then I would send them to the law school. You want to know what? Those little buggers actually did it! I was so proud. The law school was so sad.

Here's what my children won.

Ingredients

1 block of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box of moist chocolate cake mix
confectioner's sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Beat all the ingredients together (except for the sugar). It works best if you go cream cheese, butter, egg, vanilla, and cake mix. Trust me. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Trust me. Roll into tablespoon sized balls (I bought a special scoop to make this process easier. It's like the ice cream scoop but smaller). Roll the cookie balls in the sugar and bake for around 12 minutes. That's it! Pretty easy, huh? And the kids loved it. They really do taste like cake, but in portable portions. Enjoy!

(p.s. Did you check out the photo work? Not too shabby!)

Dirty Risotto

I cooked for my two men again today (p.s. my brother just got engaged!!!!), and I needed something hearty but comforting. For me, there is nothing more comforting and warming than risotto. I already made them both spring green risotto, and it just wasn't a day for something that "springy" (neither of my men understood that - anybody out there understand the "springiness" of some food?). So I found this recipe from Giada, which had fantastic reviews, and I thought I'd try it out. I did end up adding significantly more meat since I wanted it to be the main dish and fill the boys. You wouldn't believe the amount of meat my brother used to eat when we were growing up. I actually remember him coming home from school and eating an entire package of venison brats for a snack! Seriously. You can't make that stuff up. Anyway, significant amount of meat is required when Cal comes over. Let me tell you, this dish was fabulous! Definitely a repeat. So the next time you have a beautiful fall day filled with football and meat-eating men, I absolutely suggest this recipe!

Ingredients

Mild Italian Sausage (not in the case)
4 oz pancetta
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp. Butter
3 Bell Peppers (red, orange, green), chopped
8 oz. mushrooms (already cut = less work)
1 lg Onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Aborio Rice
3/4 cup White Wine
5ish cups chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated

Method

What I have come to love about risotto is that the method for making it is pretty much the same whatever you put into it. You have to put some sort of grease in the pan, heat it up, cover the rice, add some white wine, and continue incorporating chicken stock gradually until the rice has soaked it all up. Easy enough, right?

Well here we go, melt the butter in the pan and add the garlic. Then brown the meat (both of them) in the pan. Once browned, add the vegetables.


Once they have been sauteed, add the rice. Make sure that it is covered with all of the juices. Add the white wine and stir until the rice has soaked it up. Add the chicken stock gradually until the rice is tender. I don't think I used all 5 cups of the stock this time, sometimes I use more than 5 cups. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as the cheese.

It's as easy as that! My goodness, I sure do hope you enjoy this dish in the near future.

Photo Envy

I think it's time to face it. They pictures on my blog are maybe almost appetizing, and I have photo envy. Every time I read a new food blog, my mouth can't help but water at the delicious looking food being presented to me. And then I look at my blog. And while I know that the food is good (except for those dumplings...Mike and I still laugh about those...side bar - I actually tried dumplings at a Japanese restaurant this week and it turns out I don't like them. At least those were edible and didn't end up in the trash)...

....I lost my train of thought. Good grief. Food envy. Right.

My food pictures are just not good enough. So I need help. My father-in-law is an avid photographer. Avid as in he has his own backdrops for when prom rolls around and packs multiple cameras when strolling around anywhere to get good pictures. Seriously, we look like tourists in Kansas City. Who tours Kansas City? Anyway - he knows what he's talking about. So I tried to ask him some questions, and let me tell you was he excited to help. The only problem, I get an epistle of photo information that I don't understand. He is way up there, and I am below zero.

Finally, I found White on Rice Couple. This is another food blog that has photo tips. It is the first time someone explained exposure and aperture that I understood. Yay!

So here are my first pictures trying to work with aperture (after it took me forever to figure out how to work it).




Ok, so I still have a lot of work to do, but I think that last one isn't too bad. What I did learn is that I do not have a steady hand. Maybe a tripod is in the future.....