Mississippi Mud Brownies

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Not the best photo ever - but they didn't last long!

Ingredients:
for the brownies:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 whole large eggs
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup crunchy peanut butter (we had creamy open, so creamy was used)
1-½ teaspoons canola oil
2 cups mini marshmallows (we had big ones that I cut into fourths)
½ cup chopped and toasted pecans (I was afraid of toasting nuts because I was worried about burning them - it's really not scary - just spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and toast the nuts at 350F for 5 minutes or until they become aromatic - got that tip from food.com)

for the icing:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
⅛ teaspoons salt (don't be like me and misread this as 1/2 teaspoon - that is way too much salt!)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ square baking pan with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, spray it with cooking spray.  (I just greased my pan really well and they came out easily.)

In medium bowl, combine flour, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.  In large mixing bowl, beat together 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and 3/4 teaspoons vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir dry ingredients into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes.

When brownie layer is done baking, combine peanut butter and oil in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and microwave on high for 20 seconds to soften. Pour this warm mixture over hot brownie and spread.

Sprinkle the peanut butter covered brownies with marshmallows. Return to oven to bake for 3 more minutes, or until the marshmallows puff. Remove from oven and sprinkle puffed marshmallows with toasted pecans.

To make frosting, combine confectioner's sugar and salt. In small saucepan, melt 4 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add the 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1/4 cup of the milk and heat until the mixture begins to boil. Pour this mixture into confectioners sugar/salt mixture and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until smooth and glossy. If frosting is not pourable at this point, add remaining 2 Tablespoons of milk. Lastly, beat in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, then pour evenly over puffed marshmallows and pecans.

Let cool completely in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Notes:
Enjoy we did!  I saw this recipe pop up on the Tasty Kitchen Blog while visiting my family in Logan last week.  My sister came home from work/school that day and starting describing this awesome brownie recipe she had seen online that morning.  It was the same recipe.  This one.  My mom was kind enough to let me take over her kitchen and her ingredients for the morning while I whipped these up.  (I told her I probably would never make them at my apartment because I don't have all those ingredients on hand - she did, which made things really easy.)  They are super rich, so a little bite goes a long way.  But they really are quite heavenly.  Just remember 1/8 teaspoon salt in the frosting - NOT 1/2 - and you should be fine.  :)

Yummy Spaghetti

Source: adapted from a recipe by my aunt, Nikie Elwood

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or 1 lb cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cream o' mushroom soup
1 bottle spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella but cheddar is good, too)
a bunch of spaghetti or angel hair pasta (I never know how to really measure spaghetti - so just cook enough to fill a 9 x 13" casserole dish.)

Directions:
Boil your pasta according to package directions.  Drain and put in a 9 x 13" casserole dish.

In a saucepan, brown ground beef and add onion, green pepper and garlic (if using chicken instead, just saute the veggies in a little bit of oil and then add the chicken when they are soft).  Add soup, sauce and parmesan cheese and simmer together.

Pour sauce mixture over pasta and carefully mix so all noodles are coated.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese on top is bubbly.

Notes:
I remember when one of my little sisters (probably Megan) was born that Nikie brought our family a pan of this "yummy spaghetti" and I loved it.  When I was racking my brain for ideas on what to feed the missionaries last night, this seemed to fit the bill because a) I had everything we needed and b) it can feed a crowd - or a couple of hungry elders.  So the decision was made.  And it was good.  And we still have some leftover for today.  Score.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Source: here, via here, via pinterest


Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
4 ounces linguine, cooked al dente (I used whole wheat linguine)
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 thinly sliced green onion
1-2 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half 1% milk and half whipping cream)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I used fresh minced garlic)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through. Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese.


Notes:
Bret and I had a rough weekend, so last night we needed some, hearty, bad-for-you, take-your-mind-off-your-troubles comfort food, and oh boy did this do the trick! Spicy yet creamy, it was soothing and traditional yet exotic enough to bring a little pep into the evening. A few changes that I made were to replace the cajun seasoning with creole, replace the green onion with about 1/2 of a large yellow onion, use milk instead of the cream (plus a tablespoon or two of flour to thicken), and add some extra creole seasoning at the end for a little extra spice. 

Rice Cooker Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

Source: this site, via Pinterest

Ingredients:
chicken (I used a boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, and browned in a little bit of oil directly in my rice cooker - but you can use whatever you like and/or have on hand)
2 cups rice (or enough for your family - we used 2 cups and that lasts for dinner plus a few lunches for the next couple of days)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup water + 3 cups water

Directions:
In a bowl, mix brown sugar, soy sauce, water and ketchup.  Stir until well blended.  Set aside.  Measure out enough rice to feed your family.  Pour it into a rice cooker.  If you don't have a rice cooker, you can still do this on the stove, it just takes a little more watchful eye.  Measure out the correct amount of liquid for your rice (the teriyaki sauce recipe above makes about 1 cup liquid, so I added 3 cups water to make 4 cups total liquid for my rice to cook).  If you want a stronger teriyaki flavor simply increase the amount of sauce you prepare and decrease the extra water accordingly.  Pour the teriyaki sauce in the rice cooker.  Add the extra water.  Dice the chicken and dump it in the cooker as well.  Set the cooker to cook and walk away.  (I also added frozen peas to the mix, though I think I'd like them better if I just stirred them in towards the end rather then letting them cook the whole time.)

Notes:
Just another quick little recipe I found on Pinterest.  Pretty tasty, though our rice was a little bit chewy, so next time I'll probably add a bit more water.  Love that rice cooker - makes dinner time a breeze!

Banana Bread

Source: adapted from The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts or chocolate chips (or both!)

Directions:
Mash bananas and set aside.  In a large bowl cream sugar and butter together.  Stir in eggs and mashed bananas.  In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, flaxseed meal and salt.  Add to first mixture and stir together.  Stir in nuts and/or chocolate chips.  Place in two greased, 9x5-inch loaf pans and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.  Reduce heat to 275F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 (it only took mine about 10!) minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 2 loaves.

Notes:
You know the drill - you buy a bunch of bananas, and eat two or three of them, but there's always a straggler or two that turn too brown for regular eating.  What else is left to do than make some delicious baked good out of them?  That was my situation yesterday.  And since my sister Megan wasn't around to make it for me, I turned to my trusty Mormon Cookbook and whipped up a batch of bread myself.  I admit I did tweak the recipe a titch - I split the sugar into white and brown and did the same for the flour, plus I took the liberty to add in some flax and chocolate (because I didn't have walnuts and would have definitely loved to use them if I did).  I think the finished product turned out quite nice.  And the heavenly aroma while it was baking?  Oh my!

Cilantro Lime Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Source (via pinterest)


Directions:
1. In a slow cooker (crockpot), mix together
1 24-ounce jar mild or medium salsa
Juice from one lime
1-4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)

2. Add 4-6 boneless chicken breast halves (defrosted) and coat with the salsa mixture.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

4. Serve the chicken with the salsa mixture spooned over the top, as a taco filling, or as a layer of taco salad.

Notes: We used this chicken, shredded, in burritos last night - yum! Bret and Melia noticed a lot of spicy heat (I only used mild salsa and 1/2 of a jalapeno), but I didn't taste any. Either way, it was very flavorful, super delicious, and outrageously easy!

Zucchini Rice Casserole

Source (via pinterest)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash
2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos (I used fresh jalapenos, finely diced)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Pour rice into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir hot broth into the rice along with zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and salt. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 35 to 45 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cups jack cheese and corn and cook, stirring until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink.
5. When the rice is done, stir in the sausage and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup jack sheese on top and dollop cream cheese by the teaspoonful over the casserole. Top with jalapenos.
6. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: With the warmer weather, we've been eating a lot of light, low-calorie meals, but when the snow hit, I was ready for some good old-fashioned comfort food. This was perfect because while it tastes naughty, it's not as guilt-worthy as it seems. I've added a few notes to the recipe to remember next time"
- eliminate the cream cheese dollops on top. They were delicious, but really just unnecessary calories. Plus, they didn't melt like I expected, just remained firm chunks.
- The overall cook time was much less than expected because I didn't have to bake the rice/vegetables again to reduce the liquid like in the directions - when I took the foil off after the first 45 minutes, my rice was tender and the broth was all absorbed. So, start cooking the milk/cheese sauce and sausage about 15 minutes before timer beeps.
- Cook the sausage first and the milk/cheese sauce second. The sauce with thicken as it cools and it needs to be warm and pourable when you add it to the rice/vegetables.
- If you're feeding meat lovers, double the sausage (use 1 lb)