Source: Mel (I feel like we should be on a first name basis since I am on her site so much)
Ingredients:
for the brownies:
10 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
for the mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 drops green food coloring (optional) (I used blue instead and called mine "Aggie Blue Mint Brownies" after a very popular Aggie Ice Cream flavor)
for the chocolate ganache:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk since I had that and no cream - worked like a charm)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
Directions:
For the brownies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. (If using a glass baking pan instead of aluminum, decrease the baking temperature to 325 degrees F.)
In a microwave safe bowl or in a saucepan on the stove, melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa, sugar and honey. Let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
For the mint layer, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, mint extract and food coloring (if using) until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
For the ganache, heat the cream (or milk) and butter until just barely simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips and stir until smooth and glossy. Stir in the mint extract. Spread the ganache evenly over the mint layer. Refrigerate for an hour or so until the chocolate layer has set.
Cut into squares and serve. These taste best chilled in my humble opinion.
Notes:
When I first saw these posted on Mel's site I knew I had to try them. But I also knew that I didn't want the temptation of them sitting around my kitchen and me eating the entire pan (with Gregg's help, of course). So I cut them into squares and then wrapped them in saran wrap (not individually or really very well - just sort of used the saran wrap to separate them into layers so they wouldn't all stick together) and then slide the stack into a ziplock bag and froze them. A few weeks later I got them out for our Elwood Family Reunion and they were as good as fresh! Pretty dang delicious, actually.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Dutch Oven Enchiladas
Source: A man doing a demo at a 4-H day camp many, many years ago
Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 cans enchilada sauce (or you can make your own here - I used about 3/4 of this recipe to equal about 2 cans)
2 cans tomato soup (there's also a nifty substitution you can use for this)
1 small can diced green chiles
9-12 large flour tortillas
2 cups cheese, grated
salt, pepper, and garlic powder
garnish: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, sliced olives
Directions:
Season hamburger and onion with salt, pepper and garlic powder and brown over medium heat. Drain grease. Add enchilada sauce, soup and chiles to meat. Cover bottom of Dutch oven with a layer of sauce mixture. Layer three tortillas, sauce and cheese about 3-4 times - until it reaches the top (I like to aim for 4 layers with 12 tortillas total - it seems to not be quite as soupy that way when it's all cooked up). Cook for 15-25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Serve with garnish.
Notes:
One day my sister, brother and two cousins and I were hanging out at the Cache County Fairgrounds at a 4-H day camp. One of the stations or classes that we could attend was about Dutch oven cooking, and since it gave out samples of the finished product, of course we were there! This was the recipe being demonstrated that day and we were all so impressed and amazed and delighted over its goodness (we had apparently never had enchilada casserole before) we made sure to memorize the recipe (I think we went back to the demo at least twice more, cementing the recipe in our minds) to tell our mom when we got home. It's been a staple at family campouts and cookouts and Sunday dinners ever since. We always make it in a Dutch oven, either on the camp chef or with coals if we're outside or straight in the oven if we're home, but really it can be made in any big casserole dish, and we've even been successful with it in the crockpot!
Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 cans enchilada sauce (or you can make your own here - I used about 3/4 of this recipe to equal about 2 cans)
2 cans tomato soup (there's also a nifty substitution you can use for this)
1 small can diced green chiles
9-12 large flour tortillas
2 cups cheese, grated
salt, pepper, and garlic powder
garnish: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, sliced olives
Directions:
Season hamburger and onion with salt, pepper and garlic powder and brown over medium heat. Drain grease. Add enchilada sauce, soup and chiles to meat. Cover bottom of Dutch oven with a layer of sauce mixture. Layer three tortillas, sauce and cheese about 3-4 times - until it reaches the top (I like to aim for 4 layers with 12 tortillas total - it seems to not be quite as soupy that way when it's all cooked up). Cook for 15-25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Serve with garnish.
Notes:
One day my sister, brother and two cousins and I were hanging out at the Cache County Fairgrounds at a 4-H day camp. One of the stations or classes that we could attend was about Dutch oven cooking, and since it gave out samples of the finished product, of course we were there! This was the recipe being demonstrated that day and we were all so impressed and amazed and delighted over its goodness (we had apparently never had enchilada casserole before) we made sure to memorize the recipe (I think we went back to the demo at least twice more, cementing the recipe in our minds) to tell our mom when we got home. It's been a staple at family campouts and cookouts and Sunday dinners ever since. We always make it in a Dutch oven, either on the camp chef or with coals if we're outside or straight in the oven if we're home, but really it can be made in any big casserole dish, and we've even been successful with it in the crockpot!
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Source: The original Kim Blanchard
Ingredients:
1 quart water
1/4 cup chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
salt to taste
flour to thicken (2-3 Tablespoons)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and boil till thick. Should be the consistency of thin gravy.
Notes:
I never seem to have canned enchilada sauce on hand, which always made me shy away from enchilada recipes that I love. Finally I realized that Kim has this great homemade recipe. Now I'll never be without! I had made (and posted about) a different recipe I found online a couple years ago. It has now been deleted from this blog because this one is so much better! Simple, quick, cheap, tasty. Can't go wrong here.
Ingredients:
1 quart water
1/4 cup chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
salt to taste
flour to thicken (2-3 Tablespoons)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and boil till thick. Should be the consistency of thin gravy.
Notes:
I never seem to have canned enchilada sauce on hand, which always made me shy away from enchilada recipes that I love. Finally I realized that Kim has this great homemade recipe. Now I'll never be without! I had made (and posted about) a different recipe I found online a couple years ago. It has now been deleted from this blog because this one is so much better! Simple, quick, cheap, tasty. Can't go wrong here.
Stroganoff
Source: The original Kim Blanchard
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb stew meat, slow cooked until tender (I always just use ~1 lb ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper and browned)
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup (I always use cream o' mush)
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 cup beef broth or water (I always use 1 soup can of water)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream (I always just use a big spoonful - I never measure, but I don't think it's quite a cup)
1 16 oz package egg noodles
Directions:
Saute onion and mushrooms. Add meat. Add soup, ketchup, water (or broth), Worchestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Stir well to mix and simmer for a half hour. While the stroganoff is simmering, boil your egg noodles according to package directions. Drain. Just before serving, stir in sour cream to the stroganoff mixture. Serve over hot egg noodles (I always just mix all the noodles and all the sauce together in one big pot and serve it that way).
Notes:
I know there are a million stroganoff recipes out there, but here's another one to throw into the mix. I found it in Gregg's missionary cook book, compiled by his mom before he left. It's not fancy, but it is quick and really tasty. We have this quite regularly around here and it's a hit with the whole fam.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb stew meat, slow cooked until tender (I always just use ~1 lb ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper and browned)
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup (I always use cream o' mush)
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 cup beef broth or water (I always use 1 soup can of water)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream (I always just use a big spoonful - I never measure, but I don't think it's quite a cup)
1 16 oz package egg noodles
Directions:
Saute onion and mushrooms. Add meat. Add soup, ketchup, water (or broth), Worchestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Stir well to mix and simmer for a half hour. While the stroganoff is simmering, boil your egg noodles according to package directions. Drain. Just before serving, stir in sour cream to the stroganoff mixture. Serve over hot egg noodles (I always just mix all the noodles and all the sauce together in one big pot and serve it that way).
Notes:
I know there are a million stroganoff recipes out there, but here's another one to throw into the mix. I found it in Gregg's missionary cook book, compiled by his mom before he left. It's not fancy, but it is quick and really tasty. We have this quite regularly around here and it's a hit with the whole fam.
Teriyaki Burgers
Source: Kay Lynn Larsen (who I don't know, but it's her name that appears next to this recipe in my mom's old ward recipe book that this came from)
Ingredients:
1 egg, partially beaten
2 slices bread, torn up (I usually like to use the heels of a loaf - they're always left behind and work perfectly in this recipe!)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl (don't be afraid to use your hands and just mix it all together!). In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix the remaining ingredients. Then pour liquid over meat mixture and mix till everything is incorporated. Mold into patties (I usually make mine heart shaped - I'm a nerd - and can get 5 to 6 decent-sized patties from a batch) and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Broil just until they hold together, and then turn over. (Do not overcook.) (I don't always broil them - sometimes, if I'm making sweet potato fries to go with them, which is pretty much every time I make them, I just cook them alongside my pan of sweet potatoes at whatever temperature I decide to cook them that day - anything from 375 to 415 usually works great, depending on when I started dinner and how soon we need/want to eat it!) Serve with ketchup and/or horse radish for dipping. (We don't eat these with buns like normal burgers; instead we eat them more like meatloaf or something - just by themselves with sweet potato "fries" on the side.)
Notes:
This is a recipe I remember having a handful of times growing up and for some reason just always loved. It makes quite a regular appearance in our dinner rotation these days. Callie LOVES them and can eat a whole patty herself! If you have a cookie sheet that you don't care too much about, these can also been cooked out on the grill (on the cookie sheet - they're really moist and don't hold up well on a grate) when it's too hot to heat up the oven inside.
Ingredients:
1 egg, partially beaten
2 slices bread, torn up (I usually like to use the heels of a loaf - they're always left behind and work perfectly in this recipe!)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl (don't be afraid to use your hands and just mix it all together!). In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix the remaining ingredients. Then pour liquid over meat mixture and mix till everything is incorporated. Mold into patties (I usually make mine heart shaped - I'm a nerd - and can get 5 to 6 decent-sized patties from a batch) and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Broil just until they hold together, and then turn over. (Do not overcook.) (I don't always broil them - sometimes, if I'm making sweet potato fries to go with them, which is pretty much every time I make them, I just cook them alongside my pan of sweet potatoes at whatever temperature I decide to cook them that day - anything from 375 to 415 usually works great, depending on when I started dinner and how soon we need/want to eat it!) Serve with ketchup and/or horse radish for dipping. (We don't eat these with buns like normal burgers; instead we eat them more like meatloaf or something - just by themselves with sweet potato "fries" on the side.)
Notes:
This is a recipe I remember having a handful of times growing up and for some reason just always loved. It makes quite a regular appearance in our dinner rotation these days. Callie LOVES them and can eat a whole patty herself! If you have a cookie sheet that you don't care too much about, these can also been cooked out on the grill (on the cookie sheet - they're really moist and don't hold up well on a grate) when it's too hot to heat up the oven inside.
Dad's Potato Salad
Source: My dad, Richard Elwood
Ingredients:
red potatoes, boiled and cubed
onion, diced fine
eggs, hard boiled and diced
miracle whip
mayonnaise
milk
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, for sprinkling on top
Directions:
Wash and boil your potatoes till they are tender. (Dad always leaves the skins on and peels them after they were cooked using a paring knife to gently peel away the skin from the potato.) Cut them into bite-sized cubes and place them in a large bowl. Dice an onion (or half an onion . . . or less - totally depends on your taste here and I tend to go for less) and add it to the potatoes in the bowl. Peel and chop a few hard boiled eggs and add them to the potatoes and onions in the bowl.
For the dressing, mix equal parts mayo and miracle whip in a small bowl. Add a sqirt of yellow mustard. Slowly add a little milk to thin it out. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour dressing over potatoes, onions and egg and stir to coat. Sprinkle paprika over the top and chill for several hours before serving.
Notes:
My dad always makes the potato salad for big family gatherings like Memorial Day or Fourth of July picnics, Hardware Ranch trips, and even Callie's baby blessing. His is really the only potato salad that I really like. So many times I've seen one served somewhere and thought, "Yeah, potato salad!" And then I take a big scoop and am utterly disappointed. Every time. I'm finally learning to avoid the potato salad at food functions or restaurants and save myself the heartache. ;) This year, on Memorial Day, I attempted to make Dad's "recipe" myself to eat with our Shake and Bake Chicken since he wasn't here to do so for me. I don't think my salad was quite as good as his, but with a couple of decades of practice maybe I can catch up.
Ingredients:
red potatoes, boiled and cubed
onion, diced fine
eggs, hard boiled and diced
miracle whip
mayonnaise
milk
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, for sprinkling on top
Directions:
Wash and boil your potatoes till they are tender. (Dad always leaves the skins on and peels them after they were cooked using a paring knife to gently peel away the skin from the potato.) Cut them into bite-sized cubes and place them in a large bowl. Dice an onion (or half an onion . . . or less - totally depends on your taste here and I tend to go for less) and add it to the potatoes in the bowl. Peel and chop a few hard boiled eggs and add them to the potatoes and onions in the bowl.
For the dressing, mix equal parts mayo and miracle whip in a small bowl. Add a sqirt of yellow mustard. Slowly add a little milk to thin it out. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour dressing over potatoes, onions and egg and stir to coat. Sprinkle paprika over the top and chill for several hours before serving.
Notes:
My dad always makes the potato salad for big family gatherings like Memorial Day or Fourth of July picnics, Hardware Ranch trips, and even Callie's baby blessing. His is really the only potato salad that I really like. So many times I've seen one served somewhere and thought, "Yeah, potato salad!" And then I take a big scoop and am utterly disappointed. Every time. I'm finally learning to avoid the potato salad at food functions or restaurants and save myself the heartache. ;) This year, on Memorial Day, I attempted to make Dad's "recipe" myself to eat with our Shake and Bake Chicken since he wasn't here to do so for me. I don't think my salad was quite as good as his, but with a couple of decades of practice maybe I can catch up.
Shake and Bake Chicken
Source: My momma, Peggy Elwood
Ingredients:
2 cups dry bread crumbs
½ cup flour
3 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup shortening
chicken pieces (I like to use the boneless skinless thighs or regular drumsticks)
Ingredients:
2 cups dry bread crumbs
½ cup flour
3 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup shortening
chicken pieces (I like to use the boneless skinless thighs or regular drumsticks)
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients (minus the chicken) together. Skin the chicken (if it has skin) and roll in the breadcrumb mixture. Bake at ~350 degrees F until chicken is cooked (times will vary depending on the pieces of chicken you're using - a good starting point is usually about a half hour and check from there). This makes a lot (I coated two big packages of chicken legs and I still have some left over!), but the extra crumb mixture will keep for a long time in a ziploc bag in the fridge. Note: put a small amount of crumb mix in a bowl for dipping/rolling your chicken in and add to it as needed. That way your extra crumbs stay chicken juice-free and you can have more deliciousness on another day.
Notes:
According to family legend, this was something my mom made for my dad on one of their first dates . . . and the rest is history! My memories of it usually involve a President's Day outing to Hardware Ranch to see the elk and go sledding, picnicing on cold Shake and Bake and Dad's potato salad in the car afterwards. We recently made and devoured it for a Memorial Day picnic in the mountains of Colorado. Whatever the memories or tales around this chicken may be, it's definitely delicious and worth making. As Gregg loves to quote every time we make or eat this, "It's shake and bake, and I helped!"
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