Classic Brownies

 

What day is it? I totally have lost track. Everyday seems like it is the same as before and they all run into each other nowadays. Haha.

We are just starting November and the weather has gotten colder and we are all inside hibernating once again. I have been trying out some new recipes, the fluffy muffins from last time for example, and now I have tried out another, classic brownies. These are the brownies that are similar to the ones from the box that we are all used to having in our childhood. They are fudgy on the inside and crackly crunchy on the top. Take a look and make a batch to have on a cozy day inside with a nice big glass of cold milk.

Classic Brownie Recipe

You will need…

1 ¼ cup of flour

¾ tsp. of baking powder

½ tsp. of salt

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

12 tbsp. of butter

2 cups of sugar

4 eggs

1tbsp. of vanilla

Butter a glass baking dish, 13x9 in size.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a large glass measuring cup or bowl in the microwave, stirring often.

Whisk the sugar into the chocolate mix and then the eggs.

Then fold the flour mix in this mixture in three separate additions.

 

Give the batter a good stir and then spoon into the glass dish.

                                                               

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Cool completely, about 2 hours and then cut and serve.

Salsa

The kitchen is almost done and I am getting back into the swing of things and creating lots in the kitchen. I’ve been making cookies and bread and today I made some fresh chunky salsa. It’s been so warm out and this is the perfect cool snack with some salty tortilla chips. You can also top it on fish, chicken, and steaks or put it in tacos, wraps, and tortillas.

It’s very simple and quick to make.

You will need...

8 firm tomatoes on the vine

1 cup of cilantro, chopped

The juice of 2 limes

2 jalapeno peppers

1 small or 1/2 large red onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop up the tomatoes into small bite sized pieces. You can put some of the juice and seeds in but keep it to a minimum. You can save the juice and seeds to put into a tomato sauce.

Add the finely chopped cilantro.

Next chop the onion into small bites.

Now add in the juice from the limes.

Finally, chop up the jalapeno into tiny pieces add in a bit of salt and pepper and the stir it all up.

It’s best eaten when chilled in the fridge for a bit but you can eat it right away if you choose to.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy June!

Ok, so the kitchen is still being worked on. I swear it will take another month before I can get in there to bake again.

Today I have a recipe for you that I tried a little while back at the urging of my father who said it looked really good. It’s a different take on chocolate chip cookies. When you think of double chocolate you think of dark/milk and lots of it, but these cookies are double because they have both white chocolate and dark chocolate in them. If you are a white chocolate fan then these are a must try.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

You will need:

½ cup of butter or margarine

1 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips or chunks

4  eggs

1 ¼ cup of sugar

2 tsp. of vanilla

1 ½ cups of flour

½ tsp. of baking powder

¼ tsp. of salt

1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

In a glass bowl or measuring cup, melt your butter with the white chocolate. Stir up well.

Whip the eggs with the sugar and the vanilla in your mixer with the whisk attachment. Make sure it becomes pale and thick.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Now whisk the melted chocolate into the egg mixture.

Next, whisk the flour mix in and finally stir in the semi sweet chocolate chips.

Cover the batter and chill for at least 4 hours.

Once chilled, scoop and roll the dough into balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes. They will look pale and cracked on the top but underneath 

will be nice and golden.

Cool and enjoy.

Bread Maker Bread

Another week at home so as I was cleaning up I rediscovered my bread maker. I haven’t used it in some time as I have been so busy and it was easier to just buy bread. Since I have been left with so much free time on my hands, I thought I’d make some fresh bread (I’ve actually made a few loafs and will be making even more). Fresh bread is always so yummy. I made some to have for breakfast and I made some to go along with some pasta the other night.

I will admit that in the past it took some figuring out which recipe worked the best. I have made some bread that didn’t rise and some that were super dense, but take a look at the recipe below to see one that worked out perfectly!

White Bread Maker Bread

You will need...

4 cups of sifted flour (must must must be sifted)

1 ½ cups of warm water (must must must be warm)

2 tsp. of sugar

2 ½ tsp. of dry yeast (I use break maker yeast)

2 tsp. of salt

2 tsp. of oil

How to...

Sift flour.

Warm up your water. You don’t want it to boil but you want it slightly warmer than room temperature. I put it in the microwave for about a minute. Pour the water into the bread maker pan.

Now sprinkle the yeast and then the sugar on top. Allow to sit and foam/bubble for 5 minutes.

After the 5 minutes are up, add the salt and then the oil. I used Mazola oil but you can use olive oil instead.

Finally add the flour.

Place the pan into the machine and put it on the basic bread setting. Choose your crust colour and then press start. This setting usually takes about 3 hours.

Once the final “bread is ready” beep occurs, remove the pan and allow the bread to cool in the pan. The pan should be cool to the touch before you try to remove the bread.

You can slice and serve the bread warm or you can let it cool completely and either leave it or slice* it all and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy the fresh delicious bread!

*a regular bread knife will do the job but my dad gave me an electric knife and it sliced my next loaf so perfectly.