Delicious Brownies

My sister Sara gave me this recipe. The brownies are from a really old cookbook she has and the frosting is from the back of the Hershey's cocoa box. They are fantastic. I always think homemade brownies are either too cake-like or too greasy, but these are just as good as a mix if not better.

Melt two sticks of butter and stir in 10 Tbs of cocoa. Add 2 cups sugar and mix well. Add 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups flour, and a dash of salt and mix together. Spread in 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. (I have a gas stove and had to do 30 mins.) Cool completely before cutting.

Frosting:
Melt 1 stick butter and add 2/3 cup cocoa. Alternately add 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup milk, and 2 tsp vanilla until spreading consistency. This turns out pretty fudge-like.

*tip* I'm sure I've posted this before, but line your pan with tinfoil and spray the foil. This way you can lift the brownies out after they're cool and it makes them infinitely easier to cut.

Jana's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I challenge anyone to find a better chocolate chip cookie recipe than this one. I've searched far and wide and this one is the clear favorite. It came from a student of Dave's and we thank her for it every time we use it. Not literally, just in our thoughts. I usually use the large milk chocolate chips, but the picture shows them with mini M&M's, which were fun as well.

2 cups + 2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbs butter, melted and cooled until just warm
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2tsp vanilla
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine butter with sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and stir until mixed well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir. Add chocolate chips and drop onto cookie sheets (I line them with parchment paper -- worth the investment, if you ask me) and bake 15-18 minutes. Half way through the baking time, rotate your trays top to bottom, back to front for even baking. I take them out before they brown on the edges and let them sit on the pan for 2 or 3 minutes before putting them on the cooling rack because I like them soft and chewy.

Taco Soup

I love this recipe, especially on a cold day. We like to sprinkle with cheese and stir in a little sour cream. It's best when scooped with Fritos.;)

Use a big crock pot because it makes it easier to stir. You can also prepare 2 cups of dry beans yourself if you choose. This stuff freezes really excellently.

2 cloves garlic, minced
Onion to taste, minced
1-1 1/2 lb ground burger (I use turkey and it's delish)
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I use the ones with green chiles 'cuz I like a little pep)
4 15 oz cans beans, any combo, drained but not rinsed (I usually use black, light red kidney,
chick peas, and pinto)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix

Brown onion and garlic in skillet with a little olive oil. Then add burger and cook, smashing it into the size of pieces you want to eat.;) Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Easy peezy, rice and cheesy... or soup and cheesy.

S'mores Bars

This delicious recipe comes from my sister-in-law, who got it from allrecipes.com, I think. The recipe calls for 5 Hershey's bars, but I use a bag of milk chocolate chips because that's what I usually have on hand. Enjoy!

1/2 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 C flour
3/4 C crushed graham crackers (about 4 full-sized ones)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag milk chocolate chips
3 C mini marshmallows

Heat oven to 350. Grease an 8 x 8 pan. (They are easier to cut if you line your pan with foil and then spray it. You can pick them right out of the pan and set them on a cutting board so the corners and edges are easier to cut.) Beat butter and sugar together. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add this to the butter mixture until combined and crumbly. Press 1/2 of the dough into the pan. (I usually do about 2/3 of the dough in the pan, as I like more cookie underneath.;) Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips and marshmallows over the top. Crumble remaining dough over marshmallows and bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the marshmallows are golden brown. So very very yummy.

Tiffani's Fabulous French Bread

It also makes fabulous bread bowls, as you can see. I've decided to start putting up pictures of these awesome recipes as I make them. This recipe comes to me from a dear friend named Maria, who, evidentally, got it from someone named Tiffani.;) All the "kneading" and "punching" can just be done by the Kitchen Aide. Just leave it in there through the whole process.

2 1/2 C warm water

2 Tbs yeast

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs salt

1/4 C vegetable oil

6 C flour

Mix water, yeast and sugar and let stand for 10 mins. Add oil, salt, and flour to yeast mixture. Continue to mix and add more flour as needed. (This dough is slightly sticky but should not adhere to the side of the bowl. If it does, you need more flour.) Let rise for 10 mins. Punch down and repeat above process five times. Turn dough out onto a greased board (flouring the board will dry this stuff out, don't do it!) Divide into thirds. Roll each piece into a rectangle and finger roll the dough starting at the longest side until rolled up. Pinch seams shut and place seam side down in the center of a large cookie sheet. Slash diagonally three times and brush with beaten egg. Let rise 30 mins and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min or until golden brown. Cool slightly.

*sidenote* I used this recipe for make-your-own french bread pizzas on superbowl Sunday and it was awesome. I baked it the night before and we just tossed it in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the toppings.

Chicken Soup

This one's all my own, peeps.;) My mother-in-law gave me some useful tips, but this recipe only vaguely resembles hers.

Broth and Chicken:
1 whole fryer chicken, about 4 lbs or so
8-10 chicken boullion cubes
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbs crushed dried onion
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables:
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped carrots

Noodles:
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 c. water
1 Tbs olive oil

Put chicken in large stock pot and sprinkle with spices. Fill pot with water until chicken is covered by about an inch or so. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 45 mins to an hour. Remove chicken and pick meat. Return bones to pot and boil an additional hour. (This really makes a huge difference in the flavor. Don't bother tasting your broth until this is done.) Remove bones and strain broth. Return to pot.

Stir noodle ingredients together until ball of dough is formed. Cover and leave on counter while you chop carrots or about 15 mins. I usually double the noodle recipe because my hubby likes chicken stew, not so much chicken soup. Divide dough into small, manageable portions and roll out and cut noodles. Use a pizza slicer -- it simplifies life. Make sure they are heavily floured so the broth will thicken when you add the noodles.

Add veggies to pot and allow to simmer until they are tender, about 10-15 mins. Add chicken and noodles. These noodles are usually done when they float to the top, but not more than 10 mins. This is great served with rolls.

Super Delicious Banana Bread

This is another goodie from the Snow Family cookbook. I only changed one ingredient. Aunt Sarah likes to use maple in place of the almond extract.

1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 eggs
3 mashed overripe bananas
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream shortening and sugar together, then add next ingredients in order. Put in loaf pan that has been sprayed. Bake 1 hour at 350. (I usually do about 45 mins at 325 and then another 20 or so at 350 so the top doesn't get super dark and yucky.)

*Sidenote* though not necessary for success, it's a lot easier to get the bread out of the pan and cut it if you'll line the pan with tinfoil and spray the tinfoil instead of putting the batter directly into the pan. This works really well with brownies and coffee cake as well.;)