peanut butter brownie bites

When I saw these I knew I had to make them to so I made them for my daughter's birthday party knowing that after a good swim they'd need some birthday cake and refreshments. I don't need to tell you that they taste good as that's pretty obvious. Brownies and peanut butter cups! As my second daughter and I made them I was reminded of the cookies that we frequently watch being made as we come off the ride at Chocolate World. A lady takes ginormous cookies out of the oven, unwraps a king size Reese's peanut butter cup and places it in the center of the cookie then uses the palm of her hand to push it in then puts an icing drizzle over the top. I love to watch her smoosh those Reese's inside! Next time maybe I'll put a chocolate drizzle over the top of these!!

peanut butter brownie bites (my friend Camille's blog: Flipping Amazing)
1 box brownie mix
Reese's peanut butter cups

Mix up brownie mix as directed on the box. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill each muffin tray shape half full with brownie mix, insert a peanut butter cup and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

ultimate chocolate brownies

We were fortunate to have two lemonade stands/bake sales in our neighborhood back to back. My friend Morgane used the recipe on the back of her Hershey's chocolate chips to help her son make these brownies that were divine. I think she was able to cut at least 16 brownies from an 8x8 pan. I've always told myself that box brownies were even better than from scratch but I've changed my mind.
(How many people buy a baked good then run home and take a photo? Crazy.)

ultimate chocolate brownies (Hershey's)
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup butter, melted and divided
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan or two 8-inch square baking pans.
Stir together cocoa and baking soda in a large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup butter. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan, 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

parmesan chicken (salad)

This salad has a zing to it that I love every time. My husband has had it before but said once again, "Wow this is good!".

parmesan chicken (salad) (my friend Erin R. shared it from her cookbook: Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs
1 1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs (I used Panko with some 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning this time)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
unsalted butter
good olive oil
salad greens for 6 washed and spun dry
lemon vinaigrette

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4" thick.
Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides int he bread crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

lemon vinaigrette
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil (I used 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

almond cake bars

This recipe looked like a snap to make and my family is starting to expect a steady steam of baked goods so I figured we'd try this one. They are outstanding. 

almond cake bars (Hershey Ward Cookbook)
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons almond extract
sliced almonds

Mix butter and sugar together then add eggs. Add in flour and almond extract. Pour in 8x8 greased pan. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Do not over bake. Note: Double the recipe to fit in a 9x13 pan.

caprese burger

I've been in the mood for a burger and this one looked perfect for tonight. It was! The marinated tomatoes on top of this burger made it Hall of Fame! My youngest daughter said, "This is yummiest dinner in the whole world!" and she ate her entire burger. You won't be disappointed by this burger.

caprese burger (allrecipes.com)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I used half the amount)
salt and pepper to taste
4 thick slices tomato
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup pesto sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced
4 hamburger buns, split

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over tomato slices to marinate. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
Mix ground beef, tomato paste, pesto, Parmesan cheese, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Form beef mixture into 4 equal patties.
Cook on the preheated grill until the burgers are cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 5 minutes per side for well done.
Top each burger with mozzarella cheese; allow to melt. Serve on hamburger buns with marinated tomato slices.

What I have to say- I was sure glad I doubled the amount of tomatoes I needed. Next time I will marinate some rings of red onion along with the tomato!

spicy chicken soup

I made this soup a while back but it tasted better this time when my neighbor friend Laura made it for our meal swap. Everyone else's always tastes better! It's like a chicken taco soup. It wasn't very spicy as the name suggests but I'm sure it depends on the kind of salsa you decide to use. This recipe got 5 stars at allrecipes!
I made some quesadillas to go with our meal and burned them. My second oldest daughter said the prayer and said, "And thank you to mom for burning our cheese quesadillas because they taste better that way." AMEN.

spicy chicken soup (my friend Laura adapted it from allrecipes.com)
2 quarts water
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder.
2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon onion powder
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (16 ounce) jar chunkly salsa
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

In a large pot over medium heat, combine water, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred chicken.
In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned.
Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, sour cream, shredded chicken, and 5 cups broth. Simmer 30 minutes.

siberian pelmeni

My husband likes to tell our children he is Russian and because of his enthusiasm, he's quite convincing. He learned how to make pelmini when he spent some time in Russia several years ago. Our family loves when he cooks Pelmeni for us and we eat them until we're about to burst (you wouldn't believe how many my oldest ate tonight). Pelmeni are like ravioli. They are very simple and absolutely delicious. The best ravioli you'll ever taste and of course the most fresh!

siberian pelmeni
1 egg
flour
2/3 cup water
pinch of salt

Mix and knead the dough ingredients together. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours. Roll o9ut using a rolling pin to tortilla thickness and cut into circles about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

filling
1/2 pound ground lamb, beef or pork (he always makes beef)
1 medium onion, diced
minced garlic to taste
salt and pepper to taste

toppings
tomato sauce
shredded cheese
smetana (Russian style sour cream)

Mix the filling ingredients together and put a bit into each circle of dough. Fold the circles in half like little tacos and crimp the edges together decoratively. Freeze the pelmini. Place the pelmeni in boiling water with an onion and a laurel or bay leaf. Some prefer frying the pelmeni in a little butter after boiling (a must for us!). Serve hot, topped with tomato sauce, shredded cheese and/or smetana (Russian style sour cream).