Brownie Pudding

(photo taken after it was devoured)
Hana and I were watching Barefoot Contessa this afternoon and she made this dessert. She and I both looked at each other and said...mmmm, that looks SO good. Bryan came out, and we showed him. He told me to make it right away. So, I sent him to the store to get a couple things we needed and I made it. Seriously, this has to be one of the best chocolate desserts I have had in a while. It has a hard layer on top, like a brownie, and then inside, it is like eating warm brownie batter...and there is nothing better than that, especially when you are pregnant. This could be very dangerous!



Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (I just used 1 tsp vanilla)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.
When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.
Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

This is what it looked like after Bryan and I (more of the "I" than Bryan) devoured it.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Hana was watching Food Network the other day when she called me in telling me I HAD to see what was being made. She asked if we could try it. I made them today, and they are so good!

Ingredients
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cookies:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.

Pumpkin Muffins (cupcakes)

Fall is here and what better way to celebrate than a recipe with pumpkin! And, an easy one, too!
I first got this recipe from Heidi. When I heard how easy and versitile it was, and it got my kids to eat some vegetables, I had to give it a try. I like to call them muffins, so that I can give them to my kids for breakfast or a snack without feeling guilty, but I guess they are really cupcakes.

1 can pumpkin
1 box of cake mix (any kind)
that is all

Mix the pumpkin and cake mix. If it is too thick, I sometimes add a little water, about 1/4 cup.
Fill muffin tins with mix
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
They come out so moist and delicious. And, the best part, you can use any cake mix. It works so well with spice cake, but also with yellow, chocolate, whatever you want. And, the girls like it when I add chocolate chips to them. Or, if you prefer, you could make this into a cake or cookies!

Pinto Bean Tacos

Another simple recipe that the whole family enjoyed...go figure!!

1 can pinto beans
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
flour tortillas
lettuce
shredded cheese
chopped tomatoes
sour cream
whatever else you enjoy on your tacos!!

In a medium saucepan, mix and heat beans, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice.
Put mixture on tortillas and add whatever you enjoy!

Lemon Butter Salmon & Broccoli Penne

Simple and good for you...go figure! This is a single serving recipe, so obviously, I made it for 5. It is an easy one to double, triple, or whatever....

4 ounces Salmon
2 ounces penne pasta
1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli
1 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp low sodium vegetable broth
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 garlic clove

Broil or grill salmon
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Heat broccoli in microwave safe dish until hot.
Whisk together butter, broth, garlic, zest and lemon juice.
Toss penne with broccoli and place salmon on top (I had it on the side)
Drizzle with butter sauce.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This one comes from my aunt Carol!

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (14 1/2 oz)
1 pkg stovetop stuffing mix for chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dries basil leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes with their liquid in med. bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic: stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set asidePlace the chicken in 13 X 9 baking dish: sprinkle with the basil and chese. Top with the stuffing mixture.Bake 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve with a green salad.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

From my dad! Cant wait to try this out this week!

Prep time- 10 minutes
2 Cups Stove Top stuffing
4 Small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 slices smoked ham (lunch meat works great)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare stuffing and set aside. Place chicken in 13 x 9 baking pan, cover with ham. Mix soup and mustard and spoon over chicken. Top with stuffing and bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for additional 5 minutes.