Category: Food

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The Perfect Brownies

If you’ve been on the look-out for the best brownie recipe on the face of the earth, my lovelies– your search has come to a happy ending. Lightly crisp edges and just chewy enough inside to be incredible without tasting…kind of…you know…raw. You know what I mean?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the plethora of boxed mixes that are floating around out there, but sometimes, don’t you just get the hankering for a real, live, honest to goodness, homemade brownie? Well, I do. And once you taste this–you may just have to rethink everything else–and you won’t be sorry.

Trust me.

The Perfect Brownies

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups butter

3 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

6 eggs

1-1/2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

3/4 t baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease large baking pan. Mine is nearly as big as a cookie sheet…yeah, it’s big. If you don’t have one this big you could cut the recipe in half…but where’s the fun in that? :}

In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy, then add vanilla. Add eggs and blend well. Slowly add all of the dry ingredients and beat on low for about 2-3 minutes or until everything is mixed thoroughly. Spread into pan and bake for about 35 minutes.

Allow to cool then dust with powdered sugar. Prepare yourself for the best brownies you’ve ever tasted. Oh, and you are welcome to drizzle frosting over the top, buy seriously, you won’t need to. These little guys are perfect alone…or with ice cream…or whipped cream…or a cold glass of milk.

You get the idea.

Nom…nom.

5.0 from 1 reviews
The Perfect Brownies
 
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Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups butter
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 6 eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • ¾ t baking powder
  • ¾ tsp. salt
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease large baking pan. Mine is nearly as big as a cookie sheet.
  2. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy, then add vanilla.
  3. Add eggs and blend well.
  4. Slowly add all of the dry ingredients and beat on low for about 2-3 minutes or until everything is mixed thoroughly.
  5. Spread into pan and bake for about 35 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool then dust with powdered sugar.
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So Much Sweetness

Valentine’s Day should–I suppose, be a day of smushy, mushy, sweetness and therefore who could be surprised that the very best breakfast turned out to be Apple Strudel with real, honest-to-goodness whipped cream on top–for luck.

Oh, you’ve no idea the decadence I’m capable of. I’d show you a picture, but sincerely, that lovely, flakey, cinnamony thing wasn’t on my plate long enough to find the camera…nevermind snap it.

Then to add to the sweetness of the day, my grandbabies–oooh, wouldn’t they howl hearing me call them babies?–came and brought me chocolates…

and a beautiful topiary–I think it’s called a bougainvillea tree. I’ll have to do a bit of deep, dark research to find out how to keep from killing it. Honestly, though, have you ever seen a more perfect shade of pink?

Then, when evening rolled around, Miss Chompy helped her mama make the most delectable treat of the day–strawberry tarts! My…oh…my they were incredibly good.

And what’s a strawberry tart without real, honest-to-goodness whipped cream on top–for luck?

Heh, heh.

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Key Lime Crinkles

…or you could call them Key Lime Softies, cause I’m telling you–that’s what they are. Soft and tender with just a small smackeral of gooeyness…

Now I could have colored these little sweeties light green, but I’m not actually a fan of food coloring as a general rule. But if you are–they’d be great for St. Patrick’s Day.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 tsp. lime zest–very important, so don’t leave out!

2 Tbsps. key lime juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, eggs, zest, and juice. Blend in dry ingredients until just combined. Roll by teaspoonful in sugar.

Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool slightly on pan for about 2 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Eat them up.

Oh, and a word of warning…

When you go to roll these “limeys” in sugar, be more wise than I was. Roll them in a cup of granulated sugar–rather than powdered sugar–unless of course, you love powdered sugar poofing up in your face, in your eyes, in your hair– with each go around. It was quite the…um… experience. By the time I finished, I felt like Frosty the Snowman from an alternate universe.

Sorry, no pictures. You’ll just have to trust me.

But do try these someday soon. They are fabulous–and you can trust me on that too.

 

 

Key Lime Crinkles
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. lime zest
  • 2 Tbsps. key lime juice
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • 3 cups flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease baking sheet.
  3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
  4. Add vanilla, eggs, zest, and juice.
  5. Blend in dry ingredients until just combined.
  6. Roll by teaspoonful in sugar.
  7. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool slightly on pan for about 2 minutes before removing to wire rack.

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Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

 I know, I know. It’s not spring yet and I could possibly have curbed my craving for something luscious and lemony until the flowers were blooming, like a good girl. Perhaps that would have been more seasonally appropriate. But then I thought…

seasonally appropriate?  What does that even mean? And then a better question would be–and do I care? Hmmm….

Apparently not.

:}

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix

1/3 cup butter-  softened

1 egg

8 oz cream cheese – softened

1 cup powdered sugar

peel from 1/2 lemon – grated

2 Tbsps lemon juice

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, blend dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Press into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in the powdered sugar. Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth. Set aside 1/2 cup of mixture. Into remaining cream cheese mixture, beat 2 eggs, and vanilla until well blended.  Spread over the cake mixture.
Bake at 350° until set, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely. Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars. Refrigerate until firm; then cut into squares and serve.

I found this scrumptious bit of loveliness on a pass through Recipe Tips and sincerely couldn’t resist.

Yeah…like I tried.


5.0 from 1 reviews
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 box lemon cake mix
  • ⅓ cup butter- softened
  • 1 egg
  • 8 oz cream cheese - softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • peel from ½ lemon - grated
  • 2 Tbsps lemon juice
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. In a mixing bowl, blend dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg.
  2. Press into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.
  3. Beat cream cheese until smooth.
  4. Blend in the powdered sugar.
  5. Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth.
  6. Set aside ½ cup of mixture. Into remaining cream cheese mixture, beat 2 eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
  7. Spread over the cake mixture.
  8. Bake at 350° until set, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
  9. Cool completely.
  10. Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars.
  11. Refrigerate until firm; then cut into squares and serve.

 

 

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Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Yesterday, with a few moments all to myself, I had some of my favorite words in all the universe come chanting through my head…

“What shall I make?”

With a million possibilities swirling through my mind, finally, finally–it landed on “Pepperoni Pizza Puffs,” tweaked a tad from Lick the Bowl Good. Ah, yes. The perfect thing.

Took a whole 20 minutes to whip up, and may I just say…Holy. Cow.

Soft, cheesy biscuits with tons of pepperoni and mozzarella layered through and through. But the magic doesn’t end there. Oh, no. Next you dip them in warm pizza sauce, and trust me–this one will quite likely make your eyes roll back in your head.

Dude. I’m not kidding.

Make them.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups cut up pepperoni slices

1 cup pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 12 cup regular muffin tins. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning and salt. Next whisk in milk and egg–mix well. Stir in cheeses and pepperoni. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

Stir the batter then drop by 2 tablespoons into muffin cups. Bake until golden brown–about 20-25 minutes.

Warm the pizza sauce and serve with puffs.

See if you have any better luck than I did at getting them to last more than 5 minutes!

Just…like…

that.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
 
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Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups cut up pepperoni slices
  • 1 cup pizza sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 12 cup regular muffin tins. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning and salt. Next whisk in milk and egg--mix well. Stir in cheeses and pepperoni. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
  2. Stir the batter then drop by 2 tablespoons into muffin cups. Bake until golden brown--about 20-25 minutes.