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A Chilly Day Calls for a Simple Soup – Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Just when you thought that winter might actually be over sometime soon around here, it seems to come roaring back over the last day or 2 with really high winds and really cold weather every time you step outside the house. Even though a lot of the snow that we have has melted away at this point, there is still a lot of ice out there because the temperature is not warmed up nicely. Cold and windy days call for a nice warm meal and this particular recipe is perfect if you do not have a lot of time to put a detailed soup together but want something that is going to give you that warm feeling. This recipe comes from Marcus Samuelsson and is for a very simple black bean and sweet potato soup that you can put together in about 15 minutes and then have it all cooked and done within another 30 minutes. With just a few ingredients necessary you be surprised just how much flavor you get.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a medium dice

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Add the chicken or vegetable broth, black beans, diced sweet potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Serve the soup topped with the fresh parsley. Add a dollop of sour cream or avocado for extra texture to the soup.

You can pretty much make this soup with it just what you have around in the pantry and have it any night of the week. If you want to make it a more vegetarian meal you can use vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth. I really liked the combination of the black beans and the sweet potatoes together and the cayenne pepper added just the right amount of heat to give the soup a little bit of a kick. I did not have any avocado on hand but I think it would go really well on top for some added flavor and texture. The soup actually thickened up nicely over the course of a day or 2 in the refrigerator and was even better when I had it for lunch in the following days. I will definitely make this one again as it is easy enough to put together any time you feel like having it and it does make a great lunch with a half of a sandwich or a little bit of a salad or just on its own.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 18, 2015 in Beans, Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Potatoes, Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

Tags: black bean and sweet potato soup, black bean and sweet potato soup recipe, black bean soup, black beans, Marcus Samuelsson, one pot meals, sweet potato soup, sweet potatoes

Savor the Luck of the Irish Today with Homemade Irish Cream

17 Mar

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everybody out there today! While many people may have done their celebrating this past weekend or are making plans for the upcoming weekend, I am sure some people are having a traditional Irish meal today or are planning on going out and doing some celebrating of their own at a local restaurant, club or bar. While making your own corned beef and cabbage dinner is pretty traditional today, at least here in America, you may want to give some different recipes a try to branch out a little bit for this particular holiday. We did our St. Patrick’s Day meal this past Sunday since Michelle was leaving on business today and would not be around. We had our corned beef and cabbage of course and some boiled potatoes to go with it, but we also tried a few new recipes for a couple of different things along the way. One in particular that I gave a shot to was making some homemade Irish cream. Now people may be familiar with the Irish cream that you can buy at your local liquor store (I know Bailey’s is Michelle’s particular favorite), but I was surprised at just how easy it is to make your own right at home with just a few ingredients. The recipe is really simple and you can have it put together right away and be able to use it for your dinner tonight. I got this particular recipe from Saveur.

Homemade Irish Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder

3/4 cup Irish whiskey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

In a medium-size bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream and the instant coffee and cocoa powders to make a smooth paste. Slowly add the remaining heavy cream, whisking the ingredients until they are smooth with. Add the Irish whiskey, vanilla extract, and the sweetened condensed milk. Stir all the ingredients together until they are well combined. Pour the mixture into a 24 ounce jar and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to serve, up to 2 weeks. To serve, pour the Irish cream into a tumbler filled with ice.

That is all there is to it and you can have Irish cream in an instant. I used Jameson’s Irish whiskey, which is my personal favorite, but you can use whatever Irish whiskey you like best. For me personally, Irish cream is not something I drink very often but I can appreciate it and the smell of Irish cream is very recognizable. You can certainly tell right away when you smell the mixture that it is exactly like what you would buy in the store. It makes an excellent drink all on its own with some ice or you can use it in any of the typical mixed drinks that you might use Irish cream for. It also makes a great addition to a nice cup of coffee, whether it is hot coffee or iced coffee. You could even pour some over your ice cream if you wanted a little bit of a different flavor to it or mix it in with a milkshake or even use it in some of your cake frosting to give a little bit of a sweeter flavor. I have to say I made the 24-ounce jar of Irish cream and we did not have any left by the end of the meal on Sunday night. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and since it is so easy to make I could certainly see making it again, particularly because buying a bottle of Irish cream at the liquor store can run you anywhere from $25-$35 and up. It is definitely one worth trying for St. Patrick’s Day or for any time.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, have a happy St. Patrick’s Day, and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 17, 2015 in Beverages, Holidays

Tags: homemade Irish cream, Irish Cream, irish cream recipe, Irish whiskey, Saveur, Saveur Irish cream recipe, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day drinks

A St. Patrick’s Day Treat – Skillet Soda Bread

16 Mar

Most people really only give much consideration to Irish soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day and may not think about it much the rest of the year. The problem is that most of the soda bread you find in local stores this time of year is very dense, very dry and very crumbly and just does not taste that good. Even some of the mixes I have tried over the years have been disappointing and I wanted to try to make one this year that would have the great crust a soda bread should have but the tender bread that was not tough to eat. I came across this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen last week and it was simple, basic and sounded perfect so I went about giving it a try to see how the bread would be.

Skillet Irish Soda Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon melted butter, optional

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the center position. Place the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingers until it is completely incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk. Work the liquid into the flour mixture using a fork until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead it gently and briefly until the loose flour is just moistened. The dough will still be scrappy and uneven.

Form the dough into a round about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and place it in a cast iron skillet. Score a deep cross on top of the loaf and place it in the heated oven. Bake the bread until it is nicely browned and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and brush the top of the loaf with the tablespoon of melted butter, if desired. Cool the bread for at least 30 minutes before slicing it. Serve the bread slightly warm or at room temperature.

I have to say it was the best soda bread I have had in a long time. No it does have raisins, or currants or any of that other stuff in it, but it doesn’t need all of that and that is more of the American version of Irish soda bread anyway. The crust on this bread has a wonderful crunch to it just like you want without it being all crumbly so it doesn’t fall apart when you slice it. The bread itself is nice and tender as well and goes really well with your corned beef and cabbage meal, if that is what you are having. You can make this on a baking sheet if you don’t have a coast iron pan or want to use one, but I think the crust comes out great thanks to the cast iron pan. If you can eat it while it is still warm it is that much better, but this will be okay for a day or two covered before it starts to dry out if you want to make it ahead of time. This will be my go to soda bread recipe from now on.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 16, 2015 in Breads, Cooking, Holidays

Tags: America's Test Kitchen soda bread, americas test kitchen, irish soda bread, Irish soda bread recipe, skillet Irish soda bread, skillet soda bread, soda bread, soda bread recipe, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's day irish soda bread

Checking in With a Classic – Chicken Marsala

13 Mar

There’s been a lot of work coming my way lately, which is a good thing because it keeps me working, but it also keeps me from doing extra things like blogging. After spending 10-12 hours a day on the computer writing it is hard to find the energy to get back on and write for the blog. Today I have a little bit of a break during the day so I have time to share a recipe I recently tried out at home. Sometimes it is nice to get back to the classics for recipes and I had wanted to make chicken Marsala for a while now and had just not gotten around to it. I finally happened to be down near our local liquor store the other day and made the conscious effort to go in and get a bottle of Marsala wine so that I could make the chicken. I decided to try out this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, which strays from a number of other recipes in that they do not make use of chicken broth in the recipe. I figured I would give it a try to see how it came out.

Chicken Marsala

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all-purpose flour

Table salt

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 1/2 ounces pancetta or bacon (about 3 slices), cut into pieces 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)

1 medium clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 1/2 cups Marsala wine

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon

4 tablespoons butter cut into 4 pieces, softened

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and place a large heatproof dinner plate on the oven rack, and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it is very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above the pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Halve the chicken breasts horizontally and then cover the chicken halves with plastic wrap and pound the chicken to an 1/4-inch thickness with a meat pounder. Meanwhile, place the flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper; working one piece at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour to coat both sides. Lift the chicken piece from the tapered end and shake it to remove any excess flour; transfer the piece to a large plate and repeat the process with the remainder of the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the heated skillet until it is shimmering. Place the floured cutlets in a single layer in the skillet and cook the chicken until it is golden brown on the first side, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the cutlets and cook them on the second side until they are golden brown and no longer pink, about 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to heated plate and repeat the process with any remaining chicken pieces. When all of the chicken is cooked, return the plate to the oven.

Cook the pancetta or bacon in the now-empty skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until it is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Add the mushrooms to the now-empty skillet, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste and the crisp pancetta or bacon and cook until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the Marsala wine, scraping up any browned bits. Return the skillet to the heat and bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and measures about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and any accumulated chicken juices. Whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time. Stir in the parsley and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

I have to say I have had chicken Marsala a number of times and very often the chicken is overcooked and the mushrooms are slimy and the sauce is watery. none of those things occurred with this dish. the chicken was tender with great flavor and the sauce came out perfectly. The mushrooms were not overcooked or watery and came out perfectly and the pancetta (or bacon, which I used this time) was a nice touch to the dish. I served this with noodles for Michelle and Sean and had it over rice myself and it was done perfectly. I even had some leftovers the next day for lunch and it was delicious. I would use this recipe again to make this classic. It is not one I had made in a long time so it was nice to try it again.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 13, 2015 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Sauce

Tags: America's Test Kitchen chicken Marsala, americas test kitchen, chicken breasts, chicken marsala, Chicken Marsala recipe, classic chicken marsala, Marsala wine

Essential Recipes and Tips Your Mother Should’ve Taught You : Food Network

12 Mar

Essential Recipes and Tips Your Mother Should’ve Taught You : Food Network.

There are always some basic recipes everybody should try to know so that you can make some great tasting but easy dishes anytime that you want. Food Network has put together 10 essential recipes and tips that you should know how to do in the kitchen that can help you to make some great meals. Check it out!

hopefully I will have time to post a new recipe tomorrow!

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Posted by MikeG on March 12, 2015 in Beef, Breakfast, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Dressings, Eggs, Gravy, Potatoes, Poultry, Salad, Seafood, Side Dishes, Stir Fry

Tags: 10 recipes you should know how to make, basic recipes and tips to know, essentail recipes you should know, essential recipes and tips your mother should've taught you, food network

Take a Turn at Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

10 Mar

When you need a fast and easy dinner it has not to think of making a stir fry. It does not matter what type of protein you have on hand (or none at all if you want a nice vegetable stir fry), all you need is a good sauce to use and some vegetables and you are good to go. I have always found that sir fry dinners work really well with leftover vegetables much like it is when you want to make a hash. At any rate, since Mondays are hectic days around here (although lately they all seem pretty hectic), a stir fry was a very easy way to go for dinner that could be done quickly. I had a pork tenderloin on hand and decided this would be the perfect foil for a nice stir fry meal so I found this recipe at food.com for a simple pork teriyaki stir fry, rounded up my ingredients and went ahead with the recipe.

Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound boneless pork loin chop or 1 pound pork tenderloin

1 red, yellow or orange pepper, cut into thin 1-inch strips

6 ounces snow peas

4 green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained

White or brown rice, for serving

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and whisk again to blend the ingredients. Cut the pork into thin strips and add it to the soy sauce mixture. Toss the pork to coat it well in the sauce and cover and refrigerate the pork for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the white or brown rice according to the package directions and set the rice aside.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it is smoking. Remove the pork from the marinade and add the pork strips to the skillet, reserving the marinade for later. Stir fry the pork for 2 to 3 minutes until it is no longer pink. Remove the pork from the skillet with a slotted spoon to a bowl and cover the bowl to keep the pork warm. Add the remaining sesame oil to the skillet. Add the bell pepper, snow peas and green onions and stir fry the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes until they are crisp-tender. Return the pork to the skillet with the vegetables and stir in the reserved marinade and the bamboo shoots. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove the stir fry to a large bowl or platter and serve with the warm rice.

Of course the great thing about a stir fry is that you can use any vegetables you have on hand. I had some multi-color peppers so I went with red, yellow and orange and I also had a pack of frozen stir fry vegetables on hand that I added to the vegetables at well to make it a full meal. the sauce was perfect for the pork and the vegetables and everything smelled great and tasted even better. As a matter of fact, there was very little left over from the meal, just enough for Michelle to take for lunch with her. it’s a fast one pot meal (well 2 with the rice) that you can have made in under 30 minutes for any night of the week.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 10, 2015 in Cookbooks, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pork, Sauce, Stir Fry, Vegetables

Tags: Food.com, one pot meal, pork stir fry, pork teriyaki stir fry, stir fry, stir fry dinner, stir fry vegetables, teriyaki pork stir fry, teriyaki sauce

Monday’s a Great Day for Beautiful Buns (Burger Buns, That Is)

09 Mar

Work has been overwhelming the last few days and I have barely had time to breathe, let alone cook and blog. I have a little bit of time right now as I have gotten caught up between projects, doing laundry, trying to get the house clean, picking Sean up from play practice and dealing with a wife and son that both have some type of virus so they sound like frogs. On top of that I really need to find time to go and get my haircut in all of this mess! Anyway, when I have found time to cook over the last few days I have been able to try out some recipes and one of them was perfect for when I made some pulled pork for dinner. I decided I wanted to make my own rolls for this one and found this great easy recipe from King Arthur Flour for beautiful burger buns. it is a very simple recipe that gives you great soft buns that are perfect for any type of sandwich and you can have them done in a couple of hours. With he breadmaker, they are even easier.

Beautiful Burger Buns

1 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon instant yeast

3 tablespoons melted butter, for topping (optional)

Mix and knead the water, butter, egg, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and yeast together – by hand, mixer with a dough hook attachment or by breadmaker making a basic dough – to make a soft and smooth dough. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough has nearly doubled in bulk. If you are using the breadmaker, you can use the rise function during the basic dough course for this.

Place the dough on a cutting board or work surface and gently deflate the dough and then divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball and then flatten the ball so it is about 3 inches across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover the buns with a damp kitchen towel and allow them to rise for about an hour until they are noticeably puffy.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter, if desired. When the oven is up to temperature, bake the buns in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes until they are golden brown. remove the buns from the oven and brush them with the remainder of the melted butter, if desired. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust. Cool the buns on a wire rack before using.

If you want to make slightly smaller buns, which is what I did, divide the dough into 12 pieces instead of 8 and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes instead of the 15 to 18 minutes. you could go over even smaller if you wanted slider buns and cut the dough into 24 pieces and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes if you like. I have to say the resulting buns were really good. they were perfectly browned and cooked, soft on the outside with a nice crust and ideal for the pulled pork that we had for dinner. These would also be great for hamburgers or really any type of sandwiches that you might like to serve on them. they are so easy to do you could put them together just about any weekend that you have time to do them and then freeze some to use the rest of the week when you need them. Sean is already planning on his lunches for the rest of this week with them.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe (hopefully it will be tomorrow). Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 9, 2015 in Breads, Sandwiches

Tags: beautiful burger buns, burger buns, burger buns recipe, burger rolls recipe, King Arthur Flour, King arthur Flour burger buns

Our Best Irish Recipes – Bon Appétit

04 Mar

Our Best Irish Recipes – Bon Appétit.

St. Patrick’s Day is under 2 weeks away so now is a good time to start planning out some of those great Irish recipes in advance of the day that is everything Irish. Bon Appetit has put together 18 recipes that are Irish-inspired recipes to help you celebrate the day with great drinks, corned beef and fun desserts. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on March 4, 2015 in Appetizers, Beef, Beverages, Breads, Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Potatoes, Sandwiches, Side Dishes

Tags: best Irish recipes, bon appetit, Bon Appetit Irish recipes, corned beef and cabbage, guinness, Irish food for St. Patrick's Day, Our best Irish recipes, St. Patrick's Day, St. patrick's Day recipe ideas

A Sweet Treat for Dinner – Pineapple Sweet Ribs

03 Mar

Ribs are always one of my favorite meals no matter what time of year it may be around here. many people may equate making ribs for dinner along with the summer time and barbecues, but most of the time I make my ribs in the oven anyway so I can just as easily make some ribs in February as I can in August. When I saw some baby back ribs on sale at the store recently I picked some up and then set about trying to find a good recipe to do something a little different. I had also picked up a fresh pineapple that same day and was looking for a way where I could combine some of the flavors and came across this recipe from Taste Book for pineapple sweet ribs. Their recipe makes the ribs over a grill so I adapted the recipe to fit into my use in the oven and I went about making some fine tasting ribs.

Pineapple Sweet Ribs

2 racks baby back ribs

1/2 cup beef stock

For the Dry Rub:

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cumin

For the Glaze:

1 cup pineapple juice

1 tablespoon dry rub mix

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup barbecue sauce

To make the dry rub, combine the brown sugar, paprika, garlic salt, onion salt, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano and cumin together in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the dry rub mix for the glaze mixture and apply the remaining rub generously to the front and the back side of the ribs. Pat the rub gently to ensure that the rub adheres well to the meat. Marinate for at least one hour at room temperature or up to overnight covered in the refrigerator.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the ribs in a large baking or roasting pan along with the beef stock and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake the ribs for 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the oven until they are tender.

While the ribs are cooking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, add the pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon of dry rub mix, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and barbecue sauce until it is well blended. Heat the mixture over medium heat, bring it to a simmer and turn the heat down to low and allow the glaze to simmer for about 5 minutes until it thickens.

Remove the baking pan from the oven and take the foil cover off of the ribs. Brush all sides of the ribs with the glaze until they are well coated. Place the ribs bake in the baking pan and turn on the broiler. Broil the ribs to caramelize the glaze on the ribs, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and place them on a cutting board. Cut the ribs into single or double portions and place them on a platter and serve with any of the remaining glaze.

I really liked the sweetness of the pineapple to go along with the glaze and the balsamic really helped to top things off. The ribs came out perfectly and were falling off the bone, just the way I like them. The combination of pineapple and pork goes so well together that it makes a great glaze that would probably work well on pork chops as well. I actually served some diced pineapple along as one of the side dishes with some baked beans, corn and boiled potatoes. it was a nice meal that made us think of the summertime as we freeze here in February.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 3, 2015 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Sauce

Tags: baby back ribs in the oven, baby back ribs recipe, dry rub for ribs, pineapple baby back ribs, pineapple glaze, pineapple ribs, pineapple sweet ribs, TasteBook

The Easiest Cookies You Will Ever Make – Brownie Crinkle Cookies

02 Mar

When it comes to eating cookies, I have my classic favorites. I love homemade chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies and even just plain sugar cookies. I even venture out a little bit and enjoy the Heath bar brickle cookies for a little bit of an extra flavor. When it comes to cookies in the house Michelle and Sean are the real experts and lovers of all things cookie and Michelle is always on he lookout for a new cookie to try or make. Sometimes you want a recipe that you can put together really easily and have done fast, as was the case last week when Michelle was looking to bring some cookies into her office one day. She had used the chocolate crinkle cookie recipe in the past and really loved it and I had never seen her make it before until I was amazed at what was in it and how quickly it all came together. I had seen her make these from Martha Stewart’s recipe at Christmas time, but never like this.This recipe comes from the Best Ever Cookie Collection and uses only 4 ingredients to get it all together.

Brownie Crinkle Cookies

1 package of boxed brownie mix

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use parchment paper or a silicon baking mat on the cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix the dry brownie mix, water and egg together with a spoon. Mix for about 50 strokes or until the ingredients are well blended. Place the powdered sugar in a separate shallow bowl or dish. Shape the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls or use a small cookie scoop to make the dough balls. Roll the balls in the sugar until they are well coated. Place the cookie balls on the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains in the center of the cookie when it is touched lightly. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, give or take and if you ever wanted a nice brownie in cookie form this is it. It has that great chocolate flavor you get from a brownie in just a little cookie form and the powdered sugar is the perfect touch. I could see making these even just a little bit larger and putting some ice cream between them to make some awesome ice cream cookie sandwiches. I am not a milk drinker myself but Sean swears you have to have them with a cold glass of milk to finish them off. Michelle left a few at home for us and brought the rest with her to the office where they were quickly devoured and gone. This recipe gives you a great alternative way to use that box of brownie mix you have sitting in the closet if you don’t feel like having brownies and want a cookie instead.

That’s all I have for today (it’s Monday – busy work day!). Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!