BYU Mint Brownies

Here's the brownies that Brittany Anderson brought to last week's RS activity.

BYU MINT BROWNIES

Sugar-n-Spice, Cougareat Food Court
MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)
MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Refrigerated Salad

Hey ladies! Here's Rae Mortensen's recipe from last week's activity!

Refrigerated Salad

#2 can choepeg corn

#2 can baby peas

#2 can french cut green beans

#2 can red kindey beans

1 small onion, minced

1 bell pepper, minced

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c vinegar

1/3 c oil

salt & pepper

Mix sugar, oil & vinegar in saucepan. Heat to boiling. Pour over drained vegetables. Refrigerate overnight. Keeps 3-4 weeks in fridge.

I'd love to see some more recipes from the My Favorite Things activity posted! :)

Recipe Lunch

Here are some recipes from a lunch we had at the park. If anyone was there and has anything to add, let me know or you can add it yourself if you know how. Thanks for sharing!

Paht Thai Noodles (Elise Hadley)

¼ lb dried rice noodles, linguine or fettuccine width

3 T vegetable oil

1 T coarsely chopped garlic

8-10 med. Shrimp (1/4 lb.), peeled and deveined

¼ lb. boneless chicken or pork, cut in bite-sized pieces

3 T fish sauce

2 T soy sauce

2 T sugar

½ t dried red chili flakes or chili powder (I used less for those who don’t like spicy food)

Water to prevent noodles from sticking

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 green onions, coarsely chopped (1/3 cup)

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

¼ cup coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

2 T freshly squeezed lime juice

2 lime wedges

1. To prepare the dried noodles, bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil, add the noodles, and remove from heat. Let the noodles steep 5 min, and then drain and rinse well in cold water. Transfer the drained rice noodles to a medium bowl and place it by the stove, along with a serving platter, a pair of long-handled tongs or a spatula, and a slotted spoon for tossing the noodles. Have all the remaining ingredients ready and handy.

2. In a large, deep skillet or wok, heat 2 T of the oil over medium heat until a bit of garlic sizzles at once. Add the garlic, toss well, and then add the shrimp and chicken or pork. Cook about 2 minutes, tossing now and then, until shrimp and meat are cooked through.

Add the noodles and toss as they begin to soften, whiten, and curl in the hot pan. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and chili flakes and cook 1-2 minutes, tossing now and then. Add a splash or tow of water to prevent sticking.

When the noodles are tender, push them to one side and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the egg, and once it is almost set, scramble it and push it aside. Add the green onions and 1 cup of the bean sprouts and cook 1 minute, tossing once or twice, until shiny and beginning to wilt.

Sprinkle lime juice over the top and toss. Serve with fresh bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chopped peanuts.

From Quick and Easy Thai By Nanci McDermott

Salmon (Lindsey Bangerter)


4 salmon fillets
McMormick Lemon and Herb Seasonings
Milk


Salsa:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 shallot, dices
2 Tbsp capers
4 basil leaves, minced
2 roma tomatoes
Saute Shallot, capers, and basil in oil. Add tomatoes


Put fish in 9x13 pan. Pour enough milk in pan for it to be 1/2 " high. Sprinkle lemon and herb seasoning on fish and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve with salsa on top.


Cool couscous with Fruit and Nuts (Cecy Wheeler)

1 cup uncooked couscous
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup dried mixed fruit
2 tablespoons dry-roasted cashews, chopped


Combine couscous and salt in a medium bowl; add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Cover and let stand 8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Combine juice and oil; stir into couscous. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Stir in fruit and cashews. Yield: 6 servings


Summertime Orzo and Chicken (Cecy Wheeler)


3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese


Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink.


In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, parsley and chicken. Drain pasta; stir into chicken mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, slat and pepper. Pour over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Serve warm or cold. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese.


Cowboy Caviar (Nicole Anderson)

1 can corn
1 can black beans, drained
3 large tomatoes, chopped
3 large avocados, chopped
2 Tbs chopped green onions
1 package dry Italian dressing
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbs water

In a large bowl mix corn, peas, tomatoes, avocados and onions. In another bowl mix the dry Italian dressing, olive oil, vinegar and water. Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture and toss until evenly coated. Serve with tortilla chips.

Green Chile Quiche

This is another recipe from the brunch last week. Our family eats this for dinner, since it is way too much work for breakfast.

Green Chile Quiche

1/2 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 small onion, chopped
6 eggs
2 T milk or cream
2 T flour
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack)
1 can green chiles
1/2 t salt
1/2 t paprika
3/4 t oregano
1/4 t garlic powder
salt and pepper
9 -inch pie crust

Beat eggs with milk and flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.


A very similar recipe is:

Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

sliced, buttered bread, crust removed

2 c. Cheddar cheese, grated

1lb cooked sausage

2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 4 oz can green chilies

8 eggs

2 c. milk

1 t salt

1/2 t paprika

1 t oregano

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t dry mustard

Line bottom of 9x13 pan with buttered bread, buttered side down (fit tightly). Layer Cheddar cheese, sausage, Jack cheese, and chilies. Beat together eggs, milk, and spices. Pour over casserole. Chill overnight. Bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes uncovered. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

One good thing and one...not so much

So I had a success and a miss-fire this week.

I love using the EverydayFoods little magazine and, thanks to Summer for a tip about a smaller binder with plastic sleeves, I have the recipes I like ripped out and nicely organized. Both my mistake and my success come from this Everyday Foods, which is odd because I've loved everything that I've made from it.

The Bomb: (and not in the cool "yer-the-bomb" sort of way. The "this-really-sucks" way.)

Spinach-feta Turnovers pg 68 of some month this year. I love the thought of turnovers. Yummy deliciousness nicely packed inside a crusty buttery pocket. The pastry shell was very good but that's easy: It was a frozen puff pastry you buy in the freezer section, I mean, you can't go wrong with that. But the stuff inside: not so good, in fact yuck! With spinach and feta cheese really the only two things, it was nasty. But what really ticked me of was the assembling of these stupid turnovers! Rolling them out not big enough, sticking too much filling so it oozed out the side, the egg wash it called for did NOT make the edges stick together. So NO THANK YOU, to this recipe!

Success!
Angel Hair Pasta with Bacon and Peas
Did you go to the brunch at the park on Friday? If not, you MISSED out!! Lots of good food for the taking! And this was one of 'em, thank you very much!...Okay, it was super easy and I had all the stuff so I really don't get much credit. Here's a link to the recipe. LINK I didn't use fresh angel hair pasta and next time I won't use angel hair at all. It's too delicate and fragile...like me...ahhh. I need something a little heftier and strong...like me! HA! Anyway, it was good and some of you had it!

So what have you made lately? Any that really tasted bad?

A Good, Always Popular Salad

Summer Salad

1-2 heads iceberg lettuc

1 bunch red leaf lettuce

1 red onion sliced (soak in water overnight)

1 lb. fried bacon cooked and crumbled

8 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced

2 cups cottage cheese

1 lb. Swiss cheese

Dressing:

2/3 cup vinegar

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. dried mustard

1-2 green onions chopped

1-2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. poppy seeds

1 cup salad oil

stir until sugar is dissolved

This salad goes soggy very quickly, so don't mix it together until ready to serve. I have also seen many variations of this salad with slivered almonds, oranges, chicken, etc...

Pineapple Upside-down Muffins

This is my new favorite muffin. I made them for scrapbooking a while back, so some of you may have tried them. Also, this muffin book is pretty cool, lots of good recipes.

Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins from The Ultimate Muffin Book

3 T light brown sugar

8 T butter, melted and cooled

One 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups plus 2 T flour

½ cup sugar

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

2 lg eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ t almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and 2 T of the melted butter until well combined. Divide this mixture evenly among the 12 muffin tines, placing about 1 t in the bottom of each. Top the butter mixture in each tin with 1 t of crushed pineapple. Set aside.
2. Wisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until uniform. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the buttermilk, the almond extract, the remaining 6 T melted butter, and the remaining crushed pineapple. Gently stir in the prepared flour mixture with a wooden spoon until moistened.
4. Taking care not to disturb the sugar and pineapple in the bottom of the tins, fill them three-quarters full with batter. Use additional greased tins or individual , ovensafe, greased ramekins for any leftover batter, or reserve the batter for a second baking. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly browned with rounded tops. A toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin should come out with a few moist crumbs attached.
5. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Gently tip each muffin to one side, taking care to keep the pineapple bottom attached. If it comes looks, simply scrape it out and gently press it back onto the muffin top once the muffin has been removed from the tin. Remove all the muffins; serve upside down. Cool completely before sealing them in a airtight container, where they will stay fresh for up to 2 days. These muffins do not freeze well.

Caramel Chex

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to add something to our food blog. This here is one of my favorite quick and easy treats! I LOVE it, it's addictive and we gave some of it away for a Christmas treat. So here's the recipe. Also, Maria said she made a Baked Alaska during the Christmas break and took a picture of it to put on the blog. Maria, where is it? We all want to see your masterpiece!! :)

p.s. I still want Sara's carrot chowder. Sara, I made it the other day and it was soooo good! But for some reason I thought that you said that you added something else. What was it?

Caramel Chex

1 cube butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
8 c. Chex
slivered almonds (optional)
1 large brown paper bag

Pour Chex and almonds in a large brown paper bag. Bring butter, brown sugar, corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat then add baking soda. The soda will make this mixture foam a bit. Pour this mixture over the Chex in paper bag. Close up bag and put into microwave for 1 minute on high. Take out bag and shake. Put bag back in microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and shake then pour out onto wax paper to cool.

These measurements might be more helpful because it's based on the cereal box size.

1 1/2 cube butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
a little more than 1/3 c. corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 16 oz. box of Chex

Carrot Chowder

I didn't take a picture of the carrot chowder I made for Gretchen's shower but I have had many requests for the recipe. So, here it is minus the pic:

Carrot Chowder

1 pound ground beef—brown then add:
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup celery chopped
½ cup bell pepper chopped
½ cup green onion chopped

1 quart tomato juice (46 oz juice or 32 oz)
1 ½ cup water
½ tsp pepper
3 cloves of minced garlic (I always add extra)
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp marjoram
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ cups coarsely grated carrots
2 cans cream of celery soup

In a large pot brown 1 lb. grown beef and discard drippings. Add: salt, celery, peppers, green onions, sauté this mixture until meat absorbs vegetable flavor—about 10 minutes. Add: tomato juice, water, pepper, garlic, salt, marjoram, sugar, and grated carrots. Bring to a boil and then turn to simmer.
**Take some of this hot mixture and put it into a separate bowl. Add two cans soup into the separate bowl and stir until smooth. This step is important so that the soup isn’t lumpy. Then, put this mixture back into the big pot. Pour the soup into bowls and add swiss cheese to melt into each bowl**