Fudgy Macadamia Nut Brownies

Macadamia Nut Brownies

1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chopped toasted macadamia nuts - divided use

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Butter an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter and chocolate together over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and transfer to mixing bowl. Beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt until just blended. Fold in 1 cup of the nuts.
3. Spread mixture in pan. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup of nuts. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake; center should be set, but still moist. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Makes 16 bars.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Barefoot Brownie Pudding

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
• 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
• 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, framboise, if using, 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.

Party Punch

Party Punch 

Ingredients

• 2 quarts sherbet (lime, pineapple, orange)
• 2 liters ginger ale
• 1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice
• Lemon slices
• Lime slices
• Maraschino cherries

Directions

In a punch bowl, add 2 quarts of sherbet. Then add ginger ale and pineapple juice. Decorate with lemon and lime slices and some maraschino cherries.

DC Cupcakes New Year's Eve Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Servings: Serves 12

Ingredients

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes (36 mini cupcakes, 3 per Champagne flute)

• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries , diced
• 1/2 Tbsp. good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)
• 2 1/2 cups flour , sifted
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder , sifted
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp. (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature
• 2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract + seeds from 1 vanilla bean(NOTE: move down to next line...see edits to other recipe)
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk , at room temperature

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

• 16 Tbsp. (8 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar , sifted
• 1 tsp. whole milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)

Strawberry Layer

• 24 fresh strawberries
• 1 cup good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)

Chocolate Ganache

• 2 cups high-quality semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

For Serving:

12 glass Champagne flutes

12 long spoons

12 indoor-safe sparkler candles

Step 1: Baking the Mini Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 mini cupcake pans with 36 mini baking cups or grease pans with butter if not using baking cups.

Dice up 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries and soak in 1/2 cup of Champagne. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

Combine the vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

Gently fold in the diced Champagne-soaked strawberries, just until incorporated.

Scoop batter into baking cups and bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. If using paper baking cups, peel off all of the paper baking cups from the cupcakes at this time.

Step 2: Making the Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the confectioner's sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add the vanilla extract, milk, salt and Champagne, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Place frosting in a disposable piping bag with a large round tip.

Step 3: Preparing the Strawberries

Slice 24 strawberries lengthwise and soak in 1 cup of Champagne for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 4: Making the Chocolate Ganache

Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or 2 of water and place over medium-low heat. Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a medium glass bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate chips. Stir occasionally until the chips are completely melted. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the saucepan. Pour the ganache into a plastic squeeze bottle. (If a squeeze bottle is not available, you can drizzle with a spoon.)

Step 5: Assembling Layers in Champagne Flutes

Line up 12 glass Champagne flutes. Insert 1 mini strawberry Champagne cupcake in the bottom of each glass. Next, pipe a swirl of Champagne buttercream frosting on top of each cupcake. Add several slices of Champagne-soaked strawberries, and a drizzle of chocolate ganache. Repeat layers. Finally, place a third mini strawberry Champagne cupcake at the top of each glass, pipe with a final "Georgetown Cupcake signature swirl" of Champagne buttercream frosting, and top with a final drizzle of chocolate ganache.

Step 6: Serving

Insert 1 indoor-safe sparkler candle in the top of each glass. Light the candles at midnight, serve with spoons, and enjoy!

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/DC-Cupcakes-New-Years-Eve-Strawberry-Champagne-Sparkler-Cupcakes

Jenny's Snow Kissed Chex Mix

Jenny's Snow Kissed Chex Mix

Ingredients:

5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Chex Rice Cereal
1 lb M&M's Candies
10 ounces Pretzel Sticks
2 cups Dry Roasted Peanuts
24 ounces Vanilla Almond Bark
3 Tbs Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Mix first 5 ingredients together.  Melt Almond Bark and Vegetable Oil in microwave for 90 seconds.  Pour Almond Bark over Chex mixture and mix until evenly coated.  Spread mixture out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to cool.  When mixture has cooled, break apart and store in an airtight container.

Mama Mia Meat Sauce

Mama Mia Meat Sauce


My homemade Mama Mia Meat Sauce is full of flavor, cooked low and slow.  This meaty tomato sauce is perfect on any of your favorite pastas. The recipe makes enough sauce for two to three meals, any extra sauce can be stored in the freezer.
Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal or turkey
1 lb Italian sausage, pork or turkey (removed from casing)
2 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 ½ cup red wine (that you would drink)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 ½ Tbs. Italian Seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped oregano
2 Tbs. chopped basil

Directions:

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, combine and brown beef, veal, and turkey sausage. Drain fat, reserving about 2 Tbs. of drippings. Remove meat from pot and set aside.

Into the drippings, add garlic and cook on medium low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, red wine, and all the spices. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and meat to the pot. Cover and cook on lowest setting for 2 hours. Stirring occasionally.