Candy Cane Brownie Trifle

Candy Cane Brownie Trifle

From thefoodcharlatan.com 
Serves Serves 16    

Ingredients

• 1 9x13 inch pan of baked brownies (see below recipe for her favorite)
• 6 ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 and 1/4 cup half and half or cream
• 3/4 sugar
• 3 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 cup crushed candy canes (about 12 candy canes)

Instructions

1. Start by making the brownies. A box mix is fine. Make sure not to over bake them. Remove brownies from the oven and cool completely (if you are in a hurry stick them in the freezer).  Cut brownies into bite-size chunks and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons of butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. 
3. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups half and half or cream, 3/4 cup sugar, and corn syrup.  Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.  Boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes (set a timer!) or until sauce is reduced to about 2 1/3 cups.  Remove from heat. Let cool for a minute or two, until it stops bubbling. 
4. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.  Cool to room temperature; mixture thickens as it cools. (Freezer or fridge also helps here).
5. For the whipped cream, in a chilled mixing bowl combine 2 cups cream, powdered sugar, and 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract.  Beat with the chilled beaters of an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
6. In 16 small dessert cups, alternately layer brownie chunks, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and crushed candy canes, ending with whipped cream and candy canes.  Serve immediately.
7. If you want to do this all in one trifle bowl, place 1/3 of the brownie chunks in a 3-quart bowl or trifle dish.  Drizzle with 1/4 of the chocolate sauce.  Sprinkle with 1/4 of the candy canes.  Top with 1/3 of the whipped cream.  Repeat layers twice more.  Drizzle with remaining chocolate sauce; sprinkle with remaining candy canes.  Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

UPDATE: I get lots of questions about whether this can be made ahead of time. I've brought it to potlucks before where it sat for about an hour before eating, but I wouldn't go much longer than that. The candy canes get soggy and the whipped cream doesn't stay fluffy. It's still delicious and people will love it, but just be aware that it's best to assemble this at very last minute before you leave for your event. You can prep the brownies and fudge the day before assembling. In fact, I sometimes turn to this recipe when I over bake a pan of brownies, it saves them!

 

Browned Butter Brownies

Source: Something Swanky
Makes one 9×13 pan.
2 1/2 sticks salted butter (1 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining with parchment paper or foil and then spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Or just spray the pan.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally. The butter will foam up, then back down and start forming brown colored milk solids or “bits”. When it is a nice light brown and it starts to smell like you could drink it straight, that’s when you know it’s done.
While your butter is browning, combine sugar and cocoa in a bowl or stand mixer.
Once the butter is nice and brown, immediately pour the butter into the bowl with the sugar and cocoa (so that it stops cooking. You don’t want it to burn). Beat the mixture until it is smooth, almost creamy.
Add the salt, water, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition.
Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Batter will be about the consistency of cement. Have a taste. It’s awesome.
Use a sturdy rubber spatula to spread batter in the 9×13 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes [took 45 minutes for me] until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool, then cut into 2″ squares to serve. (Or don’t let it cool, and cut it into 5″ squares like me.)

Alabama Blueberry Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar (divided into 1/4 cup and 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups canola oil
2 pints (4 cups) blueberries (mash about 1 cup of these)
1 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon (divided into two parts)
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground cloves
3 eggs, well beaten
2 tsp. lemon extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two large (9-inch) loaf pans. Mix 1/4 cup of the sugar and half of the cinnamon. Sprinkle pan and top of bread with this mixture. Place flour, salt, baking soda, remaining sugar, cloves, nutmeg, and the remaining cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil, and lemon extract. Stir in the blueberries. (Mashing some of the blueberries gives the bread a nice blueberry color.) If you use frozen blueberries, make sure they are frozen plain and not sugared. Divide batter between two loaf pans. Sprinkle top of bread with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake 1 hour.

To remove the loaves from their pans without losing the sugary topping, try this trick: double a sheet of aluminum foil, cut it to half the width of the pan and place it in the greased bread pan, up and over the edges, then pour in the batter. This will give you a handy way to lift the bread right out of the pan. Let it cool before eating. It's really even better the next day, believe it or not. Keep refrigerated.

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 fresh poblano, Anaheim, or green sweet peppers

• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack w/ jalapeno peppers or Mexi-blend cheese (4 oz)

• 3 beaten eggs

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup same cheese as above

• Picante sauce (optional)

• Dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Quarter the peppers and remove seeds, stems, and veins. Immerse peppers into boiling water for 3 minutes; drain. Invert peppers on paper towels to drain well. Place the peppers in a well-greased 2-quart square baking dish. Top with 1 cup of the cheese.
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk. Add flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Beat until smooth with a rotary beater. Pour egg mixture over peppers and cheese.
3. Bake, uncovered, in a 450 degree F oven about 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the egg mixture comes out clean. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Let stand about 5 minutes or until cheese melts. If desired, serve with picante sauce and sour cream. Makes 4 servings.

Cucumber Salads

Cucumber, Tomato, Green Onion Salad

Ingredients

• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced and quartered
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup water

Directions

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber and onions. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk in the vinegar and water. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.




Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad (Ukrainian) 

Ingredients: 
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
2 medium cucumbers, cut in half and sliced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, pressed (2 cloves if you love garlic!)
3 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp sour cream
1/8 tsp pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all of the prepared vegetables in a medium bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, garlic and pepper. Mix well.
3. Mix the dressing into the vegetables. Add salt to taste just before serving.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

5-6 large flour tortillas (I used 9)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled if desired
1/4 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar, divided
2 leeks, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 dried hot chili pepper, crushed (I used 1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers)
1 15-oz. can black beans
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
vegetable or corn oil

Optional:
1/2 lb. chorizo
1-2 cups salsa
1/2-1 cup sour cream
1-2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Wash and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Put the potatoes, soy sauce, and 1/3 cup of the cider vinegar into a large pot and boil until the potatoes are very soft and the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, saute the leeks, chorizo (if using) and garlic over medium-high heat in a little oil with the cumin until you can smell it halfway out the door. Then add the remaining cider vinegar, the chili pepper (crushed red pepper), and the black beans. Turn the heat down to medium, cover the pan, and take a break until the potatoes are done.

When the potatoes are finished, mash them, leaving a fair number of lumps. Fold the beans and 1 cup of the cheese into the potatoes. Fill the tortillas with about a handful of filling, roll and pack tightly into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Top the enchiladas with the remaining cheese, and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble. After it's finished baking, broil for about 5 minutes to get the cheese really golden brown and toasty. Serve hot, with lots of salsa, sour  cream, cilantro, and napkins.

Prep time: 15 min.
Cooking time: about 1 hour total
Serves: 3-6

London Broil

I can never find this when I need it, so I'm putting it online.
 

London Broil in Crock Pot

1 London broil or flank steak, cut into 3 or so pieces to fit in crock pot  (I cut it into as many pieces as I have people to serve)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

1 package sliced fresh mushrooms (we've always used canned) (optional but great)

1/2 soup can of water

Put in crock pot and cook all day (on low).  Serve over rice.

Same recipe can be done with chicken.

Pizza in a Pot and Green Chili Stew

Two crockpot favorites:

Green Chili Stew:

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut in 1 in. cubes

2 med onions, chopped

2 T. oil

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilis

1 cup water

3 beef boullion cubes

1 (or more) garlic cloves, minced

1 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

In a skillet or dutch oven, brown beef and onions in oil. Drain if you want. Transfer to crockpot. Combine beans, tomatoes, chilis, water, boullion, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until beef is tender. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Serves 8.

Pizza in a Pot

Ingredients

1 1/2

pounds bulk Italian sausage or lean ground beef

1

medium onion, cut into thin wedges

1

15 ounce can pizza sauce with cheese

1

14 1/2 ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

2

cups frozen (yellow, green, and red) peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables

1

4 1/2 ounce jar (drained weight) sliced mushrooms, drained, or one 2.25-ounce can sliced pitted ripe olives, drained

1

16 ounce loaf Italian bread or French baguette, halved lengthwise

1

8 ounce package shredded pizza cheese (2 cups)

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Place cooked meat mixture in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in pizza sauce, undrained tomatoes, stir-fry vegetables, and mushrooms.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.
3. Arrange bread, cut sides up, on a large baking sheet. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Spoon meat mixture on top of bread slices. Sprinkle with pizza cheese. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes more or until cheese melts. Cut into 10 pieces.