Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

I've been making these brownies for a few years. These are great if you are a peanut butter lover. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com but I made a few changes to suit my tastes. :) The original recipe doesn't call for the chocolate frosting so if you don't like chocolate you can eliminate that part - but really that's what makes the recipe so good!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 can of chocolate frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan. (I used an 8x8 since I don't have a 9x9 - I just cooked mine a little longer.)

In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter and margarine. Gradually blend in the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix until fluffy.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top springs back when touched. (I cooked mine for about 40-45 but I used an 8x8 pan)



I let these cool for about 5 minutes. While they are still warm put your chocolate frosting on top.



Let the chocolate melt then put in the refrigerator and cut when they are completely cooled. The chocolate melts then hardens when cools - makes for a very yummy brownie!

Southwest Orzo & Black Bean Salad

The office manager at my office made this salad for a work function a while back. This is so good - definitely something I will make often, especially during the summer. It's cold and refreshing - a great compliment to grilled chicken!

I made this during the warm spell we had a few weeks ago. We did have it with grilled chicken and ate out on the deck. So nice & yummy!

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine and mix well with whisk or put in a jar and shake.

Main Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
2 cups cooked orzo pasta (or rice)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (I used canned corn)
1/2 jar (7.25 oz) roasted red peppers, sliced
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients and then add dressing. Toss to coat well and let marinate for several hours in the refrigerator. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour prior to serving.



I let the salad come to room temperature the first night we ate this. For the leftovers I did not and really I thought it tasted just fine cold so you may be able to skip that step.

Love Bites

Jordan and I stayed in last night and I cooked dinner. We used to go out to eat on V-day but were not really happy with the quality of our meals. Seems like the restaurants have items that they can mass produce because they are so busy.



Last night I made Tarragon Beef Tournedo Salad.

Ingredients Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
4 cups spring mix salad greens
8 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 thin slices baguette (we ended up making more - 8 total)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz beef tenderloin cut into 4 slices, 1/2 inch thick
salt and pepper
2 large eggs

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.

Divide the salad greens, tomatoes and olives between two plates. Meanwhile bring a small saucepan of water to simmer over medium heat to poach the eggs.

Drizzle each baguette slice with 1 tsp olive oil. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, toast bread on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Remove to salad plates. wipe skillet clean with paper towel.



Season steaks with salt and pepper. I also seasoned with season salt and lemon pepper seasoning. Add remaining oil to to skillet and saute steaks 2-3 minutes on each side for rare. Our steaks were a little thicker than 1/2 inch so we had to cook longer than 3 minutes per side. Probably 6 minutes per side. Place steaks on toast.

Poach eggs in gently simmering water until whites are firm, about 3 minutes. Remove eggs with slotted spoon. Briefly dry poached eggs by carefully rolling them in a paper towel. Top steak slices with egg.

Drizzle each salad - greens mixture, baguette, steak slices, and egg - with 2 Tbsp tarragon vinaigrette. (I didn't measure the dressing, just poured it on.)



It was a very easy meal with great flavor. I'll make this again - from start to finish it only took me about 40 minutes. Hope you had a very nice Valentine's Day yesterday, whatever you did!

Ice Cream Pie

For dessert on Valentine's Day I made an ice cream pie. I think it turned out pretty good and was very easy to make. I used a 9 inch pie plate instead of an 8 inch. If you make this definitely use an 8 inch pan - the bottom layer was on the thinner side with the 9 inch pan.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup sour cream
1 quart of your favorite ice cream - we used Heath Bar ice cream

Directions:

Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate with butter. Combine chocolate syrup and chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high until hot, about 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture.

Combine remaining chocolate mixture and cereal in a medium bowl and mix to coat cereal. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.



Combine reserved chocolate mixture and the sour cream in a small bowl and mix well. Spread half of the ice cream in the prepared pie plate. Drizzle with half the sour cream mixture. Top with remaining ice cream and drizzle with remaining sour cream mixture. Freeze pie, covered until firm, about 1 hour. I also had some Heath Toffee chips that I put on top before freezing.



Enjoy!

Nacho Dip

I love nacho dips. They are probably my favorite appetizer. Actually, I like anything you can eat with a tortilla chip. :)

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago and I really stopped looking at other nacho dip recipes. I think this dip has a very fresh taste. The ingredients sound like an odd combination, but I promise, you'll be very happy with the end result!

You can change the toppings to whatever suits your tastes. I omitted the sliced cucumber from the original recipe and added what we like. The recipe below reflects my changes.

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cocktail sauce
1 cup mild salsa - make sure it's a thick salsa
3/4 cup diced green onion
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 avocado, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
Handful of chopped jalapenos - I used the kind in the jar


DIRECTIONS
In a food processor, thoroughly mix cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise. Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of a medium serving dish.



Then add the cocktail sauce.



Then the salsa.



Next, add whatever toppings you want.



I did put shredded lettuce on top, but forgot to take a picture of it. My bad!

Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.



I also didn't clean up the cheese on the counter before taking my photo. That's what happens when a 13 month old is pulling on your pant leg and your husband is asking you to take photos of his food too. :)

Yummy Avacado & Feta Dip

I sort of combined two recipes and created this dip. I love avacados, kalamata olives and feta cheese - why not put them together in a recipe?

I sort of just picked ingredients from two recipes and tossed them together in a bowl. The end result was pretty scrumptious, I must say. You can add really whatever or how much of something you like. I did!

Ingredients:
2 plum tomatoes or 1-2 cups of chopped cherry/grape tomatoes
1 avacado, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup kalmata olives, chopped
Dash of dried parsley & oregano - salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooked Moroccan Short Ribs

I found this recipe in one of my Cuisine at Home magazines. I've never made short ribs before but this recipe was really good. It went nicely with crusty garlic bread and a salad. My photos were not the greatest this time - but this recipe is definitely worth trying!

For the rub:
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp salt

For the ribs:
2 1/2 bounds short ribs (I used 4)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups beef broth divided
2 cups carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
10 baby Yukon gold potatoes (2 cups)
1/2 onion, root intact
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp red pepper flakes
6 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

Combine cinnamon, ginger, cumin, tumeric, and salt in a small bowl and rub onto ribs.

Sear ribs in oil in a large saute pan over high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker and pour off oil from pan.



Deglaze with 3 cups broth, scraping bits from the bottom. Transfer deglazing broth, carrots, potatoes, onion, honey and pepper flakes to the slow cooker.

Simmer ribs in the slow cooker on high-heat setting until fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Discard onion and strain fat from the surface of sauce. Whisk flour and remaining broth together and stir into the slow cooker with the apricots. Simmer until ribs are fork tender and sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice before serving.