Super Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies

Super Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies

Let me just say this. Sometimes a girl just has to have a brownie.  Not just any brownie.  She has to have a gooey fudgy brownie, still oozing with chocolate. And it must have chocolate chips. Loads of chocolate chips.....the kind that almost melt but not quite. And the brownie has to be warm, just out of the oven. Oh.... and it has to have ice cream.  Cold and creamy vanilla ice cream on top that melts almost as fast as she can eat it.  She has to have it. No reason. Case closed.

Super Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I use Bakers Chocolate)
1 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet Chocolate Chips

Melt unsweetened baking chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly until almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs for about 5 minutes until light in color. Add sugar and mix until smooth.  Stir in vanilla. Next, add the melted chocolate and egg mixture to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth and well incorporated.  Add the flour and mix everything with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.

Pour batter into a well-greased 9 x 13 baking pan. If you like thicker brownies, you can use an 8 x 8 pan and cook longer. Smooth top with offset spatula or wooden spoon.  Sprinkle all your chocolate chips on top.  

Bake on the center rack at 300 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.  This is a slow bake so the fudgy inside bakes while keeping the outside from burning.  Test with a toothpick placed in the center of the brownies to be sure they are done. They will still be quite moist in the center. Don’t over bake.

Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting them into 2 inch squares and serving with ice cream.  

I keep these in the refrigerator and serve them chilled after the first ones come out of the oven. You can heat them up in the microwave for 20 seconds if you want to serve them warm.  Enjoy!

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My Mom’s Sausage Breakfast Pie

 My Mom’s Sausage Breakfast Pie

I love this breakfast pie. It’s kind of like a quiche but instead of a dough crust, it has a delicious crispy crust made from Parmesan cheese. You’ve probably heard of Bisquick’s  “Impossible Pies,” they’ve been out there for more than 25 years. But this is my Mom’s made-from-scratch-recipe that she was making long before those came out. I’ve made all those “Impossible pie” recipes you find out there, and I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s just no comparison.  My Mom’s breakfast pie is so much better.

My Mom’s Sausage Breakfast Pie

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese 

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage

4 scallions, minced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup half-and-half

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cook sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up clumps, until meat has lost most of its pink color, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove sausage to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch pie plate with softened butter, and then coat plate evenly with Parmesan.

Combine Gruyère, crumbled sausage, and scallions in bowl. Sprinkle cheese-and-ham mixture evenly in bottom of prepared pie dish. 

Combine flour, baking powder, pepper, and salt in now-empty bowl. Whisk in half-and-half, eggs, melted butter, mustard, and nutmeg until smooth. Slowly pour batter over cheese-and-ham mixture in pie dish.

Bake until pie is light golden brown and filling is set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Slice into wedges. Serve warm.

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Turkey and Stuffing Bake (Swiss Turkey)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swiss Chicken is an all time favorite of mine. I've made it for years and I have to say it's one of my most simple and delicious recipes. So, today while looking at that leftover turkey in the fridge...I thought "Why Not."  With only 5 ingredients, 5 minutes to put together and 45 minutes in the oven, you’ll wonder how could a recipe so easy could be so good.   This is a keeper for your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!  Thank me later.

  

Turkey and Stuffing Bake (Swiss Turkey)

 

4-6 slices of thick sliced turkey breast

1 box Stove Top Turkey or Chicken stuffing

1 stick butter

1 large can cream of chicken soup (or use two small cans)

8-10 slices Swiss cheese

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 or 11 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.  Add a couple tablespoons of the soup on the bottom of the dish and spread out evenly.  Set aside.

 

 

 

Add the turkey slices on top, keeping the pieces very close, side by side.  Fill the entire dish with the turkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, spoon more of the soup over the turkey, covering it completely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lay your cheese slices on top of the turkey making sure you cover the completely. I like to overlap them and sometimes add extra.  You can never have too much cheese!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoon the rest of the soup over the cheese and spread evenly. Make sure you cover all the cheese with the soup. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle the entire box of dry stuffing over the top. Making sure you cover the layer of soup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melt butter in a measuring cup and drizzle all over the top of the dry stuffing. Cover with foil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until brown and bubbly around the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Cheesiest Mac and Cheese

 

 

I remember my Mom's mac and cheese well.  There was nothing else in this whole world like it. It was so cheesy and so smooth and creamy and didn't have that grainy taste like you find in so many recipes out there today. The flavors were real and it actually tasted like cheese! Want to know why?

Because she grated her own cheese!  She never used those bags of pre-grated cheese that have all the chemicals and added stuff. She actually bought blocks of cheese and brought out the old grater for all her cheesy dishes. Next time you're in a grocery store, compare a block of cheddar cheese with a bag of pre-shredded cheddar.  You'll find some extras you don't want to put in your recipe....like potato starch, cellulose powder, and calcium sulfate. No wonder you get that grainy taste or your mac and cheese ends up being too dry.

I don't remember ever seeing a bag of cheese in our kitchen.  As a matter of fact, I don't think I saw my first bag of cheese in the grocery store until I was much older. I always buy the block and grate what I need and then store the block in the freezer.  Then each time I need some cheese, I grate what I need and put it back.

So now you know.  If you want a delicious, cheesy and creamy mac and cheese dish, take the extra minute or two and grate it yourself!

The Cheesiest Mac and Cheese

1 (16 ounce) box of elbow or Cavatappi pasta
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups half and half (half cream/half whole milk)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Fontina cheese
1/2 freshly grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter or non stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the flour is lightly browned. Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half and half a little at a time. Stir 3-5 minutes while sauce thickens. Remove from the heat, season with the salt, pepper, dried mustard, and the grated Parmesan. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Cover and set aside.  

 

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt and then pasta. Cook for about 5 minutes, until pasta is just slightly under cooked. Drain in a colander and return the pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir until melted and pasta is coated. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all the Fontina cheese with all the Gruyere, and only 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese and toss lightly to blend. Place one-third of the pasta in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Top with one-third of the mixed cheeses. Top with another third of the macaroni and another third of the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese mixture. Finally top entire casserole with the remaining cup of sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees on center rack of oven for about 45 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly and fully melted.

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