Fudgy Brownies

Who doesn't love a brownie with a tall glass of cold milk? Or with a cup of coffee for breakfast? I found this recipe on Pinterest/ Six Sisters' Stuff, and I knew that I would have to give it a try. I was not disappointed, they are dense and  super chocolaty. I normally don't frost the brownies that I make from a box mix, but these are perfect with their frosting.

Fudgy Brownies

1 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup cocoa

      2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

   4 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a mixer, blend melted butter and cocoa until smooth. Add flour and sugar; beat together. Mix in eggs and vanilla and mix until combined (be sure not to over mix). 

Pour batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let the brownies cool for about 10-20 minutes and then frost while still warm.

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

dash of salt

Mix all ingredients together and frost as desired.

Taco Pie and Spanish Rice

Growing up, we ate tacos at least once a week. They were cheap and very easy for my hardworking mom to make. Now that I am the mom, we also eat tacos once a week. They are great when you have picky eaters because they can customize their meal to their tastes.  I came across this recipe many years ago, and it is a great change of pace from the standard tacos. One of the best parts of this recipe is how wonderful it reheats! Yummy! I am also including a new recipe that I have been working on perfecting- Spanish rice. I think that I have it just right!

Taco Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 pkg Fajita seasoning- you will only use 2 Tbsp.
1 diced green chilies
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup biscuit baking mix
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Toppings: Sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, diced tomato, salsa

Cook beef and onion, drain off the fat. Stir in the fajita seasoning. Spread into a 10 inch pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the green chilies. In a mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix, eggs and milk until smooth. Pour over beef in pie pan. Bake in 400° oven for 35 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with desired toppings.

Spanish Rice
1 cup rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
 1 - 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water
Fry rice in butter until browned. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1-2  minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Lemon Chicken

There is something about lemon that shouts springtime to me! In fall, I crave pumpkin and apple treats, but lemon is spring time for me! This past week, I made this amazing Lemon Chicken recipe that I discovered on Pinterest. This was one of the best tasting chicken dishes that we have had. It was great! It would be great for dinner with company, because it looks fancy. The leftovers were so good, I have to say I was disappointed when I discovered that my hubby had taken them to work. I thought hiding them behind the milk would have worked!

Lemon Chicken
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Butter

Basting Liquid
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Place your chicken in a large zip lock bag. In a bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour over chicken in bag. Seal and squish it around to coat the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, I let the chicken marinate overnight. Preheat oven to 425°. Place the chicken in a well sprayed casserole dish. Place a pat of butter on top of each piece of chicken. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Mix up your basting liquid and baste the chicken, use all the basting liquid. Place back in the oven and cook 30 minutes more. Chicken breasts are done when the juices are clear and the internal temperature is 170° . Remove chicken and place a foil tent over the chicken and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Philly Cheese Steak Rolls

I love Philly Cheese steak sandwiches. Sadly, my boys do not. However, they loved these easy sandwiches. I am not sure if it was the flaky puff pastry rolls or the wonderful yummyness inside, but all of my kids gave these sandwiches two thumbs up I think that next time, I might saute some sliced bell peppers in with the onions.

Philly Cheese Steak Rolls

All-purpose flour

1 package frozen Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced

1 package frozen sandwich steaks, Steak-umm is the brand that I used

8 slices American cheese

1 egg, beaten

Heat the oven to 400°F.
Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheets on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheets into 10-inch squares.  Cut into 8 (5-inch) squares.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove the onion from the skillet.
Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add the sandwich steaks to the skillet and cook until the meat is no longer pink. I also give it a rough chop as I cook it, so the meat is in small pieces.
Spoon approximately 2-3 Tbsp. of the onion and 2-3 Tbsp. of the sandwich steaks on the bottom third of each pastry square.  Top each with 1 slice cheese.  Fold 2 opposite sides over the filling.  Roll up like a jelly roll.  Brush the pastries with the egg.  Place the pastries onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Let the pastries cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from  Pepperridge Farm.