The Zen of Grocery Shopping

Most people I know find grocery shopping annoying. I think it's annoying to try to get out the door to go grocery shopping, but once I'm there, I enjoy the calm zen of shopping. How do I achieve that inner peace, you ask? I am happy to share my secrets of zen procurement with you.

Step One- This one is crucial and non-negotiable. Leave the kids at home. But it's a good teaching time, you say. No. There are other teaching opportunities. But I don't have anyone to watch them, you say. Let them watch television, I say. They'll never even know you're gone. (Bad parenting? Perhaps, perhaps.) The only exception to this iron-clad rule is if you have an infant. They will know. Especially if you're breast-feeding. And if your baby wakes up hungry and you're not there, you will be strolling down the aisles trying to cover your shirt with large collard greens to hide the leaking breast milk. Strap your baby to you to go shopping. Although, really, if you have a nursing baby, you should send your husband out to do the shopping. After all, you're already getting food for one member of the family.

Step Two - Don't rush it. Take you time. Go down each and every aisle. Stop to admire the artful produce pyramids. Take a few moments to read the labels. Chat with the butcher about the best way to cook a particular cut of meat.

Step Three - Enjoy the music. If they are playing hits from your high school years, you have my permission to hum along.

Step Four - If they are giving out samples, don't take one and rush along. Stop and chat with the sample lady. Ask questions about the product. They are happy to have people interested and it makes them feel less like a hog farmer at feeding time.

Step Five - If there is a wine section, find the wine guy and ask advice on what to serve with a vegetable medley casserole. Even if you don't drink wine. Wine guys are passionate about their wine and one question can keep them talking for upwards of 20 minutes.

Step Six - Chat with the person at the checkout counter. Ask about their plans for the weekend, whether they've tried the frozen shrimp and if they liked them, what the medical and dental benefits are of the grocery store. Talking slows them down.

Step Seven - If the store offers help getting your bags out to the car, by all means accept that offer. A nice chatty bag boy can extend the shopping excursion another 5-10 minutes. After all, he's happy to get out of the store and delay getting back in as along as possible.

Step Eight - You've been gone a long time now. When you arrive home, honk the car horn, indicating that you require assistance with the copious amounts of food you've brought home. And obviously, since you've had such an exhausting time getting the food (fighting traffic, fighting crowds, lugging the bags, etc), you can't be expected to put away all the groceries. That task should be done by other family members while you rest your feet and possibly sample that wine the wine guy recommended.

See how relaxing that sounds?

One of the things that annoys me deeply is having the zen of my grocery shopping time shattered by whining children. Some times I have to bite my lip hard to keep from going up to the parent and offering to smack their child for them. What terrible parenting to allow their child to whine relentlessly until they get their way! Why didn't they leave them at home parked in front of a cartoon?

And usually the stuff the kids whine for is garbage. Truly putrid stuff filled with artificial food coloring, HFCS, sulfites, and about a wheelbarrowfull of sugar. No wonder those kids are whiny if their parents let them eat that.

Instead, they should offer them treats like these brownies. Something that doesn't spike their blood sugar and make them behave like monkeys on cocaine. These are a decadent treat for those of us in GAPSlandia. Full of dark chocolatey flavor, sweetened only with honey, and grain-free. Whoo hoo! The berries were a delicious complement to the brownies. A dollop ice cream would not have gone amiss, but, sadly, I didn't have any on hand. But no one whined because, after all, not only did I bring home the groceries, I baked the brownies!

Real Food Grain-free Fudgey Brownies
(adapted from The Freckled Foodie)

1 large, ripe avocado
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
1/2 of a small banana
1/4 c. honey
4 oz unsweetened, 100% dark chocolate
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp coconut flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.  Prepare a 9x9 pan - either grease with coconut oil or line with foil.

2- Cut avocado in half, peel and seed, and place in food processor. Process until VERY smooth.

3- In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring frequently.

4- Transfer avocado to a large bowl and add the melted chocolate mixture and the remaining ingredients.

5- Using a hand mixer, whip until very well combined and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

6- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 min. Remove when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool before cutting.

7- If you have the willpower, allow these to chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for optimum flavor. Or, break down and serve immediately with berries and whipped cream or ice cream.

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Note: for those who are humor impaired, this was a humorous post. Let me reassure you that I am not actually advocating leaving your children home unsupervised. Nor do I actually smack other people's children. But sometimes I am tempted.

Happy EASTER!

A few days ago the mail lady, who is very sweet, said to my son as he retrieved the mail, "Happy Egg Day!" He came in the house quite confused. "Mom," he said, with a crease between his brows, "what's Egg Day?"

Well, I tried to gently explain that for some non-Christians, Easter is about eggs and bunnies and candy and an excuse to buy new clothes. That's what I said on the outside. On the inside I hit the ceiling.

I'm so tired of having holy days co-opted for commercial purposes. Christmas is gone. It's all about Santa and presents. People around the world who are confirmed Buddhists, Hindus, atheists and pagans celebrate that day with ornamented trees, twinkling lights, lavish feasts, and a glut of presents. But taking the name of the holiest day on the Christian calendar, the whole reason for our faith, and using it as an excuse to feed your kids yet more sugar, buy them yet more clothes, and have their picture taken sitting on the lap of a giant, terrifying bunny, is not OK with me. Easter is about JESUS!

Just in case you've never heard why there is a day called Easter, or if you ever wondered why it's on a different day every year, here are a few things you should know.

Jesus is God. He came to earth in human form to live a sinless life and die a death he didn't deserve. All people everywhere sin, and the penalty for sin is to be forever separated from God. When we die, we go to a place of eternal torment without God. But, God loves us so much he doesn't want that to happen to us. He wants us to live with him forever, so he sent Jesus to be the sacrifice that pays the price for our sins.

In the Jewish tradition, Passover is celebrated right before Easter and a lamb is killed for the Passover feast. Jesus is our sacrifice, hence the name Lamb of God. Yes, that's where all the Easter lambs come in. Not Bunny of God. Lamb of God.

After Jesus died on the cross, he was buried in a tomb. But the amazing, exciting, wonderful news is that he didn't stay buried. He rose from the dead and was seen by hundreds of witnesses before he ascended to heaven! That means that when we die, we won't stay dead, either.

If you look at your life and can see the sin all over it and know that you've made a mess of things, Easter is for you. It's the chance to get to know Jesus and hear his offer. He says, "Come to me. Give me your sins, and I'll make you clean and give you a new life." Best. Deal. Ever!

I'll throw in a recipe to sweeten the deal. You can think about this post as you bake. And if you decide to take Jesus up on his offer, please let me know. I'd love to pray for you!

Happy EASTER!

White Chocolate Brownies
- adapted from The Baking Bites Cookbook

1/4 cup butter
6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz. dark chocolate, cut into chunks

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F with rack in center of oven. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang (these are the handles to remove the brownies from the pan). Lightly grease the foil.

2- In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt together the butter and white chocolate. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture.

4- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt over the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined, with no streaks of flour remaining. Stir in the chocolate chunks, then pour the batter into the pan.

5- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6- Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the brownies front he pan, using the foil as handles. Cut into 25 squares.

Lotus Eaters

OK, I have to got to admit it. Once again, I've been a bad blogger. I've only put up one post this month and the month is almost gone. I was gone for two weeks, and the week before that I was packing and prepping for the trip. In the week since I've been home I've scaled Mt. Laundry, harvested the fields of suitcase regurgitation in my living room, and tried (not very successfully) to refocus our brains into work and school mode. What I haven't done is bake.

Sure, I've made bread for sandwiches and I've made dinners, but nothing that made me run for the camera and shriek, "Don't eat that yet!" I think I must have caught something in Hawaii. A bug? A virus? Or maybe just a way of life.

We noticed a peculiar phenomenon while we were there. Wherever we went we saw a certain type of person, usually a man. He would be lean, leathered, wearing minimal clothing, as though fresh out of the surf, with an unfocused quality to his gaze as he looked out at the waves.

We dubbed them the Lotus Eaters. They would sit in parks, walk down the streets aimlessly, or stand on the beach, watching the sets roll in. It was as though they had come to the islands many years ago and had been sucked into a timeless existence, living from one ride in the surf to the next, unaware of the passage of time.

Just being in Hawaii does tend to bring on that mindset. Each day is so like the one before it, with temperatures in the 80's, a light breeze coming off the ocean to cool the skin, clouds scudding across the sky, and the sound of the surf always in the background. The only difference day to day is what you choose to do with that day. Playing in the ocean, stacking rocks, watching the sunset, or just closing your eyes and smelling the plumeria.

On the drive back to the airport I kept asking my husband, "Have we really been here two weeks? Are you sure it's time to go back. It feels like only 3 days. 4 at the most!" Without that dated return flight ticket, it would have been so easy to put off the return for just a few more days. And then a few more. And I'd eventually be wandering the streets of Maui with browned, crackly skin, wearing a thong bikini, and a faraway look in my eyes.

I suppose it's for the best that we came home when we did. The thought of appearing in public in a thong bikini is enough to jolt me back to reality. I guess instead of a lotus eater I'll stick with being a brownie eater. It works for me.

These are delicious brownies that I made before the trip. The recipe is one that I've heard raves about. I had to try it, but, of course, couldn't leave perfection alone and had to add my own spin on it. They are fudgy, chocolatey, cherry goodness in a bar, much tastier than lotuses.

Baked Cherry Brownies
- adapted from Baked

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11oz. dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1o-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup tart dried cherries

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, preferably glass or light-colored metal.

2- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

3- Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder into a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter and completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.

4- Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Ad the 2 remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat, or your brownies will be cakey.

5- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle the chips and cherries over the flour. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture, chips, and cherries into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.

7- Let the brownies cool completely before cutting into squares. Store tightly covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Note - I stored mine in an airtight glass container and a few got forgotten on the counter before our trip. When we got back, they were surprising still edible. Hey, why are you looking at me like that? When you've got a chocolate craving, you go with what you've got!

Reduced Guilt Brownies

I am a horrible packrat and I know it. I blame it on the Great Depression.

Wait, you think I lived through that? No, even though a big birthday is coming up I'm not THAT old. My grandparents lived through it. My father's parents raised two kids and pinched pennies till they screamed for mercy (the pennies, not the kids) while the country suffered through profound economic turmoil. They raised a lot of their own food in the garden, made it themselves or did without, and never, EVER threw anything away. Because, after all, you might need it again.

The Bible says to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Can you guess something about my father? Yes, he's a packrat, too. His workshop is a museum of projects past and present. Old sports equipment, broken bits of jewelry, dried paint cans, and scraps of lumber. You never know what you'll find in there, because, after all, he might need that again.

I have to fight this tendency in my own life. The most difficult things for me to part with are magazines (I can't just throw away a Bon Appetite, for goodness sake! I might want to cook one of those recipes. Someday. If I remember it. And can find it.), cardboard boxes (what if I need to mail a package, what will I put it in if all the boxes are promptly put out in recycling like my husband prefers?), and, of course, food.

There is tremendous guilt attached to unused food. There are children starving in Bangladesh! How can I just casually toss out leftovers just because no one wants to eat it? My refrigerator is stuffed with plastic food coffins, waiting for the lids to bulge so that I have permission to throw the contents away. No shame in throwing away bad food (except for letting it go bad in the first place).

An obvious solution comes to mind. When I get a cardboard box, I need to ruthlessly clean out the refrigerator, put it all in the cardboard box, and mail it to Bangladesh. My husband would be happy since the boxes wouldn't be piling up in the garage. I'd be happy because my refrigerator would be clean. And Bangladesh, well, can I pretend that my leftovers will bless them? Maybe if I tuck in a Bon Appetite, that will make up for the rainbow sheen on the ham and the slightly furry quality of the bread.

The best way to avoid leftovers is to plan ahead. If you're making a big recipe, invite company over, or freeze half of the recipe. And if you know a recipe calls for part of an ingredient (half a green pepper, 1/3 of a jar of sauce, etc), menu plan so that the next night you use up the rest of it.

When I posted about making bean dip, I promised you a way to use up those extra beans. Bean salad is a good choice. Tossing them into chili or a soup? Another winning idea.

But, me being me, I like dessert. Bean brownies. The beans replace the flour, so these are a nice option for the gluten-intolerant among us. The brownies are super moist and delicious. No one that I've served them to has been able to guess what the secret ingredient is. Plus, they're so easy, that they take next to no effort to make. All that, plus the warm happy glow of not having leftovers turning slimy in the refrigerator. Bonus!



Black Bean Brownies

1-1/2 cups cooked black beans
3 eggs
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 c. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup date puree (directions to make your own in this recipe)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, or coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate (divided)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (soaked and dried)

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Grease an 8 x8 -inch pan.

2- Into the bowl of a food processor, put beans, eggs, coconut oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, date puree, sugar, instant coffee, and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chunks. Process until smooth.

3-Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate and nuts over the top. With a rubber spatula, gently press on the chunks till they are all submerged under the batter.

4- Bake for 35 to 40 min. The edges should be baked and the center set. Let cool completely. But if you like oozy, messy chocolate, especially served with vanilla ice cream, cool slightly and then cut (or scoop) it.

If It Looks Like a Brownie...

Apparently my post about my dog horking up on the carpet struck a chord out there with the canine population. I had several readers tell me that the same day they read the post their dogs did the same thing. One reader even sent pictures!

What is this? Have I become the blog equivalent of a dog whisperer? Did all those dogs out there think that leaving a mound on the carpet was their best shot at being famous - sort of a reality TV thing for dogs?

Whatever the reason, it is with trepidation that I post today's pictures. Again, it's something delicious that looks like....well... what do you think it looks like? If you've ever spent time on a farm, I'm sure you'll be able to come up with an apt simile.



A friend who knew I have a thing for (obsession with) brownies loaned me a brownie cook book to thumb through. She warned me that the times and temperatures for the recipes could not be trusted implicitly, but the ingredients were always spot on.

I made the Bigger Better Brownie Blobs and my husband hasn't stopped raving about them. They are a brownie in a cookie form, but so much more than that. The big chunks of dark chocolate give a smooth, silky, luscious contrast to the toasted nuts, and the brownie base is the perfect balance between cake and fudge. On their own they're amazing, but if you serve one with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, be prepared to enter a place of mouth happiness rarely experienced. (I would use other descriptors, but that would violate my blog's PG rating.)

Trust me on this. I know what the brownies look like, but they taste phenomenal. Bake them and enjoy. But I refuse to be held responsible for anything you might step in. And if that should occur, please don't send me pictures!

Bigger, Better Brownie Plops Blobs
- adapted from The Brownie Lover's Bible

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1Tbsp vanilla extract or Kahlua
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 lb 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped in chunks
9 oz toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter

3- Whisk the cocoa into the butter. Add the bitter chocolate and whisk until melted and completely smooth.

4- Add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth.

5- Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

6- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until blended.

7- Add to the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until thick and glossy.

8- Add the vanilla.

9- Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.

10- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the bittersweet chocolate chunks, then the nuts. Some of the chocolate will melt, which is okay. It gives the cookies a nice streaky appearance.

11- Using a 3 Tbsp ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop out the batter, 6 cookies per baking sheet.

12- Bake for no longer than 10 minutes. Don't overbake!

13 - Cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes until they have firmed up slightly.

14- Remove with a metal spatula and cool on a wire rack. Store in a tightly sealed container, with parchment paper separating the layers, for up to a week.

Makes about 17

A Sweet Farewell

Christmas is over and with it my mania for baking sweets. When the calendar flips over to December it's as though a starting gun goes off and I race to the kitchen and pile the counters high with cookbooks, looking for the perfect cookies to give, pies to please, and new candies to try. Bowls litter the counters, flour dusts the flour, and marvelous smells pour forth from my oven. We might not get an actual dinner on the table, but there are at least 4 different things to choose from for dessert!

Add to that baked bounty the gifts that come in from friends and neighbors and by the time I'm cleaning up wrapping paper and writing thank you notes, I'm done with sugar! I shut my cookbooks and put them away. Any items left unchecked on my "to bake" list will just have to wait until next year.



You probably feel the same way, too, but bear with me while I share one more sweet treat. This was a recipe that sort of evolved from a couple of different sources and it turned out wonderfully! I made it with no clear idea of what I was going to do with the brownies, but it was great to have a pan of treats on hand. Company dropped by - "Here, take a plate of brownies with you." Our favorite mail lady who's so thoughtful and always has a smile and a wave for us - "Put a plate of brownies in the mail box for her." I have a meeting at work - "Take in a plate of brownies; maybe they'll let you out early." The brownies are so rich, that a panful went a long way.

You might not want to make these now, so bookmark the recipe for next year. But if you've still got room for one more peppermint and chocolate indulgence, go for it! I'll bet you can find candy canes and cookies on sale now, too.

Peppermint Fudge Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
16-20 peppermint sandwich cookies (I used Trader Joe's Jo Jos), crushed

frosting:

1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners sugar
2/3 to 1 cup crushed candy canes

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

2- In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter then add the sugar and stir to combine. Heat briefly, just till it's hot and shiny looking, but not bubbling. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

3- Add to the mixing bowl the cocoa, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Add the eggs, beating till smooth. Stir in the flour and the crushed cookies, beating till well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4- Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

5- While the brownies cool, make the frosting by heating the white chocolate chips and cream in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chips are dissolved. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the confectioner's sugar. If the mixture seems to runny, you can add in up to another 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar to achieve the right consistency. Be aware, though, that it will firm up as it cools.

6- Spread the mixture over the cooled (or barely warm) brownies, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the top evenly. Allow the pan to sit undisturbed till the frosting has set up before cutting into squares.

Sleeping the Pounds Off

First off - we have a winner! Actually, 2 of them. Nicole, congratulations, you won the Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. And Carol, you won the newest Mitford novel, In the Company of Others. Congratulations and happy baking and reading!

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a preview copy of the cookbook and for allowing me to be a part of this giveaway!

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I recently read an article stating that lack of sleep could make you fat. I find this very comforting. Apparently, it's not the things I bake and eat that are making my jeans tight, it's my sleep habits!

It's ridiculous the number of brownies that are on my blog. I know this, but I'm not good at turning down another opportunity to make brownies. When I see a new recipe that promises to be "the best," or someone's "absolute favorite," I just have to try it to see if they're right. The only thing that holds me back is knowing that if I bake the brownies, I will eat them.

Thank goodness I found out about the sleep thing. Now I can bake the brownies, do an extensive taste-testing, and then go sleep it off. It's all good.



Speaking of good, these brownies are. They straddle the line between fudgy and cakey perfectly, plus they have the bonus of nut crunch. I vastly prefer brownies to have nuts. It makes them taste better and gives your teeth something to do while your tongue is getting a chocolate spa treatment.

Are they the very best out there? I'll leave that for you to decide. Just be sure to have a nap after your sampling so the calories don't cling to your waist.

Robert's Absolute Best Brownies
-adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

6 Tbsp unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces
8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts; almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Using a large sheet of foil, line a 9-inch square pan, with foil extending beyond the edges of the pan. Lightly grease the foil with butter.

2- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, then add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and stir energetically for 1 full minute (very important!), until the batter loses it's graininess becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away a bit from the sides of the saucepan. Stir in the chopped nuts.

3- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the center feels almost set, about 30 minutes. Don't overbake.

4- Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. When cool, use the foil overhang as handles to remove the brownies from the pan.

The brownies will keep well for up to 4 days at room temperature.

Axes, Roses, or Chocolate

In preparation for school this year my daughter rearranged her room furniture. Again. I didn't have a problem with that as I remember I did the same thing about four times a year when I was her age.

The problem with rearranging the furniture is that there really are a limited number of configurations your can achieve, what with windows, the closet, the length and width of the bed, and the immutable fact that the head of the bed must always, ALWAYS have a clear view of the door and the closet.

Back then, before going to bed I'd check the closet and then shut the door securely. My rational mind knew that there was no way anything could come out of the closet, but the more primitive part of my mind knew without a shadow of a doubt that unless you kept a watchful eye on the door at all times, ANYTHING could come out of it.

My rational side and my primitive side would have discussions at night as I dozed off to sleep.

"How on earth could anything come out of the closet? I just checked in there!"

"Then why did we just hear a creak?"

"Because it's an old house! Old houses creak."

"But what if it's not the house? What if it's a blood-thirsty axe murderer who hid in the shadows of the closet and is going to pop out and slaughter me as soon as my eyes close?"

"Oh for Pete's sake! What are the odds of that happening? I think there are better odds that it's a really handsome guy who's waiting to pop out and surprise you with flowers and chocolates."

Eventually, worn out from all the arguing, I'd go to sleep. I'm happy to report that I never had either the axe wielder or the rose toter sneak out of my closet. But just to be on the safe side, when we bought our house, I removed all the closet doors. Now we're safe from axe murderers, but we're on our own for the flowers and chocolates.



I buy flowers at the store when the urge strikes, and when I have a chocolate craving, I make brownies.

The only thing scary about these is having a 9 x 13 pan of deliciousness lurking in the refrigerator. Be prepared to share, or else they might leap out onto your thighs the next time you open the refrigerator door.

Salted Peanut Brownies
- adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe in Bon Appetite

BROWNIES
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

FROSTING AND GANACHE

1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

(* I didn't have chunky peanut butter on hand, so I chopped up about 1/4 cup of peanuts and put them in a 1 cup measure and filled the rest of the cup with smooth peanut butter.)

1- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving 3 inches of overhang; butter foil.

2- Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.

3- Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan.

4- Bake about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Place pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

5- To make the peanut butter layer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl with an electric mixer.. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread over brownies.

6- In heavy small saucepan, stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; using a flexible spatula, spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours.

7- Using foil overhang as handles, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Bite This

There is a basic inequity in my marriage. I'm not talking about the fact that my husband has a reach that's about twice my height. Or the fact that he's way stronger than me, easily opening jars that confound me. Or that he can fix just about anything. I'm talking about the fact that we can go outdoors together and he'll come back refreshed by the encounter with nature and I'll be one giant, swollen, itchy mass of bug bites.

It doesn't matter what the insect is - spider, mosquito, midge, or whatever- if it has a choice between my husband and me, it'll turn up it's buggy nose at him and make a beeline for me. For some reason I'm irresistible. Maybe all the sugar I ingest makes me sweeter than him; I don't know. All I know is it's not fair!



However, as I've been told and frequently tell my kids, Life Is Not Fair. You just do the best you can with the way things are. I retaliate by clobbering the daylights out of any bug I see, pounding it with my shoe till it's a pulp. And I make my own bites. Brownie bites.

Far more satisfying than scratching insect bites is making little nibbles of brownie, capped with a dollop of Nutella. With bites like these, life is sweet again. And honestly, I'd rather bake than hike any day!

Nutella Brownie Bites
-adapted from Sunset magazine

1/2 cup butter
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Nutella

1-Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Generously butter 24 mini-muffin cups.

2- In a heatproof bowl, microwave 1/2 cup butter to melt. (Use medium power and cover the bowl with wax paper to keep the butter from spattering.) Add the chocolate, stirring until melted, then add the sugar and cocoa powder. Stir to blend. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and salt. Add flour and stir until smooth. Spoon batter evenly into mini-muffin cups. (The batter will make 24 brownie bites, plus have a bit of leftover batter.)

3- Using the tip of a wooden spoon, make a small depression in each portion of batter. Spoon 3/4 tsp Nutella into each hole.

4- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the brownie part comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 15 minutes.

5- Let cool on a rack about 10 minutes. Using a small spatula or plastic fork, loosen brownies from pans and move to rack to cool completely.

Store covered at room temperature.

DIY Dessert

My husband and I rarely go out for dinner. Weird as it may seem, I don't find eating out relaxing. My everyday wear is jeans and Danskos, so to dress up and put on a skirt and heels isn't relaxing. I worry about the hygiene in the kitchen. Did our server look like the kind of person to spit in our food? And I fret about the cost. Why should I pay outrageous prices for something that I can jolly well cook myself for a fraction of the cost? And tip on top of that??

For my husband's sanity and the sake of our marriage, I've reached a compromise. I'll happily go out if I can wear my jeans and comfy shoes, if the caliber of the restaurant suggests cleanliness is not a special order, and if I can order something that's too time-consuming or tricky for me to make at home.

Recently hubs and I had just such a dinner out. It was lovely and we both enjoyed our food. But when we looked at the dessert menu, it just wasn't right. There was nothing deeply chocolatey. While we scanned the menu, we bounced ideas back and forth about the perfect dessert for that moment. We arrived at fudgey brownies with cherries and a dark chocolate cherry ganache. That wasn't on the menu, so when we got home I made them. Mmmmm, perfect ending for the best dinner out in a long time!

Cherry Brownies with Chocolate Cherry Ganache

1/2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 oz (90 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (220 g) sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (90 g) cake flour, sifted
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup drained, chopped canned sour cherries (juice reserved)
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. (180 C). Line an 8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving at least 2 inches hanging over the edge of the pan, and lightly grease the foil.

2- In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and chopped unsweetened chocolate. Heat, stirring often,until melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. Gently stir in the chips and chopped cherries.

3- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost completely clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Crumbs may cling to the toothpick. Do not overbake, or you'll lose that marvelous fudgey texture!

4- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5- While the brownies are cooling, make the ganache. Place the reserved juice from the sour cherries plus enough juice to equal 1/2 cup into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, till the juice is reduced and is the consistency of syrup.

6- Add the cream to the saucepan and warm just till small bubbles appear around the edges. Pour the cherry-cream mixture over the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir until all the chocolate is dissolved.

7- Pour the ganache over the brownies and let them sit for an hour for the ganache to set up. This can be speeded up by popping the brownies into the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

8- When the ganache has set, pull the brownies out of the pan, using the foil as handles. Set them on a cutting board and peel back the foil. Cut into 16 or 25 squares (depending on how big you like your brownies).

TDF Brownies

I once heard a motivational speaker who was a former beauty pageant queen and she was from the deep South. Every word she said had honey-coated twang. It might just have been that accent that made such an impression, but I can still hear her saying, "Y'all talk death too much!" (Phonetically, that would be, "Yahl tahk dayeth tew muuch.")

You hear death all the time in every day expressions. "These shoes are killing me." "I was so embarrassed I wanted to die." "She was dressed to kill." "I was worried to death." "I could have died laughing." Why are we so obsessed with death? Why not celebrate life?

With that bit of background, you can understand that I approached a new cookbook a bit tentatively. Brownies to Die For . Really? Would you trade the rest of your life for a brownie? I doubt it unless your life was unbelievably horrific or the brownie was astonishingly good. Even then, I doubt it.

But the brownies I made from this book were really good. Really, really good. So, if you like peanut butter and chocolate together, give them a try. And if you feel like your life is a scene from a horror movie, try the brownies. They might give you something to live for and help you to hang in there one more day.

Brownies Worth Living For
(aka Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies)

adapted from Brownies to Die For - Bev Shaffer
Yield: 2-1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

---- Brownie Base ----

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour, all-purpose
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-5 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

---- Peanut Butter Marble Base -----

3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter*
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tbsp. unbleached white flour, all-purpose
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk, whole or 2 percent
2 large egg, lightly beaten

---- Chocolate Frosting ----

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 tsbsp milk, whole or 2 percent

(* I didn't have crunchy peanut butter, so I chopped about 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, put them in a 3/4 cup measure, and filled the rest of the measuring cup with smooth peanut butter)

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9 baking pan

2) For the Brownie Base: In a med saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring to blend. Remove pan from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently stir in chocolate pieces. Spread half of the Brownie Base into prepared pan.

3) For the Peanut Butter Marble Base: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and flour, blending well. Mix in vanilla, milk, and eggs—blending until smooth. Spread Peanut Butter Marble Base over Brownie Base. Spoon remaining Brownie Base evenly over Peanut Butter Marble Base. Pull a knife through the layers in a zigzag motion to create marbling. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool pan completely on a wire rack.

4) For the Chocolate Frosting: Melt chocolates and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often until mixture is combined. remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in sugar, salt, vanilla, and enough milk to make a soft, spreadable frosting.

Frost cooled brownies. Cut into bars. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Green Equals Mint

My mother is a very creative woman. She is an accomplished musician and weaver, and she loves creating beauty. I think the "little kids at home" phase of her life squashed her creativity and made it pop out in unusual places. I well remember the lunch that she prepared for St. Patrick's Day one year. Everything was green. Everything. The milk. The cottage cheese. Green. Euwww.

I know Mom meant is to be a fun St. Pat's treat, but, really, green cottage cheese? I don't need to add food coloring to get my cottage cheese green - I just leave it alone in the back of the fridge for 2 months. And, no, it's not a fun treat for anyone!

What is a fun treat is when green means mint. Creme de menthe, mint ice cream, and mint chips. And what better partner for mint than chocolate? Deep, dark, delicious, ooey gooey chocolate brownies. Yummmmm.

Now the last time I posted something using these chips I did get some comments that the chips were unavailable to my readers in some areas. To forestall the same avalanche of complaints (well, maybe it was only 2 readers, but I hate for people to be unhappy), I'm going to give away a bag of mint chips to one lucky reader from the United States or Canada. I's not a freebie that I got from Guittard, just something from my personal stash to help make your St. Patrick's Day a little more sweet.

If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment. I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Luck O' the Irish Brownies
- adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
2-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups (6-1/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups (12 oz bag) mint chips*

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

2- In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Heat briefly, just till it's hot, but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

3- Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chips, beating till well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

4- Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out mostly dry, with a few crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen them; this helps prevent the brownies from sinking in the middle as they cool. Cool completely before cutting. Makes 2 dozen brownies.

* To make your stash of mint chips go farther, you can use 1 cup mint chips and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Ultimate Answer Brownies

I don't know why so many people are consumed with worry over the national debt, global warming, and assorted international crises. The answer to all these problems is evident - peanut butter and chocolate. Who isn't happier when eating peanut butter and chocolate? Well, my sister, but she can take care of her problems with chips and onion dip.

Seriously, if we could convince people around the world to just have one of these brownies per day - ta da - world peace and prosperity! Well, maybe not. But at least we'd have had the brownies to fortify us to face the bad news du jour. Dense, fudgy, deliciously topped with peanut butter cheesecake. What, me worry?



Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
- adapted from Bon Appetite

Brownie layer:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake layer:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter (made with only peanuts and salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

For brownie layer:
1- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Spray 9-inch square metal baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray; line bottom with parchment paper.

2- In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir chocolate and butter until smooth; set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3- Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed, then beat in flour and salt. Spread batter in pan.

For cheesecake layer:
4- In a medium bowl, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in cream, then flour. Transfer 1/3 cup cheesecake batter to small bowl and reserve. Spread remaining cheesecake batter over brownie layer.

5- Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low power in 10-second intervals until chocolate begins to melt, then stir until smooth. Mix chocolate into reserved 1/3 cup cheesecake batter. Drop chocolate batter by heaping teaspoonfuls atop cheesecake layer. Using chopstick or wooden skewer, swirl chocolate batter in figure-eight pattern through white cheesecake layer.

6- Bake brownies until edges of cheesecake layer are puffed and center is set, about 36 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on rack. Cover; chill at least 1 hour.

Cut brownies into 25 squares. Serve cold.

Seduction Brownies

Wikipedia says about seduction that "the word seduction stems from Latin and means literally 'to lead astray'."

I don't know what it is about brownies. I just can't resist them. Cakey, fudgey, with nuts, without, frosted, glazed, or however they're tarted up, I am unable to walk away and forget about them. When I visit a food blog and a luscious brownie is posted, I don't groan and say, "Oh, no, not another brownie!" I drool over it, copy the recipe to my burgeoning brownie file, and then when the urge gets too strong, I bake them. And then, do I really need to tell you that I eat them?


I have an embarrassing number of brownies on the blog already, but don't get your hopes up. I'm not done. Not by a long shot. So if you're one of the "oh, no, not another brownie" crowd, just click along to another site. But if you're like me, a slave to wanton chocolate desire, bookmark this trollop. A luscious, dense, moist brownie, that teases from beneath a silky smooth layer of ganache. You know you want it.

Seduction Brownies
- adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz

1/2 cup (1 stick or 115 gm) unsalted butter
4 oz (115 gm) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup (200 gm) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (105 gm) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (65 gm) chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans

Ganache;
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
2 oz (60 gm) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1- Preheat oven to 325 deg F ( 160 C) with a rack in the center position. Butter an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking dish.

2- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs, and vanilla.

3- Mix in the flour and nuts, stirring just till incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

4- Bake for 25 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

5- In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the heavy cream and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and let it cool briefly, until spreadable. Either spread the ganache over the brownies while they're in the pan, or after you've removed them from the pan and cut them into 16 squares.

Birthday Brownie Cake

When I got together with my sisters a few months ago it was, in part, to celebrate our birthdays. A birthday celebration, of course, means a cake. Our birthdays are getting to have rather large numbers attached to them, and to combine all our birthdays and put that many candles on a cake would likely set off the smoke detector.

So we opted to use the occasion as an excuse to make a recipe that's been hanging around in the "I want to try this" pile of recipes. It's labeled as a cake, but really turns out like a brownie. A very fancy, upscale brownie that is decadently delicious. It was worthy of the occasion and well worth the effort.

Chocolate-Mint Brownie Cake

- adapted from Bon Appetit April 2003

Cake:
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (Optional)

Icing:
6 oz good-quality white chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp whiipping cream
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

Glaze:
6 Tbsp whiipping cream
6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chcolate, chopped

Garnish:
Chocolate curls, mint leaves, strawberry slices

White chocolate curls for presentation (optional)

For cake:
1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Butter and flour 8-inch square metal cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Butter and flour parchment paper.

2- Stir chopped chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from over water and set aside.

3- Using electric mixer, beat butter in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour (and cinnamon); beat just until blended. Spoon cake batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

4- Bake cake for about 25 minutes, until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Run small knife between edge of cake and pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto rack; remove parchment paper. Cool completely.

For icing: Stir white chocolate and whipping cream in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Stir in peppermint extract. Spread icing evenly over top of cake. Place cake in freezer until icing is firm, about 30 minutes.

For glaze: Bring cream to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Cool chocolate until lukewarm but still pourable, about 5 minutes.

Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Pour half of glaze over top of cake. Spread glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until glaze is set, about 10 minutes. If necessary, rewarm remaining glaze just until pourable. Pour remaining glaze over cake; spread glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate cake until glaze is firm, about 2 hours. Let cake stand at room temp. at least 3 hours before serving.

Transfer brownie cake to platter. Top cake with chocolate curls, mint leaves, or strawberry slices.

Cashmere Brownies

My husband has some funny quirks I love to tease him about. One of which is his love of coats. He buys coats the way some women buy shoes. He has a coat for every occasion and every possible weather combination. One that has a hood for rain. One that's a shell for when it rains, but it's warm. One that's perfect for snowy, cold days. One that's full of pockets, because you never know. A sporty jacket for going out running errands. A zip up for going to the gym. And that doesn't include old coats he doesn't wear but keeps for sentimental reasons, or the coats he'd like to buy, but can't justify.

I totally understand this. Really. The same old thing doesn't work for every occasion. Sometimes you require something a little dressier, a little more tailored. The same concept applies to baking. You can't make the same cake or cookies every time you bake and expect people to get excited. (Unless you only make cookies once a year, and if that's the case, why on earth are you reading this blog??) And making the same plain chocolate brownies can get a little monotonous.


Enter the perfect solution - Peppermint brownies. Take a basic brownie. Infuse it with peppermint. Frost it. And add a swirl of white chocolate to fancy it up. These are not basic, zip-up hoody, everyday brownies. They are the upscale, cashmere overcoat of brownies. It's a little extra effort, but so worth it!

Peppermint Brownies
- adapted from Cookies by Fine Cooking

10 oz. (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
10 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp peppermint tea leaves (from about 2 tea bags)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour
2 oz. ssemisweet chocolate
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 oz. white chocolate

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. with a rack in the center of the oven. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, line it with parchment paper so that the paper extends at least an inch above the long sides, and butter the paper.

2- Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Melt 8 oz of the butter and 8 oz of the unsweetened chocolate in the bowl. Stir occasionally with a heatproof spatula until the mixture is completely melted and uniform, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the bowl over the water.

3- In a food processor, finely grind the peppermint leaves with the sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, peppermint extract, salt, and peppermint sugar until just combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Reserve the simmering water for later.

4- Slowly add the flour, gently folding it in with a spatula, until incorporated. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (a few bits of batter should cling to the toothpick), 35 to 40 minutes.

5- Put the pan on a rack to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. When cool, lift the paper lining to pull the brownies out of the pan. Peel the paper off the brownies and put them on a cutting board.

6- Bring the pot of water back to a gentle simmer and set a heatproof bowl over it. Add the semisweet chocolate, corn syrup, and the remaining 2 oz butter and 2 oz unsweetened chocolate. Stir frequently with a heatproof spatula until the mixture is melted and smooth; set aside.

7- Put the white chocolate in a separate heatproof bowl and set it over the water. stir frequently until it's melted and smooth; remove it from the heat.

8- Spread the semisweet chocolate glaze over the cooled brownies in an even layer using an offset spatula. Drizzle the white chocolate over the glaze in lines. Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to drag the white chocolate in parallel lines.

9- Refrigerate until the glaze is set, at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours. Cut into thirty bars, about 2 inches square. To cut cleanly, use a knife rinsed in hot water and then dried. Keep the bars well covered and serve at room temperature.

One Track Mind

I don't know if I'll ever learn. Really, the number of times I've blown it in the kitchen because I'm trying to juggle too many things at once is beyond counting. You would think I would know by now and refrain from tackling more than one, or at a maximum, two projects at the same time. But no.

Case in point - my daughter had a couple of friends coming over for a quick dinner before we headed out to a movie. I decided to make chili since I had the ingredients on hand and it is a quick, easy meal I could throw together in a coma. Once I got going on that, though, I realized that chili needs cornbread to go with it. No problem. I make chili and cornbread together all the time. Then I realized that we couldn't have friends over for dinner and not have dessert! I figured I'd make my easy, trusty brownie recipe. No problem, right? Well, a small problem. When I'm rushed for time, and juggling three recipes, I don't always read as carefully as I should. I added twice the amount of melted chocolate to the batter as I should.

So how was the meal? The chili was good, the cornbread was underbaked, so it was kind of cornbread pudding, but tasty cornbread pudding. And the brownies? Well, they just weren't right. A little dry. The texture and taste were off and I was saddened to have spend all that time and chocolate making a pan of brownies that no one wanted to eat.


After staring at that pathetic pan of wrong brownies for two days, fearing I'd have to chuck the whole thing in the garbage just to get it off my counter, I had a brilliant idea. Brownies and ice cream together are delicious. How about brownies in ice cream? The ice cream hid the dryness problem of the brownies and the brownies provided a delicious textural counterpoint for the ice cream. Fabulous!

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream

- adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

8 oz (230 g) milk chocolate with at least 30% cocoa solids, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream
1-1/2 cups (375 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
Big pinch of kosher salt
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp Cognac
Brownies with walnuts (about 1/2 of a 9 x 9-inch pan)

Combine the milk chocolate and cream in a large, heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove the bowl from the saucepan. Set it aside with a mesh strainer over the top.

In a medium saucepan warm the milk, sugar, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk chocolate mixture, add the Cognac, and mix together. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator 4 hours or overnight. Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, crumble in the brownies.