My Favorite Brownies

This is a long-time favorite brownie recipe at my house.

I've been using this recipe since I was a teenager. I've long since forgotten from where it came, but it's a great basic brownie with slightly crispy edges and top and a soft chocolately inside.

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
 1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and walnuts. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread batter evenly in pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool completely and dust with powered sugar if desired.

Do you have a favorite brownie recipe?

Fresh Basil Pesto

This spring, we planted four big pots of basil to use in our restaurant, Randelli's Gourmet Pizza. It's so much easier to grow it ourselves rather than having to order it from the produce distributor. But it seems the more we harvest it, the more it grows! What to do? Make some fresh basil pesto!

Here is a simple and delicious recipe. I ususally use Parmesan cheese, but you might want to try it with Romano or Pecorino cheese which have a stronger flavor. Most basil pesto recipes call for pine nuts but it's also good with walnuts.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.


2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with your favorite pasta or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Yield: Makes 1 cup.

Christmas Cookies!

Recently I've seen a lot of magazine covers with photos of beautifully styled Christmas cookies. It's put me in the mood for some holiday baking. I even saved some new recipes to try, but in the end, partly because of my husband's request, I just went with an old favorite recipe. I've always called these Mexican Wedding Cookies. They are small cookies with a rich buttery flavor, covered in powdered sugar. Of course they are great any time of year, but I always find myself making several batches around the holidays. I thought I would share this simple recipe!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus more for dusting the cooled cookies)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix ingredients in order given. I just put everything in my food processor and process until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough in half and roll into two long rolls, each about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll up in wax paper or parchment paper and chill for at least 2 hours.

Once dough is thoroughly chilled, slice into 1/4 inch discs and place on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are slightly brown. Remove cookies and place on cooling racks or a piece of parchment paper to cool.


To decorate, roll each cookie in powdered sugar and place in an airtight container. These cookies keep well and retain their flavor and texture for several days. They are a wonderful tiny treat with a mug of hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate!

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

All of a sudden we have an abundance of summer squash in the garden, so this morning I used some to make my favorite zucchini bread recipe.

We have both green zucchini and yellow summer squash. Either one can be used in this recipe. We try to pick the squash when it is small, and the most tender, to saute or grill. But occasionally we miss one and this is a good way to use a bit larger squash since it will be grated for this recipe.

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil together until light and fluffy. Stir in zucchini.

Then add flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and mix well.

Stir in pineapple and nuts.

Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Insert toothpick in center of loaf to make sure they have baked long enough. They may need another 5 minutes or so, depending on the moisture content of the squash.

Let pans sit on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing loaves from pan. Then cool loaves completely before storing.

The pineapple and 2 cups of grated squash make this a nice moist bread. It's wonderful for breakfast with a smear of butter or cream cheese. Since this recipe makes two loaves there will be one for you and one to share! Or, you can wrap the extra loaf and place in the freezer.

I'd love to know what you think if you try this recipe!

A Sweet Treat

I wanted to share with you my favorite recipe for Pound Cake. The golden batter makes a wonderfully moist, dense cake. It looks pretty when baked in a Bundt pan, but any tube pan will do.

Pound Cake
3 cups plain flour - not self rising
3 sticks salted butter
3 cups sugar
1 cup whipping cream
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease and lightly flour a tube pan. Sift flour 3 times. (sifting the flour is important) Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat only until each disappears. Blend in 1 cup flour, then 1/2 cup cream. Repeat. Add remaining flour. Fold in vanilla.
Add batter to pan, level it and drop on counter a couple of times to knock out any air bubbles. Place in center of oven and bake for one hour and 15 minutes. Cake will be nice and brown on top and begin to pull away from the sides of pan. Remove from oven to cool and wait ten minutes before inverting on a cake plate. Do not cover until completely cool.

Ready to go in the oven.

The pound cake is excellent served plain. You could also drizzle with lemon sauce or chocolate sauce. My favorite is to serve it with seasonal berries. Let me know if you try the recipe.

Enjoy!

Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies

Oh my gosh, you must try these! These are my new favorite cookies! The recipe for these Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies is the "Cookie of the Month" recipe from the January '09 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

These delicate, crisp cookies have a rich buttery taste.

Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
3 1/2 ounces pecan halves, toasted (1 cup)
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted


(Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in oven, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden brown, about 10 minutes. )

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Break each pecan half into 2 or 3 pieces. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale. With mixer running, add vanilla and salt, then reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour, beating until just incorporated. Stir in pecans until distributed evenly. Cover dough, and refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes (or overnight; let dough come to room temperature before using).
Drop 2-tablespoon scoops of dough onto baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool. (Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 2 days.) Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

"These rich, crisp, delicate cookies owe their crumbly texture to confectioners' sugar. Pecans enhance their buttery flavor." Enjoy!

Cool As A Cucumber

Cucumber Salad

I love this time of year for the bounty in the garden!

It's so easy to make fresh delicious meals with vegetables from the garden. This is an old fashion recipe that's still a favorite at my house.

4 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
half of a red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Place sliced cucumbers in a large bowl and toss with salt. The salt will remove excess moisture from the cucmbers.

2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then drain excess liquid. Add sliced onions to cucumbers in bowl.

3. Whisk together remaining ingredients to make the dressing. Pour over the cucumber and onion mixture. Toss well and refrigerate two hours before serving.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

Fresh Red Raspberry Sorbet

I am lucky to have a place to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in my garden. One of my favorites is the red raspberries which I love to use to make sorbet. But even if you do not have a garden, plenty of delicious fresh fruit is available from your local market or grocery. This is a surprisingly simple recipe with wonderful results.

First, I have to give credit where credit is due. This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living, Sorbets, Sherbets, and Granitas, in the June 2002 issue. If you can find the back issue at your local library, there is much more information about making these wonderful treats from a wide variety of fruits.

Here is the red raspberry sorbet recipe. (You will need an ice cream freezer to make this.) This recipe makes about a quart of sorbet which is perfect for most ice cream machines.

First, to make the simple syrup, prepare an ice bath. You can make any amount of syrup as long as you use equal parts sugar and water. Two cups of each is enough for one batch of sorbet. Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until all sugar is well dissolved, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl set over the ice bath. Let stand until syrup is well chilled. Any unused syrup can be stored in the fridge.

Place the fruit in the bowl of a food processor with a few tablespoons of water to help it process smoothly. Puree until smooth; pour into a fine mess strainer set over a bowl. (I use this old food mill my Mom used to make tomato juice, but any fine mesh strainer will work) With a rubber spatula, press gently on the mixture to extract as much juice as possible. Don't press too hard or you'll force the seeds through the strainer. Discard the seeds and pulp.

Transfer two cups of fruit juice to a tall plastic container. Add 1 1/2 cups of simple syrup and stir well to combine.

Transfer to an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. The sorbet should be smooth and thick.

Transfer sorbet to an airtight container. Freeze for at least two hours before serving.

I hope you get a chance to try this recipe with raspberries or a fruit of your choice.

An Abundance of Cilantro

Growing up in the midwest, I didn't even know what cilantro is. Now it is one of my favorite herbs. Cilantro is a cool season herb, best grown from seed. This is our spring patch of the herb growing in the garden.

I have and abundance of ciantro in my garden right now. This is one of my favorite ways to use a lot of it. This is a recipe from Bobby Flay's Bold American Food cookbook for Cilantro Viniagrette. I love it as a fresh tasting salad dressing. It's fabulous on sliced garden tomatoes with fresh mozzarella. It is also wonderful with grilled fish or chicken.

Cilantro Vinaigrette
2 cups (tightly packed) cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine everything except the olive oil in a blender and puree. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour into a squeeze bottle. May be prepared up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature to serve.

Try some yourself and let me know what you think!