Grandma's Wicked Chocolate Brownies

Anyone who has ever had one of Grandma Hazel's brownies will tell you they are the best brownies in the world. This recipe is really good, but no matter what I do, they never taste as good as Grandma's...must be all the love! The recipe is super simple and over the top chocolatey deliciousness.

Mix together in a medium size bowl: 

1/2 cup oil (vegetable)
1/2 cup dark dutch process cocoa (Grandma uses Hershey's Special Extra Dark Cocoa)
1 cup white sugar

Beat in two eggs*

In a separate bowl mix together:

1/2 cup all purpose flour*
1/4 tsp baking powder

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat well by hand (about 50 strokes with a spoon or spatula).

Last, stir in a 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Grandma uses the Hershey's special dark chocolate chips).

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch square pan and bake at 350 for about 15-25 minutes depending on your gooeyness preference.

*For high altitude, I used jumbo eggs and added 2 T more flour. 

Quinoa Salad Option #2

Today I decided to make Quinoa Salad once again, but to my dismay a few of the key ingredients from the last recipe were missing from my pantry - specifically black beans and red peppers, and I was about a 1/3 cup short on the Quinoa, but I decided to go for it anyway and found the alternative to be quite delightful. I kept the sauce recipe the same, except I was generous on the fresh ginger - it really does taste better with more! I added closer to 1 tsp. rather than 1/2 tsp this time. Since there was less quinoa, the salad has more flavor and I added half a yellow pepper and a handful of chopped strawberries for an infusion of color and flavor to take the place of the black beans and the red pepper. Delish!!

The recipe for this salad is as follows: 

2/3 cup dry quinoa - cooked and cooled (I cooked mine for 25 minutes in 1 1/2 cups boiling water and 1 T. butter - but keep in mind that I am cooking at high altitude so yours might be different :) 

Chop up the following fruits/veggies: 

1 ripe mango

4-5 strawberries

1/2 a large yellow pepper

1 ripe avocado 

Mix together in another bowl:

2 T. olive oil

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. sugar 

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

I dump the avocado into the sauce so the lime juice will keep it from browning and then gently add this mixture in with the quinoa and the fruits/veggies until everything is well combined. Yum!!

Peanut Butter Pie

If the way to a man's stomach is through his heart, then this is the recipe that sealed the deal! My hubby loves this recipe so much that I have to make two pies  - one to share and one just for him! To make the crust, see my pie crust recipe from an earlier post. The crumbs are a simple mix of peanut butter and powdered sugar. I mix the two ingredients together with my hands in a large bowl until I get the color and consistency I like. I'm honestly not sure what the ratio is so I just add until it looks right. I apologize for the lack of specificity, but here are some pictures to help :).

The vanilla pie filling recipe is from an old cookbook my mom gave me when I was little. I don't even know if it's still in print, but here it is.  This recipe makes enough for 1 pie.

Mix in a medium saucepan:

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup (heaping) cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

Add:

3 cups milk (cold)

Cook over medium heat until boils and thickens, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and blend part of this hot mixture with

3 egg yolks

Add back into saucepan and heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and add

2 T. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Chill and then beat with an electric mixer to make creamy. 

Cover the bottom of a cooled pie crust with a generous layer of peanut butter crumbs, pour the vanilla pie filling on top, add another layer of peanut butter crumbs, top with whipped cream (cool whip or the real thing both work great), and then with a few more crumbs and voila! Enjoy the yummy goodness!!

Quinoa Salad - a recipe pastiche a la Laura

Quinoa is such a trendy grain these days. It's Andean in origin and packed with protein. I first encountered quinoa while living in Bolivia and have been in love with it ever since. Unfortunately, the hubby doesn't love it so I usually only make it when I know I will have help eating it. I love quinoa salad, but I hadn't found a recipe I liked so I decided to combine recipes to make a new one - hence the pastiche :)

There really isn't much to it. First I added 1 cup of organic multicolor quinoa to 2 and a half cups of boiling water with 1 T. of olive oil (this works best for high altitude, if you are making it at lower altitude it might take less time and less water). I let it simmer over low heat with the lid on for 20 minutes and then removed it from the heat and allowed it to rest 10 minutes more with the lid still on. While the quinoa was cooling I mixed together the vinaigrette and chopped up the vegetables, then mixed it altogether - voila!

For the vinaigrette, whisk together in a small bowl:

Juice and zest of 1 lime (if the lime is not very juicy, juice another one)
2 T. Olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger

Other ingredients:

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 a red pepper, chopped
1 ripe mango, chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped (you can add more or less)

I poured the vinaigrette over the avocados first so the citrus would prevent browning and then mixed all of the ingredients together! Let it chill and then a comer! Enjoy :)

Whole Wheat Pancakes and My Favorite Coffee Mug

Here is another shameless plug for Mennonite cookbooks. These pancakes are from More With Less and are amazingly fluffy and delicious! The recipe calls for buttermilk, but I have always just used good old 2% milk and they come out great! This time I added a touch of organic Vietnamese cinnamon and they were even better than usual :) Toss on some fresh fruits and some maple agave syrup and it doesn't get much better! Again, if you want this simple and yummy recipe, just check out More With Less or tap a menno friend on the shoulder and we will share it with you! ~ Buen provecho!

The adorable mug in the picture was made by the lovely Mel Fox and is one of my favorite mugs of all time. My hubby always pulls it out of the cupboard for me in the morning because he knows it's the one I like best. Every time I drink my coffee I think of you dear friend!

Fish and Coleslaw with a Caribbean Twist

Do not fear the plátano. Plantains, those weird looking really big "bananas" in the produce section, are really quite delicious! We love fried green plantains with a sprinkle of sea salt on top as a side to go with coleslaw and fried tilapia - it's a nice spin on an old classic!

First I peel the plátano, cut it in half, slice each half into thin slices, poke each slice with a fork (Allan taught me this trick - it helps the plantains fry up better), and then place the slices into hot oil (I use olive oil or grape seed oil, but you can use whatever oil you like). It doesn't take a lot of oil, maybe a quarter of an inch in the bottom of your pan (I use an iron skillet). I keep the heat on medium and flip the slices every couple of minutes. You know they are done when the plantains are crispy and golden. I place them on a towel to drain and tap off the excess oil and then immediately sprinkle them with sea salt. Yummy! 

After washing the tilapia (my hubby won't eat any other kind of fish!), I dip it in beaten egg, and then in a mix of equal parts corn meal and flour with sea salt, black pepper, and a bit of garlic salt, but you can add any seasoning you like. To top off the flavor, I fry the fish in the leftover oil from the plantains. 

This is my recipe for coleslaw - I just kind of threw it together one day and liked the way it came out.

Coleslaw:

1/2 a head of shredded cabbage

1 large carrot shredded

In a bowl I wisk together the creamy dressing and then mix the cabbage and carrots into it. 

Dressing:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 

1 T. sugar (more or less depending on your taste)

1 tsp. sea salt (more or less depending on what you like best)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

the juice of 1/2 to 1 fresh lime (fresh squeezed lime makes everything better!) 

1 tsp. vinegar (you can skip this if you like, but I like the extra zing) 

If you feel like the coleslaw is too wet/dry add more/less dressing - it really is just equal parts greek yogurt and mayo with fresh lime juice and your choice of savory seasonings. We love to squeeze a fresh lime over the fish  and then toss the juiced lime slices into your glass to freshen up your water. This meal would also be amazing with an icy cold cola - but for health's sake, resist the temptation!!! (or maybe once in a great while splurge, right? :)

 

Grandma Hazel's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anyone who knows me has probably eaten these yummy cookies at some time or another. Grandma's recipe NEVER fails - I used to make this recipe all the time when I was in Bolivia and when I lived in Mexico. De hecho, mi mamá mexicana, Ethel, hace estas galletas también y las hace mejor que yo :).  Esta foto me mandó ella - ¡ qué deliciosas!

My roomie Sarah and I used to make these cookies all the time - sometimes we would just make a small batch and leave out the eggs and enjoy the yummy cookie dough with ice cream - soooo good!! 

 

Besides the fact that my grandma is the coolest grandma in the world (no debating that - sorry folks, the title has been taken), she is an amazing cook! So enjoy this ever faithful recipe. 

 

Grandma Hazel's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together in a large mixing bowl:

1 cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar 

1 cup softened butter (I NEVER use margarine)

1 tsp. vanilla (the real thing, no imitations here)

Beat in:

2 eggs

In a separate bowl mix together:

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

Add to creamed mixture and gently stir until all dry ingredients are mixed in – and add: 

1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips (12 oz. or 2 cups)

Do NOT over stir - I always mix cookie dough by hand. You can use a stand mixer if you like or an electric mixer if you like, but I never do. Drop by tablespoons full or with a small ice cream scoop (I use this option) onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 or until done.

Blueberry Coffee Cake a la menonita

Okay, so this is shameless propaganda for the trilogy of Mennonite cookbooks - but if you don't have them you should get them! Other than throwing in some blackberries and adding a bit of ginger and a touch of nutmeg and cloves, I followed this recipe to the letter. I'm always a bit nervous about making cakes at high altitude, but this one came out just fine without any changes being made. I love that it takes whole wheat flower and is light on the sugar. If you want the recipe ask a menno friend or check out Simply in Season. 

The best pizza I have ever made!!!

So this recipe is from - Simply Scratch, one of my favorite foodie blogs. I stuck pretty close to the recipe, but made a few small tweaks. Instead of one large rectangular pizza I made four small round pizzas so that I could make different kinds. Also, for the sauce I sauteed some garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil before adding the tomato sauce and I used fresh basil instead of dry to give it a more robust flavor. For toppings I used fresh basil, tomato and an Italian cheese blend for one pizza, Italian sausage and pepperoni for my carnivore hubby, veggies for me, and one with meat, veggies and, of course green chile, because as all Burqueños know green chile makes everything taste better :)!

Here is the link for the recipe: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2010/03/pizza-101.html

Mennonite Pie Dough

I could barely reach the top of the kitchen table when my mom taught me to make this pie dough recipe. To date I have made it in every country I have lived in and it has never failed me! It makes enough dough to do several pies at once, or to make pie dough and freeze the crusts for later. I usually get 5-6 crusts per batch (less if you are making double crusted pies).

To start, you will need a large mixing bowl and a pastry blender - if you do not have a pastry blender feel free to mix the dough with your hands.

Measure into the large bowl:
5 cups of all purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 cups shortening or lard

Mix with a pastry blender/hands until fine crumbs form and the crumbs have a yellowish color.

In a one cup measuring cup, beat an egg and add to the egg enough water (ice water works really well) to make one cup. Dump in 1 tsp. of vinegar and stir (try not to spill any of the liquid). Pour this mixture into the crumb mixture and gently blend with a fork until it is completely absorbed. Form dough into disks and roll out on a floured surface - sprinkle pie pans with a pinch of flour just prior to putting the dough into them. Press the dough firmly into the pans, lifting the edges as needed to ensure that there are no air pockets. Trim the edges, crimp, fill and bake according to pie recipe instructions or poke with fork holes if you are baking the crust for cream pie - I usually bake plain crusts for 15-20 minutes at 350. This dough also works great for turnovers and apple/peach dumplings. Happy pie making!

Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies with a Spicey Twist

Oh these polarizing chocolate cookies - you will either love them or hate them! They are my husband's least favorite thing I make, but everyone else raves about them. I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, but have tweaked it a bit (for the original see http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/toasted-coconut-double-chocolate-cookies-with-sea-salt/ ). The tweaks were inspired by the lovely Carly Piccarello - aka cooking genius. If you like chocolate with a Mexican twist, you will love these cookies! 

First, toast the coconut in a skillet on the stove until your kitchen smells amazing and the coconut is brown but not burnt. Set that aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and shortening, and stir in the sugars. Once the sugar is mixed in, add the eggs and the vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, salt, soda, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Mix the flour mixture into the cream mixture until dry ingredients are mostly absorbed - dump in the toasted coconut and the chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheets and place in a preheated oven (350) - I use an ice cream scoop to get the perfect round shape. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they are just a bit wobbly in the middle, but stable around the edges. Just before you think they are done, pull them out of the oven and sprinkle with sea salt and then place them back in the oven for a minute or two. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for a couple of minutes, then place them on a cooling wrack and then buen provecho!

 

1 cup Flaked Sweetened Coconut
1/2 cup Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Shortening
2/3 cup Sugar (you can add a bit less of both sugars)

2/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1-3/4 cups plus 2 T. Flour
3/4 cup plus 2 T. Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (you can add less if you like - 1 tsp = picante – 1/2 to 3/4 tsp is just right if you like a little less spice)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Chocolate Chips
Sea Salt