Even a failure can turn into a success

Two nights in a row now I have had ultimate failure in brownie making.  I had new to me pans for making mini muffins and thought, hey I can make brownie bites!  So I mixed up my death by chocolate brownies and away I went...15 minutes later they are done, and unequivocally stuck to the pan.  They tasted wonderful, but I was not about to take a plate full of crumbled brownies to work...so tonight I mixed up another batch of brownies, made sure I greased the bejeebas out of the pan, and sugared it, cause that works when I make banana bread...and again, superbly stuck brownies. 

Epic fail...so on to plan B.  The pans went into the garbage, and the moist but crumbly brownies went into my mixer.

Add a bit of cream cheese (all 8 ounces actually)

And mix until the whole mess is combined, I found out after making several "truffles" that this part gets messy, so I would refrigerate your truffle middle for at least an hour, and a second pair of hands would be great...

I used the Baker's microwavable chocolate, it's a super time saver!!!

Roll a small spoonful of truffle into a ball, then dip in the chocolate.  Sprinkle with Spice Agent vanilla sea salt if you have any!

Enjoy!

I'm not chicken about trying a new recipe!

It’s been a fast paced week…and I haven’t been in the kitchen at all!  So tonight, it’s all about the Garlic Mushroom chicken in a white wine sauce!  There are many steps, and it takes a bit to make, but hopefully the results are worth it! 

The key to cutting chicken breasts is to keep them partially frozen, then they are super easy to cube! 

My recipe calls for dried tarragon, but I bought fresh, so you don’t have to use as much!

 I also like to slice my own mushrooms

Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the pan, and add a bit more oil, then the mushrooms, tarragon and garlic and let them cook down a bit.  

I hardly ever drink wine and I never drink dry wine, so I just purchased a small box of dry white.  

Add to the mushrooms and cook 1 minute, then add the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly, then add the chicken broth, cooking for another minute or so until the liquid becomes thick.  Next time I make this I am going to double the sauce.

Return the chicken to the pan and let it all heat back up.  Serve over the noodles!

Enjoy!

It's a good day for a pot roast

This week marks a new beginning.  I was offered a job today.  Very exciting news, and also a change to the way I do things!  The crock pot will now be my friend, and freezer meals will be essential!  So, today to celebrate I decided to make a pot roast!  It's a new recipe, Balsamic Onion Pot Roast, and yes I have an obsession with Balsamic Vinegar.  Maybe one day I will be able to afford the super expensive sweet stuff to use on desserts!

Start browning the roast

Cut up the onion and line the bottom of the crock pot

Wash the mushrooms and set aside

In a sauce pan boil the 1 cup of broth to reduce

Once meat is browned, place in the crock pot on top of the onions, surround with the mushrooms and I added some carrots.

Pour sauce over the top and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.

While I'm waiting I'm going to make some Croutons, and an Enchilada Casserole.

After 6-8 hours, remove meat, and vegetables, scoop out as much of the fat that you can, and put the liquid in a pan, reduce and thicken if you want, serve on the side, or pour right on top of the meat!

Enjoy!

Something with a crunch

You ever wonder what to do with that bread that is almost stale, a bit too crunchy to eat by itself?  I had a loaf of french bread, that I left too long, and it got very crunchy.  So today I decided to make home made croutons!  It is very simple, no "recipe" needed!

Slice the bread into cubes. Again, I have french bread,  you can use any type of bread, really, ANY type!

Melt butter 8-10 Tablespoons depending on how much bread you are using, the more liquid, the crunchier the croutons will be, and the more "meltier" they will be in your mouth!  Of course you can also use olive oil.

Pour the butter/oil over the cubes tossing to cover, then add the spices you want to use, I chose garlic and onion as these are the store bought flavors I always get.  You can use whatever flavors float your boat!

Place the cubes in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes or so, stirring every 5, until all the cubes are crunchy.

Store in the refrigerator until you have eaten them all! Use them on salads, or as a snack!

Enjoy!

I don't always deep fry, but when I do...

In my house we always try to eat healthy. Try is the key word,  there's nothing healthy about bacon and butter (ya'll) but I love food...One of our favorite snacks are those little popcorn chicken you can buy frozen, then you just nuke them, if you are in a hurry, or put them in the oven to re-heat them.  But those suckers are like $9.00 a bag!  And who knows what all is put into them.  So when I came across the Sweet Chicky Nuggets on Pinterest I knew I was going to have to try them.

Once they are made it is quick to re-heat them, but when you are making them for the first time it does take some time.  After you beat an egg, add the milk and mix to combine

Slice the chicken breasts into cubes, the recipe says use two, but I used three and it worked well

Add to the milk mixture, cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

When you are ready to fry them up put 2 inches-ish in a pot and start it heating, make sure you watch it, it can get too hot quickly

While the oil is heating, mix the dry ingredients in a gallon bag, shake to mix

With tongs put all the chicken pieces in the bag and shake it good to get it coated

You can fry 8-10 pieces at a time depending on how wide your fry pan is

When they are browned put them in a bowl lined with paper towels to drain, and serve them with your favorite sauces!

Enjoy!

Once you are done eating all you want to eat, put the remaining nuggets in a freezer bag and spread them in a layer and freeze, once frozen you can put the bag upright.  To reheat just pop them in the microwave until they are hot through!

Warm and cheesy potatoes? Yes Please!

I always love when people request dishes from me.  My DH asked me to make a twicebaked potato casserole for him to take to work tomorrow.  So of course I said yes!

Baking the potatoes is what takes so long in this recipe.  Of course you could cheat and do it in the microwave, just don’t oil or salt.

Once the potatoes are done, put the to the side to cool...

And cook the bacon

While the bacon is cooking mix up the rest of the ingredients

Cube the potatoes (with or without skin), and crumble the bacon in to a large bowl, dump the cheese mixture in and mix it all up.

Put it in an oven safe dish and bake until everything is melted and bubbly.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Can't go wrong with Pork!

The heat has invaded again, well temporarily anyway.  Tomorrow is supposed to cool down again.  In the meantime I’m ready to mix up some magic in the kitchen!  Today’s offering is BrownSugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin. It is luckily for me done in the crock pot!  So minimal house heating!

Put your spices in a small bowl to mix

Open your pork loin and rinse it

Rub with the spices

Put it in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of water

Cook 6-8 hours!

About an hour before the time is up combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and stir and heat until thick. It will have a syrupy consistency.

Brush the loin 2-3 times during the last hour with the glaze.

I’m serving with fresh cast iron rolls, mashed potatoes, and leftover sauce as the gravy!

ENJOY!