The Brownie Project: Round One

A few weeks ago, we got a real hankering for brownies at Ellie Bluebell's House.  Okay, maybe it was just me wanting them, but once I mentioned the idea of making some brownies to Natalie, she wanted them really bad, too.



I started looking for a recipe.  We just happened to have grabbed a book at the library on our last visit, Sesame Street B is for Baking: 50 Yummy Dishes to Make Together.  Sure enough, there was a brownie recipe in it.  "Elmo's Best Brownies In The West" sounded very promising.  Elmo wouldn't lie to us about his brownies being the best, would he?

So Natalie donned the darling apron she got for her birthday, and we got down to business.  The recipe was easy and pretty straightforward.  You can see much of it in this picture.  However, it will not be reprinted here because I was so frustrated with the results the book went straight back to the library before I realized I needed the recipe for blog purposes.  I can get a little rash when it comes to food, and especially when it comes to baked goods.

We had a great time mixing and measuring and we substituted the recipe's olive oil for applesauce, which made me worry they would be too sweet.  Alas, I needn't have worried.

My first clue that this recipe was going to disappoint was the pan size recommended: 9x13.  I could tell by looking at the quantity of ingredients that it was going to yield sadly flat, thin brownies.  Is there anything sadder than a flat brownie?  Maybe it's just me, but I like mine nearly cubic.  Think Rubic's Cube in size and stature.  Fat, tall and gooey, please!



But I went with the recipe's recommendation, just to test it.  After they baked, Natalie and I sat down and each had one.  She seemed quite happy, but other than the fact that we had just baked together without destroying the kitchen or each other, I was not pleased.  They were not very sweet (despite the applesauce substitution) and quite cakey (probably because of the applesauce substitution).

Pan size is wrong.  Did Elmo even test this recipe before the book came out?

BROWNIE DOOM.

But - if you like your brownies cakey, thin, and not very sweet, by all means try dumb old Elmo's recipe.  Get the book from the library in case you hate it.  If you end up with the copy we had you can see the comments I angrily added to the recipe with my fine-point Sharpie.  I expect to have my library card revoked any day now.



With all the brownie recipes out there in the world, I thought, 'what's the best one?'  Since everyone likes their brownies a bit different, you can't just go by star ratings on allrecipes.  No.  For us to find our very favorite brownie recipe in the whole world, we were going to have to make lots and lots and lots of brownies.




And thus, the Brownie Project was born.  Natalie and I decided we'd make a different recipe each week, to find our favorite.  We promise not to make any further substitutions so as to preserve the integrity of each recipe.  (But if I come across olive oil in any other recipes I might have to make an exception.  Seriously, olive oil?  Hork)



Stay tuned, and we'll soldier on bravely until we find the one that is best!  Best to us, anyway.  If you have a favorite you'd like to submit for the Project, please share it!






ROUND ONE OFFICIAL VERDICT: Elmo's Best Brownies in the West from Sesame Street B is for Baking


1 out of 5

Sadly thin and cakey.  Not sweet enough.  High marks from a motivational aspect, however, because they were so bad that this project was created.  Elmo, we would appreciate if you actually tested your recipes before you put out a book.

And, you know, it's not like we threw the brownies away.  They were eaten.  We do not waste food at Ellie Bluebell's House.

Next up: Fudge Brownies from Gold Medal Flour's Alpha Bakery Children's Cookbook.

Edamame Fried Rice and Teriyaki Sauce

I hate to waste food.  Hate it.  My tendency to remake leftovers into "new" dishes wears on my husband a bit, since not all of my creations are good ones.  He also distrusts leftovers in general - I've heard stories about when he was a child and they'd eat the same giant pot of something for days on end.



I can understand where his mom was coming from with the cooking in bulk, but I also see his point.  You gotta mix things up.



Every now and then I make something from leftovers that is different enough from the original thing that it can't even be classified as leftovers.  Fried rice falls into this category, and it's a great dish to serve alongside baked tofu or teriyaki salmon to round out a meal.  With the edamame it can even stand on its own as a one dish meal.

Edamame Fried Rice


1 T coconut oil
2 cups leftover cooked rice

2 T soy sauce, tamari, or Dr Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids

2 T teriyaki sauce (optional, recipe follows)

1/2 c chopped carrots
1/4 c frozen peas
1/4 c shelled edamame
2 eggs
3 green onions, sliced



In a large heavy skillet, heat coconut oil over medium high heat.  Add rice, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce.  Cook about 5 minutes, until rice is no longer chunky and absorbs some of the soy sauce/teriyaki sauce.


Stir in carrots, peas, and edamame, cook another 5 minutes.


Push rice and veggies to the sides of the skillet, leaving a round hole in the center.  Add a bit of coconut oil to the hole, allow to heat.  Pour in gently beaten eggs and cook without stirring for 2 minutes.  Scramble eggs gently within hole.  After eggs have mostly set (about 2 minutes), stir rice and eggs all together.


Stir in green onions, and serve.

This teriyaki sauce recipe was shown to me in college by my friend Jasmine.  It's so simple, and a good recipe to have in your toolkit since bottled teriyaki sauce is so expensive.  You can simmer lots of other things in it to give it different flavors: minced garlic, red pepper flakes, minced fresh ginger.


It makes a great marinade and sauce for the baked tofu shown above, and is absolutely fabulous on grilled pineapple.



Basic Teriyaki Sauce



1 part soy sauce
1 part sugar (1 c of each is about the minimum to use)


Combine in small sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir well.  Simmer until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.  Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Thank you Jasmine!

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What's Cooking: 5.20 - 5.26

Miracles are happening.  Above is this week's menu.  As in the current menu.



Monday - linguine with clam sauce.  Make yourself some!  Served with apple blue cheese salad and broccoli.  Two veggies - bam.

Tuesday - brisket sandwiches from the giant slab of meat that was smoked this weekend.  Fries and salad.

Wednesday - edamame fried rice, baked tofu, and sesame ginger salad.

Thursday - dinner out.  Subway, to be exact.  I have been addicted to their Veggie Patty on a salad for years.  It looks like dog food but it's tasty and vegetarian.  

Friday - pizza party, with salad and raspberry hot fudge sundaes.  I came across Santa Cruz Organic Raspberry Chocolate Sauce at Grocery Outlet and am so glad I got it... we've been loving it on coconut sorbet with fresh raspberries!

Saturday - camping.

Sunday - ribollita (vegetable stew, "reboiled" in Italian), garlic toasts.  Hoping to post about the soup soon.



Let's see if I can keep up this current momentum with posting the weekly menus.  Stay tuned!

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An Easy Classic: Linguine With White Clam Sauce

When I first came across this recipe several years ago, I was skeptical about it.  Could homemade clam sauce from canned clams really be good, or was this one of those recipes that tries and fails to recreate at home something that is delicious only in restaurants?  But the lure of a different (meaning not tomato based or heavy cream) pasta dish that incorporated seafood, a protein our whole family eats, was too much for me.  

I broke down and made it, and it was so delectable I immediately added the recipe to my cookbook and the dish to our dinner rotation. 

It's easy, classic, flavorful, and has few ingredients, all of which are easy to keep on hand.  Except the wine.  Wine never lasts long around here, once opened.  But we actually had some leftover Chardonnay-Viognier in the fridge this week.  

This recipe claims to serve four, but I'd double it if you have a family of four or more solid eaters.

Linguine With White Clam Sauce

Serves 3 or so

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 c butter 

2 cans minced or chopped clams, drained.  Reserve 2/3 c of the liquid

1/4 c white wine

1/4 t pepper

1 T chopped parsley

1 t sea salt

8 oz linguine or thin spaghetti

1/3 c freshly grated parmesan or pecorino-romano 

Leftover wine.  I hardly even know myself anymore.


Anyway, saute garlic in butter in a large skillet until golden.


Add clam juice, wine, pepper, and salt.  Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced.


Add half of the freshly grated parmesan or pecorino-romano, stir.  I use a Zyliss Rotary Grater and do it right over the pan.  Do you have one of these?  It might seem like a really specific and therefore frivolous kitchen gadget, but it's not.  You need one.  If I can't convince you, then the fact that every server at Olive Garden is equipped with one should do it.  Because Olive Garden is the undeniable leading authority on authentic Italian pasta.

In all seriousness, freshly grated cheese from a high quality wedge is much tastier than pre-grated "parmesan" that comes in a tub, or - gasp! - a shaker can (and more economical, in the tub's case).


I have strong feelings about cheese, and good kitchen gadgets for cheese (here's my other must-have grater.  Yes, you need two graters, at least).  Okay, back to the Linguine.


Add clams, stir till hot, and then add drained linguine directly to the skillet.  Toss.  Let it cook for 2 or 3 minutes.  The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce a bit.  Sprinkle on the parsley.


Serve immediately, adding the remaining parmesan to the top.  Or just put your favorite kitchen gadget on the table and let everyone have the fun of giving the Zyliss a few turns.




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What's Cooking: 5.13.12 - 5.19.12

I will admit it: in the last month or so, our weekly menus have been less than post-worthy (where there was even a menu at all).  Not that there's anything wrong with takeout, frozen pizza, and everyone-fend-for-themselves-style leftovers.  But it's not the way to eat healthy (ahem, pizza) or save money (ahem, takeout).



I finally got back on the meal planning last week, and it was because I needed to: Casey's dad stayed with us.  I don't think he'd mind my saying that the man likes to eat, so I knew I needed to plan ahead or it'd be Red Mill every night (again, doesn't sound so bad, actually...)



Monday - pesto pasta with salmon (this was a doctored up leftovers dish that turned out really well!  If I can recreate it, I'll post about it), broccoli

Tuesday - Casey made tacos while I went to a meeting

Wednesday - spaghetti.  Again, Casey cooked while I had a meeting

Thursday - my father in law arrives: let the meat cooking begin.  Crockpot chicken enchiladas and black bean enchiladas, avocado slaw, spicy black beans

Friday - typo on the board pictured above for which I received much flak: 'steelhead' should read 'salmon'.  A "springer," apparently, to be exact.  In any case, I served it with rice and broccoli, and I also made a Browned Butter Apple Pie.  Even though I've made it many times, this didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped, but we ate it anyway.

Saturday - the guys smoked a brisket.  I made baked beans and salad.

Sunday - Casey's "pub" burgers were on the menu, but we had a Bad Meat Incident (I was agape when my father in law took a bite of the raw meat to determine if it was bad!  He thought it was fine but we overruled him on lack of judgment alone) and ended up going to... where else?  Red Mill Burgers instead!



Why hello there, Babe's Onion Rings.



What are your favorite dishes to make when you have houseguests?



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Salad Days

Some days you just need a salad.  In our case, that day was Monday.  We had grilled all weekend, thanks to the gorgeous sunshine that finally warmed our corner of the country, and the family had eaten a lot of heavy meats (exception: me, of course, but I always welcome a Salad Day).

This particular salad is great for spring and summer because you still get to grill!  The salad-shunning man in your life will be happy to know this.  No BBQ?  Middle of winter?  I will admit to not wanting to deal with the massive propane monster on our deck, so I used a cast iron grill pan on the stove for the shrimp skewers this time.

And it's easy.  The worst part, as in any recipe involving shrimp, is cleaning the little buggers.  It's almost enough to make me swear off shrimp forever.  If you have already sworn them off, it'd be great with baked tofu, too.

If you can't find Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing, first: I suggest you search longer and harder because it is completely delicious.  If you still can't find it, you can make up your own marinade/dressing with 1/2 cup Kraft Catalina dressing, 1 T sesame oil, 1 t ginger (diced fresh is better), 1/2 t garlic powder (again, minced fresh is better but a little harder), and a good splash of rice wine vinegar.

Mandarin and Almond Shrimp Salad

16 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1 c sesame ginger dressing

1 head romaine, cut up

1 15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 c sliced red pepper

1/2 c sugar snap peas

1/3 cup almonds

1/2 c cucumber, sliced

Soak skewers in water if using bamboo.  Skewer shrimp and marinate in 1/3 c sesame ginger dressing for 30 minutes or longer in the refrigerator.

Remove shrimp, discard dressing.

Heat grill on medium-high.  Grill shrimp 4-5 minutes each side, turning once.

Toss lettuce with 1/3 c dressing.   Arrange salad, veggies, and almonds on individual plates, and lay shrimp skewer across each one.

Drizzle shrimp with remaining 1/3 c dressing.

And your colorful dinner's done!  Embrace the Salad Days... even if you're no longer in your salad days.

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Peanut Noodles with Tofu and Broccoli

Any recipe that uses up something that would otherwise be compost has my heart, and these Peanut Noodles make use of the stems of broccoli.  I don't know if its my store or what, but I usually end up with a good 3-4" extra inches of stem, even after leaving an inch or two attached to the dark green tops as a steamed side dish.  The original recipe called for cucumber cut into matchsticks, but I think the broccoli adds better crunch and also more fiber and nutrients.  

So don't throw those out: save your broccoli stems for Peanut Noodles!  (Another option for broccoli stems is to chop, freeze, and save them for a batch of Crockpot Lentil Soup)

Children love this dish, but it's sophisticated and tasty enough to satisfy the whole family.  Pass the green onions and cilantro at the table if your little ones are wary of "green stuff."

On the right in this photo is my baked tofu.  I use baked tofu for this recipe since it holds together better than tofu right out of the package, and is tastier since it's got built in flavor.



Baked Tofu


1 14 oz package organic tofu in water
1/4 c soy sauce or Dr Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids
1/8 t red chile flakes
1 t sugar

Oven to 350.  Drain tofu and cut into 8 slices.  Lay these on several layers of paper towels, cover with several more layers of towels.  Press.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, arrange tofu in dish.  Stir together remaining ingredients and spoon half of it over top of tofu slices (it's okay if it runs off).  Bake for 20 min.  Turn slices over, spoon other half of marinade over the tofu, and bake another 20 minutes.

Peanut Noodles with Tofu and Broccoli

8 oz spaghetti or fettucine

3/4 c chicken or vegetable broth

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 c peanut butter (old fashioned is best)

3 T sugar

1/4 t red chile flakes (omit if your little ones are sensitive to spice)

3 T soy sauce (or Dr Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids)

8 oz baked tofu

1 c broccoli stems, cut into matchsticks

1/3 c chopped peanuts

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 c cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions.  With 2 minutes left on the time, add broccoli to pot.  Drain and set aside.  Heat broth, garlic, sugar, chiles, peanut butter, and soy sauce in pasta pot until boiling.  Turn off heat.  Add pasta and broccoli, toss.  Fold in tofu cubes.  Top each serving with chopped peanuts.  Pass cilantro and green onions at the table.

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