Manna from Heaven Brownies

This is from my old roommate, Natalie. My other roommate, Emma, thought these brownies were so yummy that she dubbed them 'Manna from Heaven'. Hence the name.

These brownies are SUPER EASY to whip up when you want dessert in a fix. I've made them every weekend for the past three weeks, and have proceeded to eat at least half the pan. Don't judge.

1 (softened) stick of butter
2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Cocoa
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
4 eggs

So easy I already have it memorized, I also pour in some chocolate chips (I don't know how much, till it looks good), just because I'm a choco-holic. My only mixing instruction is to put the eggs in last. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes (or less if you want them more gooey) in a dark 9 x 13 pan  and ~30 minutes (or more if you want them less gooey) in a glass 9 x 13 pan.

I'll post a picture when I make them again (probably soonish).

My Favorite! Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is my very very favorite dessert EVER! It is SO SO yummy! It's also WAY easier than it looks. The first time it only took me about half an hour. I made this with a vanilla wafer crust, but it calls for a regular pie crust. Either will taste delicious, it really depends on the balance of flavors you want:

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced (you could even use a little less, a whole pound is a lot)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cupstrawberry jello
Red food coloring (optional)
1 (9-inch) piecrust, homemade, or store-bought, baked as directed (you can also use graham crackers or vanilla wafers to make a crust if you want, either will taste good with this pie)
Whipped topping or fresh whipped cream

1. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the powdered sugar. Let sit for a few minutes, then pour off the juice.

2. While the strawberries are sitting, place the granulated sugar, water, cornstarch, and salt in the saucepan; cook, stirring until it is clear and thick (she says about 3 minutes, and she doesn't mention the heat, I would say medium high, and it's ok if it boils). 1/4 cup of the Jell-O powder, and a few drops of red food coloring (I left that out). Stir well and let cool.

3. Place the strawberries in the piecrust and pour the Jell-O mixture over the strawberries.

4. Top with whipped topping and chill to set before serving (I added the whipped topping before serving.)

Easy Eclairs

So I'm not really sure about amounts so I'm not going to tell you how many graham crackers and how much frosting, and I've also experimented with different flavors of pudding and frosting which gives more varieties that taste good too if you want to do that. I got it from Emma, mine and Shelley's old roommate, who I think actually got it from Brittany, our other roommate. It's sooo easy. This is the best combination that I found so far.

Ingredients:

• Whole Graham Crackers
• 2 pkgs of vanilla instant pudding
• 3 Cups of milk
• 1 (8 oz) carton of cool whip
• Chocolate frosting

First mix the pudding, milk, and cool whip in a large mixing bowl.

In bottom of 9"x13" pan, place a single layer of whole graham crackers. Spread half of pudding mixture over crackers. Add another layer of crackers, rest of pudding, ending with another layer of graham crackers.

For the topping just frost the graham crackers, it might make it easier to do that if you heat up the frosting in the microwave a little bit.

When it's ready then refrigerate at least for the next 4-5 hours. The longer you refrigerate then the better (softer)  it will be.

Some Gravy for Your Biscuits

I've been looking for the perfect gravy recipe for biscuits and gravy for a long time. Most gravy recipes are fairly simple and almost identical, but for some reason--although I found elements in each that I liked--it never quite turned out. After a lot of trial and error I came up with my own, and I think I've got it. It turns out it's more about technique than following the list of ingredients exactly.
 
THE Gravy for Biscuits and Gravy
Makes: 4-6 servings
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound pork sausage
• 2-3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2-2 1/2 cups milk
• Lawry season salt, to taste (about a pinch)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. This is important: break up the sausage before cooking and spread in a single layer on a skillet. Cook sausage until browned and crumbly. This step prevents the sausage from getting chewy, helps the sausage to cook evenly, and creates a more flavorful dish.
2. Add flour, a little at a time (I eyeballed it, probably closer to 2 tablespoons), so that is soaks up most of the oils, but to where the sausage doesn't dry out.
3. Add milk, again I eyeballed it. I added about 1/2 cup at a time, until about 2 cups to get the sausage to gravy ratio that seemed most appetizing.
4. Continue to cook over medium heat until gravy thickens to your preferred consistency. (Remember you're putting it on biscuits, so the runnier it is, the more it will soak into the biscuit. I prefer a thicker consistency so it sits on top of the biscuit.)
5. Season with seasoned salt and pepper to taste.
6. As your gravy sits it will thicken. If it gets too thick before serving, you can thin it out by adding a little milk at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Meltaways

How can I add recipes to this blog without a dessert or sweet treat? I thought I grabbed the recipe for Triple Layer Brownies which I made recently and Shelley didn't remember me ever making them. I looked down and realized I had this recipe instead, which is also a real winner! I'll do the Brownies another time. These cookies absolutely melt in your mouth! They taste good made with margarine or butter. I usually use regular semi-sweet chocolate morsels and add mint flavoring after melting. I don't usually have the mint ones on hand like I do the regular ones and it's cheaper this way.


Chocolate Mint Meltaways

Cookie:
1 C Mint-Chocolate morsels, divided (or regular and add mint flavoring after melting)
3/4 C Butter, Softened
1/2 C Sifted Confectioner's Sugar (Yes, be sure to sift it.)
1 Egg Yolk
1 1/4 C Flour

Glaze:
1/2 C Mint-Chocolate morsels (or regular and add mint flavoring after melting)
1 1/2 T Shortening
2 T Chopped toasted almonds (optional - I never add these - you know me, no nuts in my chocolate!)

Cookie:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 C Chocolate morsels; stir until smooth (this is when I add 1/2 t mint extract). Set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar and egg yolk; beat until creamy. Add melted morsels and flour; beat until well blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to stand 3 minutes before removing from cookie sheets. Cool completely. These should be flat when done.

Glaze:
Melt 1/2 C Chocolate morsels and vegetable shortening together. Stir until morsels are melted and mixture is smooth. (Add 1/4 t mint extract if needed). Drizzle each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon glaze; Sprinkle with almonds if desired. Chill until set. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. (These freeze well, too.) Makes about 4 dozen 1 3/4-inch cookies.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This has been a favorite of mine since I was in college and my roommates and I cooked for an apartment of boys! They loved it, too. This is one of Dad's favorite recipes and he asks for this when he gets to choose the menu.

Butter a 9" x 13" pan.

Precook about 6 chicken breasts (or a whole chicken or 10 to 12 chicken tenders) with whatever method you desire. If you bake it, you can use water instead of chicken broth for the sauce. I usually boil the chicken with onions, bay leaf, basil, salt and pepper. Cut into cubes. (I've not tried it shredded.)

Cook one large package of broccoli (not Sam's Club Large - just grocery store large - not sure how many ounces - probably 16.) You can also use fresh broccoli, but only cook it half way. Drain the water.

Lay the broccoli in the buttered casserole dish. Lay the chicken on top of the broccoli.You can sprinkle the chicken with sliced almonds, mushrooms and a little parsley before you cover it with the sauce. I usually skip that.

Sauce:
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 C Mayonnaise
1/4 C Chicken Broth (from chicken)
1/2 t Curry powder

Put the sauce over it and then sprinkle the sauce with buttered bread crumbs. I found that toasting 4 pieces of bread, buttering them and then processing them in my food processor makes a great bread topping.

Cover with foil, removing for the last 10 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees for 1/2 hour. You can make this ahead and keep in the refrigerator, but bake for 1 hour.

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Sweet & Sour Chicken

I looked for years for a sweet and sour chicken recipe that I liked and finally came up with this. There are two ways to make it: the chicken can be made with batter yourself or you can skip that part and use pre-battered chicken tenders baked in the oven and then cut into strips (I use Tyson). This isn't as good as the home made way, but it makes a good, quick meal.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Cut 12 pieces of chicken tenders (or about 4 chicken breasts) into 1" squares.

Batter:
1 Egg
1/3 C Milk
1/2 C Flour
1/2 t Baking Power

Mix ingredients for batter and then roll the chicken pieces int it. Stir fry them in oil.

Sauce:
2/3 C Sugar
2 T Rice Vinegar
3 T Ketchup
3/4 C Water
2 T Cornstarch
*

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, mixing well. Add ketchup and vinegar and stir until mixed, then add water. (I found that doing it this way prevents lumps when it's cooked.) Cook over medium heat until thickened.

*Optional: Use pineapple tidbits: drain and use the juice instead of water in the sauce recipe. Add the pineapple after the sauce is thickened.

*Optional: Slice green peppers and/or onions to add to sauce after thickened.

Serve over rice.