Crack Brownies

I made these for a Tony party I had at my yet-to-be-finished house. I thought, oh they'll be great! Every one will eat probably 2 pieces and then they'll be all gone. Nope, everyone ate one, said "That is so good, but so sweet!" Then I proceeded to chomp down on all of them cos it's sugar crack. Chocolatey-sugar-crack!

Brownie Bars
from noshwithme.com

Ingredients
Brownies (9×13 pan, homemade or from a mix)
Vanilla frosting (homemade or from a can)
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup cup Peanut Butter
12 ounces chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Bake brownies and let cool completely. Frost brownies and refrigerate.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt peanut butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Add chocolate mixture to cereal.
3. Spread mixture over frosted brownies. Refrigerate for one hour until set. Cut into bars.

Recipe adapted from Hoosier Homemade.

Notes:
- I used Marshmellow Fluff, not icing.
- Make sure to keep it refridgerated.

Enjoy!

Dexter Pie!

So for the past few days I have been obsessing about making Key Lime Pie. (Update: I called this post "Dexter Pie" because an episode of Dexter inspired to make this) And I got all my ingredients together, and prepped. Then the night before I was going to make it......a water line broke above my apartment and I had to vacate because of the water damage. Great. Just Great.
So I moved into my boyfriend's house and five days later finally got to make this pie. And it it sooooooooo good. The perfect summer treat.

Key Lime Pie
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

For the Pie:
- 5 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup key lime juice (or 10 key limes and juice them yourself. Worth it!)
- 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust (yeah, I used pre-made)

Meringue Topping:
- 3 egg whites (the perfect way to use those leftover whites!)
- 1/4 sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix well. Pour into unbaked graham cracker shell.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Top with whipped topping and garnish with lime slices if desired, or this meringue!
4. Preheat broiler. With egg beater, whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Slowly add sugar until meringue turns glossy. Increase the speed and continue whisking until meringue holds medium soft peaks. Top pie decoratively with meringue. Broil in the middle of the oven until meringue begins to brown on the top, about 3 minutes.

Notes:
- I juiced my own key limes. Totally worth it. And since my juicer is sitting my water-damaged apartment and I'm at a bachelor pad, I used a garlic press. Great idea! Just cut the limes into quarters and press!
- Don't use all five egg whites! It will take forever and create waaaay to much meringue.
- If you really want to you can whisk by hand, but that might make your hand fall off.
- Cool overnight in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Sandwich

I'm obsessed with my George Foreman Grill. I wrote about it in my post about smoked turkey and artichoke sandwich. And it has returned! Also, everything I bought this week is based around jalapenos. This is a great grilled cheese sandwich. And it reminds me of a sandwich I used to get at the Daily Grind in PC, OK.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich\
from http://www.closetcooking.com

A jalapeno popper inspired grilled cheese sandwich with roasted jalapeno peppers, cream cheese, jack & cheddar cheese and crumbled tortilla chips for a bit of crunch.

Servings: makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients
-2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
-2 slices sour dough bread
-1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
-1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
-1/4 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
-1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions
1. Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
2. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
3. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.
5. Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Notes:
- I added turkey slices for more protein.
- I also made a triple decker version because my sandwich bread is tiny.
- I know this is a lot of dairy in one sandwich, but totally worth it!

Enjoy!

Drunken Food: Watermelons

I got this off my Stumble Upon (the best and worst thing that has happened to me ever). Then I made these watermelon slices and sat outside in the sun, listening to local bands. It was the best!

Tequila-Infused Watermelon Slices
from http://www.marthastewart.com/315329/tequila-soaked-watermelon-wedges

Ingredients
-1 small seedless watermelon, red or yellow, quartered and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
-1 cup sugar
-3/4 cup water
-1/2 cup tequila
-1/4 cup Triple Sec
-2 limes, halved or cut into wedges
-Flaked sea salt or coarse salt

Directions
1- Arrange watermelon in a single layer in two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes. Bring sugar, water, tequila, and Triple Sec to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly. Pour syrup over watermelon wedges, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

2- Remove watermelon from syrup, and arrange on a platter. Squeeze limes over melon, and season with salt.

Notes:
- So I didn't think about the fact that boiling would take out most of the alcohol. Big Boo....Next time, I"m going to make the simple syrup (boil the sugar and water) then add the alcohol. That seems much better!

Enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta

So this is my favorite summer pasta dish, thus far. It's light, savory, loaded with flavor and nutrition. And it keeps well! Try this!

Shrimp Pasta with Feta
from The Healthy College Cookbook

Ingredients:
- 8 oz spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Basil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta; cook according to the package. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until the onion is translucent. add the tomato sauce, chopped tomato and dash of oregano and basil. Cook until warmed through.
3. Add the white wine to the skillet and heat until the mixture is bubbling. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, 5-7 minute.
4. Toss the sauce and shrimp with the pasta and top with feta.

Notes:
- Use my tomato-basil sauce recipe! or just use a can of diced tomatoes (I got lazy once)
- This takes surprisingly no time. I think I timed prep as 20 minutes, and cook as 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Snap, Crackle, Chocolate Pop

I had been dying to make some sort of Rice Krispie Treat. So I bought some Arrowhead Popped Rice Cereal (it was on sale), ate half the bag, then remembered that I had this recipe:

Rice Crispie Cakes
from the book Nosh 4 Students

Ingredients:
- 3 Normal size Chocolate bars (Hersheys, Ghiradelli, I got Cadbury cos it was on sale)
- 1/4 x 250g of butter (this is an English Cookbook I got before I went to London. I used 1/3 stick of butter)
- 2 cups of Rice Krispies
- 12 cupcake liners (I didn't use these because I was out!)

Directions:
1. Cut up the chocolate bars into chunks.
2. Melt the butter slowly in a large pan and then add the chopped up chocolate. Cook genlty over a low heat, stirring frequently. The chocolate will melt and form a thick creamy mixture.
3. Add Rice Krispies and stir quickly
4. Divide amongst cupcake liners, or just make little mounds on a plate
5. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, or place in the fridge for 5 minutes.

Notes:
- I won't suggest using Snickers or Twix or even M&Ms. Baking chocolate would be fine, but it might not taste the best.
- These will melt a little once out of the fridge. So eat very quickly after you take it out of the fridge.
- This probably takes about 20 minutes tops depending on your cooling method.

Enjoy!

Drunk Cupcakes: Round 2

I saw this on my facebook feed and just had to make these. They are wicked good, don't reek of tequila and are heavy on the lime. The picture doesn't do the cupcakes too much justice. Just trust me, they are good!They've been sitting in my fridge for a day and they're still good!



MARGARITA CUPCAKES

www.RecipeGirl.com

CAKE:
9 ounces liquid Margarita mix (a little over a cup)
3 ounces tequila (a little less than 1/3 cup)
¾ ounce Grand Marnier
1 box white cake mix
3 large egg whites
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs lime zest

LIME BUTTERCREAM ICING:
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), at room temperature
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lime zest
green food coloring, if desired
small lime slices for garnish, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two dozen cupcake tins with paper liners.

2. Prepare cupcakes: Whisk together margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier in a small bowl. Measure out 1¼ cups for the recipe; pour the rest on some ice and drink it while making the cupcakes. (This is my favorite instruction)

3. In a large bowl, blend cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1¼ cups of the margarita mix from step 1. Blend on low for about 30 seconds and then increase speed to medium and blend for two additional minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

4. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners (about ¾ full). Bake for 20-25 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them to a rack to cool completely.

5. Prepare icing: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, prepare the icing. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until butter is fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar, salt, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until thick and creamy. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting is of a good spreading (or piping) consistency. Mix in a tiny amount of green food coloring or gel paste if you’d like the frosting to have a green tint. Ice cupcakes in whatever manner you prefer… spreading or piping the frosting. Use small lime slices as garnish.

Yield: About 24

Notes:
- If you just spread frosting on the cupcakes (rather than piping), you’ll probably have a bit of frosting leftover. (I do!)
- If you prepare these a day before, it’s best to place them into a covered container and refrigerate them. Remove them to room temperature a couple of hours before serving. Of course, they’re best if eaten the day they’re made.
- I added an extra 1/2 Tbs of vegetable oil to counteract being at high altitude. Consider this only if you're above 3,000 feet.
- I added extra tequila to icing. The icing is incredibly limey. I also added margarita salt to the top.
- You could probably go without the alcohol and just use 1 1/4 cup margarita mix. But that's just upsetting.

Enjoy!