Peanut Butter Brownies

I saw this recipe and almost keeled over in joy just looking at the pictures--it was like peanut butter perfection. And the recipe did not disappoint. The two-step process for the brownies and the ganache is not as time consuming as you think, and though it suggests waiting until everything is completely cooled before finishing, I cut out a lot of time by setting the ganache topping in the freezer for about 15 minutes even while the brownies were still warm. Mix, bake and then enjoy. These guys will disappear faster than you can say peanut butter and chocolate!

2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt



1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter parchment.

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated.

Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined.

Mix in chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Ganache:
Put chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute.

Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms. Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

 As you can see, only one is not enough...

Chocolate Ball "No-Bakes"

I made these little guys one night when I actually had planned to make the peanut butter brownies I've been craving (check back soon for that recipe!) Unfortunately that night, I lacked motivation to actually "bake" anything, so I settled for these instead. I got the recipe from IKEA (shocking, I know, since I've pretty much lived in that store since we got to San Diego).  Obviously it's not an IKEA original, as Drew let me know his mom made these a lot when he was growing up. Whether you've been making them for years, or this is your first time like me, they're easy, delicious, and you probably have all the ingredients on hand. Enjoy!

7 tbsp butter
7 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
3 tbsp cold strong coffee
Crushed sanding sugar (I used regular white sugar) or shredded coconut

Mix butter, sugar, unsweetened cocoa and coffee.  Form into small balls, about 3/4"-1" in diameter (I like to think of the same size that you make chocolate chip cookie dough before baking). Roll them in either sugar or coconut. Put them in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving. Eat with milk, coffee or what I did...wine.

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

I found this recipe on two different food blogs I read, so I figured they must be good. Turns out, they're awesome. They stay fresh, dense and chewy for days (two of us polished them off in three days)! I also learned how to spell "mascarpone," so making these brownies was quite a personal success. They are a little more time consuming than other made-from-scratch recipes, but I think it's worth it for these guys have when you're done. 

1 cup unsalted butter

3 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened

3 large eggs, at room-temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or leftover chopped semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 325°F; butter an 8-inch square pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and bring it to just below a boil; have the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl--pour the hot butter over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.

I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate from bars we got at IKEA…so just use whatever you have on hand for the chopped chocolate, it will be good regardless. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar and cocoa powder. 

With a wooden spoon, beat in the mascarpone, eggs (30 minutes on the counter brings them to room temperature-I also recently learned you do this to avoid any chance of cooking the eggs when adding them to batter or dough mixtures). Then add vanilla, mixing until smooth.

Gently fold the flour and salt into the batter. Add walnuts and chocolate chips, stirring only enough to mix in. 

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly--if the batter isn't spread evenly, it won't bake evenly.

Place into preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean (45 minutes did it for me). Place pan on a cooling rack and let brownies cool for 10-15 minutes. Eat. Immediately. 

They were so good, I was told "I can't believe these didn't come out of a box."  You know how most brownies get a little "crusty" on the edges and corners? These have the exact same softness and texture throughout. Basically, the corner pieces feel and taste the exactly like the middle piece--that's pretty incredible if you ask me, and one more reason I will be making these guys again...soon. 

Asian Noodle Salad with Salmon

Inspired by a friend's delicious dish, I made this meal as the first official dinner cooked in the new San Diego kitchen (on the new kitchen island--see previous post!). It's flavorful, light, full of veggies and best of all, it's super easy.

4 Salmon filets, seasoned with soy sauce and rice vinegar, grilled or baked
1/2 lb. whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh grated or finely chopped ginger
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced lenghtwise
6 large strawberries, sliced
2 handfuls of spring mixed greens

Get the salmon rolling, either on the grill or in the oven. Cook the spaghetti noodles until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, then set aside. Whisk together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce and ginger. Set aside.

Mix bell pepper, strawberries, and greens in large bowl with the noodles (as always, add any different variety of fruit and veggies to this recipe to suit your tastes). Add sauce and toss to combine. I also reserved a small amount of the sauce to spoon over the salmon filets half-way through the baking time.

Once the salmon in cooked, serve atop or next to cold noodle salad and dig in!
And when you're putting away the leftovers, make sure you get the Tupperware back on the counter before trying to put the lid on, otherwise..... :)

Homemade Kitchen Island Brought to you by IKEA

Finally settled in the new home in San Diego! But before anything could be cooked, or even put away, the kitchen needed way more space--counter space and storage space. So, Drew came up with an ingenious idea that cost less than any kitchen island would at retail: fix together four IKEA LACK side tables, and top it off with two large butcher block cutting boards. We used the kind with the lip that goes along the wall, but flipped it upside down so that it keeps the block on the top of the tables without needing to be fastened down.

4 IKEA LACK tables @ 7.99
2 large cutting boards w/ lip @ 9.99
8 small screws w/ elbow fasteners (free @ IKEA AS-IS section)

Here's the laborious process, and the final result. All for only $51.94!