Butterscotch Brownies

My mother actually used to make these when I was a kid.  I don't know what made me think of them one day, since I hadn't had them since I was little, but these tasted exactly as I remembered.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 package (11 oz) butterscotch morsels, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in another bowl until creamy.  Beat in eggs, then flour mixture.  Stir in just one cup of the morsels.  Spread into pan.

Sprinkle with remaining morsels and bake for 30- 40 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and serve.

These are very rich.  I made a tower of peanut butter treats for a party, and added these as the bottom layer.  Yum!

 

Lobster Bites with Brie and Champagne Cream

This turned out really well.  I love these puff pastry shells with nearly anything in them, and the combination of lobster, champagne and brie is pretty solid!  This recipe will make about 30 cups, so reduce the ingredients if needed.

Ingredients:

2 packages Athens mini fillo shells (15 per package)
2 tablespoons butter
1  small red onion, finely chopped 
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup champagne
6 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed, cut up
8 ounces fresh or frozen lobster, cooked and cut into chunks
1 package almond slices, toasted (optional)

Directions:
Thaw and bake pastry shells according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add onion and garlic; cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in flour and ground red pepper.  Stir in cream and champagne.  Note - the mixture may appear curdled at first, but will become smooth as it cooks.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; then add Brie, stirring until melted.  Add lobster last and cook until just heated through.
 
Spoon the mixture into baked pastry shells.  Garnish with toasted almonds, if desired. 


Tips:  Make sure to bake the pastry shells first, otherwise they will become soggy.  Also, the almonds were a pretty and interesting touch, but I also liked the shells without.  The flavor of the brie and lobster together is so intense that it doesn't really need a garnish, so you might want to taste and compare before adding to all.  Enjoy!

Pimento Cheese Sliders

I hate to admit it, but I got this recipe from Rachel Ray's magazine.  Don't worry, I'm sure she had nothing to do with it in real life!  And, the magazine just started coming for free, probably because I subscribed to the Food Network magazine and they got my name off a mailing list - I swear, I would never pay for that housefrau's mag!  Regardless, it's a yummy recipe, and it's also adorable, so how could I resist?  I've adjusted it a bit, as always.

Directions:

16 slices white bread
1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

Cheese Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons pimentos, well-drained and chopped
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Several drops hot sauce

Garnish:

Toothpicks
8 slices pickles (sweet or dill, up to you)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Cut the bread into 3-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or trim into slider-size squares. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and golden, 8-10 minutes.

Note - you can also use a toaster for this.  I toasted mine first, then cut them out with the cookie cutter while still hot.

Combine the meat with the garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Mix and form eight burgers and drizzle with oil.  Heat your grill (or indoor grill pan) to medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 2-3 minutes on each side for medium rare.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cream and simmer to thicken for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Melt in the cheese and stir in the pimientos, mustard and hot sauce.  Taste and add additional seasoning, if necessary.

Divide the patties among eight toast slices and top with the cheese sauce and another slice of toast. Garnish with the pickles and secure with toothpicks.  How cute!

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

I started making this soup from a recipe, but in my usual combative way, I didn't agree with anything other than the main ingredient.  I added and subtracted ingredients until I came up with this, which I must say turned out delicious. 

Ingredients:

3 roasted red bell peppers, peeled and seeded

1 roasted red onion

1 roasted bulb of garlic

1 roasted tomato
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream

2 cups Gruyere cheese 

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp smoky paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Broil for about twenty minutes, until soft and slightly charred.  Once the vegetables are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Heat butter over medium high heat.  Add flour all at once, whisking vigorously. When the mixture thins and starts to bubble, reduce heat to low.  Cook for a few minutes, until softened and hot.  Add the chicken stock and mix well to avoid lumps.  Continue to stir until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

At this point, you can either use a food processor or blender to puree the roasted vegetables, or add them to the pot and use an immersion blender to puree.  Either way, be careful - impatience has caused me a number of burns when it comes to blending hot soup!

After the vegetables have been incorporated into the mixture, add the cream and cheese and again bring to a boil.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  At this point, the soup should be pretty intensely flavored - sweet, smoky, and creamy.  Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired, and serve with bread or crostini.  

I happened to be making this soup on a whim, when Kyle brought about a dozen guys home from a film shoot.  You would think that twenty-something guys would run for the door at the words "roasted red pepper soup" but they ended up devouring the entire batch.  So, as it often does, it worked out for the best that I was making a giant pot of soup at midnight.  Enjoy!

Sloppy Joe Sliders

 

This is a relatively healthy version of sloppy joes, perfect for a mid-week meal.  Not very glamorous, but what do you expect on a Wednesday night?  If desired, you can substitute ground beef, but the sauce is tasty enough that it tastes just as good with turkey (and I think the texture is better!).

Ingredients: 

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

Buns (your choice!)

Directions:

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the turkey, then drain any grease.  Add tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar and spices; mix thoroughly.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, until sauce has thickened.  Season with salt and pepper and taste - add more cayenne or sugar if necessary.  It should be sweet and spicy!

Tips:

Serve on toasted hamburger buns or mini Hawaiian rolls, which have a nice sweetness.  Toasting the buns will stop the sandwiches from getting soggy.  Enjoy!

Citrus Mousse Cloud with Oreo Crumbles

I found this recipe for citrus mousse online.   It's versatile and easy to make, so I've used it many times.   In this instance, I happened to have some Oreo cookies (and some "Oreo Fun Sticks", which I purchased because they looked like they would make a great garnish for a dessert) on hand.   The sweetness of the Oreo paired nicely with the sourness of the mousse.

Ingredients:
2 (12 ounce) containers frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup passion fruit juice
1/4 cup orange juice

Note: You can substitute pretty much any type of juice, just be sure to use the same quantities. I've made this more tropical, more sour or sweet, etc, it's really up to you!

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together whipped topping and condensed milk. Gradually beat in juices until evenly blended. Taste and add a little sugar if necessary (depends on which juice you decide to use).

At this point, the mousse is ready to serve, if so desired. You can serve it plain, with berries or other toppings. Or, you can make my version!

Oreo Version:

1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs
1 package fresh raspberries
1 box Oreo Fun Sticks

Directions:
Crush Oreos and place several teaspoons (or tablespoons, if you're serving in larger portions) at the bottom of a small dish. Spoon prepared mousse over Oreo crumbs. Garnish with a whole or half Oreo Fun Stick, and a raspberry. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Bacon

I saw this recipe in a magazine, and being the hedonist I am, how could I resist?

Ingredients:

12 thick-sliced bacon strips (about 1 pound)
12 wooden skewers

1 cup vanilla almond bark

1 cup chocolate almond bark

Optional toppings: crystallized ginger, finely chopped nuts, toasted coconut, kosher salt, brown sugar, heath bar, caramel, cayenne pepper, the list goes on and on!

Directions:
Thread each bacon strip onto a wooden skewer. Place on a rack in a large baking pan.  Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until crisp. Cool completely.
 

In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth.
 

With pastry brushes, coat bacon on both sides with melted coatings (choose one type of chocolate for each strip). Sprinkle each piece of bacon with toppings as desired while candy coating is still warm.  Place on waxed paper and refrigerate until firm.

Tips: For the white chocolate, you may need to apply more than one coat to cover the bacon completely.  These actually look quite pretty when finished.  Bacon wrapped chocolate is a bit odd, I won't lie to you.  I thought the white chocolate covered ones were best, with the heath bar or caramel, which seemed to pair quite nicely with the flavor of the bacon.  It was also quite crunchy, which I liked.  It's a fun experiment, at the very least!  Enjoy!

Texas Caviar

This was my first encounter with Texas Caviar.  I had planned to serve it as a dip, but after I prepared it, I realized it is better as a salad.  The vinegar makes it taste kind of weird with chips, in my opinion, but it's delicious as a chilled side dish or salad.  The only change I made to the original recipe was that I grilled the corn, for a more smoky flavor, and added a few extra spices.

Ingredients:

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears grilled corn

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 red bell pepper - cored, seeded and finely chopped

1 green bell pepper - cored, seeded and finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp coriander

Directions:

Grill corn until slightly charred and remove from cob.  Mix the black beans, pinto beans, corn, green chiles, jalapeno pepper, red and green bell peppers, red onion, and cilantro together in a large bowl.

To make the dressing, stir the rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and spices together in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, and cool.  Pour dressing over bean mixture, and toss to mix evenly.  Serve chilled.  As you can see, this makes for a lovely presentation, as the colors are so vibrant in the "caviar".  Enjoy!