Third Time's the Charm? Brownies #3

Adrienne's post on how brownies from scratch were always inferior to brownies from mix read to me like a challenge. So I started with a base recipe and started making adjustments, making sure to take careful notes after each batch. I also started making half-batches because y'know, trial brownies... Upon hearing my quest for the perfect brownie recipe, my friends started giving comments, which have helped a lot, so thanks guys! While I was making this batch, my roommate's boyfriend suggested I incorporate Nutella and hazelnuts into my next experiment - that suggestion was very well-received and will happen next time. I keep meaning to get walnuts to add as well, but I never get around to actually getting walnuts... Anyway, this batch was my third and I think the first one good enough to make a post about, so here we go.

Ingredients
2.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 tbsp butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2.5oz dark chocolate, chips or chip-sized chunks
slightly under 1/2 cup flour

For the flour, I use the scoop-and-sweep method. Using a 1/2 cup measuring spoon, scoop out the flour, then sweep your hand across the top, brushing off the excess flour without packing the flour in. Someday I'll get a scale and actually measure flour correctly, but this method suffices for now. I then shook out a little of the flour, about 1 Tbsp, to make it just that little bit fudgier.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 8x8-inch baking pan.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter together until butter is melted (add 30 sec at a time so you don't overheat). Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar.
3. Let the mixture cool down a little, then stir in eggs and vanilla (the first time I did this, I think the chocolate mixture was still too warm and it looked like the eggs were cooking as soon as I stirred them in...). Sift in flour and salt and mix until just incorporated; don't overmix. Stir in chocolate chunks (or chips if you like). Scoop into prepared pan (the mixture was dry enough that I couldn't really pour it, but a spatula scooped it out well enough).
4. Bake at 350 for 25-30min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake - check it at 25min, and add time as needed.
5. Leave it in the pan to cool. I put a plate over the pan while cooling also; I don't know if that affected it at all. Makes about 16 brownies. :)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I love baked mac and cheese, and am always trying new recipes to find the perfect one. I think I finally may have found a winner in this one, which is apparently originally from Fannie Farmer.

1 8-oz package of macaroni (I actually used rigatoni, which makes it a bit more like Boston Market's mac and cheese which is my fave ever)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
dash of salt
dash of pepper
2 cups chedder cheese, shredded (The recipe said to use good quality cheese - I used grocery store brand cheese, because that was what I had available. I can't even imagine how good it would be with really high quality cheese!)
1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. While
pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the flour mixed with salt and pepper, whisk until blended. Pour milk and cream in slowly, stirring constantly. Bring to a boiling point and boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Turn heat down, simmer for 10 minutes stirring constantly. Add cheese, simmer until cheese melts. Add pasta to the saucepan and stir until coated. Transfer the pasta to a glass baking dish, top with buttered breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes until top is golden brown. Delicious!!

年糕/New Year Steamed Rice Cake, Version 1

That time of year's coming upon us again, when family visit and lots of food are made/consumed. My family makes a certain kind of steamed rice cake for Chinese New Year that I think might be specialized to the Shanghai region. In any case, I grew up with it and think it's utterly amazing. (I know, the picture failed b/c of the patterned food on top of a patterned plate, but just pretend the plate's white, mmk?) There are a couple other versions, but this was the first kind we made this year.

Ingredients
2lb glutinous rice flour
1lb rice flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
650mL water
red bean paste and dried fruits to taste
In 9" rounds, makes about 4-5.

1. Mix the two flours, sugar, and water thoroughly. The mixture should be dry enough to still be like flour, but wet enough that when you grasp a handful and squeeze lightly, it should hold the shape. We have a large sieve with large holes that we use to sift the flour mixture; if you don't have one, just keep mixing and breaking the large pieces with your fingers until you get a somewhat fine flour. I wouldn't recommend a normal sized sieve, since the grains will be larger than the holes.

2. Ideally, you'll have a good-sized steamer. We have a 9in set that works perfectly. Bring a pot of water to boil. Coat the steamer with shortening. When the water's boiling, lightly distribute an even layer of the flour mixture on the steamer basket and immediately put over the boiling water. Do not cover. Wait until the flour mixture cooks thoroughly - it should be firm to the touch. Drop the red bean paste onto the mixture by small spoonfuls (the picture shown has 5 scoops of about 1.5Tbsp, but I think 6 scoops of 1Tbsp each is better).

3. Slowly distribute more of the flour mixture around the round of red bean paste. Don't add too much at once or it won't cook properly. The top layer should be just enough to cover the red bean paste; don't make it too thick. Add the dried fruit on top in any pattern you like. Once the top is firm, take it off the pot and flip onto a clean cheesecloth. The shortening should ensure it slips off easily. Cut into rectangular pieces and serve steamed (if you prefer to microwave it, add some water to the plate before popping it in).

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

A friend's birthday just happens to fall on New Year's Eve, so every year he hosts a joint birthday and New Year's celebration. In the past several years, he's done a potluck dinner. This year I decided to make a quiche using vegetables I had on hand. My parents were having a dinner party the day after New Year's, so while they cooked up a storm for that, I made a second quiche for the family's New Year's Day dinner so they didn't have to worry about that. Both went over very well - my mom proclaimed the recipe a keeper.

Ingredients
1 9in premade pie crust
5oz frozen spinach, thawed
8oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (I prefer cremini, but whatever suits your taste)
1/2 small onion, diced
splash of dry white wine
1 cup milk
3 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup cheese (I used monterey jack, but whatever suits your taste)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake the pie shell for about 10min. Cool.
2. In batches, saute the mushrooms with a splash of wine for flavor until the liquid released from the mushrooms evaporates and it browns. Caramelize the onion. Lightly saute the spinach until just wilted; drain the liquid. Combine and set aside.
3. Combine the milk, olive oil, and flour. Whisk in the eggs. Add the spices and cheese and mix. Add in the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Pour into the quiche shell (sprinkle some cheese on top if desired). Bake for 40min or until the center is firm and no liquid comes out when a knife is inserted. Optional: Broil on low for 5min to brown the top. Serve warm.

Basic Alfredo Sauce

I recently discovered a great alfredo sauce recipe that works as a base for lots of different dishes.

Ingredients (serves 2, generously):
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons parmesean cheese
chopped fresh mozzarella
pepper
salt

The directions are super easy: Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, add cream, salt, pepper and parmesean cheese. Return to heat and stir until ingredients are combined and cheese is melted. Do not boil. Add the mozzarella cheese and stir until melted/almost melted. Toss with your favorite pasta, and add whatever you want - veggies, meats, fish. This is a perfect base for lots of pasta dishes and it's easy to get creative with this one! I served it over baby penne and added sauteed mushrooms.
(And no, not everything I cook has heavy cream in it - I had it left over from the Penne Alla Vodka below and I thought Alfredo would be a good way to use it up. But it sure is good :P)

Chocolate Chip Coookies

In my opinion, you can't beat plain old Nestle TollHouse for chocolate chip cookies! I practically have the recipe memorized. In case you don't here it is -

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 12-oz package of chocolate chips

Directions: Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each egg. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 9 to 11 minutes. Enjoy with a big glass of milk!

mmmmm chocolate chip cookies :)

Penne Alla Vodka

When I'm craving cheap, easy, comfort food there's one meal I usually turn to: penne alla vodka. I've been using the same recipe for several years and I've always gotten lots of positive feedback:

Ingredients (for 2 very generous servings or 2 smaller servings and some leftovers)
1/2 pound penne (I like to use whole wheat penne to be a *little* healther)
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 14-oz can tomato sauce (plain sauce with nothing added, e.g. Hunt's - not a prepared pasta sauce that's ready to heat and eat)
1/3 cup vodka
1/3 cup heavy cream (you need the real deal - no half-and-half)
parmesean cheese
fresh mozzarella cheese (to top)

Directions: Prepare pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking, heat the tomato sauce over medium heat in a frying pan. When tomato sauce begins to boil, add the vodka and garlic powder/salt/pepper and turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring constantly, for 8 minutes. Add the cream and turn the heat to low. Stir well. Add the pasta, and stir to coat it well. Stir in a good amount of parmesean cheese (1/4 to 1/2 cup) and serve immediately, topped with more parmesean and fresh mozzarella!