Recipe Swap: Easy Fudgey Brownies

I can't decide whether I like the themed recipe swaps or the Blogger's Choice swaps better. As nice as it is to pick whatever I feel like making from my assigned blog, the themed ones usually end up challenging me, which is a big part of the reason I enjoy the swaps.

Take this theme for instance - dessert. You all know I'm not a baker so this is usually a tough theme for me. I had a heck of a time finding something to submit but I was very excited to receive Dawn's recipe for Easy Fudgey Brownies. For some reason I've really been craving brownies lately so this was perfect.

I was excited to see how easy this recipe was to make. Mix ingredients, pour into baking dish, bake, serve. Easy peasy. And they were amazing, very fudgey and dense, with great chocolate flavor that made me wish I had some vanilla ice cream on hand.

My dad and stepmom were visiting when I made these so they both had a taste and my stepmom, a chocoholic, pronounced them perfect. She also gave me a tip about freezing the leftovers, which was great because now I have half the pan in my freezer in individual wrappers so I can take one out to enjoy whenever I want (which I already did...twice).

Easy Fudgey Brownies
As seen on Simple Gourmet Cooking

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 1/3 cups bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or semi sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Alternatively, place butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate and butter are melted.

Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares.

Pasta with Sausage, Tomato and Corn

This is one of those dinners I threw together after realizing half the ingredients I was planning to use had gone bad. My original plan was to make Mary Ellen's Pasta with Chorizo, but the chorizo had reached a birthday and the red pepper was moldy. Luckily I had some grape tomatoes and Italian sausage in the freezer so I decided to wing it.

I seasoned the dish with some creole seasoning to try to mimic the flavors in the chorizo and thought I'd toss in some frozen corn. This ended up being a little too spicy for Baby Girl but SP and I really enjoyed it.

Pasta with Sausage, Tomato and Corn
A Taste of Home Cooking Original

8 ounces short cut pasta
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
Creole seasoning, to taste
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving one cup of pasta cooking water once done. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for about three minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until it's starting to brown.

Add the scallions to the skillet, and cook for three minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, mushrooms and creole seasoning to taste. Cook another 3 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the sausage is cooked through.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, and cook until starting to soften, about another 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and heat for a minute. Stir in the pasta and the cheese, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed. Season with salt and pepper, if needed, then toss to combine.

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

SP had a work event recently, which meant he wouldn't be home for dinner. When I'm on my own I like to make things he doesn't like so I can enjoy them without feeling guilty that he's only tolerating his dinner. This Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta was right up my alley - creamy goat cheese, roasted red peppers and artichokes combine to make a luscious sauce for fettuccine.

This did not disappoint and as an added bonus it was ready in mere minutes. The pasta water hadn't even come to a boil and the sauce was already done. I love easy weeknight meals like this - too bad SP wouldn't have been a fan. Baby Girl, on the other hand, yummed it up. Score one for the ladies in the house.

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta
Marcus Samuelsson

1/2 lb pasta (I used fettuccine)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 cup half and half
4 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
3 roasted red bell peppers , coarsely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 handful basil
8 oz artichoke hearts, cut into quarters

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve.

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add the half and half, goat cheese, Parmesan and roasted red peppers and simmer until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and add the basil. Puree with an immersion blender or food processor. Add in the chopped artichoke hearts.

Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve immediately.

Cajun Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

I love a good chicken sandwich and I've had this recipe for Cassie's Cajun Ranch Chicken Sandwiches printed out for awhile. When cleaning out the pantry recently I found some Tony Chachere's seasoning that my friend Amy sent me awhile back, so I finally put these sandwiches on the menu.

These had a great kick from the creole seasoning and you can't go wrong with bacon, cheddar and Ranch dressing. Simple and delicious.

Cajun Ranch Chicken Sandwiches
As seen on Cassie Craves

4 strips of bacon, halved
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin
Cajun or creole seasoning
4 slices cheddar cheese
Ranch dressing
4 sandwich buns, split and toasted
Lettuce and tomato, for serving

Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat to desired crispness. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning. In the same skillet you used for the bacon, cook the chicken until browned and cooked through.

To serve, place chicken on the bottom half of a bun and top with a slice of cheese, two pieces of bacon, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. Top with lettuce and tomato and serve.

Mexican Eggs With Chorizo and Beans

I rarely make breakfast for dinner because we take leftovers for lunch and eggs don't reheat well. But when I saw this recipe for Mexican Eggs With Chorizo and Beans I wanted to try it, so I planned it for the night before SP had a working lunch.

This was a good dish that could be better with some tweaking. The texture of my eggs wasn't as creamy as the magazine's photo, which made me think there were too many chips in my eggs. I decreased the amount in the recipe below. SP couldn't find dried chorizo in our supermarket so I subbed regular chorizo. Unfortunately it got lost in the eggs, so I upped the amount to 2 links below. I also had to leave out the cilantro because I forgot to ask SP to buy a new bunch and the stuff in the fridge had gone bad.

I really did enjoy this dish, especially with the creamy avocado and sour cream mixed with the eggs. I added some diced tomato for color and freshness and it was great.

Mexican Eggs With Chorizo and Beans
Slightly modified from Food Network Magazine

2 links chorizo, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
1 14-ounce can no-salt-added pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3 scallions, sliced
6 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup crushed baked tortilla chips
3/4 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
1 small tomato, diced

Cook the chorizo in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until it just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to sizzle, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and half of the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Whisk the whole eggs and egg whites with 1/4 cup water and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl; add to the skillet and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until just beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Add the chips, cheese, half of the cilantro, and the remaining scallions and continue cooking, stirring, until the eggs are just set, about 3 more minutes.

Divide the eggs among plates and top with the avocado, sour cream, tomato, and remaining cilantro.

Pizza Friday: Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

In the winter we usually have homemade pizza on Fridays. I buy the dough from a local Italian bakery and Baby Girl helps me roll it out and add the toppings. We usually stick with simple toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage or black olives (or some combination). It's a lot of fun to involve Baby Girl in the process - she always wants to sample everything and her favorite part is pressing down the dough to get out the air bubbles.

I had some fig jam leftover from the Baguette with Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Fig Jam I made for New Year's Eve and no idea how to use it. Then I stumbled upon this recipe for Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula that combined a lot of my favorite ingredients into one pizza.

Baby Girl loved the fig jam straight from the jar but wasn't a fan of the finished pizza. I was also unsure of how I felt about it, although SP loved it. The fig jam is super sweet, the prosciutto is gamey and the arugula tended to fall off as I was eating it. I think this would be good for a party where you're eating smaller pieces - a little goes a long way.

Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula
Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman)

1 ball pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
6 to 8 tablespoons fig spread or jam
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 bunch washed and rinsed arugula
1 cup shaved Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, with a pizza stone on the oven rack in the lowest position.

Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread the fig spread over the surface of the dough. Lay the slices of mozzarella on top of the jam. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately drape the prosciutto slices over the hot pizza. Sprinkle generously with the arugula and Parmesan shavings. Cut into wedges or squares and serve immediately.

Recipe Swap: Gouda Bacon Cheeseburgers

I was given Nichole's blog, The Cookaholic Wife, for the latest round of the Blogger's Choice recipe swap. I star many of her posts in Google Reader so I knew I'd have a tough time picking something to make. I couldn't decide between these cannoli cupcakes, or the bacon jalapeno popper grilled cheese, or the tomato stack salad with corn and avocado (which I'll be making as soon as tomatoes are in season). I knew I needed to go back to my usual method for these swaps - picking an ingredient like ground beef and seeing what's on the blog.

Despite Nichole's claim to not make a lot of burgers I found a few that sounded incredible and ultimately let SP choose. He picked the Gouda Bacon Cheeseburgers.

I cooked the onions in the morning since they take the longest amount of time. The original recipe called for 3 tablespoons of steak sauce but I only used one - my onions cooked way down and more than 1 tablespoon seemed like too much and I didn't want the flavor to be overpowering.

This is one huge, messy, delicious burger. This was my first time buying smoked Gouda and I loved the flavor. Baby Girl and I split a piece before topping the burgers. I could really taste the smokiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the onions.

Gouda Bacon Cheeseburgers
As seen on The Cookaholic Wife, adapted from Cassie Craves, inspired by Rachael Ray

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon steak sauce
4 slices bacon, cooked
4 slices smoked gouda cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted
Lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, for serving

Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and form into 4 patties. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and brown sugar and cook until lightly caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Once the onions have caramelized, stir in the steak sauce until coated. Remove from the heat.

Preheat a grill or grill pan and, once hot, place the burgers on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on their thickness. Place a slice of cheese on top of each burger and allow to melt.

Spread mayonnaise on both sides of each toasted roll. Place the burger on the bottom of the roll, top with lettuce and tomato, a slice of bacon cut in half and a generous topping of the smothered onions.

Click on the links below to see other recipes from the swap.