Caramel Brownies

We had a very busy weekend last weekend.  Swim lessons, two Girl Scout activities (I was on ice skates for the first time in about 15 years!) and a work picnic.  Lunch was provided at the picnic, we were asked to bring a dessert or an appetizer.  Since I had no way to keep anything hot while we were running around, I opted for dessert.

I've somehow managed to get myself signed-up for so may different email newsletters, it is hard to keep track of them all, let alone remember which ones had recipes I wanted to try.  Luckily Taste of Home sent me a newsletter on Thursday that had these Caramel Brownies in it.  They looked good and they had some good reviews, so I figured they were worth a shot.

They were easy throw together and I enlisted some youngsters help in unwrapping all the caramels.  They do sell caramel bits but they come in an 11 ounce package.  Based on some of the reviews of the recipe, I put about 3/4 of the batter in the pan for the bottom layer.  I did manage to swirl a little too much, as in some places I couldn't tell there was a separate layer of caramel.  I did leave out the walnuts, but would substitute pecans the next time we make them, since I prefer them.

Note that sticking a toothpick in to test doneness really doesn't work all that well, since you'll probably end up sticking it in the caramel.  I tested it at 35 minutes and left it in a little longer; I probably should have just taken them out then.  I think they were slightly overdone but I still did receive compliments on them!

Caramel Brownies
Taste of Home

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1/4 cup 2% milk

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts, divided

1 package (14 ounces) caramels

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

 

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, cocoa, oil, eggs and milk. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder; gradually add to egg mixture until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup walnuts.

Spoon two-thirds of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the caramels and condensed milk over low heat until caramels are melted. Pour over baked brownie layer. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts.

Drop remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over caramel layer; carefully swirl brownie batter with a knife.  Bake 35-40 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 2 dozen.

Honey Fest

Yesterday the kids and I headed out to  Indian Creek Nature Center for the 14th annual Honey Fest.  The kids were entranced by the honey bees at Hone Creek Acres last week, so I thought they'd like this.

It was a nice little place to bring the kids.  Three dollars to get in for kids over 3 and they had a bunch of little activities for the kids to do.  They had bees (of course) as well as information booths.  They were also selling honey and baked goods made with honey.  All in all it was a nice 2 hours outside with the kids, on a nice day.

Making paper

Sack races

Greeted by a giant bee


 

Simple Chicken Marinade

We eat a lot of grilled chicken in the summer.  A lot.  It is quick, easy and nobody really complains as long as it seems like we aren't eating the same thing all the time.  I'm not really sure where I got the recipe, I have been using it since I lived in Phoenix (which is at least 12 years!) and I've since transferred it from a worn magazine clipping to Mastercook.

This makes enough to marinate about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken.  I haven't tried it on the bone-in skin-on counterparts because it never seems that the marinade actually flavors the meat.  Since the chicken breasts I buy alwayse seem to be fat on one end and thin on the other, I throw them in a gallon size bag and pound away with my beloved meat mallet (great stress reliever).  Tonight we are having chicken fajitas, so I swapped out the lemon juice for lime and used a mexican seasoning blend.

Simple Chicken Marinade

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of your favorite seasoning blend (I use a bunch of different ones from Penzey's)
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt (if your seasoning is salt free)

Mix it all together and add the chicken in.  I've marinated it while I was at work all day (close to 10 hours) with no change in texture.  I'd be afraid to go overnight for fear the lemon juice would make the chicken too mushy.

Apple Picking

 

Pretty good haul

 

It cooled off a lot over the ast 2 days (47 when I got up yesterday) so I figured it was time to go apple picking.  Last year we went at the end of the month and it was a little late in the season.

Ever since Honey Creek Acres opened, we have headed over there since it it close.  We've also gone to Wilson's Orchard in the past, but I prefer Honey Creek since it is smaller and more personable.  The orchard was hit by a late frost I was told, so the apples were a little on the small side.  That's OK though, as evident in the pictures below they are still tasty.  I am afraid next year they will weigh Christopher before and after and charge me for the difference.

Some were even within their reach

 

 

 

Apple #1

 

At the top of Hay Mountain

 

Beautiful day

Is that like a Time Machine?

Interesting conversation in the car on the way home from work today.

"Hey mommy, you know that baby machine?"

"Um, baby machine?"

"Yeah, that machine I come from when I was very small.  You remember?"

"Ah ... baby machine?"

"I was very small, you put me in and I come out a baby.  You remember that?"

"Sure ..."

"Can we use it again?"

Um ...

"I need to be a baby again.  I too big to go on the yellow slide and I like the yellow slide."

Whew.

Broken Lasagna With Zucchini-Tomato Sauce

The week before we went on vacation, back at the end of June, I dropped my laptop on the hardwood floor.  Laptop was only two years old, landed right on the power supply plug, smashing it.  Granted the laptop was giving me fits as it would just randomly shut down, but a new laptop really wasn't top of my list of things to buy.

David checked it out and declared it broke.  Yeah, twisted metal was my first clue.  Since then I've been using the old laptop that's about 6 years old.  Twelve inch screen and the touch pad is broken, so I use a wireless mouse.  Problem being I have to reboot every 20 - 30 minutes because the laptop stops recognizing the mouse is plugged in.  Sweet.  So I'm only on the laptop these days when absolutely necessary.  Such a pain in the neck (she says, as she speed types in an effort to get this done in 20 minutes). 

This recipe was the cover recipe on Food Network Magazine last month and I thought it was a good way to use up some of the shredded zucchini I had hanging out in the refrigerator (shredded and then lightly salted and placed in a colander for a couple of hours to get rid of some water).  It also used up some fresh cherry tomatoes and chives I have growing in the garden (I love summer).  I sauteed everything as the pasta was cooking. 

Since the carnivore would turn his nose up at a meatless meal, I cut up 2 leftover grilled chicken breasts and added them in with the zucchini.  I was in a hurry making it with my little helper, that I didn't realize it didn't call for garlic.  Most definitely would add some chopped garlic in with the tomatoes next time.  It didn't heat up the kitchen too much and it was literally done in 30 minutes.  Love those kinds of meals!

Broken Lasagna With Zucchini-Tomato Sauce
Food Network Magazine

Kosher salt
2 large zucchini (about 1 3/4 pounds), coarsely grated
12 ounces lasagna noodles (not no-boil), broken into bite-size pieces (I used bow-ties instead)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 cup whole, 1 cup halved)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1 small bunch chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, toss the zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a colander set over a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out the excess moisture.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir vigorously to prevent it from sticking. Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until blistered and slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and lemon zest and cook, lightly crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the zucchini-tomato mixture to a large bowl. Add the pasta and cheese and toss. Stir in half of the chives and about 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water, adding more to loosen, if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and top with more cheese and the remaining chives.

Zucchini anyone?

Came back from vacation last week to find these beauties in the garden (the zucchini - not the kids).  Too big to just slice and cook since the seeds will be big and bitter, so my my goal for this morning is to get them deseeded, shredded and drained.  Zucchini bread anyone?  Zucchini pancakes?  Any other suggestions?

Triple Bean Salad

Summertime is here!  One of my favorite times of the year, where I am looking for new grilling recipes as well as cold side salads to complement them.

I am working on rotating through my storage closet (the former owner's used it as a tanning bed room) and had several cans of beans that I wanted to use up.  I found this recipe on the My Recipes website.  It was a snap to put together and best of all it did not involve heating up the kitchen at all.  I used a red onion instead of the green and I threw some feta cheese on the top.  The kids liked it although they traded one's chickpeas for the other's black beans.  I threw some grilled steak on the tops and had it for lunches during the week.

Triple Bean Salad
Cooking Light

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Click to see savings

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together vinegar, oil, pepper, juice, and salt; pour over bean mixture, stirring to coat. Cover and chill.

Happy 3rd Birthday Christopher!

Happy Birthday Christopher!  You're getting way too big too fast as well.  Three years old already!!

This year Christopher wanted Mater on his cake.  I thought that he would be easier to do than Belle was, but it was pretty humid yesterday.  He was starting to melt before I could get him situated on the cake.  I also didn't measure very well and he was headed for the edge.  Doesn't matter though ... all that matters was the "WOW, look at my Mater cake!  Thank you mommy, you're THE BEST."  He was a little upset that I got a '3' candle rather than put individual candles on his cake.  He wanted 'more fire' on the top!

Happy 6th Birthday Madeleine!

Happy Birthday baby girl!  Hard to believe you are 6 years old!

The birthday cake choice for this year was Princess Belle.  I tried to convince her that one of those cakes where you shove the doll into the top would be PERFECT.  She wouldn't go for it.  Princess Belle it was.  Took a good chunk of my Friday to get it done (there was a bit of freezer time involved in between steps) but it wasn't too bad to do:

Trash Can Potatoes

Our entire yard is a hill, from the street, past the house and down into the woods.  As a result, there is absolutely no flat land that I can turn into a garden, so I have to be creative when it comes to planting my vegetables.

Last year I decided I wanted to try and plant some potatoes.  I bought some fabric like bags from Gardener's Supply.  We planted the seed potatoes, the plants came up, sprouted flowers and the plants died like they were supposed to.  Turned the bags upside down, eager to see all the potatoes we grew and ... nothing.  Sorry, we found one potato.  One.

This year I searched the web and found all sorts or articles and blog posts about growing potatoes in a trash can.  Hmmm.  Seemed easy enough.  I went to Menard's and scoured the trash can aisle for the cheapest one I could find and bought quite a few bags of their 1.25 topsoil.  We bought the seed potatoes from Theisen's. 

David drilled holes in the bottom of each trash can for drainage.  I put one bag of topsoil in each trash can and then spread the seed potatoes out.  One trash can has Yukon Gold and the other has Kennebec:

I covered the potatoes with another bag of topsoil, spread between the two trash cans so they weren't buried so deep.  As they started to grow, I put more top soil in, making sure to leave about 3 inches of the plants exposed:

It has been about two months, and the plants are now over the top of the trash cans.  Both trash cans have been topped off with bags of top soil.  It'll be interesting to see how many, if any, potatoes we get:

I'm a Rock Star!!

Poor kid.  He doesn't realize all these pictures get stored away for future use.

100 Day Wellness Challenge: The Final Results

May 1 marked Day 100 of the challenge.  I am 7 pounds lighter (my shoes feel looser - woo hoo!) and I logged 65 hours and 30 minutes of exercise over the course of the 100 days.

Overall my team was #18 out of 319 teams from my company's locations all over the United States.  As a team, our average exercise time per member was 48 hours, so I was happy I was above the average.  I think some of our team fizzled out after the halfway point though, since we started dropping every week in our rank since then.

An article that was published about a study in the UK stated that it takes 66 days for something to become a habit.  I'm guessing that is the case as I've appeared to have bonded with my treadmill - I woke up at 6 AM yesterday morning and first thing I did was hop on for a 1/2 hour.   Who am I?  I feel stronger and I feel like I have more energy. 

I just need to remember this feeling and I need to make sure I keep making time for ME in the midst of t-ball games, swim lessons and gymnastic classes.  After all, if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy.

Chicken Enchilada Bake with Salsa Cream Sauce

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I've decided to make use of the 'To try' folder that I created within Mastercook.  I figure that if I can make one recipe a week from there (or delete one that no longer sounds appetizing) then that should whittle that list right down.  Problem is, there are 127 recipes stored on this laptop, an unknown number on the other, plus Pinterest, plus email ...

Madeleine was looking through the recipes with me and wanted to give this one a try.  It's been on my list to try for a while but I didn't have the source noted.  This was another one of those recipes that was a snap to put together (as long as you have cooked chicken) which is a must for a school night. 

The kids holped me put this one together.  I was in charge of the sauce, Madeleine was in charge of the chicken mixture and Christopher was the cheese spreader.  I didn't even bother to try and find a papaya here and just had it with some sliced mango instead.  I used spicier than normal salsa but mixing it with the sour cream cooled it down a bit.  Much easier than rolling enchiladas, which always seem to split on me.

                     
Chicken Enchilada Bake with Salsa Cream Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
10 whole corn tortillas -- cut into inch strips
2 cups cooked chicken -- shredded
15 ounces canned black beans -- rinsed and drained
6 whole green onions -- including some tender green tops
1 cup black olives -- sliced
6 ounces monterey jack cheese -- grated
Lime wedges
Papaya

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and blend. Whisk in stock, salt, and pepper and stir until mixture boils and is thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and salsa and mix well.

Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with one third of the sauce. Scatter half of the tortilla strips on top. Next scatter the chicken, onions, olives, and half the cheese, and pour one third of the sauce over all. Top with remaining tortillas, sauce, and cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with lime wedges and papaya slices.

Easter Egg Hunt 2012

This past weekend we went down the the Amana Heritage Museum for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.  A little bit chilly at 9 in the morning, but a fun time was had by all.  This year between the 2 they had a half dozen of the Amana Easter Eggs in the baskets they found and only managed to smash 2!  Progress.



Posing with the Easter Bunny



Off and running to find their baskets

Man down!

Success (and I gave up trying to get him out of the bush)