BYU Mint Brownies

ah, i can hear the halleilujah chorus. These are so so so so so so soooo good. If you've never had a BYU mint brownie, than you are missing out and i suggest you make these right away, especially if you are pregnant, psst annie. I actually like this version better than BYU's, but that's just me. so hear you go, you can thank me later.

1 c. margarine 1/2 c. cocoa

2 Tbsp honey

4 eggs

2 c. flour

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 t salt 1 c chopped walnuts ( you can omit this. i did when i made them)

Melt margarine in microwave and mix in cocoa. Allow it to cool, then add eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9X 13 inch baking pan. Bake @ 350 for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Mint Icing:

5 Tbsp margarine

dash of salt

3 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

2 1/3 c powdered sugar

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring

Soften Margarine then add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add peppermint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

Spread mint icing over cooled brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing. The recipe i followed said to just use store bought chocolate icing, but if you're like me you'd agree that that would ruin the perfection you just made so make your own favorite chocolate icing to put on it.

Soft Prezels

These Pretzels won't last long...between Gavin, Emily and I they lasted approximately 24 hours. They are great! We found this recipie from annies-eats.com she has wonderfully good food. We tried some different toppings: cinnamon and sugar, and parmasean and dried basal. If you try these toppings they will be even harder to resist! These are by far a new favorite!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

2¼ tsp. instant yeast

22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, meltedVegetable oil, for greasing the bowl
For finishing:

Cooking spray10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp.

water

Pretzel (or kosher) salt
Directions:To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast. Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot. In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope. Make a U-shape with the rope and holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Tasty Tomato Soup

This is the most amazing soup ever, and the best part is it's healthy! It makes about 4 servings, but you'll definitely want to double it because you'll want it again, and again, and again!

1 T. Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

2 celery stalkes, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 baking potato, peeled and chopped

1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes in juice

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 t. sugar

1 bay leaf

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not colored.

2. Add the carrot and potato and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the stock, sugar, and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then return the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.

3. Let cool slightly. In batches, puree in a blender. Return to pot. Adjust seasoning. Reheat gently, Serve hot.

(Left overs are even better!)

Pasta with Tuna and Black olive Vinaigrette

Sarah and I made this for dinner tonight and we were all pleasantly surprised how delicious it was. It makes 4 servings.

12 Oz. whole wheat rigatoni or penne, or whatever you have
1/2 c. olive oil

2 cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp capers, rinsed, drained and chopped

1/2 c. kalamata olives, roughly chopped ( I used the canned black olives)

1/2 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ( I didn't have any fresh so I used about 1 Tbsp dried)

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 6-oz cans tuna, drained ( i only had one and it was enough for the three of us, plus a little left over. I guess it depends on how much you like tuna)

Parmesean

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsps of oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Don't burn it! Add capers and olives and cook 3 minutes. Stir in parsley and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice, pepper, and the remaining oil. Drain the pasta and divide among individual bowls. Top with tuna, a sprinkle of parmesean and olive vinaigrette. Delicious!

Perogies

Perogies can be pretty hard to find in the U.S.- at least from my experience. We had these quite often growing up, and I was missing them. I found a great recipe and modified it to fit what I had in the kitchen. They're not hard to make, but definitely take a lot of time- but they are worth it in the end. Plus, you'll have extra to throw in the freezer for another great meal down the road. Enjoy!

Filling:

3 medium sized potatoes

1 egg, beaten

about 4 cups (or 1/2 lb.) shredded cheddar cheese

salt

pepper

dried thyme

Dough:

flour

1 egg, beaten

1 large spoonful of sour cream

1 "splash" of milk

Start by making the filling. Peel potatoes and boil until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. Mix cheese and beaten egg together. Once potatoes have cooled, add to the cheese mix. Add the salt, pepper and thyme to taste.

Mash mixture until it resembles mashed potatoes. Set aside.

To make the dough, beat an egg in a bowl. Add the sour cream and mix well.

Add enough flour that the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball in the center of the bowl.

Add the milk, and some more flour until the dough is manageable enough to pull out of the bowl with your fingers. Place dough on a very well floured surface and knead in just enough extra flour until dough no longer sticks to fingers.

Roll out dough, again making sure it stays well floured on bottom. Cut out circles using the top of a glass. Again, make sure the bottom is well floured, or you won't be pulling the circles off the countertop!

Fill half of the circle with dough, leaving an edge all the way around.

Brush half of the circle with water and fold over. Press edges, ensuring they stick together so that you don't lose your filling while boiling.

Continue making new batches of dough until you run out of filling.

Boil water in a large pot. Drop in 6-8 perogies at a time. Boil for 3 minutes. They will have risen to the top by now. Turn perogies over to the other side, and boil for another 3 minutes. Transfer to strainer and let excess water drip off. Then transfer to drying rack until cool and dry.

At this point, they can be put in freezer bags and kept in the freezer.

To prepare perogies, fry with onions. Top with sour cream and enjoy!

*Other filling possibilities:

ricotta cheese and spinach

butternut squash and parmesan

potato and bacon

switch out different spices: chives, rosemary...etc.

mozarella and potatoes

Modified from a recipe found at Annie's Eats.

Oatmeal Blueberry-Cranberry Muffins

Sarah and I (Emily) decided to make some deliciousness today to take on our mountain hike this lovely January day. These muffins are exactly that, deliciousness. They're also really easy and very healthy.

Cast of Characters:

• 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 c. oats
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsps. canola oil
• 1 lg. egg, ligthly beaten
• 3/4 mixed blueberries and cranberries, or berry of your choice.
  

Mix the wet ingredients
Add the sugar.

make sure they're happy

Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet to it.
FOLD in the berries with a spoon or spatula
divide into greased or lined muffin tins
Bake at 375 for 16-18 minutes.
Et voila! The perfectly moist, deliciously berry muffin. Enjoy

Orange Chicken

This dish is absolutely DELISH! I was really craving Chinese food tonight, but didn't want to go out and spend any money, and so I caved and decided to make this at home. Note: I have NEVER deep fried anything myself- ever! Being in the healthcare field I guess I've become a bit of a freak about eating healthy. However, I don't regret making this. It is probably the BEST Orange Chicken I have ever had. Period. So give it a try!

Like a lot of my recent posts, this recipe came from Annie's Eats. Great blog. Click here for the recipe. Enjoy!