Guinness Brownies

I've been lazy lately and not designing my own recipes. At the same time, if there is a recipe that is just amazing, why change it? I came across an amazing brownie recipe in my search for a St. Patrick's Day themed dessert. I really wanted something with Guinness. My first real experience with Guinness was in 2008 on a trip to Dublin, Ireland. I visited the Guinness factory with my sister and brother. I've never been able to replicate the taste of freshly brewed Guinness with any bottled or draft variety in the states.

Guinness in Dublin, Ireland

So, on my quest for a recipe I came across this amazing Guinness Brownie recipe. I have no tips to provide. The directions are fantastic! The only thing I did different than the picture posted was google for a image of a four leaf clover. I printed it out rather large, cut it out and placed it on my brownies. I then dusted my brownies with confectioners sugar and removed the cut out. It left a rather nice imprint of a four leaf clover on my brownies. They really are delicious. Even if you are not a fan of Guinness I highly recommend this recipe. You don't taste the Guinness at all even though you use a 1-1/4 c. of Guinness in the recipe. All the Guinness does is bring out the flavor of the chocolate, and I can't say it enough - they are amazing. 

I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. 

Enjoy! 

Irish Lace Cookies

OK, so I know it's been quite a while since I last posted a recipe. With work, I'm finding that I don't have as much time as I'd like to be creative and bake. While I had the intention of designing a recipe myself to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday, I decided to opt instead to search for a tried and true Irish cookie recipe. My idea, by the way, was to take this recipe here, and substitute the coffee creamer for Bailey's Irish Cream coffee creamer. I was then going to dip the cookies in white chocolate and sprinkle with green sprinkles - but alas, I wanted to make something a bit more traditional.

Plus, I used this cookie as an excuse to go to World Market - one of my all time favorite stores. I bought a jar of vanilla extract imported from Madagascar, and I had the intention of purchasing authentic oatmeal from Ireland for 8 dollars, until the realist in me went "no one is going to know the difference between oatmeal from here or from there" and I put it back. Although I did buy butter imported from Ireland, just to say that it did have something authentically Irish in it. :) All of the recipes for Irish lace cookies that I encountered had the same ingredients with different measurements. I opted for the one that used the most vanilla extract. So kudos to this: The Ultimate Irish Lace Cookie Recipe.

Tips: Really you only need to put a teaspoon on the cookie sheet b/c they do spread. Wait a minute or two before taking the cookies off of the sheet. And, if you do have a silpat, I highly recommend using that for this recipe too. I baked mine for only 10 minutes, I was able to put 6 cookies at a time on one sheet.

Enjoy!

5 Spice Steak and Spinach

Alright, so another recipe to give kudos to. I bought a cookbook back when we lived in Alexandria, VA. Its title "Just 5 Things" caught my attention simply because I immediately thought "5 ingredients? These have to be cheap recipes! SCORE!" Well they're not cheap, but they don't exactly break the bank either. You have fewer ingredients, but better quality ingredients give you a great flavor. When my husband and I went up to visit our friends in Georgia for New Years, they took us to a hibachi grill. Ever since I have been wanting to try to make some Asian food. So, tonight that's what I did.

Behold, the 5 Spice Steak and Spinach.....

INGREDIENTS

3 T Asian Sesame oil (I didn't measure, I just coated the pan. This oil smells so good!)

2 thick filet steaks

2 T five-spice powder (this is a real thing, you can find it on the Ethnic foods aisle in the grocery store)

6 oz. baby spinach leaves

1/4 c. soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

I dry rubbed my steaks with the powder, and I know I used more than the recipe called for. So, if you want to sprinkle the powder on the steaks, go for it, or rub it on like I did. You choose. :) Next fill a medium sauce pan with water and start to bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium - medium/high heat. Once the oil is hot place your steak in the oil and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Once you've done that, take the skillet off the burner and cover. Let it sit for about 5 minutes (Or longer if you want your steak well done). If your water has been boiling for a while, it's OK. Once you've taken the pot off the burner, your water should be boiling at this point. Dump all the spinach into the boiling water and then strain it once it's wilted (about 30 seconds). After you've strained your spinach, place it back in your pot and add the soy sauce. Mix well and serve with your steak.

Enjoy!

Candy Cane Meringues

This is a recipe from Pillsbury's December 2007 magazine on Holiday Cookies (I have quite a collection of little holiday books.) For this recipe you will need a piping bag, larger than 12 inches, I would go with a 16 inch piping bag, a small star tip, small paint brush and gel food coloring. Very, very important to buy the gel food coloring as opposed to regular food dye.

Baking in the oven.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees

INGREDIENTS

3 egg whites

1/2 t. cream of tartar

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. peppermint extract

red or pink gel food coloring

DIRECTIONS

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at a high speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Beat in the peppermint extract. Next, using your piping bag with tip already in place, fold the top down over your hand, holding the bag like you would an ice cream cone. Take your paint brush, dip it in the gel and paint 3-4 long strips starting from the tip and extending up to the fold at the top of the bag. Then using a spatula, scoop meringue and fill your bag, leaving plenty of room for you to unfold it and twist the top. Squeeze out a little bit at a time until you see the red come through. On cookies sheets fitted with parchment paper (again very important to have the parchment paper, these cookies are very fragile and will come off easier with the parchment paper) squeeze out 2-2.5 inch candy canes. I find it easier to do mine upside down, as if I were writing the letter "J"- do what works for you. You have plenty of batter to work with so if you mess up it's all good. :) Once you've completed the task of shaping the candy canes, place in the oven for about 1 hour or until dry. I do two sheets at a time - one sheet on the top rack and one on the lower rack, after half an hour I move the bottom pan to the top and vice versa.

These cookies take some practice, but the end result is worth it. When removing the cookies from the parchment paper, I've found that the trick is to place one hand underneath the paper and using one finger lightly move it under the candy cane until it's loose.

Enjoy!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes for the holidays. Very rarely do I make this cookie with white chocolate chips. Typically, I substitute the white chocolate for dark chocolate chips. Both variations though are very good. I typically yield 30 cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees 

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 c. butter, softened 

1/2 c. packed brown sugar 

1/2 c. white sugar 

1 egg

1 T. brandy 

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 

1/2 t. baking soda 

1 c. white chocolate chips 

1 c. dried cranberries 

DIRECTIONS 

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and brandy. Mix in the flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop cookies onto lightly greased cookie sheet- leaving about an inch and a half between cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. I usually take mine out at 8 minutes.  Let cool on pan for about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack. 

YUM!! 

Pumpkin Mousse

Here is another recipe I'd like to give kudos to: Praline Pumpkin Mousse

This recipe is SUPER easy and SUPER good. My husband loves pumpkin pie, but won't eat the crust. So, it's essentially a crustless pumpkin pie. The praline topping, again, very easy to make and very yummy.

Kudos

Alright, so I need to give major kudos to this turkey tetrazzini recipe. It is very labor intensive but well work the work. Reserve at least 2 hours time for this recipe. Sorry, I took no pictures this time. My husband and I ate it before I could get the camera out. :)