Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts

Epicurious

Gordie brought in these favorites recently for a bake sale fundraiser at work and he sold several for $2.50 each before he reached the bake sale drop-off point!





Brownies
3/4 C butter
7 0z. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
4 large eggs
1 C flour
1 C roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped


Frosting and Ganache
1 C chunky peanut butter (not natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 C butter, softened
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/8 t salt
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1 T whole milk (skim works fine)
1 t vanilla


7 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Grease 13 x 9 baking pan.

Brownies
Melt 3/4 C butter and both chocolates in heavy large saucepan until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, one at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack to cool.

Frosting and Ganache
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 C butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and 1/4 C butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set.

Store in the fridge, but bring to room temperature to serve.

Mint Sails

Katie Lynch's mom

Brownies

1 C butter

12 T Hershey's baking cocoa

4 eggs

2 C sugar

1 1/2 C flour

1 t baking powder

1 t salt

2 t vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa and remove from heat. Beat eggs till light, then add sugar. Blend in chocolate mixture. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Add vanilla. Pour into greased 9 x 13" pan and bake at 350 about 30 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool.

Frosting (I do the amounts in parentheses for this and the Glaze below because otherwise I find I have to try to stretch it.)

2 (3) C confectioner's sugar

4 (6) T butter

2 (3) T milk

1 t peppermint extract

green food coloring

Combine all and beat well. Add a few drops of food coloring. Spread over cooled brownies, and let set in the fridge.

Glaze

2 (3) 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate

2 (3) T butter

Melt together. Pour over mint frosting and spread gently. Chill. When firm, cut into bars.

Baby Greens with Warm Goat Cheese

The Gourmet Cookbook

Make sure to serve it while the goat cheese is still warm. To slice the goat cheese, use a piece of (unflavored) dental floss.

2 large egg whites

2 t water

2/3 C plain dry bread crumbs

8 rounds soft mild goat cheese, cut from a chilled 8-oz. log (I can only find 5.5-oz. logs myself and always buy 2 of those)

4 t cider vinegar

1/4 t salt

1/8 t sugar

1/2 t dijon mustard

freshly ground black pepper

7 T extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 lb. (about 8 C) baby salad greens

Whisk together egg whites and water in a shallow bowl. Spread bread crumbs on a plate. Dip cheese rounds in egg, letting excess drip off, then dredge in bread crumbs, pressing lightly so they adhere, and put on a plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Whisk together viegar, salt, sugar, mustard, and a pinch of pepper in a bowl. Add 4 T oil in a slow stream, whisking until well blended.

Heat remaining 3 T oil in a 12-in. nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add cheese rounds and cook, turning once, until golden, about 1 minute total.

Add greens to dressing and toss to coat. Arrange salad on plates and top with warm goat cheese.

Rice with Cilantro and Peanuts

The Gourmet Cookbook

We love this rice! The rice vinegar has such good flavor. We have it with chicken or steak, or sometimes all by itself.

1 3/4 C jasmine rice (we use basmati)

1/2 C salted peanuts, chopped

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro sprigs

4 scallions, sliced (we make it without these half the time and it's still good)

1 T peanut oil

2 T rice vinegar (we use double this amount)

1 T lime juice

s & p

Cook rice. Toss with remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Martha Stewart Living

This had great, rich flavor.

1 medium butternut squash

6 C chicken broth

2 T unsalted butter

1 T olive oil

4 shallots, minced

2 C arborio rice

1/2 C dry white wine

freshly grated nutmeg (or a couple shakes of dried ground)

s & p

1 T chopped fresh rosemary (or a bit of dried)

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Cut squash in half. Put face down on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 until soft, about 40 minutes. Scoop flesh from skin and mash lightly.

In a saucepan, heat stock to a simmer.

In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 T butter. Add oil and shallots; cook for 2 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add wine to rice and cook, stirring, until wine is nearly absorbed. Stir in a cup of broth and the squash; cook at a steady simmer until the liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue stirring in stock, a ladelful at a time, until rice is creamy and firm but not hard in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Add rosemary. Stir in remaining butter and most of parmesan. Serve immediately in shallow bowls garnished with remaining cheese and rosemary springs if desired.

Beer Margaritas

[Updated 8.19.21] I'm not a beer person, but when you mix it with enough limeade and tequila, it goes down very easily! These margaritas you make by the pitcher were my aunt's favorite and it's funny how things happen: I thought to make these for the first time in ages, and it was nine years ago this week that we lost her. 

I am sure you could downsize this recipe but I've only ever had it in a crowd-- at lots of family gatherings and barbecues over the years and of course they were the signature cocktail at my aunt's surprise 60th birthday party. So here's to Sal. May you have a crowd to share them with.

  

Beer Margaritas

1 12-oz. can frozen limeade concentrate 

12 oz. tequila 

12 oz. water 

12 oz. beer (1 Corona or other light Mexican beer) 

Stir in a pitcher and serve over ice, in a salted glass if you desire.

Margarita

This recipe comes with some background. We have been making margaritas this way for a while. It started as a Martha Stewart recipe which called for 1 oz. each of tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of sugar, but we decided it was better with simple syrup, slightly more tequila, and slightly less lime juice. We also had decided that Sauza Hornitos was our favorite kind of tequila after a waiter at Margaritas awakened us to the fact that Jose Cuervo was not the only option. Anyway, recently we were almost out of Hornitos and Gordie went to buy more, and he was drawn to an only slightly more expensive variety called Sauza Anejo that had an interesting description, so he bought that instead. We decided we needed to taste test a margarita with each of the tequilas. The Anejo was much darker in color, and the bottle said it was aged in oak. Well, it had an oaky taste that made me think of a buttery chardonnay. It was kind of odd, and we decided we will stick with Hornitos. But our tasting was not finished. Next we wanted to find out which orange liquor was best in a margarita. So we made one each with Grand Marnier, Cointreau, and triple sec. The first was way too much-- the Grand Marnier was overpowering and I think would have been better sipped all by itself. The triple sec was fine but had essentially no flavor. And the Cointreau provided the perfect balance. So, to follow is our favorite margarita to date.

1 1/2 oz. (full shot glass) Sauza Hornitos tequila
1 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec
2/3 shot glass lime juice
1/3 shot glass simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. cold water

Stir. Serve over ice.

Sweet Potato Pie

Epicurious

Brynne came over yesterday and we made this for dinner. It was sweet and custardy and we decided, it could have been dessert-- perhaps it was intended that way. I made it with King Arthur pie crust, of course, and we had Meg's apple salad on the side. I found the recipe on Epicurious, and it said it came from Ruth Reichl's book, Comfort me with Apples, which is a good food read.

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
1/4 C unsalted butter
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C whole milk
3 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg (we used dried ground)
1/4 t salt
1 T dark rum
1 T flour
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350.

Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake on a shallow baking pan in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool to room temperature.

Increase oven temperature to 400.

Scoop flesh from potatoes into a mixing bowl and discard the skins. Mash potatoes.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter mixture to the potatoes along with milk and eggs. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in remaining ingredients (the filling will be liquidy). Pour filling into pie shell.

Put pie plate on shallow baking pan in the bottom of the oven and bake until filling is just set, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before serving.

Pine Bark

Mom, Food Network

Made this sweet and salty treat in preparation for company coming this past weekend.

35 Saltine crackers
1 C butter
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 t almond extract
20 oz. total milk chocolate bars, broken into pieces (Gordie likes to make it with dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 400.

Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil. Lightly spray foil with cooking spray.

Place Saltines salty side up in pan. Sprinkle with a little additional salt if desired. In a saucepan, boil butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Pour mixture over crackers and bake for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven, top with candy bars, and spread evenly as chocolate begins to melt (you may need to stick it back in the oven for just a minute with the chocolate on it for the chocolate to soften enough). Cool slightly and transfer to waxed paper. Allow to cool completely, then break apart. Store in the fridge.

Herbed Chicken with Cranberry Gravy and Stuffed Acorn Squash

Erin, Epicurious

This is a good fall meal we hadn't made in a long time.

Herbed Chicken:
chicken breasts
olive oil
dried parsley
dried thyme
dried rosemary leaves
garlic salt

Drizzle olive oil over chicken. Season with herbs. Braise by browning chicken on all sides on stove top, then baking until done at about 350.

Cranberry Gravy:
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries, picked over
¾ C sugar
1 C water
3 T flour
4 C chicken broth

In saucepan cook cranberries, sugar, and water over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is melted and cranberries burst.

In a blender in batches puree cranberry mixture until smooth, then transfer to a bowl.

In a saucepan make a roux of flour and chicken broth, then add remaining chicken broth and cranberry mixture. Boil gravy, whisking occasionally, until reduced to about 5 cups, 15 – 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve. Season with s & p.

Stuffed Acorn Squash:
7 C water
2 C wild rice
3 small acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
2 T butter
2 C finely chopped onions
2 t crumbled dried sage leaves
2 T fresh lemon juice
½ C cranberries, plus more for garnish
¼ C chopped fresh parsley

Bring water and rice to a boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 1 hour. Transfer rice to a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 375. Oil baking sheet. Place squash, cut side down, on sheet. Bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool. With a spoon, scoop out pulp from the squash, leaving ¼-inch thick shell; reserve shells. Transfer pulp to a bowl. Reduce oven to 350.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until very tender, about 15 minutes. Add sage; stir 2 minutes. Add rice, squash pulp, and lemon juice; stir until mixed, breaking up squash pulp into smaller pieces. Mix in 1/2 cup cranberries and parsley. Season with s & p.

Divide rice mixture among squash shells. Place in a roasting pan. Bake until filling is heated through, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cranberries for garnish.

Dark and Stormy

Gordie

We first had this when Gordie's cousin Woody made it for us in St. Louis over Christmas time. Because of this, I associate the drink with dark, cold weather, even though it's rather tropical by nature.

Makes 1 drink:

2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Black Rum (needs to be dark rum)
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
ginger ale or ginger beer

Mix first three ingredients in a low-ball glass filled with ice. Top with ginger ale or ginger beer.

Stonefield Dream

This was our favorite fruity, frozen beverage on the menu at Stonefield, where we stayed in St. Lucia last summer, and Gordie figured out how to pretty closely recreate it. Here we are having a fifth anniversary Stonefield Dream, including Willem with his virgin version.

Makes 2 drinks:

2 oz. creme de banana
3 oz. rum
1 1/2 oz. cream of coconut
1 banana
couple shakes ground nutmeg

Blend all ingredients with ice. Top with a little extra nutmeg.

Ari Burritos

This burrito idea comes from our college friend Ari, hence our name for them. The basic components are rice, cheddar, avocado, and (green) salsa. Over the years we've sometimes added other good things like sautéed green peppers (to stick with the green theme), hot sauce, cilantro, or lime. We've eaten them at the top of a mountain as a great hike lunch (they travel well each wrapped individually in foil) and many, many times as a really good, easy weeknight dinner.  

Ari Burritos 

(for 6 burritos)

6 large tortillas or wraps

1 1/2 C uncooked basmati rice

1 avocado, sliced or chopped

cheddar cheese, grated

green tomatillo salsa, or any salsa

salt and pepper

optional add-ons if desired: hot sauce, cilantro, sautéed green peppers, lime... 

Cook rice. 

Lay out tortillas. 

Place a mound of rice on center of each tortilla (you may have a bit of rice left over, depending on how big the tortillas are). 

Add all the other ingredients evenly among the tortillas. Tuck in ends first, then roll up each one. Enjoy with a salad on the side! (For a picnic or hike, we wrap each one in foil, then they are easy to eat by unrolling the foil a bit at a time.)

Pie Pastry

King Arthur baking class

This is, without question, our favorite pie crust. (It's a consistent winner at Apple Weekend...) It has a combination of butter and Crisco, which I think gives it the best of all worlds regarding flavor, appearance, and manageability.

2 1/2 C flour
1/2 t salt
12 T butter, chilled
4 T vegetable shortening
1/4 - 1/2 C (or more) ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

Cut in chilled butter and shortening with a pastry blender. This should be done fairly quickly and fat particles should remain about the size of green peas.

Sprinkle a few tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture and mix just until the dough begins to hold together. (I always add at least the amount it calls for here and usually a bit more; it's not worth fighting to keep crumbles together.)

Put dough on a work surface, divide into two equal portions, and press with the heel of your hand into slightly flattened rounds. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

To use for pie:
Remove one round from fridge. Roll on a floured surface from the center out till it's large than your pie plate. Fold in half, then in half again. Lift and place in pie plate and unfold. Press down in pie plate. Trim edges so they don't hang over more than 1 inch. Fill with whatever filling. Roll second round out and place on pie in same way, trim. Fold top crust under bottom crust. Pinch or seal in some way.

Brush whole top crust with an egg white wash, then sprinkle liberally with crystallized sugar. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

Potato Latkes

The Gourmet Cookbook

I first made these with first graders while I was student teaching and we were studying Hanukkah, among other holidays. The recipe says serve with sour cream and applesauce; we have had them just with applesauce and it's a great combination. They taste like those crunchy little potato sticks that were around when I was a kid...I don't know if they still make them. In any case, salty and delicious and easy to make.

1 lb. potatoes

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 t salt

1/2 - 3/4 C olive oil

Preheat oven to 250.

Peel potatoes. Coarsely grate on large teardrop-shaped holes of a box grater, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water. Soak potatoes for 2 minutes, then drain well.

Wrap grated potatoes and onion in a clean kitchen towel, and twist and squeeze tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl, and stir in egg and salt.

Heat 1/4 C oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 3 or 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons of potato mixture per latke into skillet, flattening and spreading each one into a 3-inch round with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt, then keep warm in oven while you cook remaining latkes. Add more oil to skillet as needed.

Rum Balls

Anne

Another of our favorite Christmas-time cookies.

2 1/2 C finely-crushed Nilla wafers
1 C confectioner's sugar
2 T cocoa
1 C finely chopped walnuts (or coconut)
3 T corn syrup
1/4 C (or more) dark rum, bourbon, or brandy

Mix wafers, sugar, cocoa, and nuts well. Add syrup and rum; mix well. Roll into 1-inch balls, then roll in confectioner's sugar.

Peanut-Butter Balls

(Updated 12.19.21) Peanut-butter balls are some of our all-time favorite Christmas cookies and we make them every December. They are so rich (lots of sugar, lots of butter, peanut butter, and chocolate) that it's probably just as well that we only make them once a year. They also make possibly the best cookie dough ever, and I always eat almost as many before dipping them as after. 

Notes: 

1: I'm never sure if natural peanut butter, which we normally have on hand in our house, would perform right in these cookies, so I always buy JIF or Skippy for this recipe just to be safe. 

2: On the chocolate: don't use bags of chocolate chips to melt and dip the peanut-butter balls in. Chips have wax in them and it seizes up as it cools and it just doesn't work as well. Baker's chocolate works well-- I prefer semi-sweet, but this year we also did a small number in melted bittersweet for the dark chocolate lovers in the house. 

3. We remove the double boiler of melted chocolate from the stove top to the table or counter for dipping because it's less messy that way. 

4. Last, we store our peanut-butter balls in a tin in the fridge, though maybe they'd be fine at room temperature. If chilled, let them sit out for a minute to warm up before eating them and they are softer and much more flavorful that way.  

Peanut-Butter Balls

12 graham crackers, finely crushed (we use food processor)

12 oz. chunky peanut butter 

1 lb. confectioner's sugar 

1/2 lb. butter, melted and cooled 

1 t vanilla 

16 oz. semisweet Baker's chocolate

Mix all ingredients except chocolate in large mixing bowl. 

Form into balls and chill. (As you can see from these pictures, we don't stress about the balls being uniform size since they aren't getting baked.)

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. 

Bring entire double boiler (including warm pot of water underneath) to the counter or table. Dip peanut-butter balls in chocolate: toss them in, one at a time, quickly cover with chocolate, then lift up with a fork, gently tap once or twice over the bowl to get rid of excess chocolate, then slide fork off the side of the pot. Let dipped balls slide off the fork and onto wax paper. Let cool. Store in a container in refrigerator.

Pfeffernuts

(Updated 12.20.21) These are one of our most firmly established Christmas-cookie traditions and come from my husband's family. I'm not exactly sure why they are such a favorite-- they are rock-hard, and are anything but the sweet, rich treat that most of our favorite cookies are. I think it's because they are unique and that makes them special. I went to school with my husband and I remember him being famous around this time of year in school for these cookies; other kids would get excited when he started to bring them each year and would ask for some. I think he brought extras into school to hand them out. Again, I can't imagine that kids really craved these but they were just so interesting. 

They come from Germany, where they are called pfeffernusse. They are a spiced, round cookie, good for dunking or sucking or finding just the right spot in the back of your mouth to crack them in half and then crunch very, very loudly on. The kitchen does smell amazing when you make them-- which you do by melting butter and corn syrup and then stirring in large quantities of autumnal spices (allspice, cloves, cinnamon) and a lot of flour. 

The thing that is most special to me about pfeffernuts is the way my son has taken ownership of them. Each year he is able to stir them a little longer all by himself (it gets very thick and stiff toward the end of all the flour adding, and one year we broke a wooden spoon doing it). As you can maybe see from the photo below, it is still a multi-person operation because there is someone sturdy needed to hold the large pot still on the stovetop, and others there to cheer the stirrer along and provide moral support. And then you want as many hands as possible to roll them into balls; it gets more difficult to do as the batter cools. Once they are all rolled into balls, they bake in the oven in batches. 

Notes:

1. A previous version of this post said, from the original copy of the recipe I had received, 45 minutes baking time, and for that I apologize, because that is far too long and has been updated below.

2. Textured cookie sheets, if you have them, work well to make these cookies easy to lift off the pan.   

Pfeffernuts/Pfeffernusse

from Anne Ehret

1 pint blue label Karo syrup 

1 C sugar 

1 C butter 

1 t baking soda 

2 C flour, plus 4 - 6 cups more in stages 

3 t cinnamon 

5 t allspice 

5 t ground cloves 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil. 

Add 2 C flour and spices. Mix well. 

Turn off heat and add 4 - 6 more cups of flour (or as much flour as you can mix in) while it is still hot. 

Form into balls (keeping in mind that you want the cookies small enough to fit inside your mouth whole and uniform size is helpful for baking). 

Bake at 310 degrees for about 18 minutes or until just starting to look browned. Remove from pan immediately to avoid sticking, and let cool on cooling racks. Store in cookie tin (for months if you so desire/if they last that long). 

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Mom

These have been my favorite cookies since I was a kid. We even included them in the gift bags for hotel guests at our wedding. The cookie dough is just as good as the cookies, so it's always a toss-up whether to actually bake these or not.

3/4 C chunky peanut butter

1/4 C butter, softened

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

2 1/2 C flour

2 t baking soda

3/4 t salt

a couple large milk chocolate bars, cut or broken into chunks

Cream peanut butter and butter in large bowl. Gradually add sugars, beating well. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients. Stir into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop by tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press lightly on each cookie with heel of your hand. Bake at 350, 7 - 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream

Meg, Epicurious

This was really good-- it was the butternut soup recipe I've been looking for for a long time! (It's the one on the left.)

5 T butter
2 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-in. pieces (about 6 cups)
2 C chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1/2 C chopped peeled carrot
1/2 C chopped celery
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1 1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t crumbled dried sage leaves
5 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C apple cider
2/3 C sour cream
1/2 C whipping cream
Chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash, leeks, carrot, and celery; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Mix in apples, thyme, and sage. Add broth and 1 cup cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return soup to pan. Boil remaining 1/2 cup cider in heavy small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Cool.

Place sour cream in small bowl. Whisk in reduced cider. (Soup and cider cream can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Bring soup to simmer. Mix in whipping cream. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cider cream. Top with chives.

Apple Weekend 2008

Brenna's Friday-night grilled focaccia

Mom's Friday-night chicken and bean soup

Macs ready to pick at Mad Tom Orchard

Our wagon full of apples

My pie

Brenna's pie

Meg's pie

Brenna's apple-vegetable egg rolls with crab-apple-jelly dipping sauce

Mom's drumsticks with crab-apple-jelly glaze