Peanut Butter Brownies

This is my very favorite brownie recipe of all time.  If by some miracle you have some left over the day after you make them, you will find that something magically delicious happens to these brownies after being in the fridge overnight.  These are so good, I'll even eat the edges.  [I remember Ben telling me once that he and Jen were perfect for each other because she likes the edges of the brownies and he likes the middle pieces.  That's true love.]

 

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 c. (2 sticks) of butter, melted

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

 

Mix above ingredients until well blended, then add:

 

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

2/3 c. cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

 

Mix well until blended and pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Dollop small amounts of peanut butter throughout the pan (about 1/2 cup total).  Use a knife to swirl peanut butter around just a bit.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Oriental Chicken Salad

  So, this is gonna sound weird, but I require a lot from my salads. I want pretty colors, yummy flavor and to still keep it healthy; since that's the reason I'd eat a salad in the first place. I've always loved oriental chicken salad but I've never found the dressing I quite wanted until now. In the past month I've fixed this a number of times and I get excited to taste it every time. Serves 4-5 (From the "Six Sisters" cookbook, ironic no? Since you guys are the originals!)

Salad: I think giving measurements for the lettuce would insult your intelligence. I'll just tell you what the salad consists of and you can make it to your particular taste, shall I?
Lettuce (go figure)
Bagged Broccoli Slaw (really good texture, I'd never had a reason to use it before this)
almonds ( I just chop them, but if you have the time you could toast 'em)
wonton noodles
mandarin oranges
Chicken (leftovers, a couple of pieces from the deli, whatever works)

Dressing:
6 TBS honey
3 TBS rice vinegar
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sesame oil
 
 And there you have it! Super yummy!
For those of you with picky eaters or little ones  you could try what we do with Ian. I give him a little bit of everything, omit the lettuce and substitute a veggie he likes. So he still feels like he's getting the same as us and won't eat the noodles off my plate. 

Also I think Peggy told me that we all have the "Best Bites: Savoring the Seasons" cookbook. Give the Grilled Chicken and Berry Salad from the summer section a try. We tried it this week and all of us loved it, my mouth is watering thinking about it right now.

Easy Cream Biscuits

You cannot go wrong with these!  They turn out perfect every time.  And they taste even better when they're heart shaped.  Perfect Father's Day card not included. :)

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c. heavy cream (I've used regular cream and it's fine, but the heavy stuff definitely tastes better)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cream with a wooden spoon and keep stirring until the dough starts to form.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until it's smooth.  Pat the dough into a circle that is 3/4 of an inch tall.  Use a biscuit cutter (or metal cookie cutters that are simple shapes).  Keep reforming the dough and cutting until it's all used up.  Bake on the parchment-lined baking sheet for 14-15 minutes.

Blueberry Pound Cake

This is such a treat at our house!  You can make it with fresh or frozen blueberries, but of course fresh are best, which makes it perfect for the 4th of July since that's when blueberries are in season.  This year my dreams came true because I was able to use blueberries from our very own bush!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt  pan, as well as a smaller pan (like a bread loaf pan).  This recipe makes way too much for just one cake pan, so have an extra pan ready.

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer (or your Bosch or Kitchen Aid) until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating well.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

In a separate large bowl combine:
4 cups flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a liquid measuring cup:
1 cup milk

Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Stir in:
2 tsp vanilla

Fold in:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Pour batter into prepared pans.  Place in preheated oven for 1 hour plus 30-40 minutes.  The smaller pan will only need 45 minutes to an hour, but the bigger one will need over an hour.  Since all ovens are different, and so are altitudes, check the oven after an hour (for the bigger cake).  The cake should have a dark-ish golden color to it.  It may look burned, but it's not.  If you want, you could cover the cake with foil halfway through cooking to prevent over-browning, but I have never done that.
Place cooked cake on a wire rack to cool.