Homemade Brownies with a touch of Orange

I have nothing against boxed cake or even brownie mixes.  I don't judge.

But brownies are really easy to make.  

And if you bake at all, you are likely to have the ingredients you need if you suddenly HAVE TO HAVE BROWNIES (I don't know if that happens to you but it does to me).

Here's how I make them.  You don't have to add the orange, but a hint of orange with chocolate is really good.

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa
• 3/4 Cup flour
• tsp salt
• Zest 1/4 - 1/2 Orange
• 1 Tbl Orange liqueor
• 1 tspVanilla

Mix the sugar with melted butter.  Add eggs, zest, liqueor and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add salt., Add the cocoa, mix well.  Then add the flour. Just mix enough to moisten everything.  DO NOT OVER MIX!

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes are so.  You want it to be a little underbaked. 

Sift powdered sugar,  and spring red, green and gold sugar over the top.  

There.  Wasn't that easy???

The Best Pumpkin Pie

I like to give pumpkin a hard time.  

Because compared to sweet potatoes or squash, pumpkin isn’t really that good.  It’s not bad.  It’s just kinda meh.  What makes pumpkin pumpkin is the spices.

But I make a really good pumpkin pie.  

The secret is the sweetened condensed milk.  It gives it a real nice creaminess.  And easy because you can skip a few steps. Oh, yea.  And the bourbon.  Bourbon makes everything better.

Also use good quality spices.  I like Penzey’s and they make pumpkin pie spice which is a combination of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger.  But because the spice is what makes pumpkin pie good, you need to use quality spices.

So here’s my recipe:

• 1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin
• 1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbs Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Penzey’s pumpkin pie
• ½ tsp. Penzey’s Vietnamese Cinnamon
• 2 Tbl REAL Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbl  Bourbon
• 1 Tsp salt (this is more than usual but because of the extra brown sugar and maple syrup a little more salt helps cut the sweetness.  TRUST ME!)

Preheat oven to 425.  Beat all the ingredients together.  Pour into unbaked 9-inch pie crust.  Good for you if you made it yourself.  I buy the pre-made crust that’s already rolled and cut and I think it tastes fine. 

Bake 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350 and bake another 45-50 minutes.

Don’t ruin this pie by putting Cool Whip on it!

Take a cup of real whipping cream, add a tbs or more of sugar, and a capful each of vanilla extract and bourbon and whip that sucker up.  It hardly takes any time at all and it is sooooo good.

White Chocolate-Rhubarb Muffins

I figured out with my Cranberry White-Chocolate Bars that white chocolate goes very well with a tart fruit.  Well, it is the RHUBARB season.  And I needed to make a treat for my daughter's 21st Birthday.  

• 1 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup rhubarb, chopped fine
• 1/2 package white chocolate chips
• 2 Tbl Rum
•  

Preheat oven 425.  Chop rhubarb - put aside in a bowl with rum and 1/4 cup sugar.

Cream 1 cup sugar with butter.  Add two eggs and beat for a couple of minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients (Drain rhubarb first). Do not overmix.  Spoon into lined muffin pan.  Makes a dozen.  Sprinkle the top with sugar.  I used pink sugar.  Bake 25 minutes.

National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day - April 20

Yes it really is National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. And I make a very good pineapple upside down cake. It's a family favorite. For years that was our Easter dessert. And I always made it for the block party cake walk - the church lady in the picture won my cake in the cakewalk in 2003.

And yes, I start with a cake mix. I rarely make cakes from scratch. Cake mix cakes are fine. But of course I gussy it up.



Ingredients 1 Yellow Cake mix (or sometimes you can find pineapple cake mix but it's not necessary because you are going to add pineapple juice)
1 small can crushed pineapple in juice 1 16 oz can pineapple rings - in syrup is better
6 maraschino cherries
1 stick butter
1 Cup brown sugar

Spray your 13 x 9 pan with butter flavored PAM or a cheap equivalent. Melt your butter and add the brown sugar and spread that on the bottom of your pan. Lay the pineapple rings in the pan in the pan and put a maraschino cherry in the middle of each one. When you mix up the cake mix, use the crushed pineapples and juice instead of water.

You want to really have some fun, drain off the juice and mix the crushed pineapple with some rum. MMmmm...now you are talking. You could soak your pineapple rings in rum for an hour before to. But I never did that when I made the cake for my kids or for church.

Pour the batter over the butter and sugar and pineapple rings in the pan. Bake for however long the package says. Wait till the cake cools, run a spatula around the sides of the pan and carefully turn it over.