Black Forest Brownies

Black Forest Brownies

Who doesn't love a good brownie?

I love making brownies. You can really let your imagination go and try so many different and unusual flavors when making brownies.

Some of them will become a hit......some will become a miss......some of them will be just good, but not memorable average.

Few nights ago my youngest child did something very sweet and it showed me how much he really loves his mama.

I just had to make him some delicious LOVE brownies. Since his loves chocolate and cherries I decided to make Black Forest Brownies.

PRINTABLE VERSION

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 tsp Kirsch Liquor (cherry extract if you don't have Kirsch)
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 14oz Can of Cherries
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9"x13" baking pan.

STEP 1: In a large microwavable bowl melt butter and chocolate chips (1 minute). Mix it well until smooth. If you still have chunks microwave for few more seconds.Put aside.

STEP 2: Drain cherries well, cut them in halves. Put them in a small bowl and mix with couple teaspoons of flour. This will make sure that the cherries won't fall down to the bottom while baking.

STEP 3: Add sugar , brown sugar and Kirsch into the chocolate mixture. Mix until well combined.

STEP 4: In another bowl mix together flour and cocoa powder.

STEP 5: Add lightly beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture.Mix until well combined.

STEP 6: Add flour mixture and gently fold it in, but make sure it is all combined together.

STEP 7: Pour in chocolate chips and cherries. Mix them in gently as well.

STEP 8: Pour into the greased pan and bake for 32 minutes.

When the brownies are ready take them out of the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

After the brownies cool down you can cut them into any size you like or you can use cookie cutters to make different shapes.

Black Forest Brownies

I turned my brownies into Valentine Heart Shaped Brownies with chocolate glaze and sprinkles.

 

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This recipe is linked to:

SWEETS FOR A SATURDAY @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
FOOD FIGHT FRIDAY @ Choochmagooz
RECIPES I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY @ At Home With Haley 
FEED ME,TWEET ME, FOLLOW ME HOME @ The 21st Century Housewife's Kitchen 

Apricot Bread Pudding - Žemlovka

Apricot Bread Pudding - Žemlovka

Little over a year ago I posted one of my favorite childhood recipes which I named Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding. The Slovak name for this dish is Žemlovka.

There are many recipes and variations for Žemlovka. Last week I made another variation and my boys named it Apricot Bread Pudding.

It is little lighter and creamier then my Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding (Žemlovka).

PRINTABLE RECIPE

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients:

• 5 Kaiser Buns (day old)
• 4 Tbsp Butter (melted)
• 2 cups Milk
• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 1 can Apricot Halves (2-3 cups)
• Vanilla Sugar

Slice Kaiser buns into 1/2" thick rounds and place them into large bowl.

In another bowl melt the butter and mix in the powdered sugar. Add milk and 3 lightly beaten egg yolks.

Pour the milk mixture all over the bread rounds and gently stir around until all the bread rounds are covered.

Let it sit for few minutes.

Heat the oven to 350F.

Grease and coat deep baking dish or casserole dish with butter and breadcrumbs.

Assemble the bread pudding as follow:

Layer 1/2 of the soaked bread rounds into bottom of the dish.

Top it with thick layer of apricot halves. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar.

Cover with layer of the remaining bread rounds.

Beat egg white until peeks form. Beat in  little bit of powdered sugar to make a thick meringue.

Cover the top layer of bread rounds with the meringue.

Put it in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the meringue is brown.

Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Apricot Bread Pudding - Žemlovka

*************************************** This recipe is linked to: LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME @ Rook No. 17TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY @ Blessed With GraceTUESDAYS AT THE TABLE @ All The Small StuffDR. LAURA'S TASTY TUESDAY @ Dr. Laura's Adventures TASTY TUESDAYS @ 33 Shades Of GreenTASTY TUESDAY PARADE OF FOODS @ Beauty and BedlamTUESDAY NIGHT SUPPER CLUB @ Fudge RippleDELECTABLE TUESDAY @ Home Sweet FarmFULL PLATE THURSDAY @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Visit all of these great blogs and discover new and tasty recipes.

Chocolate-Walnut Brownie Cookies

Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cookies

Few months ago I came across Paula Deen's recipe for Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cookies.

I was intrigued by the possibility of  making brownies into cookies. I saved the recipe and I was waiting for the opportunity to try it out.

I finally decided to make some Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cookies. They were delicious so I decided to share the recipe.

I made little small changes to Paula Deen's original recipe, but nothing that would change the original taste.

PRINTABLE VERSION

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup Flour
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Instant Coffee Granules
• 1 cup Walnuts (chopped)
• 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips (for decorating)

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl combine flour , cocoa, baking powder and salt.

In a large microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter. Microwave for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in sugars and let it cool for 5 minutes.

After the mixture is cool stir in eggs, vanilla and coffee granules. Stir in flour mixture until combined.

Then stir in chopped walnuts, remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips.

Drop onto baking sheet by 2 tablespoonfuls and make sure the cookies are 2" apart.

Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving onto cooling rack.

In a small microwave-safe bowl melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and drizzle over the cookies using fork.

 

Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cookies

Creamy Penne Carbonara

Being married to good old Italian boy and raising two boys with Italian blood means cooking lotsa pasta in my house.

My husband and my boys might prefer red meaty pasta sauces to "girlie" cream sauces, but once in awhile I get to make a cream sauce and every single time they LOVE IT.

I have no idea why they even object. They know they will love, like it, eat it....

One of my favorite sauces is Carbonara sauce. Usually I don't make it too creamy, but during cold winter nights I crave rich creamy sauce.

PRINTABLE VERSION

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Penne Pasta (cooked al dente)
• 1 lb Bacon (cut into thin strips)
• 2 cups Half & Half
• 4 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Butter (melted)
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
• 2 cups Peas (frozen)

Cook your Penne pasta till Al Dente, drain and put it aside.

Cut the bacon into thin strips and fry it in a large skillet until crisp. Put the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towel.

Get rid of the bacon fat. Keep about 1 tablespoon inside the skillet. Pour in half & half and cook over medium-high for 4-5 minutes.

 Meanwhile whisk together 4 eggs with little bit of the half & half mixture. Add it to the cream and cook while stirring.

Add butter, Parmesan cheese and crispy bacon and frozen peas. Keep some bacon to top the Penne with if you like.

Cook till you get creamy consistency sauce (not too runny). Add Penne pasta and heat enough just to make it warm.

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This recipe is linked to:

FULL PLATE THURSDAY @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage

FUN WITH FOOD FRIDAY @ Paisley Passions

WHATS COOKIN' IN THE KITCHEN @ Katie's Cucina

FRIDAY POTLUCK @ EKat's Kitchen
GCC RECIPE SWAP @ The Grocery Cart Challenge

Visit all these great blogs for more recipes and inspiration in the kitchen.

Creamy Pork Marsala

Over the years I've seen so many variations of dishes with Marsala sauce. 

My favorite Italian restaurant serves Chicken Marsala which is breaded chicken breast with almost clear sauce loaded with mushrooms.

My dad's Chicken Marsala is grilled chicken breast with clear Marsala wine sauce and few mushrooms.

My own winter comfort food version is Creamy Pork Marsala. Roasted or grilled pork tenderloin cover with creamy Marsala sauce loaded with mushrooms and served with extra creamy mashed potatoes. 

Sounds delicious? Oh yes, it is. It is loaded with calories? Yes, it is! It is figure friendly? No, absolutely not!

It is my guilty pleasure and I make it only few times a years so it is OK.

PRINTABLE VERSION

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork Tenderloins (excess fat and silver skin removed)
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Shallots (finely chopped)
• 2-3 cups Mushrooms (sliced)
• 1/2 cup Marsala Wine (used the real wine, not cooking wine)
• 1/2 cup Whipping Cream
• Salt
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.

Clean and pat dry both pork tenderloins. Place them in shallow baking pan. Drizzle some olive oil over them and gently rub with salt and pepper.

Roast if for 18-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches 155-160 degrees F.

Remove the pork tenderloin from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the Marsala sauce.

In a large skillet melt butter (add few drops of olive oil so the butter won't burn). 

Add the shallots and mushrooms and cooked until they are translucent. Deglaze the skillet with Marsala wine. Allow it to reduce to about 2/3. 

Add whipping cream, salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to bring it to boil and let it thicken a bit.

Turn off the heat.

Slice the pork tenderloins, place them on the plates and pour a generous portion of creamy Marsala sauce over the meat.

 

Leftover Cranberry Apple Relish Muffins

Cranberry Relish Muffins

Holidays are over. It was time to clean the fridge and see what was left from two week of delicious eating.

Since I am a mom of two always hungry growing boys and my two nephews spent most of the winter break at my house there was not much leftovers.

I did notice lonely Tupperware container filled with my homemade cranberry-apple relish. I didn't want to freeze it or throw it away.

Idea of muffins or moist loaf popped into my head.

I remembered that one of my Company's Coming cookbooks had a muffin recipe using canned cranberry sauce.

I decided to use the recipe with some changes and it turned out great. I ended up making another batch just so I can bake couple cranberry loaves.

Cranberry Loaf

PRINTABLE VERSION:

This recipe makes 18 regular muffins or 2 regular loaves.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 4 tsp Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce (original recipe used Cooking Oil)
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk (original recipe used Milk)
• 1 cup Homemade Cranberry-Apple Relish (original recipe used Canned Whole Cranberry Sauce)

Topping:

• Melted Butter
• Granulated Sugar
• Orange Zest (finely shredded) (original recipe didn't use zest)

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the middle.

In another bowl beat eggs until frothy. Mix in apple sauce, buttermilk and cranberry relish.

 Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently until moisten. The muffin batter will be lumpy.

Grease your muffin tin. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.

Bake for 22 minutes or until golden brown on top.

After you take the muffins out of the oven brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar mixed with orange zest.

Cranberry Apple Muffin

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Today I am joining a brand new linky party started by Jenn @ Rook No.17 called Little Birdie Told Me...