mouthwatering mondays

Knock Your Boots Off Brownies

December 6, 2010 By Blonde Mom 11 Comments

We tailgated with friends prior to riding in the Downtown Franklin Christmas Parade on Saturday and I wanted to bring something sweet. We were going to be pelting throngs of kids with candy, so why shouldn’t we get to load up on sugar?

I was looking for a good brownie recipe and my foodie friend Leah told me to Google Paula Deen Symphony brownies. She had me at Paula Deen.

I’m no foodie, but I had to share this recipe. Trust me, if I can make these, you can. It’s also that time of year when you just might need a handy dandy no-fail recipe and this is one I’m adding to my fairly simple repertoire.

The secret ingredient is Ghirardelli Intense Dark Toffee Interlude chocolate bars, which the original recipe did not call for. Three of them to be exact. The entire pan of brownies was devoured except for just a few…just a few for me. Mwaa haa haa haa.

One thing to note, my older daughter is averse to any dessert with nuts in it and she couldn’t even tell there were almonds in these because they are chopped so finely. Plus there is all that chocolate and caramel to contend with, so your poor child who cannot deal with brownies with almonds (the injustices of life!) will never even realize there are nuts in the first place.

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Filed Under: Domestic Diva 11 Comments

I Kissed A Brownie And I Liked It

December 21, 2009 By Blonde Mom 11 Comments

Ready to go in the oven. Yum!

Miss A’s Christmas party was today and in an effort to change my slacker ways I did not sign up to bring napkins or paper plates. OK so maybe those slots were taken, but I could have taken the usual road and bought cute cupcakes at the grocery but I opted to actually dirty up some dishes and turn my oven on.

I found this delicious brownie bites recipe at the Picky Palate. Mine turned out much more brownie-esque (that’s a word, I’m certain) than cake like so I’m not sure if I needed to add even more water to the mix or how I could have prevented that. I made these for a classroom full of 4-year-olds and not Martha Stewart, however, so I know they’ll be excited over BROWNIES! and PEPPERMINT SPRINKLES! I did not have a mini muffin pan so I used two regular muffin pans but I only made 20, rather than two full pans (for 24 total). I love how the candy cane Hershey’s Kisses give the brownies a subtle taste of peppermint. I also love that there is leftover candy after you’re finished and for the opportunity to beat the heck out of some candy canes for the sprinkles. Bonus stress reliever!

Peppermint Brownies

And here is where I thank 8 pound two ounce baby Jesus I am not a food stylist or food photographer…sorry this is blurry. I was recovering from a cold medication hangover when I took this picture early this morning.

Festive Candy Cane Kiss Centered Brownie Bites

1 brownie mix (9×13 inch size)

18 candy cane Hershey Kisses

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

3 original candy canes, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and scoop into a mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin tin pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray, about 3/4 way full. Press kisses into center of brownie batter, do not push all the way to bottom, some of the tip should stick out the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely.

2. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, 30 second intervals until smooth and melted. Stir in cream until silky smooth. You can place back in microwave for 10 seconds to smooth more if needed. Dip tops of brownies into melted chocolate, then sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

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For more Mouthwatering Mondays goodness, visit my fine Texas friend Rachel at A Southern Fairytale.

Filed Under: Domestic Diva 11 Comments

The Way To A Man’s Heart Is Through Your Tenderloin

December 7, 2009 By Blonde Mom 13 Comments

Pork Tenderloin

Let’s just pretend this is my pork tenderloin. Technically it did look like this, but I can’t find the pictures and I’ve looked on EVERY photo card in our house (hello pictures from last summer I forgot about.) I’m no food stylist so just enjoy this photo from Southern Living.

I love to prepare a pork tenderloin for dinner in the fall and winter. I have to admit that it’s one of those intimidating cuts of meat. I feel like I need to be serving ale out of a pewter chalice when I slap one of these bad boys into the oven…they’re just that robust. I have tried several pork tenderloin recipes and this is one of my favorites.

A few side notes about the preparation, I didn’t have fresh thyme or fresh basil so I used dried herbs. I know that if I’d used fresh herbs it would have been fantastic, but I didn’t have time to run out to the store. This dish was still incredibly tasty and we had TONS of leftovers. The potatoes were scrape your plate delicious and filled our house with a wonderful aroma. I’d like to prepare them that way in the future as a side dish with another main course.

My husband LOVED this dish. He does quite a bit of cooking and so he’s thrilled with my new attempts to be domestically adventurous in the kitchen. As for me, no I’m not ill, I’ve just come to the realization that I’m 40 years old and need to be able to cook more than spaghetti, lasagna, and a frozen pizza.

Enjoy!

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish-Roasted New Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds new potatoes (I used scrub em down dirt still hangin’ on them country taters from Cheatham County, Tennessee…my husband’s dad’s cousin has a farm and we’re fortunate to get fresh veggies from him throughout the summer and early fall)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (Use REAL butter here folks…makes a difference! Who needs clear arteries this time of year?)
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Garnish: fresh herb sprigs (I didn’t have any fresh herb sprigs but it didn’t detract from the taste)

Preparation

Peel a 1-inch strip around center of each potato. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add butter and next 3 ingredients, tossing gently. Place potatoes on a lightly greased rack in a broiler pan.

Bake at 425° for 20 minutes; remove from oven.

Stir together breadcrumbs and next 5 ingredients. Moisten tenderloins with water; press crumb mixture over tenderloins, and place on rack with potatoes.

Bake at 425° for 25 more minutes or until potatoes are tender and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of tenderloins registers 160°. Sprinkle potatoes with parsley, and slice tenderloins. Garnish, if desired.

From the July 1998 issue of Southern Living

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For more tonguegasmic goodness, visit my fine Texas friend Rachel at A Southern Fairytale.