Thick and Fudgey Brownies with Hershey's Mini Kisses Milk Chocolate

From Hershey's Made Simple, page 68.

Yield: 24 brownies (or 20 if you cut them like we do).

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups (10 oz. pkg) mini milk chocolate Hershey kisses

Heat oven to 350F (325F for glass baking dish).  Grease 9x13" baking pan.

Stir together flour, cocoa,, baking powder, and salt.  With spoon or whisk, stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Add eggs; stir until well blended.  Stir in flour mixture, blending well.  Stir in chocolate pieces.  Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut in 2" squares.

Notes:
- I totally spaced it and cooked my brownies--in a glass dish--at 350F.  It actually ended up taking 38 minutes even then, so I cooking them at 325 would likely take even longer.  My brownies were not burned.
- Instead of milk chocolate mini Kisses, I used the same amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I definitely think my way was better.
- As I'm sure you noticed, I topped some of our brownies with sweetened whipped cream (1 cup heavy whipping cream beaten at high speed with a tablespoon or so of sugar) and berries.  Yum.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Yield: six 4-5" pancakes.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
1 egg
2 Tbs. oil
1 scant cup milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.

Mix together egg, oil, and milk in a small bowl; add to dry ingredients.  Stir until blended.

Cook in 1/4 cup amounts in a skillet over medium heat.

Notes:
- A "scant cup" is just barely under a cup.  If you don't like your pancakes quite so thick, add more milk. I tend to use probably 1 1/4 cups.
- The recipes calls for cooking these over medium-high heat, but whenever I've tried that, I've ended up overcooking the outside while the middle is left gooey.  Not good for pancakes.  You may want to experiment with the heat you cook these over.  Also know that the first pancake will look totally different from all the rest--it won't get as dark.
- This recipe is from a food storage cookbook that I don't know the name of.

Chicken and Broccoli

From Mom Larsen.

Serves 4-6.

1 lb. chicken, cut in strips
1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli (thawed) or 2 cups fresh broccoli pieces

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese

1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. chopped pimiento

Saute chicken in oil until tender.

Add soup, milk, mustard, and cheese; cook over medium heat, stirring until smooth.

Add broccoli and pimiento and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until tender crisp.  Serve over rice or pasta.

Notes:
- I probably used 1/3 cup each of cheddar and Swiss cheeses.
- Fresh broccoli will take longer than 2 minutes to cook.  You could always parboil it it ahead of time if you want.

Scrumptious California Salmon

From Healthy Cooking (June/July 2001), page 17.

Prep: 35 min. / Bake: 10 min.

Serves 4.

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. minced shallot

1 cup orange juice

3 Tbs. honey

1 Tbs. ground ancho chili pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 salmon filet (1 lb.)

2 tsp. canola oil

2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro

In a small saucepan coated with cooking spray, saute garlic and shallot until tender.  Add orange juice and vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Stir in honey, chili pepper, salt, and pepper.

In a large ovenproof skillet, brown salmon in oil on both sides.  Brush with 1/4 cup sauce.  Bake, uncovered, at 400F for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Brush with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

Notes:

- Reduce the garlic if you feel so inclined.  Honestly, I rarely use more than 2 cloves in anything.
- Garlic presses are wonderful.  But no matter how tempting it may be to use it for the shallots (they look kind of like garlic, after all), don't do it.  It doesn't work.  Trust me--I tried it.  Oh, and I didn't measure the shallot; I used all of a small section.

- A little teaching moment here (you may know this already): The difference between "3 garlic cloves, minced" and "1 tsp. minced shallot" is that you measure the garlic before you mince it, and you mince the shallot before you measure it.  The same goes for things like "3 cups pasta, cooked" vs "3 cups cooked pasta," "2 Tbs. almonds, chopped" vs "2 Tbs. chopped almonds," and "1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced" and "1/4 cup sliced fresh basil."

- I don't have an ovenproof skillet, so I browned the salmon in a frying pan and then transferred it to a baking dish.

- Before brushing the salmon, divide the sauce into two small bowls: one for pre-baking brushing and the other for after-baking brushing.  Don't use the sauce in the first bowl after the salmon is cooked.

Nutrition Facts:

3 oz. cooked salmon = 317 calories, 15 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 67 mg cholesterol, 217 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 23 g protein.

Amounts may vary depending on the brands you use.

Napa Valley Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, page 52.

Serves 4.

This burger is very tart and tangy because of the citrus and the goat cheese.  It has a very fresh flavor.

Meyer Lemon-honey Mustard:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 heaping Tbs. clover honey
1 1/2 tsp. grated Meyer lemon zest, or 1 tsp. grated orange zest and 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbs. Meyer lemon juice, or 1 Tbs. fresh orange juice and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the mustard, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Burgers:
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (80/20) or ground turkey (90/10)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil
8 round slices fresh goat cheese, each 1/2" thick
4 sesame seed hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired
1 handful of watercress

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions.  Form each portion loosely into a 3/4" thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.

Cook the burgers (click HERE for Bobby's burger cooking times), using the canola oil and topping each one with 2 slices of cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms, drizzle with some of the Meyer lemon-honey mustard, and top with watercress.  Cover with the bun tops and serve immediately.

Notes:
- Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons, which is why the substitutions are a mixture of orange and lemon juice.
- We only used half the amount of goat cheese.
- I feel so repetitive: I typically buy 90/10 ground beef, so I use a pound of that for my burgers.

Miami Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, page 51.

Serves 4.

1 lb. ground chuck (80/20) or ground turkey (90/10)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed (see notes)
4 hamburger buns, split
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
4 thin slices smoked ham
2 dill pickles, sliced into 1/4" thick slices

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions.  Form each loosely into a 3/4" thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.  Cook the burgers (click HERE for Bobby's burger cooking times), using the oil.  Remove the burgers to a plate.

Combine the mayonnaise and roasted garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread both sides of each bun with the mayonnaise and the mustard.  Place a slice of cheese on each bun bottom, place a burger on top, and then top the burger with a slice of ham, another slice of cheese, and some pickle slices.  Cover with bun tops.

Cook the burgers on a sandwich press or wrap burgers in aluminum foil and cook in a hot skillet over high heat (put a heavy skillet on top of the burgers to press them) until golden brown and the cheese has  melted, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.  Serve immediately.

Notes:
- I used 1 lb. (90/10) ground beef, so my burgers weren't as thick.
- It takes more like 2-3 minutes per side to cook the burgers if you go the foil and skillet route.
- Roasting garlic: Toss garlic with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven on a rimmed baking sheet until light golden brown, about 15 minutes at 375 F.

Carolina Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, page 36.

Serves 4.

Mustard Barbecue Sauce:

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 heaping Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Blend the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and oil in a blender until emulsified.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the black pepper.  The barbecue sauce can be made 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Green Onion Slaw:

1 cup coarsely chopped green onions, white and green parts

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded

2 Tbs. mayonnaise

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 head of purple cabbage, finely shredded (about 3 cups)

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Blend the green onions, vinegar, 1/4 cup cold water, chiles, mayonnaise, and oil in a blender until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put the cabbage and red onion in a bowl, add the dressing, and stir until combined.  Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.  The slaw can be made 2 hours in advance and refrigerated.

Burgers:

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (80/20) or ground turkey (90/10)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

4 hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions.  Form each loosely into a 3/4" thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.  Cook the burgers (click HERE for Bobby's burger cooking times), using the oil, and basting the burgers with some of the barbecue sauce during the last minute of cooking.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top each one with more barbecue sauce and some of the slaw.  Cover with bun tops and serve immediately.

Notes:

- If you don't have rice wine vinegar, you can use rice vinegar.  If you don't have that, try white wine vinegar.  If you're desperate, use whatever vinegar you've got on hand.

- While I'm sure that the "extra-virgin" adds a slight bit more of the olive flavor, I'm satisfied with regular old olive oil.

- The barbecue sauce and coleslaw yield a LOT.

- Is it really necessary to bring the barbecue sauce to room temperature before serving?  I doubt it.

- I've learned from experience that coleslaw doesn't keep very well for more than a few hours.

- As usual, I used 1 lb. of 90/10 ground beef, which makes thinner burgers that aren't quite as juicy.  Oh well.  Sometimes we sacrifice flavor for taste, right?