Culinary Goods

This recipe came from melskitchencafe.com. We doubled it to make a 9x13 and we didn’t change a single thing because my girls were making them. So, these are good. I mean, it’s a brownie. They get a 7.5 I just don’t think they are any better than any other brownie made with cocoa. I’m a brownie snob. The boxed kind is better than cocoa brownies, and real brownies with full on chocolate are better than boxed. So that’s the scale. These are cocoa brownies from scratch. They’re fine. The Best Fudgy Brownies {Think: Homemade Brownies Like The Boxed Mix!} Ingredients 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks or 5 ounces) butter 1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 ounces) sugar 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1/2 cup (2 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour   Click here for directions: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/the-best-fudgy-brownies/     Mel’s Source Recipe retrieved 10-...

Just in case my title didn’t scare everyone away, I think this picture will: Seriously, John. The pepper? Calm down there. Anyway, I am going more vegetarian again, so my recipes will likely reflect that. I adapted this recipe from a previous recipe I blogged. You can find the original inspiration (and a great meat version) by searching “Shepherd’s Pie” in the search bar at the top left. Anyway, Gavin loved this, which is SHOCKING. Everyone like it but Grey, and it gets a 7. I changed things around a ton, so here is what it ended up being: Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie 2 cups onion 6 cloves garlic, minced 3-4 cups carrots 2 cups frozen green beans, cut into small sizes 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup frozen peas 1 1/2 cups green lentils, cooked 16 oz. mushrooms, chopped small 1- 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. chicken Better than bouillon paste 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. dry oregano 1 tsp. dry thyme 3/4 tsp. rosemary 1 small can tomato paste 1 cup sour cream   So, throw som...

P.S. The bubbles in the soup are because I poured it boiling hot into the bowl very quickly, and it splashed a bit. So, I have made minestrone soup for years, and it’s always good, but this version is the best—I would give this an 8. Does a better version exist somewhere? Probably, but I’m done looking because this one is good. So, here is what I am putting in my permanent recipe box. Oh, and all the spices are dry. Finally, you NEED the parmesan cheese. Don’t skimp. Minestrone Soup 2 Tbs. olive oil 1 medium chopped onion 5 medium cloves minced garlic 1 ½-2 tsp. salt 1 stalk minced celery 2 medium diced carrots 1 small diced zucchini 1 small diced yellow squash 25 green beans, snapped in half (some websites I was searching on said you can use canned Italian green beans. I have no info on this, but maybe it’s good) ½ head small green cabbage, shredded 1 cup fresh spinach 1 can kidney beans 1 can white beans 6 cups vegetable broth 2 cans small diced tomatoes, with juic...