Black Bottom Coconut Bars

Thanks to Cookie Carnival for making this the challenge for September, these were fabulous! What's funny is that Staci sent me an email with the link to the recipe and told me I should make these. So it seems I was destined to make these delectable treats. Martha never leads me astray, I knew I would love these. If you like coconut, you'll love these. If you like brownies, you'll love these. And, a side note, I enjoyed watching the tutorial video on her website. It made it all the easier to follow the directions. I made these for a bake-sale last weekend and they were snatched right up. Make your day coco-choco-liscious!

Ingredients

Makes 24

• FOR CHOCOLATE BASE
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• FOR COCONUT TOPPING
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

Directions

1. For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.
4. For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).
5. Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.
6. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.

Whole wheat pancakes

Who doesn't need something new to try in the mornings? It seems like there's always a plethora of breakfast recipes floating around and I love trying each and everyone. This recipe is actually Staci's and I love using whole wheat that I ground myself. These pancakes are great, perfect consistency to soak up the syrup. And that whole wheat makes you feel all the better about getting your day off to a healthy (and tasty) start. Yum!

2/3 cup whole wheat
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
4 tsp oil

Mix all together with a whisk until blended, do not over mix. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Cook pancakes on hot griddle, turning once when bubbles form around the edges but bubbles do not burst. Makes 12 regular sized pancakes.

PS- leftovers keep great in the fridge for several days, just pop in the ol' microwave and voila breakfast is served!

Penuche Icing

Cake makes me happy. Fat and happy. Is that so wrong? Home-made cake and homemade frosting makes me really happy. And for the record, I do not equate home-made with made from scratch. There is a difference. Moving on, this frosting is simply fabulous. All that brown sugar gives it such a butter-scotchy feel, its delightful on yellow cake. Thanks to my mother-in-law for sharing the recipe! Feel free to pair it with different flavored cakes, let your taste-buds guide you. I've included one of my favorite doctored up cake mixes from the lovely "Hello Cupcake" cookbook. Happy cake making to you!

Easy Penuche Icing:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 3/4 to 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Boil and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm, approx 120 degrees on a candy thermometer. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Place saucepan in a bowl full of ice water and stir with a wooden spoon until thick enough to spread. If its too thick, add milk by the tablespoon. If its not thick enough, add powdered sugar by the tablespoon until icing reaches desired spreading consistency. Makes enough for 2 9" layers or 9x13 oblong.

Doctored Yellow Cake Mix:

(will work with French Vanilla, Devil's Food or Yellow cake mixes)

1 box cake mix (I use Duncan Hines exclusively)
1 cup buttermilk (in place of the water called for on the box)
vegetable oil (the amount on the box)
4 large eggs (in place of the # called for on the box)

Make cake as per instructions on back of box. Frost with icing when cake has cooled.

French Bread Pizza

This is E-A-S-Y! In fact, I debated not even posting it because its so un-glamorous, but then I thought, the name of this blog isn't Gourmet Today, its called Good Eats and well folks, french bread pizza fits the bill. This is the way my dad has been making it for years and years. We eat this about once a month, throw some veggies on the side, some ice cold root beer and there you have it!

Sauce:
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 tbsp Italian herb blend (if you don't have a blend, throw together equal parts dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.)
1 tsp fresh garlic (we like a heaping teaspoon)

In a small pot over low heat, stir ingredients together, just heating through and keeping warm until you spread it over the bread.

Pre-heat oven to 350.
Take one regular size french bread, slice it once the long way in half, and then I usually get 4 pieces out of each half.
Spread sauce liberally over each piece. One batch of sauce should be the perfect amount, you won't run out and you won't have any left over.
Sprinkle generous quantities of mozzarella cheese and top with your choice of toppings.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Eat immediately!

*a note. You can save left-overs, I just wrap them up in tin foil but microwaving really makes them soggy, I suggest re-heating in the oven or (shameful admittance,) eating it cold.

The Cornbread and honeybutter

Here is The Cornbread and honeybutter recipe of the century. Yes, that's why its called "The" cornbread. Because it beats other cornbreads with a sharp stick and reigns supreme over all. It will forever hold this title because its is *that* good. Everything I love about a cornbread (and you should too) is here, its cakey, moist and the perfect corn flavor, very mellow not too over powering. I've made it twice, both times doubling the recipe and making it in the 9x13. A huge shout-out to Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe for introducing this to me and also to Sallie who posted it on her blog as well and inspired me to wait no longer, make it today!

and PS- the honeybutter is celestial, I'm just saying . . .

½ cup cornmeal

1 ½ cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oil

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center.

Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny).

Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

Honey Butter:2 sticks butter, softened1/2 cup honey1/2 cup marshmallow fluff.

Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).

*a note. Use the toothpick test when making the 9x13 because it will have to bake a little longer than the time for the 8x8, but not much. Test it at 35 minutes, if not clean on the toothpick, set timer for 2 more minutes and check again, so on until done.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I could never be on a no-carb or even low-carb diet. I love bread. In all its many splendid shapes and beautiful varieties. Cinnamon Swirl Bread happens to be a family favorite. And if we somehow manage to have any left-over, the next day I make french toast with it. MMMmmmm, that's some good stuff, I'm telling you! Thanks to Annette Winslow who is famous for her bread and made hand-outs with her recipes for everyone in our ward (church congregation.) I have made this many times.

BASIC WHITE BREAD:

1/2 cup warm water
2 packages (or 2 tbsp) rapid rise yeast
2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
5-7 cups flour ( I have used both bread flour and regular All-Purpose, both work well)

Dissolve yeast in warm water, let it get foamy, set aside. Heat milk but do not boil (this is called scalding.) When milk cools to lukewarm, pour into large mixing bowl and add butter and egg. Then add yeast mixture, sugar and salt. Mix well. Add flour one cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is easy to handle. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Let rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour. Punch the dough down and let rise for another hour. Knead for another 5 minutes.

Here's where you make it cinnamon-y swirl-y wonderful. Or you can skip the cinnamon/sugar and just make plain ol' white bread which is always a treat too.

Divide dough in half, roll out each part into a small rectangle. Spread 2 tbsp butter over the dough and sprinkle 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 sugar over the buttered dough. Roll back up, place seam side down in a greased loaf pan.

Let rise for another 20-30 minutes before baking at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

Today, I am channeling Pioneer Woman because I have multiple, step by step photos! This recipe is bits and pieces from other recipes and more "I know enough about how this should all work, let me try putting this and this together." Make sense? All I know is, I love Mexican food and this meal is hot and tasty in under 30 minutes.

Let's start by making the fajita part:

1-2 lbs chicken (or meat of your choosing) cut into 2 in pieces
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
A generous handful of sliced, chopped fresh mushrooms
1/2 packet Fajita seasoning mix
1 tbsp canola oil

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add oil, wait a minute, and add your chicken pieces and veggies. Saute for 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 a packet of the Fajita Seasoning Mix over the chicken and veggies. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink and the onion is translucent. Remove from heat.

Now for the quesadilla part:(this is how it should look right before placing the other tortilla on top)

Pre-heat oven to 400.
Have 4 large flour tortillas and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ready. Place 2 tortillas on a cookie sheet (I put tin foil down so I wouldn't have to scrub baked cheese off my cookie sheet.) Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese onto each tortilla, then distribute 1/2 the chicken/veggie fajita mixture onto each tortilla. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup cheese over each chicken/veggie filling and end by placing another tortilla over top. Pop in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melty.

Remove from oven, and with pizza slicer, cut each tortilla into 6 wedges. Serve loaded with salsa, sour cream and guacamole, with black beans on the side. Dig in! Serves 4.

*a note. The beauty of this recipe, is you can adjust it to feed more people OH SO EASILY! If you're using more than 2 lbs of meat, use the full fajita seasoning packet and up the amount of veggies. Don't like mushrooms but love green peppers? Fix it the way you like your fajitas. Its more of a method than a recipe. Grill meat and veggies, bake with cheese on a tortilla and serve with toppings! Ta Da!