When you feel like you may break...bake!

What better way to unwind on a Friday night than by watching competitive cooking shows while simultaneously baking a fresh batch of chocolate and peanut butter brownies? I'm sure some people would rather black out than bake out, but maybe I'm just old fashioned like that. This week has been somewhat stressful (though I'm not quite sure how that is much different than any other week), so I'm savoring catching up with my KitchenAid.

I wanted to make something with a brownie base, so I looked in my treasured Joy of Cooking recipe book. There is a wonderful basic brownie recipe. Like my outfits, I prefer to accessorize my baked goods. Who wants a boring brownie? I had a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips (like chocolate chips but deliciously peanut-buttery instead) in my pantry. Last time I checked, chocolate + peanut butter > chocolate. Apologies for the inequality. I've been studying for the GMAT, so I'm dorking out to the extreme.

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
Whatever you'd like to add (pecans, chocolate chips, coconut, peanut butter, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a baking pan (if you want chewy and moist brownies, use a 13x9-inch pan; if cakey, a 9x9-inch pan).

The cast of characters in my decadent storyline

 Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a small saucepan

Like an awkward first date, the butter and chocolate experience
some difficulties in the beginning...

...but after some time (or in the case of the date, some drinks) the two
 ingredients decide to get along

Let this mixture cool. If you don't let it cool, your brownies will be heavy and dry (and very sad).
Next, beat the 4 eggs and salt until light in color and foamy in texture.

Whisks are for amateurs. Serious chefs use SERIOUS equipment.



Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until thick. With a few swift strokes, stir in the cooled chocolate mixture just until combined. If you're using a snazzy KitchenAid like me, switch to a wooden spoon for this. Stir in the flour just until combined. Gently stir in any of your "accessories" (I stirred in half of the bag of pb chips and sprinkled the rest on top).

All dressed up for Friday night!

Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes. The recipe says to cool completely in the pan on a rack, this is just plain nonsense. Who waits for any baked good to completely cool? Clearly, you are allowed to sample it once it has cooled enough so it doesn't scorch your mouth.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Brownies, a thousand calories.

May your weekend be filled with brownies, or at least something of equivalent awesomeness.

I have a date(s)!

I've been in the bunker this weekend studying and I was in dire need of a date, or at least a use for dates since I have a container of deliciously sweet Medjool Dates in my fridge from Trader Joe's. Meredith (a dear friend) and I made English Sticky Pudding (yum!) two weeks ago and I'm been trying to think of creative ways to use dates. My favorite (so far) has been to stuff them with blue brie (think blue cheese taste plus the consistency of brie, double yum!) and wrap them in prosciutto. HEAVEN! The bold flavor of the cheese and the saltiness of the prosciutto both complement the sweet dates. By far, the best date I've had in awhile!

Recipe:
No hard and fast rules with this, just have enough dates, cheese and prosciutto to fill you up (figure about 4 per person)
Broil in the oven until the prosciutto crisps.
Be careful when you take a bite - the cheese will be hot and so will your date (thank goodness, right?)

All you need for a satisfying date - who knew it was so easy?

Ready to go in the oven- the silicone baking liner prevents date disasters!

Do you see that bubbling brie goodness? Sorry...I didn't save any for you!

With a happy tummy, I'm back to the books.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones...my first post!

As a loyal reader of multiple blogs, I thought it would be quite easy to make my own. This initial post may be a bit rudimentary, but I'm sure I'll pick it up quickly. I love baking for other people, especially the Hospitality House of Charlotte (http://www.hospitalityhouseofcharlotte.org/). I haven't baked scones in awhile and noticed that I had a container of poppy seeds on hand. Even though they don't have much taste and take days to get out of my teeth, I love them, especially in lemon poppy seed scones. This is a recipe I found and fell in love with when I first made it with my mom in 2003 (my mom loves dating recipes and she photocopied the original for me- thanks!). I checked the fridge and didn't have any lemons, so I went to the "Teet" (Harris Teeter, a local food store), but not the Taj MaTeet (the large HT by my office).

My beautiful ingredients...don't the lemons look juicy?

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tbs poppy seeds

1 tbs baking powder

2 tsps grated lemon peel

1 tsp salt

10 tbs chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup (or more) whole milk (I used skim and it was just fine)

Icing:

Juice from lemons

Powdered sugar

Water as needed (for desired consistency)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position rack in top third of oven (this is important!)

Mix flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon peel, and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Grating lemons - a stress reliever that smells nice!

I love my food processor. Reliable and has an on/off switch...is he single?

Whisk egg and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend. Add to flour mixture. using on/off turns, process until moist clumps form. Add 1/3 cup milk. Using on/off turns, process just until dough comes together, adding more milk if dough seems dry.

Using floured hand, gather dough into ball. Flatten into 8-inch round. Cut round into 8 wedges. Transfer scones to a large baking sheet. Bake until scones are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. While the scones are baking, make the icing. Sift the powdered sugar and add lemon juice and water as needed.

GIANT SCONE!!!

Ready for some lovin in the oven!

Transfer to rack and cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.) While the scones are still warm, drizzle on the icing. Makes 8 scones.

Iced and ready to go!

Don't worry, I was brave and sampled them- they were AMAZING!