Chocolate Cravers Brownies

Okay y'all here is the recipe for the brownies mentioned in an earlier post... I might say that when it comes to recipes I like to tinker. So, feel free to do that too. Add butterscotch chips instead of chocolate pieces, add another egg to make them more cake-like. It is hard to mess them up unless you burn them or omit too much oil. If you decide to use applesauce or fruit puree to make them healthier, I recommend using half the oil/butter called for and substitute the rest with applesauce/puree. The texture can become dense when substituting applesauce for all the oil in recipes. Also, feel free to substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose. Again, the texture may be heavier and slightly drier than the all white flour recipe. I add extra cocoa in my chocolate recipes and I reduce the amount of sugar by about 20-25%. If you reduce the sugar by much more than that, the outcome will be a less fluffy product. I am using a convection oven so the time was short and sweet. Do not overcook these brownies, when they are ready they will have shiny delicate cracks on the top. A butter knife inserted will come out moist not completely clean. I do not recommend using a glass pan. I have tried it both ways and they cook up better with a metal pan. For an ultra rich ultra yummy brownie use melted butter instead of oil. Good luck!

Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1/2 cup sugar(I have already reduced the sugar amount-use 3/4 c. if you have a sweet tooth)
1 tsp vanilla
1 heaping tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 eggs
1 3oz chocolate bar(I used 70%), chopped
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, vanilla and coffee granules. Beat in eggs. Combine chocolate bar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Mixture will be thick!

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Do not overcook!

Culture shock and chocolate cravings...

The experts say that right about this time Jason and I are going to experience various symptoms of culture shock. I think it has come with cravings that are comforting and devilishly fudgy. Brownies. No box, no mix, and I don't own a hand mixer yet...

The chocolate products available here are in your kissy-face-Hershey good. So far, Jason and I have collectively eaten the equivalent of half of Willy Wonka's inventory of chocolate bars- and of course, it must be dark.

Succumbing to primordial chocolate desires I made a small batch(which means not nearly enough) of brownies. Incorporating instant coffee to it made them unbearably yummy. Needless to say, they were the best brownies I have ever made.

Fudgy and moist(but not greasy), they were an inspiring accompaniment to a simple glass of milk. Flavors from cocoa powder and freshly chopped 70% chocolate bars made these no-box brownies go faster than a Wii after-Christmas sale at Wal-Mart.

I feel another craving coming on soon...

Not your Memaw's Macaroni Salad

Macaroni, check. Celery, check. Artery clogging amounts of mayo, check. With the red onions, carrots and diced cucumbers playing in the bowl already so cheerfully, I thought I would add something new to my mixing bowl. Asian pears. They added a splash of juicy sweetness to the quickly becoming not-your-memaw's macaroni salad. With a delicate flavor and a hearty crunch, pears were the perfectly palatable solution for ho-hum macaroni salad. Pale yellow peppers native to the mediterranean were gutted and chopped small-and unlike a bell pepper they do not overwhelm with their aroma and flavor. Dill along with fresh pressed garlic made a zesty appearance and mingled with the mayo creating a stunning backdrop for the colorful collage of veggies- and now fruit. I thought about apples, but they create appleness in everything they are in. Hmmm, not ready for apple macaroni salad yet.

This is a new day for macaroni salad. It will no longer be the bowl that is neglected on the reunion table, whose only redeeming qualities include copious amounts of cubed ham or bacon bits. It shall with pride display a vast array of flavors and textures to delight even the most discriminating Grandma. Johnny still only eats pig-in-a-blankets and green beans. But, if you are ready to try something new, this is for you. Now nestled happily between industrial amounts of fried chicken and corn pudding, macaroni salad has earned its place in the most honored position on the table of gluttony. Fruits and veggies unite in harmony to elevate this humble salad to an elegant side for any occasion. I think they pair well together.

An Introduction to Food

This begins the reflections and recipes of my culinary creativity as a missionary wife in the former Yugoslavia. The kitchen is my joy and love. Cooking for me is an art to be perfected and enjoyed, as if conducting a symphony of tastes; each ingredient with its distinct flavor and aroma combining to create a grand masterpiece. With resources that reminisce a bygone era, preparing meals here would baffle even the most valiant of domestic divas. Not easily disenchanted by the lack of modern ingredients, and determined to achieve a palatable dish, my imagination stirs with ideas.

Self taught from an early age the art of preparing a meal, partially because my Mom shudders at the thought of cooking, I am most at home when I am mixing, chopping, seasoning and thoroughly delighting in my love affair with food.

As I continue my journey for enticing fruit muffins(and other delectable things I throw in the mixing bowl), I will learn, live and cook in a place we now call home. To some, in this place, it may seem daunting to be a good and proper homemaker, especially with a celsius oven the size of a large microwave. It certainly requires more time and effort. I consider it "thyme" well spent.