Brookies

I made this recipe once before and my family loved it.  Brookies are chocolate chip cookies and brownies made in the same pan.  I made them like cupcakes.  The first time I made them, I used boxed brownies and boxed chocolate chip cookies.  I changed the recipe the second time by using already prepared chocolate chip cookie dough.

This recipe makes 24 Brookies.  I placed 24 cupcake liners in two pans.

I prepared the brownie recipe according to the directions on the box.  I poured the brownie mix halfway in each liner.

Then I took the cookie dough and cut them into 24 slices and placed them on top of the brownie mix.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees.  I put the timer on for 30 minutes.  Checking frequently because I didn't want the cookies to burn.  You will definitely need to place a toothpick in to check if the brownie is done.  If the toothpick comes out clean, take the Brookies out immediately.  You do not want to overcook them.

This is a picture of how my Brookies turned out.  The cookie should extend the entire cupcake, but mine didn't.  In fact, only 4 of the 24 did.

Any suggestions how I could make the cookie extend the entire cupcake?  

Out of my Comfort Zone

As I said in the beginning of my blog, my passion was in cooking, but one thing I didn't inherit from my mother, was her ability to bake.  She was a fabulous cook and baker and we always looked forward to the holidays when she use to make hundreds of cookies and pastries.  My idea of baking is following the directions on a box, adding a few ingredients, and hoping for the best.

Over the next few weeks, I would like to attempt some of the favorite cookies that my mother made.  My mother passed away five years ago, so I hope that I make my MOM proud!!!

Any suggestions you have, please feel free to let me know.

Chicken Wings

One of my favorite and most requested meals for me to make is chicken wings.  I use only four ingredients on my chicken wings.  Chicken wings are normally high in calories, because of their skin, so I never fry them, I bake them.

Worchestershire Sauce, garlic powder, half stick of margarine, Louisiana Hot Sauce

I like to buy the large pack of chicken wings.

Take a half stick of margarine (you could use butter too) and melt it in a small pan on the stove.  The recipe actually called for an entire stick of margarine/butter, but I didn't want the extra calories.

Measure 6 ounces of Louisiana Hot Sauce.  If you like it hot, you could use more hot sauce.  My family does not like it hot, so I only use 6 ounces.

Using a shaker bottle, pour the hot sauce and melted butter and a teaspoon of both Worchestershire Sauce and garlic powder.   Shake well.

Pour the mixed sauce into a pan large enough to coat each chicken wing.

Take a pan with sides and place aluminum foil in the bottom (to aid in clean up).  The trick for crispy wings is to place them on a rack, therefore, the chicken cooks on both sides.  If you do not use the rack, the bottom of the chicken will rest in the fat and does not have the desired crispiness.  When placing the chicken on the rack, DO NOT overlap the chicken.  The parts of the chicken that overlap will not cook evenly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Your chicken should look like the picture below.

If desired, enjoy with some blue cheese dressing.

Party Time Continued

The pepperoni loaf I showed in the last post, doesn't have to be done only with pepperoni.  I have made a vegetable version with peppers, onions, broccoli, and mushrooms.  I take the vegetables I like, slightly sauté them in olive oil and garlic, and replace the pepperoni with the vegetables.  You don't want to cook the vegetables too long, because it further cooks in the oven.

Party Time

Savannah wanted to have some friends over to her house, but she didn't want to serve just snacks and cold food.  She wanted me to show her how to make my famous pepperoni loaf.

When I first started making pepperoni loaves, I would make it from scratch.  Flour, yeast, hot water, etc., but that just took too long.  I found a better alternative.  At ShopRite, they sell fresh dough balls.  You buy the dough the day before you want to use it, leave it in the refrigerator and watch it grow.  It usually doubles in size.

A few hours before I plan to make the pepperoni loaf, I take the dough ball out of the refrigerator and place it in a plastic bowl with a slightly damp towel on top.  

This towel prevents the dough from drying out.

Put some flour on the rolling pin and dough ball before rolling out the dough.

You'll want to roll it out to the shape of a football.  

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese down the center.

Add sliced pepperoni. 

Cut slits on each side.

Overlap the slits and press together.

This is an example of what the pepperoni looks like before baking.

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven.  

Make sure the oven is preheated to 350 degrees and bake for about 30+ minutes until golden brown.

ENJOY!!!!

Use a knife and cut where the slits are to make individual slices.  

DIPPING SAUCE:  You could heat up pizza or spaghetti sauce and it would taste like a pepperoni pizza.

Cutting an Onion

Savannah wanted to make a meatloaf, which is easy to do and not too many ingredients.  She made it before, but she complained that the onions were not uniform in size.  Every bite she either got very big or very small pieces of onion.  So she wanted me to show her how to cut an onion so all the pieces are relatively the same size.

1.  Trim the ends off the onion

2.  Cut the onion in half lengthwise and peel the skin.

3.  Position the onion so it's resting flat on the board.  The curved part is facing up.  Make your first cut parallel to one of those flat ends.

4.  Slice crosswise through the onion.  The onion may separate, but try to keep it together.

5.  Flip the section of the onion.  You may not want to cut the whole half of the onion.  You may want to cut a smaller section.

6.  Cut down along the straight edge and you should see little onion "cubes" appear.  Try to keep them uniform in size.

7.  Finish with a quick chop. 

CRITIQUE

Savannah was doing a great job until step #6.  The matchstick size onion pieces came apart and made it hard to get uniform pieces.  She spent a lot of time rechopping so the pieces were relatively the same size.  It takes practice...and with practice, comes perfection.

Does anyone know of a better way to cut an onion?  I appreciate any suggestions.

Change in Plans

My daughter felt that after the first lesson, she feels comfortable enough to follow a recipe on her own, but she says she still needs my help.  She wants to make a meatloaf and the only thing she needs help with is cutting the onion.  Tomorrow, I will show her how to chop an onion the correct way.