Brownies

I love making dishes from scratch, and besides who doesn’t love a good brownie? Well, Eva promises “a fudgy brownie with more chocolate taste than you’ll ever get from a mix” in her book Eva’s Kitchen. I was excited and had to give it a try. Sadly, they tasted like flour, took twice as long to bake then the directions mentioned and didn’t come out pretty. It looked ok until I went to cut them and the crust on top shattered into a million pieces to make a huge mess. I won’t be making these again, I’ve got other brownie recipes that have come out way better then this one. Not even smothering it in ice cream helped. :(

Brownies
(Adapted from Eva’s Kitchen by Eva Longoria)

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8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x12 inch baking pan.

In a heavy saucepan over very low heat, melt the butter and chocolate. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.

Add the sugar and whisk until well blended.

Add the cooled chocolate and the vanilla and stir until well blended.

Add the flour, salt, and the nuts, if using, and stir just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it, about 25 minutes. (I did one pan lined with parchment paper and the other not. The regular pan stuck really bad even though it was well greased.)

Let the brownies sand in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled. Slice into squares and serve.

Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Chicken Skewers With Grilled Romaine

My newest addiction is grilled romaine lettuce!! Holy moly this was good. I was interested in the bread crumb coated chicken being grilled so I knew I had to see what this was all about. The bread crumbs really sucked up the marinade and you couldn’t taste it so I was disappointed with that, other then that it was a really good dish. I’m trying to figure out how I can work grilled lettuce into every meal now!!

Chicken Skewers With Grilled Romaine
(Adapted from Food Network)

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1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced shallot or red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 head romaine lettuce, quartered lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used feta instead and really enjoyed it better)

Preheat a grill to medium high. Soak 8 wooden skewers in water, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: Mix the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.

Drizzle the cut sides of each piece of romaine with about 1 teaspoon of the dressing.

Add the chicken to the bowl with the remaining dressing and toss.

Add the breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, leaving space between each piece.

Grill the chicken skewers, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, grill the romaine, turning once, until marked and slightly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer the romaine to plates and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt. Serve with the chicken skewers and sprinkle with the parmesan.

UPDATE: I made this dish again leaving the breadcrumbs off and you couldn’t taste the marinade, so I would make as directed above and sprinkle a little of the marinade over the finished dish to get all the flavors.

Dark Chocolate-Lime Soufflés

Most people are scared to make soufflés and I understand why. They are delicate desserts that are all about care, love and timing. I promise this is one you’ll want to try. It’s really easy to make and the taste is soo good. You have to like lime, because it’s one of the main flavors, but lime and chocolate go really well together. I loved how the whipped cream melts on top of the hot soufflés. You might be wondering why my soufflés don’t look more fluffy. Well, that was my fault I didn’t fill the dishes full enough. They did fluff up and they did sink in the middle like they are supposed to out of the oven.

Dark Chocolate-Lime Soufflés
(Adapted from Bon Appetite)

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2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated lime peel
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped (It is best to use good chocolate, but since I was just testing this recipe I used chocolate chips)
5 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes on baking sheet. Mash sugar and lime peel in small bowl.

Stir chopped chocolate in medium bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted.

Remove from over water; whisk in yolks, 2 tablespoons lime-sugar, and salt (mixture will become thick).

Beat egg whites in large bowl to soft peaks; add 2 tablespoons lime-sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.

Whisk 1/3 of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten; fold in remaining whites in 2 additions.

Fold in chocolate chips. Fill dishes with soufflé mixture, dividing equally.

Bake until softly set and puffed, about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, whip cream, lime juice, and 4 tablespoons lime-sugar to firm peaks in medium bowl.

Top soufflés with cream. Sprinkle with more lime-sugar.