S'mores Brownies

I discovered this recipe a while ago but then I lost it, so I tried to find it again and failed but using a bunch of different recipes I have created my own version of S'mores Brownies.  I guarantee you, no matter what, these will come out great!

S'mores Brownies

1/3-1/2 box of graham crackers, crumbled
6-8 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 box of your favorite brownies or your favorite brownie recipe + ingredients needed
1 bag of mini or regular marshmallows
chocolate chips (optional)
spray oil


1.  Preheat oven to 350 (or to the temperature indicated in the brownie recipe if you're not using a boxed mix)
2.  Melt the butter or margarine
3.  Crumble the graham crackers
4.  Combine the melted butter/margarine and graham crackers.  The mixture should stay a bit together when held, if you feel it is too dry, add 1 tbsp of melted butter/margarine at a time to the mixture
5.  Press the crumble to the bottom of an oiled pan (I've used 9x13 disposable aluminum pans, oval ceramic pans, square ceramic pans...anything works).
6.  Make the brownie batter as directed on box or recipe
**OPTIONAL: add some chocolate chips to the brownie batter**
7.  Pour the brownie batter into on top of the crumble
8.  Bake the brownies according to the directions.  The brownies will probably need more time than indicated on the recipe/box because of the crumble on the bottom (I've baked mine between 10-15 minutes longer than indicated)
9.  When the brownies are almost done, take them out of the oven and begin to place the marshmallows on top of the brownies.  **If using regular marshmallows, I've found it better to cut the marshmallows in half or into thirds so that they are not too big**
10.  Either put the brownies back into the oven at the set temperature and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or put the oven to a low broil and bake the brownies for an additional 3-5 minutes
*****KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THE MARSHMALLOWS...THEY GET BROWN AND BURN VERY EASILY*****
11.  Take the brownies out of the oven when the marshmallows are a light brown color

If the marshmallows burn, don't worry!  Just scrap them right off and start again from step 9.

Warm the brownies up before serving for best results and complements :)

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Oreo Brownie

I saw this recipe on Facebook and thought it looked really interesting.  I LOVE peanut butter on my Oreos, so why not try putting them inside brownies?

Peanut Butter Oreo Brownie

1 brownie mix

Water

Oil

Eggs

1/2 package of Oreos

Peanut Butter

Cupcake pan

Cupcake liners

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Make the brownie mix as directed on the package, but do not bake.

3. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners and spray the liners slightly.

4. Smooth about 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter onto an Oreo, place another Oreo on top and smooth another 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter on top of that Oreo.  You will end up having a small stack of Oreo-Peanut Butter-Oreo-Peanut Butter.

5. Repeat in order to fill all of the cupcake liners (about 12).

6. Place the Oreo-Peanut Butter stacks into the cupcake liners.

7. Pour 2 tablespoons of brownie batter over Oreo-Peanut Butter stacks and let the batter spill over the sides of the Oreos.

8. Bake brownies for 18-20 minutes, until brownies are cooked through.

Enjoy!!

Tortilla Chicken

I was really hungry and in the mood for schnitzel one night for dinner and I had the chicken breast defrosted, but I didn't have any cornflake crumbs or bread crumbs in my apartment and the supermarket isn't very close.  What I did have though was tortilla wrappers/soft taco shells.  I thought, hey what about if i break up the tortilla into small pieces, deep fry the pieces and use that as my coating for the schnitzel.  I thought it might be gross, but it was SOO good, I even made it a couple of nights later again.

Tortilla Chicken

4 chicken breasts

About 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

About 3 tablespoons dijion or spicy brown mustard

About 4 tortilla wrapper/soft taco shell

1 cup oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Break the tortilla wrapper up into small pieces.

3. Heat a small pot with about 1-2 inches of oil over medium heat until very hot.  You can drop a couple of the tortilla pieces into the oil to see if the oil is hot enough.

4. Deep fry the pieces in oil until they are golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.  Take them out when they are beginning to get a light-medium brown, they will cook a little bit longer after you take them out.

5. Place the fried pieces onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil.

6. When the fried pieces are cooled (about 5 minutes) crumb them up a little bit more.

7. Mix the mayonnaise and the mustard together.

8. Fully coat the chicken breasts with the mayonnaise-mustard mixture.

9. Coat the chicken with the fried pieces.

10. Place the coated chicken onto a grease pan.

11. Bake the chicken for about 25 minutes.

12. Flip the chicken and continue to bake the chicken for about another 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Spinach and Shells

I love bake ziti, so when I found this recipe in Kosher by Design: Teens and 20-Somethings which made it healthy I was so excited to try it.  It's a bit dry, so you may need to add more tomato sauce then it originally says, I did.

Spinach and Shells

1 box medium or large pasta shells, not jumbo

salt

1 (10-ounce) box frozen spinach, defrosted for 2 minutes in the microwave

2 cups (or a 15-ounce container) part-skim ricotta cheese

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups favorite jarred marinara sauce, divided

4 ounces shredded muenster or mozzarella cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Spray a 10-inch round or square oven-to-table casserole dish (or aluminum pan) with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted, rapidly boiling water according to the package instructions, until al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Squeeze the water out of the spinach.  Place the spinach into a large mixing bowl.  Add the ricotta cheese, garlic, egg, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.

5. Add the cooked shells and stir.

6. Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in an even layer in the baking dish.

7. Pour the spinach and shells into the dish.  Top with remaining sauce.

8. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.

9. Bake, uncovered, for 25-35 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to brown.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

Mushroom-Egg Salad & Guacamole on Wonton Crisps

I saw this recipe in the new Chic cookbook.  It is so easy but looks so fancy.  If you are serving it on Shabbos day, put the wonton crisps in a paper bag not plastic so they stay crispy.  Plate right before serving, otherwise the crisps will become soggy from the egg salad and guacamole.  I made the guacamole on Shabbos day so that it would not turn brown.

Mushroom Egg Salad and Guacamole on Wonton Crisps

Egg Salad

6 large eggs (hard boiled)

1 large (15-ounce) can mushrooms

1 large onion

about 4 tbps. mayonnaise

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1. Chop the onion and sauté it until lightly brown in olive oil.

2. Cut the mushrooms into finer pieces (they are very large in the can).  Then add the mushrooms to the onions and sauté for a few more minutes.

3. Mush the eggs and add mayonnaise like with regular egg salad.  Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper to season to taste.

4. Add the onions and mushrooms.

Guacamole

4 Hass avocados

1 lime, juiced (or about 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 ground cumin

1 garlic clove (fresh or frozen) minced

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 Roma tomato, diced (optional)

Scallions (for decoration)

1. Halve the avocados and remove the pits.  In a large bowl, mash the avocados with the lime (or lemon) juice.

2. Combine with the salt, cumin, garlic and mayonnaise.  Top with the tomatoes if desired.

3. If making the guacamole in advance, place the avocado pits in the center of the guacamole to prevent it from oxidizing.

Wonton Crisps

12 wonton wrappers (3-4 inches thick)

Oil, for frying

Paper towels for soaking up the oil

1. In a skillet or small pot, heat the oil over medium heat until very hot.

2. Fry the wonton wrapper in the oil for 10-12 seconds total, flipping it half-way through (the wonton should be light brown because they continue to cook outside of the oil).  Frying one wrapper at a time, helps keep them from burning.

3. Remove the wrapper from the oil and place them on a paper towel until they are cooled.

4. Keep the wrappers in a brown paper bag until you are ready to use them.

Assembly

1. Place a wonton crisp on a small plate.

2. Place a scoop of egg salad on top of the crisp.

3. Place another crisp on top of the egg salad.

4. Place a scoop of guacamole on top of the second crisp.

5. Place two pieces of scallion on top of the guacamole for decoration.

Enjoy!!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs and spaghetti is one of my favorite foods, so when my mom made this recipe for me I fell in love with it.  I actually like it over traditional meatballs.  I decided to make mini-meatballs over a bed of rice to serve as an appetizer for Friday night Shabbos dinner and it was a huge hit.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1 large egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1 (16-ounce) can of whole berry cranberry sauce

1 (26 ounce) jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1. Place the ground beef into the mixing bowl.  Add the egg, breadcrumbs, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to the beef.

2. Mush the mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated.

3. Form the mixture into balls between the size of a dime or nickel (for smaller meatballs) and quarter or half-dollar size (for larger meatballs).

4. Pour the cranberry sauce and the marinara sauce into a medium pot.  Place the pot over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring with a spoon every few minutes until the sauce is smooth/the marinara and the cranberry sauce are incorporated).

5. Add the meatballs to the pot slowly, being careful not to have the sauce spray up and burn you.

6. Set the heat as low as possible.

7. Cover the pot and cook for about 40 minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta.

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Mousse

I love peanut butter and I love mousse, so when I found this recipe in the new Chic cookbook I was soo excited to try it.  I've made it twice and each time people can't get enough of it.  The second time I made it, I made a double batch and put them into chocolate mold cups with cut-up strawberries on top and a chocolate syrup (I used nestle - it's pareve) drizzle underneath and once those were finished, my guests asked if there was more mousse - I ended up bringing out the 2nd batch and people ate it plain.  It's SOO good and soo easy.  For the pareve cream cheese you can use Tofutti brand or Trader Joe's makes a pareve cream cheese which is very good and cheaper.

Peanut Butter Mousse

1 cup peanut butter

4 oz (1/2 cup) non-dairy whip topping

1/2 cup coconut (or soy or almond) milk

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 container (8 oz) non-dairy cream cheese

1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract (not necessary if you don't have it, I didn't use it the 2nd time I made this recipe)

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the peanut butter, whip topping, coconut (or soy or almond) milk, confectioners' sugar, pareve cream cheese, and vanilla.

2.  Whip the mixture for about 5 minutes until it begins to stiffen.

3.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!