Blond Brownies with Brown Sugar Frosting

This Blond Brownies with Brown Sugar Frosting recipe is from my Betty Crocker Cookies cookbook, and can also be found online.

This is the second time I've baked these blondies and they are without a doubt, a new favorite in our home.

Ingredients
Brownies
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (do not use margarine), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting
1/3 cup butter (do not use margarine)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, spread batter evenly.
2. Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
3. In 2-quart saucepan, melt 1/3 cup butter over low heat. Stir in 2/3 cup brown sugar; cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in milk; cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing well with spoon after each addition, until smooth and spreadable. If necessary, add more milk, a few drops at a time. Spread frosting over brownies. Immediately sprinkle with pecans. For brownies, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

Makes 36 brownies

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Brownie)

• Calories 150
• (Calories from Fat 50),

• Total Fat 6g
• (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g,
• Trans Fat 0g),
• Cholesterol 25mg;
• Sodium 80mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 23g
• (Dietary Fiber 0g,
• Sugars 19g),
• Protein 1g;

Mango Salsa

This recipe couldn't be easier. It was really just an experiment. An experiment that turned out deliciously!

Here are the ingredients I used--all of which I totally eyeballed, so measurements are approximate. This is definitely a forgiving, adaptable recipe, so play around with more or less of certain ingredients, depending on your taste.



































Ingredients
Two mangoes, finely chopped.
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped OR several slices of the "jarred" variety of jalapenos, chopped
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Juice of half a fresh lemon
Salt to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy. Beware, this stuff is addictive!

Great Gadget: Julienne Peeler

I am loving my Zyliss Julienne Peeler! A sucker for any type of kitchen gadget (especially gadgets that come in bright colors!), I had to try this when I saw it at my local Marshall's store.

It will give you a great Julienne cut on nearly any veggie. I've found it especially helpful for carrots. You can purchase it a number of places online, including The Gourmet Depot.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July! by prairieglitter

Homemade Calzones

There really isn't a recipe attached to this dish, I just made it up as I went. And it was delicious.

I started with a bag of dry pizza dough mix, which made two calzones. Next, I rolled out the dough (preparing it according to the package) into two large ovals. Toward the end of the oval, but not too close to the edge, as you'll want to allow room to close the calzone, begin adding fillings. I used pizza sauce, mozzarella, browned ground turkey, Italian seasoning and garlic, onions and red peppers which I had lightly sauteed first. Fold one end of the dough over the other (the end with the filling) and close by crimping the edges with a fork. Finally, I sprayed the outside with olive oil and baked at 400 degrees until lightly golden. I also misted my calzones with more olive oil about half-way through the cooking process.

These calzones were delicious, simple and can be made with any combination of ingredients. Get creative!

Grands! Monkey Bread

Photo above courtesy of Grands!

This is not a low-cal recipe. Or fancy. But it is delicious. The recipe is courtesy of Grands! and can be found here. This is a great dish for breakfast when you have house guests. It's quick, easy and doesn't leave you doing a ton of work in the kitchen while your guests chit-chat. I've made it several times and it never fails. Enjoy.
















Grands! Monkey Bread
Prep Time: 25 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 5 Min

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
1/2 cup raisins, if desired (we have a raisin-hater in our house, so we leave these out!)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large -storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon. 2 Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces. 3 In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces. 4 Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving (1 Serving)

* Calories 450
o (Calories from Fat 200),

* Total Fat 22g
o (Saturated Fat 11g,
o Trans Fat 4 1/2g),
* Cholesterol 30mg;
* Sodium 890mg;
* Total Carbohydrate 58g
o (Dietary Fiber 0g,
o Sugars 31g),
* Protein 5g;


*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Fruits and Vegetables: What's in Season?

If you're like me and can't get enough fresh fruits and vegetables, you may want to check out Fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org's list of what's in season during the months of June, July and August. I've brought the list to my blog just for you:

Summer

• Apricots
• Asian Pear
• Beets
• Black Currants
• Bell Peppers
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Breadfruit
• Butter Lettuce
• Cantaloupe
• Casaba Melon
• Champagne Grapes
• Chayote Squash
• Cherries
• Cherries, Sour
• Corn
• Crenshaw Melon
• Crookneck Squash
• Cucumbers
• Durian
• Eggplant
• Elderberries
• Endive
• Figs
• Garlic
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Green Beans
• Green Soybeans (Edamame)
• Honeydew Melons
• Jackfruit
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Key Limes
• Lima Beans
• Limes
• Loganberries
• Longan
• Lychee
• Manoa Lettuce
• Mulberries
• Nectarines
• Olallieberries
• Okra
• Passion Fruit
• Peaches
• Peas
• Persian Melon
• Plums
• Radishes
• Raspberries
• Sapodillas
• Sapote
• Shallots
• Strawberries
• Sugar Apple
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Summer Squash
• Tomatillo
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon
• Winged Beans
• Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Zucchini

I'll take some of each, thank you.