Smoke and Chocolate

Brownies were always a staple in my house growing up and my mom's recipe is by far the best.

They come out not too fudgy in the center with a crackly, flaky top and the best sturdy but chewy sides.  The kind of brownies that are milk's dream come true.

As with most of my mom's recipes, although she gives me the exact steps complete with footnotes, alterations, and annotations of every sort, they of course never come out exactly the way she makes them.

Thus, I am forced to make them my own.

I started by making reverting them back to the basic recipe, you know, the one that included the original ingredients like butter instead of apple butter.

Then I made several amazingly unhealthy additions, like substituting bacon fat for the butter.

Then I made them approximately seven times to weed out the "bad" variations and make one perfectly unhealthy batch of brownies.

After all the variations I tried, this recipe includes many, many recipe notes to help guide you on your own brownie adventures:

On flour: 

• Use white flour to help the flavors of smoke, chocolate, and sugar stand out.
• Use wheat flour to add some heartiness.
• Use a mix to get the best of both worlds.

On cocoa powder:

• A word for the wise - do not use store brand cocoa powder, it's not chocolaty enough.
• Ghirardelli's 100% unsweetened cocoa powder is one of my favorites for baking.
• Dutch processed cocoa powders are also a great choice.

On bacon: 

• Benton's bacon was, of course, the best for adding a smokey flavor but was, of course, the worse for the wallet.
• Canadian bacon was a huge mistake, it lacked flavor and was too chewy in the actual brownie.
• Turkey bacon is without a doubt out of the question (don't even go there).
• A hickory smoked pork bacon with an even fat to meat distribution is ideal.

On fat:

• 100% bacon fat added the most flavor but tasted a little too.... unhealthy.  It also resulted in a flakier brownie, which is not ideal.
• 100% butter makes a great fudgy brownie but doesn't achieve the same smokey flavor.
• If you are making the bacon and the brownies on the same day, make sure you melt the butter to match the liquid bacon fat - this was the best version.
• If you are making the bacon the day before, use room temperature butter too or re-melt both together.
• If you use room temperature fats, don't over-whisk them otherwise you will end up with an overly-cakey brownie.

The Unhealthiest Brownies

Ingredients

For the dry mix:

• 2/3 c wheat flour
• 1/3 c dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon, optional
• 1/2 c dry roasted macadamia nuts, crushed
• 3/4 c white chocolate chunks
• 5 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped

For the wet mix:

• 1/4 c shortening, margarine, or butter
• 1/4 c bacon fat
• 3/4 c dark brown sugar
• 2 medium eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 T water

For the garnish:

• 1 piece of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1/2 c white chocolate chips
• 1 T chopped macadamia nuts

Combine

1. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until uniformly combined.
3. Whisk in the the nuts, chocolate chunks, and bacon and set aside.
4. In another bowl whisk the fats and sugar.
5. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, whisking well in between.
6. Add the vanilla and water and whisk again.
7. Fold the wet and dry mixes together until well combined and pour into the baking pan.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry but with some small crumbs on it.
9. Remove from the oven, then use the parchment paper to carefully pull the brownies out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.  Let sit for 15 minutes until cooled.
10. Once cooled, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler and drizzle over the top of the brownies.  Sprinkle with bacon pieces and macadamia chunks.
11. Enjoy!

Monkey Pops

Last week's heat was draining and this week's heat is almost an even match.

When it's this hot out there is only one way to save yourself - by eating popsicles.

For a snack, for dinner, seriously whenever.

This particular recipe was made with Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream on the mind.  If you're a fan of their super-under-rated flavor then you will be super in love with this recipe too.  I highly recommend doubling it so you can fill two popsicle trays at the same time!

Monkey Pops

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
• 1/3 c walnuts or peanuts, crushed
• 2 T coconut, shredded, unsweetened
• 1/2 c milk, regular, almond, or coconut
• 1 t cocoa powder

Combine

1. Pulse bananas in food processor 2-3 times then crush at high speed for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add nuts and coconut and blend for 1 minute.
3. Add almond milk and blend again until well combined.
4. Remove the blade from the processor and scrape clean.
5. Using a spoon, swirl the cocoa powder into the mixture then fill a popsicle tray with the mix.
6. Freeze and enjoy!

Getting Through the Week

I know, who in their right mind turns their oven on in 90 degree weather to bake muffins?

Trust me, when I say these simultaneously light, fluffy, hearty, healthy muffins are worth it.  Especially if you have a case of the summertime struggles causing you to hit the snooze button one too many times and to drag through the afternoon - these muffins are exactly what you need to get through the week   Plus, they only take about 30 minutes to make from start to finish.

So go ahead and hit the snooze button again knowing you'll still have time to grab one of these for breakfast on the go..... just don't forget to save one for an afternoon snack!

Blueberry and Bran Muffins

(adapted from the How to Cook Everything cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1 c all purpose or whole wheat flour
• 1 c bran
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/2 t cardamom
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t coriander
• 3 t baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 T oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 c milk (almond or soy will also work)
• 1 c blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 c chopped almonds

Combine

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin or use muffin liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, bran, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
3. In a separate mixing bowl whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and add the blueberries and almonds.  Use a spatula to fold the mixture together until just combined.
5. Measure 1/4 cup of the mixture into each well of a muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. Let cool before enjoying!

Minted Persimmon and Almond Salad

Nothing like waking up on the Monday after a long weekend filled with burgers and s'mores to make you need a recovery salad.

This one in particular is one of my summer favorites.  Peppery arugula is complemented by salty feta and tangy balsamic.  Edamame serves as a light, nutty protein that won't put you to sleep.  Almonds lend a sweet crunch, while mint cools it all down.  If you've never had a persimmon, feel for one that is less firm than an apple but still firmer than a soft peach: peel it, slice it, then let it's cinnamon-esque sweetness top all your summer salads.

Minted Persimmon and Almond Salad

Ingredients (3-4 servings)

• 1 cup cooked edamame
• 1 persimmon, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3-4 T raw almonds, chopped
• 3-4 T feta, crumbled
• 2 T mint, chiffonade
• 3 big handfuls of arugula
• Dressing: 2 T balsamic vinegar + 2 T olive oil + Salt + Pepper

Combine

1. Whisk the balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper together until well combined then toss with the arugula until well-coated.
2. Sprinkle with edamame, almonds, and feta.
3. Garnish with persimmon and fresh mint.
4. Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Banana Bread

Nothing makes a Saturday morning more complete than the smell of freshly baked goods filling your house, especially when the recipe is as easy to throw together as this one.

Some included perks of this recipe:

1. It's delicious.

2. It's literally foolproof.  (Even though it's Saturday and you are dying from a hangover)

3. It's super easy to manipulate, see below for suggestions!

4. It stays fresh on a counter for 5-7 days, so if you refrain from engulfing the entire loaf while binge-ing on Netflix in your pjs you'll be set with breakfasts for the week.

5. It's freezable: after letting the loaf cool, slice it up, place it in an airtight container, and freeze.  Microwave or toast slices when you are ready to enjoy them!  Quick tip: when I freeze baked goods I usually place parchment paper in between each piece so they don't freeze together.

6.  You don't have to wait until the weekend to make it so get baking!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

Dry

• 1 c chopped pecans or walnuts or chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 c flour (I used 1 c wheat and 3/4 white but any all-purpose flour will work)
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t cardamom

Wet

• 3 ripe medium bananas
• 2 lg eggs, beaten
• 1/2 c sugar, I use dark brown but white also works.
• 1/2 c melted or browned butter or whole fat greek yogurt
• 1 t vanilla

Combine

1. Preheat the oven t 350 degrees and line a 9x5x3 pan with parchment paper.  Note: due to the shape of the pan you will have to crease the corners to make the paper stay put.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, peel and mash the ripe bananas, beat in the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, butter, and vanilla.
4. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until fully combined and pour into pan.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Enjoy!