Product Review: Betty Crocker Supreme Bars Mississippi Mud

A few months ago, I bought this box of brownie mix at the store. I was excited that they were not just brownies but brownies with a cookie crust and marshmallows! I thought they sounded interesting. Once I took them home though I discovered that the ingredients called for a stick of butter and I decided that because of that this would be something I would make and share.

And then we never had anyone over.

But finally, this weekend, we had someone over! The ingredients are butter, water, eggs and the mix. You dirty two-3 bowls plus one 8x8 pan, but I think I can reduce that for you. The end result is pretty delicious, I thought maybe it was a little bit sweet and was great with a nice glass of milk but would be equally as good with unsweetened whipped cream. Everyone else agreed that the marshmallows were a nice change of texture. Maybe I should just make brownies with marshmallows and skip the oreo crust?

Directions to dirty less dishes

1. Melt 1/4 stick of butter in one mixing bowl. Melt the other 1/4 stick of butter in the 8x8 glass pan.

2. Mix the oreo mix and the butter right in the 8x8 pan and then press down and into the corners

3. Mix the brownie mix in the other mixing bowl with the other ingredients called for

Yay! only 2 bowls!

Centerpiece

This was a fun centerpiece while it lasted--It really added a nice simplicity to our Christmas table, but I'm tempted to do it all year round. You can't beat $5 for a 10lb bag of oranges and some greenery from around the neighborhood. I'd love to buy some of those decorative centerpiece balls but I can't bring myself to spend the cash when they aren't even as beautiful as the real thing!

Double-Churned Ice Cream

I have learned a lesson--if you haven't used a small appliance in a while, you should double check that you have all the parts before you start.

We haven't made ice cream in a couple of months and when I pulled out the ice cream maker to churn I didn't realize I was missing the lid. Everything looked fine so I poured and started the clock for 20 minutes. I returned to the kitchen when the timer dinged ready to add the mix-ins and was extremely disappointed to see frozen edges and liquidy middle. What happened I wondered? I knew the custard was good--but what happened with the machine? Did we need a new one?

I scraped out the semi-liquidy ice cream and put it back in the fridge to melt back to original state. I had to defrost the ice cream freezer completely to clean off the frozen edges. A few days later, I checked my custard and it was still good and totally a custard again (not half frozen). So I re-churned. But before I did I found the clear plastic lid that holds the whole contraption together.

The result? Thick churned ice cream ready to eat immediately after the second churn. If you're adding mix-ins add early. The downside is that this ice cream is in the freezer and now as hard as a rock. Churn twice, eat immediately.

*Update* After heating the ice cream in the microwave for a few seconds it was once again soft like regular ice cream but the double-churned texture was by far the best.

Homemade Applesauce

We headed over to my sister-in-law's house for New Years Eve and were privileged to taste hot, fresh homemade applesauce. There is something about that flavor that makes me crave gingerbread and think of childhood and this was no exception. Upon arriving home that next morning (A whole year later!), my husband insisted that I get the recipe and make it ourselves.

And so, this weekend we did make the sauce ourselves. As it is with this kind of thing, it never tastes exactly the same as the first time you have it. My husband tells me our sauce is sweeter and it should be tarter--but it is not bad, still delicious, just different. The thing is the recipe calls for 6lbs of apples, so reducing the recipe to 2lbs of apples is tricky--but a more manageable amount of sauce for 2. I'll tell you how we adapted the recipe this time...but likely next time we'll try a slightly different combination of ingredients--or just use 3lbs of apples!

Ingredients

2lbs apples (any variety, we used fuji and pink lady)

1/4 C apple cider (we used Simply Apple Juice from the refrigerator aisle)

1/4 C brown sugar, not packed trying to get something like 1/6 C

1/3 of a Lemon

1 cinnamon stick

Directions

1. Peel apples and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

2. Add apples and all other ingredients to a pot making sure to submerge the cinnamon stick in the flood of apples

3. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally. Puree with immersion blender or mash with potato masher to desired consistency. Serve warm or refrigerate.

New Product: La Tortilla Factory Corn Tortillas

A few weeks ago I noticed these new La Tortilla factory tortillas in the grocery store set apart from the other tortillas near the cheese aisle. I picked up a package and couldn't believe how soft they felt. I put it down and went on with my shopping.

But I did not forget them. This week, I had occasion to make a Mexican meal. I went back to the aisle and picked up these corn tortillas. I was not disappointed.

These tortillas are made in Santa Rosa, CA. They are local and maybe for that reason fresher than other store-bought tortillas. They come in packages of eight which is a good size for our family of two. The tortillas are soft and malleable right out of the bag. When heated in a skillet they preserve their soft texture. These tortillas taste more like the kind you would make at home. They are thicker and fresh and delicious. I used these for enchiladas and they added both flavor and texture to the dish. I will buy these again without question. If they are available in your local market, go for it.

4-Ingredient Pasta Sauce

The other day I was talking with my sister in law about what to make for dinner. We had a bit of a vegetarian streak last week and I was getting tired of coming up with meals that were both vegetarian and something my husband would like. Let me tell you, it was tough. Sure I could've served pasta and marinara sauce all week long but I was trying to be healthier about it and make meals that were filling not just dinner.

I did not succeed. We survived on a week of cheese and bread with smatterings of broccoli and asparagus. This was hands down the hardest week of cooking I have ever had to do.

So anyway, we were talking about quick dinners that were delicious, and also vegetarian. Vegetarian in a way my husband would eat. And she brought up this 3-ingredient pasta sauce that is simple, cheap, hands off, and delicious. Once I learned the recipe, I had to make it. And I had to change it. I just couldn't believe that only 3 ingredients would make it delicious, it sounded plain. But I only changed it a little and I'm told that the 3-ingredient is good too...so be my guest, try it BOTH ways. It will not break the bank.

This recipe makes about 4 servings of sauce, maybe a little more

Ingredients

1 28 oz can tomatoes (I used pureed but my SIL uses whole and you could use diced if you want a chunkier sauce)

1 onion, quartered

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) *We think that maybe you could make this with half the butter, maybe.

Handful basil, chopped (optional!)

Pasta, for serving

Directions

1. Pour tomatoes into a pot. Add butter (whole is fine), basil and onion quarters.

2. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover (leave the top a bit open) and simmer for 40 minutes. If the heat is too high this sauce will pop and splatter, be prepared! I had to transfer to a new burner to get the heat down. It is one of those times when you actually have to wash the lid of the pan!

3. If you used whole tomatoes or chopped tomatoes and you want a smoother sauce, puree with an immersion blender. If you used pureed tomatoes already, skip this step! Serve with pasta.

Baked Tortellini

Tortellini is a satisfying comfort food. This dish adapted from Giada's Everyday Pasta cookbook comes together in a flash and looks impressive. We think it would be better with meat-filled tortellini but liked the appearance of the tri-colored pasta we used.

Ingredients

1 lb cheese tortellini (or filling of your choice)

1/4 C chopped parsley

1/4 C chopped fresh basil

1/3 C mascarpone cheese

2 C marinara sauce (jarred is fine)

1/2 t salt or to taste

2+ oz thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

3 T shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 475. Lightly oil an 8x8 pan or small casserole dish with olive oil

2. Cook tortellini in boiling water for 2 minutes until slightly tender, drain and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix salt, basil, parsley, mascarpone and marinara sauce. Add tortellini and mix until pasta is coated.

4. Pour pasta mix into prepared pan and top with sliced mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.