Let's talk about brownies we can actually make!!!

After reading this post on Evil Shenanigans the other day and some of the comments made I decided to adapt this recipe so that we could talk about brownies most of us American homemakers could even make. I used the following chart scanned from a refrigerator magnet I have to make the conversions as a starting point and then weighed and adjusted using my digital kitchen scale.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Yield 32 brownies

2 TBS unsalted butter
1/3 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 C chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 ¼ C light brown sugar (firmly packed!)
½ C golden syrup or corn syrup
¼ C unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 C cake flour
2 TBS Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions quoted from Evil

Heat the oven to 350 F and prepare a 1/4 sheet pan with non-stick spray and a sheet of parchment that is also sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl combine the first addition of butter, peanut butter and chopped chocolate. Over a double boiler, or in the microwave on 30 second bursts, melt the mixture until smooth. Mix well then set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl combine the peanut butter mixture, sugar, golden syrup, and the second addition of butter until creamy and well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until most of the flour is moist. Add the chocolate chips and fold to combine and mix in the remaining flour.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until puffed and just set in the center. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cutting board to cool completely.

“Wauchula” version of a Shepherd’s Pie

You know when I was in college we would have what they called “Wauchula” parties where everyone would bring whatever liquor they could beg, borrow, and steal. We would dump it all into a huge pot and drink it. This resulted in some of the worst sickie hangovers I ever had in my life and eventually led to me giving up drinking altogether.

Well today, I made the “Wauchula” version of a Shepherd’s Pie. I brought everything I had left in my refrigerator out and a can of mixed veggies and this was the result.

This is what I had

½ pound ground beef
3 green onions, diced
6 huge closed cap mushrooms, sliced
¼ white wine
¼ stick of butter
4 all purpose potatoes
¾ C half n half
2 T flour
¼ Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Garlic rosemary seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray

Sauté ground beef until done, drain off grease and put in bottom of prepared baking dish

Sauté green onion and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add wine and reduce liquid by half. Add seasonings. I used garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Drain canned mixed veggies and dump on top of beef. Sprinkle with flour, Add mushroom mixture. Pour about ¼ C of the half n half over all.

Boil and mash potatoes using ½ cup of the half n half then spread over mushroom, veggie, beef mixture and dust with breadcrumbs.

Bake until bubble about 40 minutes.

Technique: Sauce Bechamel