Chocolate Mint Brownies

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

Brownies ( I did the box brownies)
1/2 cup butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mint Frosting
1/4 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons milk (add more milk if it's to stiff)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring

Chocolate Topping
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

1. Heat the oven to 350° and grease a 9-inch square baking pan. For the brownies, place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for 1 minute more. Stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs. Stir in the chocolate and the vanilla extract. Finally, stir in the flour and salt until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pan, then bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for at least 1 hour.

2. To make the mint frosting, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until it is smooth and spreadable. Beat in the peppermint extract and tint to the desired shade with green food coloring. Frost the cooled brownies, cover, and chill for 1 hour.

3. To make the chocolate topping, pour the chips into a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate melts. Stir until smooth. Pour the chocolate over the brownies and smooth it with a knife. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until the coating hardens.

4. Bring the brownies to room temperature, then cut into 16 to 32 pieces. Layer them on a piece of cellophane (place waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking), wrap up the brownie package, and tie with a red ribbon. Makes 16 to 32 brownies.

Tilapia Parmesan

For you fish-lovers:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

I use light mayo and about half the butter to make it a little lighter, and it still tastes YUM! (Just don't use margarine, it makes it nasty)

Preheat your broiler. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine parmesan cheese, butter, mayo and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix and set aside. Arrange fish fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Black Bean Salsa

This is a great summer food. I get requested to bring it to almost every family function. It makes a lot so it is great for big groups.

2 cans of black beans
2 cans of black eyed peas
2 cans of corn
(drain them all)
6 roma tomatoes diced
1 bunch of green onion chopped (use as much as you want to)
1 bunch of cilantro chopped (use as much as you want to)
the juice of 3 limes
Good Seasons Italian dressing mix, make as directed on package. It calls for oil and vinegar.
Mix it all together and serve with tortilla chips. I use the Kirkland brand from Costco. The ratio works out almost perfect. It is best if you make it the day before and let all the flavors blend for a day.

PF Changs Mongolian Beef

I got sick of looking for it on my blog, so I'll post it here.

1/2 oil (enough to mostly cover meet in wok or frying pan)
1 pound flank steak (cut into pieces 1/4" thick)
1/4 c corn starch
2 large green onions

Sauce
2 t oil
1/2 t ginger
1 T chopped garlic (garlic pwd works too, but only do 1/2 t)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4 c brown sugar

Lightly coat meat with cornstarch. Let sit about 10 mins

Make sauce while meat is soaking up cornstarch. In a sauce pan, heat oil and add ginger and garlic (you don't want to burn the garlic, but toast it). Then add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil for 2-3 mins. Then remove from heat. (you're trying to make the sauce thick. when i did it, it didn't thicken but it still tasted yummy!)

Then heat up oil in wok, sautéed meet until edges are brown, put meat on paper towel. Drain oil and wipe out wok.

Place wok back on stove, add meat, sauce, and green onions. Simmer for 1 min.
Remove meat and onion from sauce.
All done.
(Severes 2)

Chicken Alabam

This recipe I got from the Lion House Cookbook my mom has, it's yummy!

1/3 c. flour
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt
dash of pepper
dash of thyme
8 chicken breasts(this time I only had chicken tenders)
5 T butter
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 t. chicken bullion or 2 chicken bullion cubes in 2 C water
1/2 c whipping cream (not heavy)
1/4 t. lemon juice
can of mushrooms (optional)
2 T Pimento (optional)..these are what pimentos are, tomatoey type things.


Turn oven to broil and move one rack to the very top
Dredge chicken with mixture: flour, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme in a large plastic baggie.
Brush chicken with 3 T melted butter and broil in oven for about 10 minutes. This is what they should look like after broiling.


Saute onion lightly in 2 T butter for 5 minutes.
Stir in excess flour from dredging chicken, if there's not much left over I add about 1 T. of flour.
Add chicken bullion and stir until thickened.
Add whip cream and cook until smooth and thick.
Add lemon juice, them pimento, mushrooms and blend well.
Pour sauce over chicken in a 2-3 qt casserole dish;
cover and bake 75 minutes at 325 degrees.

Serve over cooked rice (sorry I didn't take pics of the final product!) Makes 8 servings.

Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients:
2-8oz. of Cream Cheese
2 Eggs
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
8 oz. Sour Cream
Nilla Wafers
Cheery pie filling

Beat together Cream Cheese, eggs, 3/4 C. sugar and lemon juice. Place a Nilla Wafer on the bottom of cupcake tin (these need to be the actual "Nilla" brand, the cheap stuff isn't as good). Cook at 300* for 20 min.
While those are cooking, mix together sour cream and 1/2 C. sugar. Place a tsp of this mix on top of above mixture when they come out of the oven. Place back in the oven for 5 min.
When they are done, place some cherry filling on top and refrigerate. These are best when they refrigerate over night!

*makes about 24 cheesecakes*

Carne Asada

Sorry this has taken me so long to post. This meal is really easy to make. We buy the meat at a Mexican market in American Fork, its right behind the blockbuster off of Main Street. We bought 6 pounds of meat that fed about 15 people.

Ingredients:
Prepared Flank Steak (comes marinated with onions and cilantro)
Corn Tortillas (flour is fine too)
Cabbage
Salsa

Just cook the meat on a grill, with all the onions and stuff. Cut the cabbage up in small pieces. Rip or cut the meat into strips and place meat and cabbage and salsa in warmed tortillas. And enjoy!
I asked Eric to tell me how to make the Salsa, but he wouldn't. So if you want to know how to make it you will have to get it out of him...sorry!