Pretzel Crusted Fudge Topped Brownies: GYCO

I’ve had this recipe brewing in my mind for quite some time, but never had quite the right time to make them.

Then two things happened at once.

First, Julie from White Lights on Wednesday & Jen from Four Marrs One Venus announced that this month’s Get Your Chef On (GYCO) challenge was chocolate (cheers and applause!)  I seriously love all things chocolate and was so glad for an excuse to finally create the recipe that’s been on my mind for months!

And second, we were having some company and I always like to have treats on hand when we have company.

And also, it’s been way to long since I played up the salty-sweet combination.  And this recipe takes it to the n^th degree!  It is awesome!  There is a salty-sweet, slightly caramelized pretzel layer, followed by brownies, and topped with fudge.

I’d say that you only need one, but let’s get real.  Once you start in on these things, you are not stopping until the pan is empty!

Rosemary Iced Coffee: SRS

It’s Surprise Recipe Swap day today and I was assigned Aimee’s blog, See Aimee Cook!

Aimee is a Texan who loves to cook for her husband and three dogs!  Cooking is Aimee’s passion turned stress reliever.

Aimee has a lot of wonderful recipes on her blog, but I was instantly drawn to her Rosemary Iced Coffee!

I’m learning to love coffee, though I’m more of a Starbucks or “cheat and use instant coffee” than a “brew my own” type of gal.  So I was totally intrigued by the idea of cold brewing coffee.

The cold brew worked amazingly well, but here’s the thing.  Below I have written half of the batch of coffee.  Do you see quarts down there?  Yeah, that’s a gallon (the original calls for a pound of coffee & 2 gallons of water!!)  That is a lot of coffee! 

So here are a few things to think about before cold brewing coffee.  First, be sure you have a large enough pot to brew it in (I don’t, thus the reason I made a half batch).  Second, be sure you have a plan and containers in which to store the coffee once it’s been brewed!

I stored about a quart in a pitcher in the refrigerator and froze the rest in quart sized bags, because I love iced coffee, but how much can a person possibly drink in one day? 

As far as the Rosemary Iced Coffee goes, I am totally in love!  I’m a rosemary fanatic, so I love the surprising earthy twist the rosemary brings to the table.  I’ve also experimented with half rosemary syrup and half vanilla syrup, which is also an amazing combination. 

Rosemary syrup would also be amazing in tea.  Oh and maybe a margarita…ooohhh…I’m going to try that out this weekend!

Thank you Aimee, for a wonderful recipe!

Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

I have quite a few magazine subscriptions, so I am trying to cook form them more often.

I just recently got a subscription to Rachel Ray Magazine, and these pork chops caught my eye!

This recipe was pretty quick and easy, though it seem like it would be complex.  The flavors were so amazing, we almost couldn’t stop eating.  But I’m glad we did, because the flavors developed even more overnight and the leftovers were even better!

Breakfast Burgers: SRC

Hey everyone!  It’s Secret Recipe Club day today!

This month, I was assigned Ashley’s blog, Cheese Curd in Paradise.  Ashley is Mama from Wisconsin who loves to cook.

Since spring has finally decided to grace us with its presence, I wanted to grill something!  Or rather, get everything prepared so my husband could grill – hehe.

I ultimately decided on breakfast burgers!  A big beef patty topped with eggs and bacon?  Yes and please!

You can use your favorite hamburger meat mixture for this (or even pre made patties, if that floats your boat), but I wanted to beef to mimic a breakfast sausage patty, so I added that recipe in as well!

My family loved these burgers!  I think they are going to be a summertime staple!

Thank you, Ashley for a fantastic recipe!

Crockpot French Dip

Ever feel like you’re a slave to trend?

Colored jeans?  Got ‘em in teal.

Blue mason jars?  Check.

Chevron & polka dots? Check & check

Crockpot French Dip? Check there, too.

In my defense, I made this before I saw the recipe explode all over Pinterest.  So does the internet need another recipe for Crockpot French Dip?  Probably not, but it’s on my bucket list, so the internet gets another recipe anyway!

Enjoy!

Hoagie Buns

On a whim, I decided to make some hoagie buns. 

The challenge with this particular whim is that hoagies should really be baked in a baguette pan (which I don’t have) in order for the hoagies to be long and thin and consistent instead of spreading and getting thick around the middle.

As a little cheat, I made my own baguette pan by lining a large baking pan with a Silpain (the Silpat’s totally awesome bread baking cousin).  Then I rolled up sheets of aluminum foil and stood them about 2 ½ inches (or so, I honestly didn’t measure) apart on the pan to mimic a baguette pan!

I think that I will probably buy a baguette pan at some point in the future, but this sure worked well in a pinch!

And the hoagies?  Absolutely delicious!  They were soft and light, exactly like hoagies should be!

Healthier Bacon Corn Chowder

May means spring and green and flowers. 

I’ve heard a lot of people say that this year, spring can’t decide quite what it wants to do.  One day it’s 80, and the next its 60.

Unless you live by me.

On Saturday it was 65 (I suntanned on my deck), and yesterday it was 35.  And it snowed. On May Day.

Source

Despite the weather here being cold, the grocery stores are starting to carry more fresh produce (flown in from more temperate areas). 

So when I saw corn on the cob, I bought a ton of it and made a healthier version of Bacon Corn Chowder (one of my all time favorite soups).

I usually make Bacon Corn Chowder in the fall, when corn is still available, but the weather is turning chilly.

But when we have a spring like this, Bacon Corn Chowder makes an early appearance.

As I make this soup over and over again, I find that I often make small variations.  This is my healthier, heartier version.