Recipes Tested and Reviewed

BROWNIE PUDDING

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Ina Garten

Photo and recipe from www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

2 extra large eggs (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifted)

1/4 cup all purpose flour (sifted)

1 T Vanilla Extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish (I used a 1.5L square dish) but you can use oval or round. Melt the stick of butter and let cool. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes until smooth and pale yellow. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla and cocoa/flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add cooled melted stick of butter until just combined.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Result: DELICIOUS! My husband gave this a 6 out of a 10. Since I don't bake a lot, I thought it was still pretty good. The dessert had a brownie like exterior and a gooey interior. The original recipe called for the seeds of a vanilla bean but since I'm not a professional baker, I chose to use vanilla extract instead. Also, Ina cooks her dessert in a water bath but again I did not do that because I am a working mom and I just don't do that sort of thing. :) I'm sure it would have come out even more amazing with those changes but it's still worth giving a try. I will probably make this again when I get another major chocolate craving and next time will serve it with vanilla ice cream. I'm a huge hot/cold dessert fan.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

CHILI CORNBREAD CUPS

Adapted from $5 Dollar Dinners

Photo and recipe from www.5dollardinners.com

Ingredients:

1 can chili (or use homemade)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 pinch of cumin
salt n pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
1 box of jiffy cornbread mix
1 T honey



Directions: Mix can of chili with chopped red onion, cumin, salt n pepper, and handful of cheddar cheese and set aside. Make box of Jiffy cornbread mix as directed. Add a tablespoon or more of honey to cornbread batter. (I like my cornbread sweet). Fill each of the large muffin tins with 1/4 of chili mixture and top with cornbread batter. It makes 6-8 cornbread chili muffins.




RESULT: It was a HUGE hit with the family. Both the hubs and baby loved it. I am not a big chili fan and I even enjoyed it. It will be a pantry staple for me to make on a busy weeknight. The next time the hubby makes his homemade chili, I will be freezing the leftovers for this.