Brownie Cookies

These little babies have taken over the Isabel household today. I have made three...you read that right...three batches of these. In one day. Three. I have no self control.

Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

• 1 snack sized box Duncan Hines fudge brownie mix
• 1 snack sized bag Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix



Directions

1. Prepare each mix separately as directed per package instructions.

2. Pour brownie mix into greased 8x8 pan.

3. Drop generous rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto brownie mix (do not mix)

4. Bake according to package instructions or to desired consistency

You read that correctly. This is a total cheater recipe. I don't know the time because I was too busy drooling into the oven and preparing a plate/fork for my delicious treat baking in front of me. I honestly checked them about half way through and almost pulled them out and ate the hot fudgy under baked cookie dough/brownie mix. I was very close. Once they did come out of the oven, all self control was lost. Oh well. They were totally worth it!

On another note, I have lots of great veggies on the way from my garden. Hopefully the nutrition from these veggies with counteract the damage that this super simple recipe will be doing in our home. I took some pictures of the garden, but am having trouble getting some of them to upload. I started these little snap peas from seeds and they have taken off. Good thing because snap peas are my absolute favorite and they are expensive little suckers!

Snap peas hanging out on the front porch

These hydrangeas were absolutely beautiful last year but the plant looked terrible after they finished blooming. I needed to prune it, but I am no good with flowers/plants and never did. I was convinced it was a goner this year. What a wonderful surprise it was to walk out today and see this! 

I also found a not so great surprise while in the backyard today. Apparently I have an unwanted garden hand (or paw). I noticed while I was in the garden I had some curious onlookers that wanted to know what was going on that they couldn't help with. Apparently when I came back inside, they investigated further...



I wonder who it was...

Luckily for them, they made up for broken flower baskets with a sweet mother's day card delivery this past Sunday. I was cooking breakfast and in walks the "herd."

Special delivery!

I love how this picture (besides the mess in the background) depicts their personalities. Tebow looks totally guilty of something. Which was probably accurate. Brantley is just being sweet and doing what he was told..."take mom the card, take mom the card." Nim apparently heard the word "sit." She is like a machine. If she hears sit her butt hits the ground so fast and stays there! Attention!

My card had a puppy on the front that said "Ruff" next to it. On the inside it read "That's what life would be like without a mom like you!" What a sweet bunch of puppies!



Hope everyone has a great week!

My Husband's Dream Wife

If only I could transform into an Asian, I would be my husband's dream wife. He loves all food Asian! I seriously think that he would let me be a stay at home personal chef...if I were even a tiny bit Asian! One thing I do have to say is, Asian food is unique and delicious. And...a little bit difficult to replicate!

Over the past few weeks I have been experimenting in the kitchen with some Chinese recipes. After running to our favorite Chinese restaurant (before 3pm of course-to get lunch prices) several times I decided to give it a try. Not so fast my Puerto Rican friend. Not only is it difficult to find a good recipe, but also very labor intensive to make. Here are a few of the recipes that worked best, and satisfied my Asian- loving hubbie.

Attempt #1- His favorite

General Tao Chicken

Picture and recipe compliments of Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
•  
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 Tbs distilled white vinegar

• 1/2 cup white sugar (I decreased this because I wanted it to be more spicy than sweet)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 tbs ketchup
• Optional- steamed broccoli, chopped red chile, garlic ( I added all of these)

Directions

1. Coat the chicken pieces with 1/4 cup of cornstarch; set aside.
2. Beat the eggs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the flour and baking powder until no large lumps remain. Mix in the chicken until evenly coated.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Drop in the chicken pieces; cook until golden brown and no longer pink on the inside, about 12 minutes. Set the chicken aside; keep warm.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the sesame oil, ginger, and green onion. Cook and stir until the onion is limp and the ginger begins to brown, about 1 minute. Pour in the water, vinegar, and sugar; bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and add to the simmering vinegar along with the oyster sauce and ketchup. Stir until the sauce has thickened and is no longer cloudy. Stir in the chicken and simmer until hot.

Attempt # 2

Mongolian Beef



Picture & Recipe compliments of Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 pound beef flank steak, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 2 bunches green onions, cut in 2-inch lengths

Directions

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the garlic and ginger until they release their fragrance, about 30 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Raise the heat to medium-high, and stir 4 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce boils and slightly thickens. Remove sauce from the heat, and set aside.
2. Place the sliced beef into a bowl, and stir the cornstarch into the beef, coating it thoroughly. Allow the beef and cornstarch to sit until most of the juices from the meat have been absorbed by the cornstarch, about 10 minutes.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-sided skillet or wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Shake excess cornstarch from the beef slices, and drop them into the hot oil, a few at a time. Stir briefly, and fry until the edges become crisp and start to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the beef from the oil with a large slotted spoon, and allow to drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
5. Pour the oil out of the skillet or wok, and return the pan to medium heat. Return the beef slices to the pan, stir briefly, and pour in the reserved sauce. Stir once or twice to combine, and add the green onions. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until the onions have softened and turned bright green, about 2 minutes.

Attempt #3

Orange Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
•  
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
•  
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• chopped green onions for garnish

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir together warm water, brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, ketchup, white vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, five-spice powder, and orange peel until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well combined.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, and cook and stir the chicken until the outside is golden brown and the inside is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover the skillet. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the chicken and sauce are simmering, bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the rice aside and keep warm.
4. Whisk the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl until smooth, and stir into the chicken and sauce, a few teaspoons at a time. Let the chicken and sauce cook for about 2 minutes to thicken, then serve over hot cooked rice, sprinkled with green onion.

Robert loved them and appreciated my attempts to be Chinese. I certainly wasn't fooling anyone, but they were all pretty yummy if I do say so myself! He loved the General Tao, but voted the Mongolian beef "closest to Chinese take-out." I personally liked the Orange chicken the best. I suppose I just gravitate toward all things sweet!