Easy Homemade Brownies

These brownies are so easy to make and so easy to eat! I seriously can't stop making them (or eating them). They don't take a lot of time to make and there is nothing like a good dose of chocolate in the form of a brownie (especially after my little ones (growing and not so little anymore) are sleeping soundly in their beds).

Easy Homemade Brownies

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Spray the parchment with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together. Remove from heat when a few small pieces of chocolate remain and stir until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Whisk in sugar and then eggs, one at a time. Next add the vanilla and salt. Stir in flour and scrape batter into prepared baking pan and spread until even. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool and cut into squares.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

I love homemade pizza and this was the perfect summer is almost over pizza (I can feel fall in the air and it makes me happy).  There are so many fun and delicious ways to eat a pizza.  Here are some of our favorites (it was hard too choose).  Todd's-grilled vegetable or corn, bacon and leek. Mine-grilled vegetable or zucchini and ricotta.  Noah's-tomato basil or corn, bacon and leek.  Preston's-corn, bacon, and leek and Stella's-tomato basil.  How do you eat your pizza?

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Favorite Pizza Dough

Tomato sauce
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 small zucchini, sliced 1/8-in-thick
1 small yellow squash, sliced 1/8-in-thick
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
Olive oil
Fresh mozzerella, torn into pieces
Kosher salt
Red pepper flakes

Place pizza stone on bottom rack of the oven (if you have one). Preheat oven to 500 (or the ovens highest temperature).

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Lightly coat all the vegetables with olive oil and season with kosher salt. Arrange vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill until crisp-tender and grill marks appear. (If you don't want your onions falling through the grill rack like mine did, put the onion wedges on a skewer before grilling). Remove vegetables from grill. Coarsely chop bell pepper.

Shape pizza dough into desired shape and place on a flour and cornmeal dusted cookie sheet that has been flipped upside down. Very quickly slide the pizza from the cookie sheet to the pizza stone (if you don't have a pizza stone, place cookie sheet (with pizza on it) on the bottom rack of the oven). Bake pizza dough for 4 minutes. Remove partially baked crust from oven. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the crust followed zucchini, squash, peppers and onions. Top pizza with torn pieces of fresh mozzarella and a good sprinkle of kosher salt and red pepper flakes. Carefully return pizza to pizza stone. Bake until pizza crust is golden and the cheese is melted goodness. Remove from oven and serve with additional red pepper flakes and kosher salt.

Peaches and Cream

I have peaches coming out of my ears. My little family is enjoying them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for night time treats. Peaches and cream is simple and delicious and is a slight variation of what I had while growing up. During the summer while I was growing up, my family would spend time at Bear Lake. I remember after a long day of playing in the sun, after dinner was finished, eating Bear Lake raspberries that were swimming in cream, all from a small red plastic bowl. I remember pouring extra sugar on top of the raspberries so that I could scrape sugar from the bottom of the bowl with each bite. I remember spooning up every last drop of the pale pink sugary cream that remained after all the raspberries had been devoured. Just thinking about it makes me happy! This summer the bowls are white and filled with sweet Utah peaches. (And yes, I still spoon up every last drop of the now peach tinted cream and it is so delicious!)

Peaches and Cream (I don't know that I would call this an actual recipe)

Sweet peaches, skin removed (or leave the skins on, whatever you like) and cut into chunks
Cream or Half and Half
Sugar

Places cut up peaches in a bowl, pour cream or half and half over peaches and sprinkle with a little sugar. Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

My cute neighbor brought my little family a plate of zucchini brownies on Sunday and they were gone in a flash. She was kind enough to give me the recipe and today I made them, but turned them into muffins and tinkered (I think I used that word because Stella watched a Tinker Bell movie this afternoon) around with the recipe a bit. They were a hit and we all ate seconds and maybe thirds.

 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups peeled and grated (fine) zucchini

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Dark brown sugar
Unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine coconut oil, egg, vanilla, and sugar and mix well. Add grated zucchini to the oil sugar mixture and mix until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together both flours, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Add to zucchini mixture and stir until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Top each muffin with semi-sweet chocolate chips, a good sprinkle of dark brown sugar and a light dusting of unsweetened shredded coconut (no exact measurements, maybe a tablespoon each of chocolate chips and brown sugar). Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin (or take one out right away and eat it hot like I did).  Eat while warm.

*The original recipe added the chocolate chips to the batter (1 cup), but I forgot and so I put them on top of the muffin. Next time I will do both for extra chocolaty goodness!

*Update 7/26/15:  I added 2 cups of chocolate chips to the batter and didn't sprinkle any on top.  I love the melty chocolate throughout the muffin when you eat them warm.  Heaven!

Recipe adapted from Melody Hillam's Zucchini Brownie recipe

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

This is a simple and delicious meal, perfect for summer.  No one in my family even noticed the zucchini "noodles".

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

Pesto

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, washed and dried well

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

Noodles

3 medium zucchini, trimmed (about 1 1/2 pounds)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 pound dried spaghetti or other long noodles

Salt

Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

First, make the pesto.  Put the basil leaves in a large heavy-duty ziplock plastic bag.  Press all the air from the bag, and seal carefully.  Put the bag on the countertop or floor and, using a rolling pin, pound the bag until all the leaves are bruised.

Put the pounded basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Process to a smooth creamy consistency, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Set aside.

Put a large pot of salted water over high heat.  While the water heats, prepare zucchini.  Using a mandoline slicer fitted with julienne blade, carefully slice the zucchini into long skinny noodles, each the width of a strand of spaghetti.

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the zucchini "noodles" and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy, 5 to 8 minutes.

When the pot of water boils, drop in the spaghetti.  Cook until al dente.  Using a pair of long handled tongs scoop the pasta directly from the pot into the skillet of cooked zucchini.  Add 1/2 cup of the pesto and toss the mixture well to ensure that each noodle-zucchini and spaghetti alike-has a thin, even coat of sauce.  Serve immediately, with additional salt and lots of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Recipe (slightly shortened) from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

Grilled Peach Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella and Arugula

Please go make this amazingly delicious salad now!  I love, love, love this salad and it is so perfect for this time of year.

Grilled Peach Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella and Arugula

6 peaches, cut in half and pitted

Salt

3-4 large handfuls baby arugula, washed and dried

1 small red onion, slivered

5 ounces buffalo mozzarella or other fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons whole grain mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Heat grill or grill pan to medium hot.  Lightly salt the cut sides of the peaches and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Place cut side down on the grill.  When the peaches are charred and just beginning to soften, remove from grill and set aside. 

To make the dressing, place vinegar, honey and mustard in a small bowl.  While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil until emulsified.  Whisk in cream.  Toss arugula and onion with vinaigrette and place on serving platter.  Set peaches and mozzarella amongst greens and drizzle with a little more dressing.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve.

Recipe adapted just a tiny bit from Farmhousetable.wordpress.com

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

These pancakes are a delicious way to use up the extra one or two or ten zucchinis that are growing in your garden (or my mom's garden in my case).  The cream cheese topping is perfectly creamy and tangy and the perfect topper for these zucchini pancakes.

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 9 ounces whole, or 1 1/2 medium zucchini)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground of freshly grated nutmeg

Butter or oil, for coating skillet

In a large bowl, combine eggs, olive oil, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in zucchini shreds.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir dry ingredient into zucchini batter, mixing until just combined.

Heat a large, heavy skillet (I use an electric skillet) over medium heat.  Once hot, melt a pat of butter in pan and swirl it around until it sizzles.  Scoop scant 1/3 cup batter in pan so the puddles of batter do not touch.  Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Flip pancakes and cook another minute or two, until golden underneath.  Serve warm with cream cheese topping.

Cream Cheese Topping

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Dash of ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and lump-free.  Whisk in powdered sugar, two tablespoons milk, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until smooth.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen (with a few minor changes)