Salted Caramel Brownies

These are ridiculously delicious. I may have to try just one more in order to decide if they're my favorite brownies ever...

Salted Caramel Brownies
Courtesy of Cooking Light



Brownies:
3 19/50 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare brownies, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking powder) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add butter mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. Scrape batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare topping, melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cooled brownies. Let stand 20 minutes or until set.

Combine 2 tablespoons milk and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. Stir just until smooth; drizzle over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt; let stand until set. Cut into squares.

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole

This was okay. Nothing super crazy awesome, but a good option if you're going to a potluck and want to make sure you have an option that will appeal to a broad audience.

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole
Courtesy of the kitchn



12 ounces farfalle pasta (also known as bowtie)
1 pound broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
3 large ripe tomatoes, divided
3/4 pound onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup chopped basil leaves, divided
1/2 pound fresh full-fat mozzarella, divided
3 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese (4% milkfat or greater)
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt generously. Add the farfalle and cook for 11 minutes or until barely al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave or in a steamer basket on the stovetop, just until tender. Drain thoroughly and chop roughly into bite-sized florets. Toss with the cooked pasta. Chop two of the tomatoes into rough pieces, and add them to the pasta. Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, along with the drained chickpeas, and 1/2 cup of the chopped basil. Tear about 2/3 of the fresh mozzarella into thumbnail-sized chunks and fold this into the pasta mixture.

Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese and lemon juice. Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir this liquid into the pasta mixture until well combined. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Spread the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Slice the remaining tomato into half-moons and arrange on top of the pasta. Tear the rest of the mozarella into bits and scatter between the rows of tomato slices. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top, and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top has melted and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over top. Let stand for a few more minutes before serving.

Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala

I'm not sure exactly what's in "non-skinny" chicken tikka masala, but this seemed like a decent version of this dish. Any time I can find homemade versions of Indian (and other varied ethnic) dishes that I can introduce to my 6-year-old and that he ends up liking, the more excited I get about being able to go out to Indian (and other varied ethnic) restaurants as a family. Then again, if I keep finding such good recipes for these dishes, we'll probably just end up eating more often at Mom's Diner. A little more work for me, but a lot cheaper and healthier, no?

Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala
Courtesy of Gina's Skinny Recipes



2 tsp canola oil or you could use butter
1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
4 ounces (1/2 cup) fat free yogurt
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
Salt to taste
16 ounces (2 boneless) chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
4 tablespoon fresh cilantro (or to taste)

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the crushed ginger, stir for a few minutes then add the garlic and cook another minute. Add cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, and salt; mix well until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, yogurt and milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until cooked through. Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

These are okay. Not too sweet, not too tart. But also not my favorite snack.

The only thing I did differently was use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light



Crust:
4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°F.

To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Bread

Alton Brown does it again. This is supposed to have pumpkin seeds in it, but I couldn't find any this early in the season. It also calls for fresh pumpkin, so once I process pumpkins this year, I will have both the elements I was missing from this try. But even without the seeds and with canned pumpkin (a 14.5-ounce can), it was delicious.

Pumpkin Bread
Courtesy of Alton Brown



2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325°F, but bake for 30 minutes.

Black Bean Hummus

Another successful lunchbox option for my big 1st grade boy. I can't believe he'll be in full-day school as of tomorrow. When I think about how his little sister will be in the same preschool class this year that he was in 3 years ago (?!), I can't believe how quickly time is going. These last few years have gone by in the blink.

*sniff* Now that I've gotten that out of my system... This is a really delicious version of hummus. One that I think I prefer to the more traditional kind that's made with chickpeas and tahini. I love black beans, so I shouldn't be surprised.

I did tweak the garlic in this recipe a bit. I've noticed that the raw garlic in other hummus gives me heartburn/reflux, so I used some garlic powder instead. Here's hoping it works... I also doubled the recipe in order to use a full can of black beans. Deliciousness.

Black Bean Hummus
A variation on this recipe from Melissa d'Arabian



1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until almost smooth. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie

This was so good, it prompted Jonathan to break out in song. Specifically, the part of Sleigh Ride that talks about the coffee and pumpkin pie. I'm sure it will show up at at least one of our holiday meals this year. It's such an awesome twist on the usual pumpkin pie. The only thing I did differently was use my go-to pie crust rather than a store-bought one.

Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie
Courtesy of Cooking Light



Filling:
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Crust:
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury) (or one homemade pie crust)
Cooking spray

Streusel:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup regular oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To prepare filling, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

To prepare crust, roll dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute.

To prepare streusel, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon ginger) in a bowl. Cut in butter with a fork or fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle with water, tossing with a fork just until lightly moistened.

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust; sprinkle with streusel. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on a wire rack.