Kitchen Sink Chili

Does anyone out there not like chili? Okay, there are a few of you. And you have my special permission to skip over this post (Oh don't, your call...), but if you do enjoy the rich tomatoey flavor of chili, and the buttery bread which you may dip into it, take note!

This one is a keeper.

I have posted about chili before (see here), and that recipe is still a great standby for me. It takes less ingredients and only about an hour from start to finish. It's very forgiving.

But for tonight's dinner I pull another recipe from theBite Me files, (Cookbook by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat). Just wait until you see what lies behind it's rich flavor! I'll give you a hint...it rhymes with BOGO.

Can you guess??

The rich flavors are enhanced by many spices including cumin, chili powder (of course!), oregano, cayenne, Aaaaaaaaand....

Cocoa powder. If you can believe it. The cocoa gives the chili, not a chocolately taste, but a deepened rich flavor.

It's meaty (if you want--vegetarian works too!), vegetab-ly(?) and delicous, and I had a simple time preparing it. You can do it over the stove top if you prefer, or if you're like me and don't have time to spare, the slow cooker works perfectly fine! (Just remember to pre-cook your meat and onions.)

Serve with caesar salad, a ciabatta loaf, cheddar cheese, and red wine.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 large red bell peppers, chopped

2 c sliced white mushrooms

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 c canned chopped green chili peppers, drained

1 (28oz/796ml) can diced tomatoes with juice

2 c canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 c canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 c canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 c mild salsa

1 c vegetable broth

1/2 c cous cous (optional)

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

Shredded Montery Jack or cheddar cheese, for topping

Directions:

1. This recipe can be cooked either in a large soup pot over medium heat, or in a slow cooker on high.

2. For a meat version (optional), brown ground beef prior to placing into the slow cooker. Also brown the onions in a small amount of canola oil. Add to the slow cooker/pot and season with chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.

2. Next add the red peppers, mushrooms, carrots, minced garlic and chopped green chili peppers. (If using a pot, cook approx. 5 minutes before going on to the next step, stirring occasionally). Stir in diced tomatoes, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, salsa, vegetable broth, couscous, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper.

3. Bring to a boil over high heat/allow to simmer in slow cooker. On the stove reduce heat to low, and in the s-cooker, to medium. Simmer gently covered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn and serve in bowls, topped with shredded cheese.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Is there a better way to enjoy a kitchen full of strawberries, than to dunk most of them into melted chocolate? I think not.

They are elegant, sweet, photo friendly...see?

And they are so easy to make it's ridiculous. Literally just melted a good handful of chocolate chips and poured in a dab of cream to smooth it out. Then kept them in the fridge to harden up slightly.

If you have any extra berries lying around, try making these for desert! They will be quick to prepare and you can enjoy the excited faces of your family members as you pull them out of the fridge. We don't have desert too often around my place but whenever I can, I really like to make something small.

We really liked these...

I think I ate 5.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip JiP Cake!

Are you drooling yet? I still am!

So, today, I got an SOS text: We have rotten bananas- please help!

So, naturally, I grabbed my trusty recipe book, which FAILED ME. There were NO recipes for Banana Bread! What kind of recipe book doesn't have banana bread I ask you!?

Luckily, my friend JP (JiP) had a brilliant and easily modifiable recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars! And not only did they take no time to assemble, but they only took 7 minutes to cook.... IN THE MICROWAVE! That's right, we didn't even need an oven to make this delectable cake! So if you have 15 minutes, and some rotten bananas, I have the perfect thing for you...

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip JiP Cake
Makes 32

What You'll Need:
Banana Chocolate JiP Cake:
1/2 cup butter softened
3 over ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips



Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup Icing Sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp warm milk

1. In a large bowl, mash 3 over ripe bananas until smoothish (depending on weather or not you want chunks of bananas in your cake!)

2. Add softened butter to banana mixture and mix until well combined. Add brown sugar and mix until creamed.

3. Beat eggs into mixture and add milk and vanilla

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined. Add Chocolate chips.

5. Pour into two 8x8 glass pans. Microwave on high for 7 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan.

Meanwhile...


6. While your cookie bars are in the microwave, get started on your icing! Mix icing sugar and flour together. Cream peanut butter into icing sugar, and slowly add the warm milk. Mix until smooth. The icing should have a thick consistency that is easy to spread.

7. Once cool, ice the brownies and cut them into 16 pieces.

Enjoy with a cool glass of milk and a sweet Sufjan Stevens Christmas Song!

**TIP TIP TIP!!**

If you toss your chocolate chips in 1 tsp of flour before you mix them into the dough, they won't sink to the bottom while baking!

Caution: Eat fast- they tend to disappear quickly!

Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies

So, let me paint a picture for you. I was wearing a bright flower dress, wearing an apron, baking my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares, looking very Stepford Wife-ish... but I was dancing like a fool around my kitchen blaring the new Michael Buble CD, because I think the magical ingredient to some of the best cooking is dance... or love, or joy, or something like that. Anyways, the big secret ingredient to my Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies isn't dance, or love, or joy, but...

**drum roll please**

Starbucks Via Ready Brew!

Yeah, you know the stuff. Every time you've gone in a Starbucks in the past month, you've been harassed by belligerent baristas to buy it. You can't turn on the T.V. without seeing an avant garde, yet accessible commercial about it. And granted, when you tried it in the store it probably tasted like dirty hot dog water, but it is one of the most useful baking ingredients to make a plain old batch of brownies into Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies!

Pictured above: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies

Starbucks Via Ready Brew is %100 natural micro-ground coffee, so unlike other instant coffee's, you're not putting coffee flavored chemicals into your body. And while I'm a total coffee snob, and think that VIA will never taste like real coffee, (my mouth is watering at the thought of making a batch of Christmas Blend tomorrow morning for breakfast!) it tastes about a million times better than any other brand out there! The other thing I like about it is that it is so finely ground that it won't add any weird kind of texture to the batter.

Don't worry, if you don't like coffee, you cant omit it! I just like coffee with my... you know... oxygen, so it seemed like the perfect chance to mix it with my other passion: chocolate! I find that adding one pack of VIA doesn't really add TOO much of an offensive coffee flavor, but it does add a really nice depth to the chocolate in the brownies.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies

Makes 16

What you'll need:

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1 packet of Starbucks Via Ready Brew

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES- In a large bowl, mix together melted margarine or butter, and sugar until well combines. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla and coffee and stir until throughly blended and smooth.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking bowder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. (Remember, JUST until combined! You don't want tough brownies!)

3. Add chocolate chips.

4. Spray an 8" x 8" pan with nonstick spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, but center is slightly soft. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, and after about 10 minutes, you'll be able to treat yourself to warm, dark, chocolaty brownies!

These brownies pair well with a GIANT cup of coffee, guitars, and sweet action/adventure movies. Enjoy!

**TIP**TIP**Hey! I have two tips for you this time!** TIP** TIP**

1. If you sift your cocoa into the flour mixture, you have a better chance of hitting that nice soft, dense, chewy brownie texture we're aiming for!

2. If you toss your chocolate chips with a little bit of flour, just so their coated, and THEN mix it into the rest of your dough, they won't sink to the bottom of your brownies! This also works with loaf recipes if you want to add dried fruit or nuts to it!

Next from leah michelle: a fast, healthy breakfast idea that's guaranteed to keep you full until lunch: Mighty Morning Muesli!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares

Try saying THAT five times fast! I thought the best way to start my first real recipe post was with an alliteration, so I hope that grabbed your attention. If not, I'm sure the mouth watering succulence of these warm Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares will!

Heres the thing, I get in these moods, and I can't sit still. But I can't just go for a walk, or clean or something, I need to create. So I'll bake two or three batches of cookies, brownies, muffins, scones or squares, and then make my friends eat them! I also think I have a complex where I really don't like showing up anywhere without something. So today I was going to my friend's house and I had exactly one hour before I was supposed to be there. PERFECT! Just enough time to either watch one episode of Gilmore Girls or..... bake a batch of something chocolaty, delicious, and that will still be warm by the arrive!

So I found my favorite cookbook and found an awesome recipe! I changed it a LITTLE (aka doubled the vanilla- an old pasty chef trick) but I kept these ones classic. So get your spatulas ready and preheat your oven to 350 degrees!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

(Makes 12)

You will need:

2 tbsp. Margarine or butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla (if you have good vanilla, thro

w in another teaspoon just for good luck!)

1 large egg

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES- In a medium bowl, combine melted margarine, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and stir until smooth.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir until almost combined. Add chocolate chips, and stir until blended.

3. Spray an 8" x 8" pan with nonstick spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. (Don't over bake it though! Or you'll take one of the "C's" out of the CCCCB's! )Cool for a few minutes before cutting into the bars.

**Tip**Tip**Hey! I've got a tip for you!**Tip**Tip**

When you are making cookies, make sure you don't over mix your dough. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in as few stirs as possible. Once its combined, leave it! When you stir, you help the gluten form, which is good for bread, but why would you want to make tough cookies?

Up next? Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies made with a VERY special ingredient!

Homemade Cookie Dough Ice Cream

For those of you who know me you may know that I have a vice or two, one of them being ice cream. My favourite flavors are: mint chocolate chip, maple walnut, plan ol' vanilla bean, rich chocolate fudge (with peanut butter), raspberry bugaboo, AND cookie dough!

My room mate Jenny and my Don Mitch decided to have a belated birthday celebration in honor of mine and Mitch's 20th birthdays! But mainly we wanted a reason to make cookie dough ice cream. Not gonna lie.

Now Jenny and Mitch seem to think I am a 'grandma' because I suggested rolling the cookie dough into little balls and freezing it (creating mixable--not squishable--cookie pieces), and because I told Mitch to leave the ice cream out to melt slightly a bit before we mixed in the cookie pieces.

That's just common sense and good advice if you ask me!

Apparently it is complete hilarity to some, and causes side stitching laughter. Very well.
Oh and they might have also made fun of me for telling Jenny not to 'aggravate the gluten' in the cookie dough by mixing it too long.

Pft. So I'm full of random cooking tips; sue me! This is why I'm the one with the blog.

Anyway, the final product was reaaaaaly yummy and I took some pictures for you all to enjoy. (Causing further outbursts of howling laughter and red faces.)

At least my hilarity causes people to smile. And so I laugh along, because if I'm laughing too, they are laughing with me, not at me. Silly common folk.

Luv you guys!

Note to the disclaimer: This recipie does permit eating raw eggs- it's raw cookie dough. So, you've been warned! However I have been eating cookie dough my whole life, and I'm just dandy.

Ingredients:

1 tub vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

a few almonds

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened3/4 c. granulated [white] sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c. (12-ounce package) milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla

in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture.

3. When everything is combined, allow the dough to sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes so that the butter hardens slightly. (This will make the next step a bit easier)

4. Remove dough from the fridge and form small bite size morsels of dough, placing them (seperated) on a tray. Assemble enough for your servings of ice cream. Place tray in the freezer for 20 minutes.

5. Scoop softened (but not melted) ice cream into a bowl and mix in cookie dough. Top with almonds, (take a pretty picture of your creation), and enjoy!

Elephant Ear Ice Cream

I bet you have, (if never indulged), at least smelled this delicious treat at a fair or two. I know my nose has led me many a time, right over to the large bus on wheels which deep fries dough to perfection, and tops it with way too much sugar/cinnamon/chocolate/whip cream/fruit/or all of the above.

The 'Elephant Ear' is a classic.

But before you start searching for the closest carnival, I will let you in on a little secret. The delicious sweet flavor of the 'Elephant Ear' is closer than you think! In fact, you can re-create it your kitchen using only 4 ingredients, and no deep frier! My best friend Leah has re-created it in ice cream form.

Now I don't exaggerate, this stuff tastes like the real thing! (Especially the variety topped with cinnamon and sugar.) I'll admit the temperature and texture are slightly different, but it makes no difference in getting across a serious 'Elephant Ear' flavor! And you will never guess what's in it.

Good thing I'm going to tell you!

Your Welcome.

Ingredients:

For one serving.

2 large scoops of vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt

1 tsp. real cocoa

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. large crystal sugar, like turbanado (If you don't have a larger suga

r variety you can leave out this ingredient and it will still taste the same--it's used for texture)

You can top the finished ice cream with fruit or extra 'Elephant Ear' toppings if you wish:)

Directions:

1. Scoop ice cream into a bowl and allow to sit for a minute or two to soften.

2. Sprinkle with cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, and stir. Combine all ingredients well, or at least until the dry powdery cocoa is combined. It can be slightly marbled in colour OR you can combine it completely until it it is one solid colour.

3. Serve into a new bowl if desired.

Enjoy!

Elephant Ear photo courtesy of http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1020/

1332875893_21a32e0a25.jpg

Boston Cream Cupcakes

When you get the option, what kind of doughnut would you choose? Honey dip, sprinkled, powdered and fruit filled, maple glazed, chocolate, or would you pick a boston cream? It is definitely one of my favourites! It's creamy and chocolaty, and best of all...it's not missing the center! (The extra bit of doughnut usually gets made into timbits (if you are from Canada) which cost 17 cents each.) Mmhmm...you definitely beat the system with the boston cream.

All this talk about doughnuts is getting me distracted from my actual purpose today. I don't plan on sharing a recipe with you about doughnuts actually, as you can see from the posts' title. I was simply inspired by the doughnut (which is technically inspired by the boston cream pie) in a way that brought new possibilities to the desert. I thought, why not make my childhood favorite into a cupcake? Many thanks to Martha Stewart's Living Magazine for providing the recipe.

This spongy vanilla cupcake is cut through the center and filled with a smooth vanilla cream, topped with more cake, and smothered in chocolate ganache...

I enjoyed the final product so much that I decided to have a little "photo shoot" of sorts. Featuring: the cupcake, a white plate, my table makes an occasional appearance, and some blurry backdrops.

Timmes ain't got nothin' on these babies!



Ingredients:

Makes 18

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for tins
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. whole milk
3 oz. (6 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tins
3 large Eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Cream:

2 large egg yolks
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate- Ganache Glaze:

2/3 c. heavy cream
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup


Directions:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour standard muffin tins. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Warm Milk and butter in a sauce pan over low heat.

2. Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in dry ingredients.

3. Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add milk mixture to batter and beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake cupcakes until light gold, about 15 minutes. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Let cool.

4. Using a serrated knife, cut each in half horizontally. Spread 1 Tbsp. vanilla cream on each cupcake bottom. Sandwich with top. Spoon glaze over each and serve immediately.

Vanilla Cream:

1. Whisk yolks until smooth. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

2. Pour a third of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in Vanilla.

3. Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Chocolate- Ganache Glaze:

1. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and add chocolate and corn syrup. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.

Chocolate and Protein for Breakfast

Did you know that if a person eats protein for breakfast, they will stay fuller, longer? Its true! AND if you been cramming for an exam but find that in the morning of you are completely drained...protein is the solution! Eggs and toast will work, but if you need something on the go, or are like me and crave chocolate in the morning, this milkshake is perfect.

And those little flakies you see on the top? That's your fiber...oat bran! I know people who practically eat this stuff as cereal and swear by it! (Too much info? Ahh well.) You can buy it in your local bulk store for much cheaper than the grocery.

Ingredients:

3/4 c milk
1/2 c vanilla yogurt (I use Activia)
1 scoop vanilla/chocolate protein powder
2 scoops vanilla/chocolate frozen yogurt
2-3 Tbsp. Chocolate Nesquick powder
1/4 c oat bran
1 banana

Directions:

1. Blend Ingredients.

Mocha Cupcakes

I have developed a serious appreciation for cupcakes and can't help but wish that I had a job title like, "Senior Executive Cupcake Decorator and Taster." Mmhmm that would be pretty sweet, no pun intended. I would be in the professional cupcake world! And what a place it would be...

Butter cream frosting taste-tests, classes on "how to dress your cupcake," and "the proper way to fill a cupcake tray," our stock and inventory would consist of blue, pink, and yellow sprinkles, edible silver and gold, icing sugar by the truck load, and chocolate.

So in the mean time, before the cupcake artisans come knocking at my door, I will ready my skills.

Leah and I always get inspired by the cupcake "boutique" at the market down town. They have so many flavors and the set up is, as Leah would put it, "so dang cute." But after you realize that these adorable creations are about 4 dollars each, homemade cupcakes become verrry appealing.

The boutique's mocha cupcakes inspired Leah to create this recipe from a simple box mix. I decided on a butter cream icing because...well, who doesn't like butter cream icing!?

Case and point:

Enjoy being a cupcake artist!

Directions:

Cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix
Cold prepared coffee

Mocha Butter Cream Icing:

1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1/2cup milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee

Directions:

1. Prepare cupcakes according to directions on box, but substitue the water for coffee.

2. For the icing: Heat butter, cocoa, and milk and bring to a boil.

3. Add instant coffee and stir until combined.

4. Add powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth. Let sit to cool.

5. When cupcakes are done, allow them to cool before you ice them. (This is very important, especially with a runnier icing like this one.)

5. To ice: Dip cupcake into the icing until the top is coated. Remove from icing while twirling the cupcake. (This allows excess icing to drip off). Set on a tray and sprinkle regular sugar on top, if desired.

Bubble Brownies

Why bubble brownies you ask?

Simple. My friends were blowing bubbles while I was making these brownies! It just made the experience all the more entertaining. I encourage you to do the same! (Why not blow bubbles while baking? I couldn't think of a reason!)

Anyway, the inspiration for brownies came from a recipe I was looking at a while ago that involved black beans. I've tried that version before, and it is surprisingly delicious! But unfortunately, being as I am a "starving" university student that doesn't have a completely stocked pantry...the regular version had to do for today. They ended up getting a great review from my room mates, and they didn't take long at all to make. Another bonus, is that the recipe doesn't call for too many ingredients.

They definitely beat my chocolate craving!



Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. Hershey's cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (opt.)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and Grease square pan, 9 x 9 x 2 inches.

2. In large mixing bowl blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, using spoon, beat well.

3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually blend into egg mixture. Stir in nuts, if desired.

4. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.