Texas Brownies

Brownies:
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. strong brewed coffee or water
1/4 c. dark, unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp. dark cocoa
1/4 c. milk 
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla


Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the sugar. In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, coffee or water and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling. Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well using a wooden spoon or high speed electric mixer. Pour into a well greased  17 1/2 by 11 in baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in the center. While brownies bake, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting is smooth. Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of the oven. Cool. Cut into bars.

Recipe courtesy of Mama Hess

Chicken Fajita Marinade

Juice of 6 limes
6 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cumin
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
cilantro to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Add your raw chicken slices. Cover and store in the fridge for at least an hour.

Recipe courtesy of Lyn Troxell

Classic Red Curry Paste

Red curry paste in food processor

This paste is very SPICY!

3 oz. dried red New Mexico chilies
12 small dried Japanese chilies
1 Tbsp. whole coriander seed
1 1/2 Tbsp. shrimp paste (I left this out)
3/4 c. shallots, chopped
1/2 c. whole garlic, peeled
1/2 Tbsp. fresh kaffir lime peel or domestic lime peel, minced
2 stalks lemon grass, tough outer leaves discarded, lower stalks trimmed to 3" and finely sliced
1/3 c. fresh peeled ginger

Remove seeds and soak chilies for 30 minutes. Dry roast coriander seed in skillet; set aside to cool. Put shrimp paste in medium heat skillet for 5 minutes, turning once; set aside to cool.   Dry roast shallots and garlic for 5 minutes; cool. Combine everything in food processor with a little liquid until very fine paste.

Recipe courtesy of Elizabeth McDevitt

Eggplant Parmigiana

Cooking the eggplant

2 small unpeeled eggplants
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/3 c. dry bread crumbs
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil
2 c. tomato sauce
cilantro, chopped
Basil, thyme, garlic powder, coriander, oregano
2-3 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded


Heat oven to 350 F.

Cut eggplants into 1/4 inch slices. Mix egg and water. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip eggplant into egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumb mixture.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook half of the eggplant at a time in oil about 5 minutes, turning once, until light brown. Repeat with remaining eggplant, adding more oil if necessary.

Ready to eat!

Place half of the eggplant in ungreased rectangular baking dish, overlapping slices slightly. Mix tomato sauce, cilantro, and spices together in a bowl. Spoon half of the sauce over eggplant. Sprinkle with 1-1 1/2 c. of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and cheese.

Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Coconut Bread

Makes 2 loaves, but the recipe is easily cut in half to make one loaf.

3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. coconut extract
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour two 9 1/2" x 5 1/2" loaf pans.

Do NOT use a mixer with this recipe. Use a spoon or spatula and stir by hand.

In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, beaten eggs, and coconut extract; mix well. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture and stir only until moist. Stir in shredded coconut. Pour batter into the two prepared loaf pans, place on middle rack and bake for 1 hour.

Recipe courtesy of Jaime Horsley Dahlqvist

Tillamook Cheesy Zucchini Gratin

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2-inch rounds (I only had 2, but it worked)

Zucchini and onion

3/4 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (or more)
1/4 c. water
1 1/4 c. Tillamook Colby Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1 c. fresh bread crumbs (I used 1/2 c. since I used less zucchini)
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the zucchini, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, just until the zucchini is tender. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Combine 3/4 c. of the cheese with the vegetable mixture, and pour into 9-inch pie pan or small casserole dish.

Gratin with the breadcrumbs

Moisten the breadcrumbs with the butter in a small bowl. Mix in the remaining cheese. Sprinkle the mixture evenly oven the top of the pie.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling.

From The Tillamook Cheese Cookbook

Fettuccine Alfredo

Delicious!

1/2 c. butter
1 c. heavy whipping cream (or whipping cream)
1 c. parmesan, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian season, aka oregano, thyme, and basil to taste
Fettuccine noodles

Boil your noodles.

In a medium pot or skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and saute the garlic for a minute or two. Then add the cream, cheese, and seasonings. Use a whisk to stir until smooth. If you use whipping cream instead of heavy cream, cook it a little longer in order to make the sauce thicker.

Drain your noodles. Add the sauce to the noodles and serve right away.

For chicken fettuccine,  cook your chicken when your noodles are boiling, and add the chicken to the noodles when you're adding the sauce.

Adapted from recipe courtesy of Stephanie Schmaljohann

Artichoke Jalapeno Dip

13-15 oz. of jarred artichoke hearts
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 c. Parmesan
3/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. sliced jalapenos (or more...)
Squirt of lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency. Bake at 350 F until bubbly in the corners. Serve hot with bread; crackers work too, but I recommend fresh bread slices.

Recipe courtesy of Elizabeth McDevitt