Drunk Brownies with Questionable Morals AKA Time To Celebrate!

Okay so lets pretend that I’ve been religiously posting to my blog all summer and that I haven’t been severely neglecting creating new recipes. Also let’s pretend I didn’t just have the worst semester of life where I was expected to know the pathophysiology of every disease known to man and how to treat it in the teeny tiny time frame of 12 weeks. (It was hell. But I got all A’s thanks to my amazing supportive family and very helpful classmates). We’re going to pretend this didn’t happen because secretly I have been writing up a bazillion recipes and jotting down ideas wherever I can find a scrap of paper. I guess stress fuels creativity.

Despite all that, somehow I still managed to reach 10,000 followers on Instagram! It’s amazing how many of you have been there all along the way encouraging me, and supporting me. I think in the 3 years that I have been posting (though its only been a little more than 1 year since @Cookinginheelss started) I have not had one negative comment. That’s incredible! (Also, as I have mentioned, my memory is terrible so could be I am totally wrong on this…) Thank you all so much for being amazing!!

This recipe, is one of my most groundbreaking, history making, earth shaking, ideas. Despite being on the clean eating diet- which is working out fantastically for weight loss and reducing migraines (12 lbs. down and 4 to go! Whoop! BUH Bye baby weight!!)- And not being able to taste this I have full confidence that this recipe is incredible. Why? How? And any left for me to try?, you ask?

Let me describe the face my tasters made. They hold the sticky brownie in their hand, fingers glistening with caramel sauce, and simultaneously swallow to reduce the salivation that has accumulated in their mouths, eyes wide with anticipation. That first bite, the soft fudgy brownie spreads over the surface of the tongue and sticks to the roof of the mouth coating its entirety in absolute bliss. There is a moment hesitation, where my heart stops beating, “is it bad? Do they like it?” Then their eyes roll back and a moan escapes their lips as they allow themselves to be consumed by its complexity, its warmth, and its perfection. I kid you not. This is how every single person reacted. Unless you ask my brother in laws who gave me the ultimate teenage boy compliment of “Ahhhhwe-some!” If that isn’t confirmation, I don’t know what is. Also, in response to that last question, sorry, they are all gone. Go make your own.

So where did this inspiration come from you ask? Or quite possibly didn’t ask but who cares cuz I’m going to tell you anyway. So I’ve heard of Brownies with questionable morals, tittered at the name and tasted their deliciousness. But if you know me, I always want to go bigger and better. #Winning! Also, I kinda wanted more moistness in there just cuz a fudgy brownie is way better than a cakey one.  Then, I saw some caramel stuffed brownies on Instagram (wish I could remember who’s account it was on so I could give the guy credit.) Anyway, this guy said in order to keep the caramel from smooshing into the brownie, he lightly piped the top layer over the caramel. GENIUS! And that was when it clicked!  I should put caramel in between the layers!!! Make great even better!!!

Then, I was like, hey! You know what is better than Brownies with Oreos and Cookie dough?? DRUNKEN brownies with Oreos and Cookie Dough! YAAAAASSSSS! That’s the kind of thing you bring to a party! Giving all the deliciousness away for FREEEEE! Let’s spike the caramel and make this into a party!! MUUUSSSSTTTT!  Thanks brain for being the trashiest food junkie imaginable.

For those of us bringing this to nice parties, you may call these Intoxicated Eishes Chayil (Good Wife) Brownies or just The Most Amazing Awesomeness You Have Never Tasted! Or don’t bring them anywhere. Just hide in the closet and polish off the pan by yourself. It’s probably safer that way right? *wink wink*

Peanut Butter Bars aka. Sorry I Missed I Love Reeses Day

If you could pick any candy bar in the world, but you could only have one for the rest of your life, what would it be? I mean, there are so many! How could you choose just one? Cookies and Cream bars, Rolos, Milk duds, Skor, Snickers, the list just goes on and on. Presuming you eat cholov stam and you know what I'm talking about. But truth is I have always had one love when it came to candy bars. Back in the day when I stopped at CVS on the way home from school, (or not so on the way home from anywhere actually because I would go out of my way to get there and look at all the nail polish collections they had on sale) I always knew if I only had $1.59 in my pocket after all my ridiculous purchases it was going toward a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Sometimes I would switch it up a little bit and get a BIG cup, sometimes, even though I didn't celebrate the holiday I would rebeliously choose the Easter egg or X-mas tree. It's weird that those never tasted as good. Not because of anything heebie jeebie or whatever. Just cause the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate was off. 

But if we're talking ratios here I'd like to bring up the genius that is the Reese's mini. Okay, the concept is great and all but that isn't what impresses me the most. It's that perfect ratio of peanut butter to chocolate in your mouth all at once. That first time I took a bite and I was like, "Let the fat lady sing because it is OVA!" Or something like that.  

I've made my own peanut butter cups before. Truth is they are pretty easy to make and also super delish. But you can't exactly end a meal and be like, "one peanut butter cup for you, and one for you. Don't eat it all at once!" Cause that my friends, is called finageling people from their dessert. You don't want to do that, ever. It makes people angry. No matter how much they like peanut butter cups

That's where these guys come in. These beautiful bars have all the great taste of a peanut butter cup but they can be sliced in any size! This will make your family and friends happy with their dessert portions. It also has the added jazz of crunchy sugar and salt on top. So now it's fancy. You might think I'm joking about serving this for dessert but I'm not. I never joke when it comes to peanut butter cups. Unless I say I'm sharing mine with you. Then you know I'm joking. I never share my peanut butter cups. 

As an avid peanut butter cup fan, I am totally baffled at myself that I missed I love Reese's peanut butter cup day on May 18th. I apologize. To you, to me, to every person who loves Reese's peanut butter cups. I hope this recipe makes up for it.  

Thanks to Half Baked Harvest for the base recipe!

Sticky Ginger Chicken aka. The Second Time Around

It's been waaaaay too long since I posted here folks. I know, I know, there was a baby involved in this giant delay. But actually my excuse for not getting back to this blog was simply I was lazy (GASP!). Lucky for you though, yes you, I enjoy this writing stuff. and cooking stuff. Just the whole technology thing kind of throws me off. It's probably safe to say I am somewhere in between Old Granny level and Totally Inept. Think, got Facebook six months ago and is still trying to figure out how it works type.

During these past few months dinners have been kind of boring. I haven't been experimenting that much, mostly cause getting used to two kids has been a handful. A good handful, but a handful just the same. What I have been doing is going back to old recipes I created a while back and seeing how they taste, fixing them up and making them better. In a way its like me being my own tester for a cookbook I wrote. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish, which is about three seconds btw. Fun little fact there for ya. Anyway, one of my favorite recipes was this Sticky Ginger Chicken. It's great because it fills my weirdly obsessive obsession with Asian food, allows me to candy coat a chicken and call it healthy because well, its chicken and it has green stuff on top, and also it tastes good which is always a plus.

(BTW. This is for you grammar geeks out there. Yes, my grammar is terrible. So is my spelling but luckily there is spell check. I just decided to write this little aside to you so you know I am not trying to annoy the pants off of you with my misplaced commas and run on sentences. If any of you is volunteering right now to be my editor step right up for the challenge of a life-time. Please note, you will not be paid if you take this position. The only reason you would take this position is because you are so annoyed at this grammar you have to fix it. END RANT)

Back to chicken: The other night I tried this recipe again but I doubled the spices and halved the marinade, thereby making it even healthier *insert thumbs up emoji here* and making it taste even better *double thumbs up emoji* (Good thing I don't totally stink at math otherwise I would be in a real bind.)I then patted myself on the back for a job well done and proceeded to devour the entire pan (Because I was hungry and also because as I mentioned earlier, this chicken tastes good!)

For your viewing pleasure, I have included the recipe before and after. And no, these recipes are not actors, they are real recipes! And these are real results! (As a side note, I should probably stoop watching the infomercial channel....) Either way, I thought it would be fun for you all to see how even when a recipe looks and tastes great, theres always room for improvement the second time around. The work of a blogger is never done. 

PS. To make this recipe Kid Friendly remove the chilies before baking and cooking down the marinade.

New Recipe

Sticky Ginger Chicken

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 inch piece of ginger julienned
• 1 red chili sliced
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1. Mix together the spices and sprinkle on top of the chicken.
2. Combine the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic cloves, red chilies, and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 12 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange the thighs on the baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and dark in spots, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan, uncovered. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the cooked marinade on the chicken.  Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
5. Place the chicken on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, sliced scallion and cilantro.
     

Old Recipe

Sticky Ginger Chicken

• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 inch piece of ginger julienned
• 1 red chili sliced
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 chicken legs cut by the joint to separate thigh and drumstick
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 4 scallions thinly sliced

1. Mix together the spices and sprinkle on top of the chicken.
2. Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic cloves, red chilies, and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Top with a cooling rack. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange the drumsticks on the cooling rack. Bake until the skin is caramelized and dark in spots, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan, uncovered. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the cooked marinade on the chicken.  Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
5. Place the chicken on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the sliced scallion.
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