Brownie Pillow

There is a time in a CTE teachers life every season wholly dedicated to conferences. Full blown, 8-5, PowerPoint riddled, free-lanyard covered conferences. Some dull, some interesting, all long. One conference I attended in August (2 days) had a bright spot among the group activities and endless handouts. The brownie pillow. Nestled between other store-bought confections and veggie platters, this little jewel took me to a beautiful place for the last 2 hours of conference day one. What would seem to be another sugar rich flat cookie from Albertsons (Fresh-Mart??), was in fact a texturally complicated baked good. Chewy and dark, while still light and sweet? Like a sugar cookie tightly hugging a tender brownie.
I sneaked some Google searches in between “note taking” and found one disappointing recipe after the other. All required baking a box of brownies, and then squish-rolling said brownies into a ball, then covering the ball of pre-chewed brownie in chocolate chip cookie dough (store bought being cookie of choice). The result looking like a pregnant flounder, and only one greasy brownie bite in the whole thing.
Now that was completely snobbish of me to write, but when I see inequality and bakery blasphemy like that, I must correct it. So I invented my own recipe, and I want to share it with you (which is kind of un-snobbish of me to do).
Just look okay?


Do you see why this is so important?
Now I’m going to do a blog like recipe reveal for this one, but just bare with me. I want to set the brownie Pillow record straight.
Method: 2 cookie doughs, measure out equal balls, refrigerate, combine. freeze, bake
For both doughs start by creaming butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Butter is what takes this from day-old bake shelf to after dinner show-stoppers. (I know, I’m going to do this food blog way remember?)

After creaming the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time, beating really well before adding the next. This should help the batter stay fluffy and velvety, like this:

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The sugar cookie dough should be like playdough, hardly sticky at all. If not, add some flour.

If you have a cookie scoop, pull that sucker out and make your life easier. I scooped the sugar cookie dough into a separate bowl, covered it and refrigerated it. Cold dough will make things a lot easier. My scoop is about 3/4’s, or the equivalent of 2 tbsp. We want good sized cookies here.
Next, start your “brownie” cookie. Don’t even bother washing the bowl and mixer, who cares? The secret to getting a cookie that tastes like a brownie is this recipe. Just stop looking. Same method, but this time our dough is going to be a bit softer, and we are throwing in some chocolate shavings for extra richness (because lets face it, once we started using butter, we just had to go all the way.)

Yeah. That’s going in our cookie.
No chocolate bar? Don’t use chips, because we want a flat, level end-product. The shavings aren’t even that necessary, but just make the cookie better enough that I care. Dark, rich, moist, this is what the chocolate helps us achieve. Yeah, the cookie is pretty dang good without it.  In fact, I like this recipe so much I didn’t bother to change it, and you are going to get some leftovers. Save that dough for later!

Mixing the dry ingredients in. Notice messy bowl, and no I don’t combine dry ingredients separately at home. No time.

Do you see the depths of chocolate?
Now lets take a break, because I want to say that I love both of these cookie recipes by themselves. It’s just that sometimes when you have the patience something's are more amazing together.
Scoop this dough into a separate bowl, cover and refrigerate. Use the same size cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp). Let the dough chill for 1-2 hours, the colder the better. Plus you might thank me later for this break. It’s about to get crazy.
After the dough is good and cold start combining.
Flatten a sugar cookie dough ball, top with a chocolate ball (sometimes a chocolate ball a little smaller then the sugar cookie one worked better for me)

Cover the chocolate with the sugar cookie dough, there is an art to this, but you will get it. Use floured hands and a floured surface.

Pat or roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick (on a floured surface). Like a sugary papusa! Lean towards the thicker side if you are nervous.


Place cookies on a sheet, 6 on a pan, and freeze for 10-15 minutes. This will help keep the nice shape, and keep the cookies thicker. Meanwhile keep rolling out the cookies…
Bake for 9-11 minutes and you have it! The sugar cookie should be dry, but light colored on top, then golden blonde on the bottom.

The more equal brownie and sugar dough, the more awesome marbling you get. (less brownie dough then sugar dough = smoother top)

 

So…. do you want the recipe?
Okay.
But this is important, no more smooshing brownies and covering them cookie dough and baking again. You know better. You know better…
Brownie Pillow
sugar cookie dough :
14 T butter
2/3 cup + 3 T Sugar
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cup flour

1. Cream Margarine and sugar till fluffy
2. Beat in egg till combined (and a bit fluffy)
3. Add vanilla and the rest of the ingredients. Mix until combined (do not overbeat)
4. Portion into equal sized balls, about 2tbsp and refrigerate for at least an hour
5. Prepare Brownie cookie

Brownie Cookie
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped dark  chocolate

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar (with a wooden spoon) until creamy and a little fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla and beat until well blended after each addition
3. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
4. Finally, add chocolate and combine
5. Portion chocolate balls same size as sugar cookie dough-balls. Cover and refrigerate.
6. Preheat oven to 350
7. When dough is cold start assembling. Flatten sugar cookie dough and wrap it around a chocolate cookie ball. Once covered, roll or pat out on a floured surface about 1/4” thick. Place 6 of these on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10-15 minutes.
8. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Cookies should look dry on top with a few cracks, and golden on the bottom, do not let them get brown, or they will get too crispy.

Normal Pizza Dough

I’m whipping up a batch of this as I write.
Normal? Why would I want to share with your normal pizza dough? Basically because this one is so easy and always turns out good. Fancy pants pizza dough may be amazing, but may just be frustrating and annoying. We only want good feelings in the kitchen when making pizza.
Obviously.
But really, nothing fancy, no silly artisan steps, just pizza dough. One that I make every week (and you can come over some Friday and eat it with us so you see why I'm not embarrassed by that statement). Mr. Wood even makes it. It comes from the kitchen-aid mini cookbook. So if you don’t have a kitchen aid adjust methods appropriately.
As for the toppings, you are on your own. Let me just say that Winco’s bulk pizza seasoning has been a staple in my cupboard for 10 years.

Pizza Dough:
Yield: 1 thick 14” crust, or 2 thinner 12”-ish crusts (which we always do.)

1 scant tbsp of active dry yeast (or 1 package)

1 Cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsps olive oil

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups Flour (all purpose) *feel free to sub 1/2-1 cups of whole  wheat and still have great results.

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a warm mixer bowl. Let it sit for 5 min.
2. Add salt,oil and 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix on speed 2 with dough hook for 1 minute
3. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix until it clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl—about 2 minutes. Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.
4. Grease up that bowl and dough, cover it, and let it rise till doubled in bulk.
5. Oil your pizza pans and press dough into desired size (you can roll it out if you hate pressing). Add toppings.
6. Bake at 450 degrees for 15ish minutes, or until golden brown on top and bottom.

Happy Weekend!

Shannon

The Hungrier Games

There is a moment in every girl’s life where she realizes that her husband (and children) will always be hungrier then she thinks a human should be.

I have reached that point.

Now I’m not sure what the answer is quite yet (as mentioned earlier I’ve been searching for high fiber and high protein meals) but on this day the answer was copious amounts of salad. But not that kind of salad…

Once upon a time, coming home from our honeymoon we stopped at my parents house in Toquerville for dinner. My sister was there and made this most delicious Asian salad (recipe from pioneer woman?). It was made in the biggest bowl my mother had, and we all ate plates of it. This was the meal I needed to make to satisfy my man’s hunger and improve his health, with huge amounts of fiber and veganism. I drastically reduced the recipe here, well… it isn’t even the same recipe so ignore that but it still makes a lot.

Naturally, I didn’t have anything the recipe actually called for, so I improvised. I knew I wanted to include garbanzo beans so I could try making them in my pressure cooker.

It was just like beans in a pressure cooker, but longer. Did you know that as you soak garbanzo beans they pop? At least mine did. I thought I was crazy, but I sat and stared at the bowl of soaking beans for 5 minutes and watched the mini explosions.

Turns out it was the tastiest idea ever!

Mr. Wood ate 3 bowls of it, and could of eaten more I’m sure. We ate it as a main course, but it could easily be a side—shoot this dish has so much nutrients who needs anything else? Except maybe lemon bars.. we ate lemon bars with it.

So here it is, the newest recipe added to the Wood Kitchen: Garbonzai Pasta Salad*

*yes Mr. Wood thinks of the names for our new invented recipes.

Garbonzai Pasta Salad

serves 4-6 

1/2 head of lettuce chopped

1/2 lb pasta cooked

2 cups garbanzo beans

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

1/2 pasilla pepper

1/2 green pepper

Dressing:

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 dash hot sauce

1 clove crushed garlic

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped

2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

black pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes to taste

1. Prepare dressing: Mix all ingredients and let it sit for 10-20 minutes for flavors to blend.

2.  Prepare ingredients for the salad, chop veggies and rinse pasta till cool. Toss beans in lemon juice and salt, and when cooled add the rest of the salad ingredients. Toss in dressing. Let it sit for 10-30 minutes and serve. Feel free to add any other veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes or red peppers

wait, that was too easy….

Shannon

 

 

Breakfast and Quinoats

For a long time now (since childhood) I've had this horrible relationship with breakfast. I really don’t want to eat in the morning, my stomach feels all weird, and I imagine all food tasting like wet cardboard—but, I am also starving in the morning. So I've never missed a breakfast, but if I'm in charge of making it at 7 am all I can think of is toast (which perpetuates the problem, see?).

Now, I’ve had the fortunate experience of Mr. Wood making breakfast for me every morning for a whole semester while I was student teaching. He is a breakfast connoisseur, 5:45 in the morning he was up like a shot making Dutch babies, french toast with buttermilk dressing, breakfast burritos with chorizo and potatoes, omelets, everything. And it was always good, and I was always satisfied.

We both have to have a solid breakfast or else we don’t make it through the morning hours (cereal leaves our stomachs grumbly and empty, it is a completely after school affair).

So back to me making breakfast. Now that I have more time I get to make breakfast, but being totally opposed to most foods in the morning it is usually pretty odd or boring. I can’t imagine what it will be like when I'm pregnant… Usually Mr. Wood gets an egg on toast and some fruit while I eat yogurt and toast, both have protein and fiber right? But are still bland and leave Mr. Wood empty by 10 o’clock.

So in my attempts to palatable creativity, yesterday we had bean and cheese quesadillas with your choice of hot sauce—great. It was  whole wheat tortilla though.

Today we had Quinoats, which were invented last week in another desperate attempt at a protein/fiber rich breakfast that sticks to your ribs (quinoa has 14 g of protein per 3.5 oz). These will stick to your ribs. I don’t bother making quinoa the morning of. Instead I’ve been supplementing meat dishes with quinoa and then saving some for breakfast the next morning. I prefer red quinoa because of its nutty flavor, but regular works too. Why whole oats? The less processed food is the more nutrients in them. Don’t worry, they are even a littler tastier then the quick.

Here is a photo, that just proves I am not a food blogger, this is real food that we actually ate in real time, no poses, no special natural light (which is not to be found at 7:30 a.m. in a basement apt)

But, these are probably some of the better oats you will have in your life. Forget the microwave kind.

Quinoats

serves 2 very generous (but gov. recommended) servings or 4 child servings

1/2 tbsp butter

1 cup old fashioned oats

2 cups water

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 tbsp brown sugar

pinch of salt

Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté oats till they smell a bit toasty. Add water, cinnamon, sugar and salt (can substitute some milk for water if you like). Bring to a boil. Once the oats have thickened some add quinoa and continue cooking till oatmeal is thick. Serve with brown sugar on top!