Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars

I made these for Christmas treats--YUM!!

6 T butter
3/4 C peanut butter
1 C graham cracker crumbs
1 C. powdered sugar
1 C chocolate chips

1- Melt pb and butter - blend until smooth
2- Add crumbs and powdered sugar
3 - Mix well and presesinot 8x8 pan fitted with waxed paper
4- Melt chocolate until smooth and spread on top
5--Chill 30 minutes until firm
6--Let stand at room temp 10 min before cutting into bars

Magleby's Chocolate Cake

I made this for Jared's bday cake and it was yuuuuummmmmy!  Perhaps those of you who are true Magleby's die hards will be able to taste the difference of home made and Magleby's made, but  for me, there was none.  Heaven on a plate. 

PS-  I got this from the blog of a girl who used to work there...

Magleby's Chocolate Cake

1 C butter
1 C boiling water
5 T heaping cocoa
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp soda dissolved in a little water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C. sour cream

1. Mix butter, water and cocoa, add dry ingredients
2. Mix eggs, soda,  and vanilla in a seperate bowl and add to mixture
3. Gently mix in sour cream - do not overmix

Bake in two 8" or 9" floured cake pans 50 min at 350*
Remove from pans and chill (freeze - Magleby's freezes so I did too)
Cut edges off and frost

Frosting
1 can of milk chocolate frosting - add 1 cube of butter, 2 C. powdered sugar, 1 t vanilla, 1/3 C milk and mix it all - ta da!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

For all those soup lovers out there. This is the delicious one I made at Christmas.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or substitute tenders)

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (14 oz) fat-tree chicken broth

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with mexican seasoning, undrained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 can (4 oz) chopped mild green chilies

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

Optional (and highly recommended) toppings: sour cream, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, lime

Directions:

1. Coat Crock Pot with nonstick spray. Add all ingredients except toppings. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is done.

2. Remove chicken with slotted spoon. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces. Return to Crock Pot and stir well. 

3. Top as desired. 

Note: I am generous with the seasonings when I make it, but I like it a little spicier. You can add a bit of taco season for an extra kick. Also, I don't add the can of mild green chilies and I haven't missed a bit of the flavor, so I would say chilies are optional.

Lemon Brownies

I'm back with more sweet treats! If you have a lemon craving, this is it! Usually I'm quite disappointed with lemon flavored recipes because they don't have a strong enough lemon taste but these little gems are FANTASTIC! Enjoy!

The "Brownie" Batter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour {King Arthur All-Purpose Flour}

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 teaspoon salt {Sea Salt}

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Tart Lemon Glaze 

1 rounded cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoon lemon juice 

8 teaspoons lemon zest 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside. 

Zest and juice two small/large lemons; set aside. {whatever you have}

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 

Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.  Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry. {even with the yummy glaze}

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze...sift the powdered sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula.  Let glaze set.  Spread the remaining glaze over the bars, and let it set.  This glaze does not harden like most.  Cut into bars, and serve!

Panera Broccoli Cheese soup

This soup was SO delicious!!  It is doubled below, since I only cook in large quantities nowadays. :)  If you want the original recipe, click HERE.

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups half-and-half
4 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1 pound fresh broccoli
2 cups carrots, julienned
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I left this out)
16 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.