Best Ever Brownies
I make brownies from scratch. I heard there’s another way to make them….something about a box….but, no, in our house they are made from scratch. The recipe is quick and easy and if you cook at all, you likely have all the ingredients in your kitchen already.
Here’s my full recipe, complete with detailed pictures:
Melt 2 sticks of butter or margarine:
To the melted butter, add 2/3 cup powdered baking cocoa:
To that, add 2 cups granulated sugar:
Next, add 4 eggs:
Then 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Mine is home made, I reused a store bottle:
Mix all that together, then add 1 cup all-purpose flour:
Then 1 teaspoon baking soda:
And, finally, one heaping cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips:
Mix well and pour into a 9 x 13″ baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray:
Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour:
Enjoy warm from the oven or cooled!
Happy Baking!
~Tricia
My Morning Cup of Joe
I drink one large cup of coffee every day. Just the one. It’s enough. But, it’s a big cup of coffee and it’s very sweet. Truly, this is not an average cup of coffee. This morning as I made my coffee, I took pictures throughout the process. I fully realize how openly this reveals my insanity, but I’m taking that risk.
I start by grinding my coffee to espresso grade, then pressing it into the coffee holder of my cappuccino machine:
Then I put that into its proper place in my cappuccino machine and fill it with fresh, cold, tap water:
Then I start my machine:
While that brews, I put a pinch of cinnamon in the bottom of my cup:
Then I pour a generous portion of my store-brand, fat-free, French Vanilla creamer into a microwave-able container:
I cover the container and shake it hard for 30 seconds. This shaking puts air into the creamer, giving it volume.
I then microwave the cream for 80 seconds to create a froth:
When my coffee carafe is full, I stop it, pour it into my cinnamon-laced cup, then slowly add the frothed creamer, stirring:
Then I enjoy my morning cup of Joe!
You may wonder why I don’t use the frothing tool which is attached to my cappuccino machine. I used to, on a previous machine, but I do not like how this frother froths….it’s simply not very good at frothing! So, I googled how to froth milk without a frother and found many ways of doing it scientifically. This method works best for me!
~Tricia
Easy One-Dish Pasta
This pasta dish is an absolute stand-by at our house. All I used was ground beef, marinara sauce, water, salt and pasta! It’s one-dish cooking that whips up fast and has a home-made flavor that’s a hit every time I make it.
Brown the ground beef:
When it’s almost completely cooked (see the pink remaining?), add the marinara sauce. The beef will finish cooking while the pasta cooks. This time, I used marinara sauce from the store but make your own if you have the chance.
Bring this to a boil, then add a generous pinch of salt and your pasta. I used Mezze Penne, but you can use what you like. I do recommend a hearty pasta such as penne or rigatoni as opposed to angel hair or linguine. Add 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 10 – 12 minutes, till pasta is tender. Stir from time to time.
Serve with your favorite cheeses:
And your favorite veggies or a salad:
Serve hot and enjoy! I would normally serve this with bread sticks or rolls, but was out of yeast today!
~Tricia
French Onion Soup
My husband and I love French Onion Soup, yet I’d never made it at home. I thought it was high time I did, so I found a recipe on the internet and got started. I soon abandoned the internet recipe, it was bland, and made the recipe my own.
I started with 3 large yellow onions:
I sliced them thinly:
Then I peeled 2 large cloves of garlic:
Added the onions to a large skillet with 2 Tbsps of butter, then minced the garlic into the onions:
I let the onions and garlic cook down a bit…..
I then added salt and fresh ground pepper:
In the meantime, while the onions cooked down, I got out my crock pot, sprayed it with cooking spray, and turned it on high:
Well, the picture shows it on low, but I changed the setting to high.
When the onions were nice and brown, I put them in the crock pot and added one 32 oz box of beef broth and 3 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce, along with a little more salt and pepper.
I walked away and let that cook for about 3.5 hours, adding salt, pepper and extra worcestershire sauce as needed, then served in ramekins with large, toasted croutons I made from a loaf of French bread, and shredded mozzarella cheese. I broiled the final product and served hot out of the oven:
My hubby said it was fantastic! I loved it, too! The kids weren’t interested. The only thing I might do differently is use beef stock instead of beef broth, as stock has deeper flavor.
Let me know if you try this, I’d love to know how it turns out for you.
~Tricia
Tricia, Cooking
Hello and welcome to my new blog. I started this blog primarily for my eight children, five of whom are out in the world living their lives. Occasionally they send me a text or email to get recipes from their childhood. In trying to save time, I thought creating a blog of my recipes, new and old, would not only be fun, but functional for all the kids…..and maybe other people, as well.
So, happy reading and happy cooking!
Here’s the latest pic of my family, so you know who I’m cooking for:
~Tricia
triciacooking 
