Tag: chocolate

Triple Chocolate Brownies

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Triple Chocolate Brownies… need I say more?

You may be thinking, why would I need to make brownies myself when they come so nicely packaged in a box from the store. Well, I have to tell you, sometimes I think the same thing! But, and that’s a big but, they are not the same.  When you make a brownie yourself, you are controlling exactly what goes into it, you know the quality of the ingredients and can pick your very favorite chocolates to add in!  For instance in this recipe, I am using Valrhona cocoa, Nestle milk chocolate and Ghiradeli bittersweet chocolate.  There is no box on the planet that allows for that combination.  But, beyond all of that, it’s surprisingly easy!  There actually aren’t very many ingredients.  In a box, there is 1-the box, 2-eggs, and 3-water or oil and then you mix in whatever, so 3 ingredients total… Here there are 6, to me that’s not a huge difference.

For today’s brownies, I had the kid’s helping me which we all had a lot of fun with! Lucas got to be in charge of the dry ingredients bowl. Alaina took care of the sugar.  And they both helped with cracking eggs, mixing and eating stray chocolate chips! All very important jobs! It’s a simple enough recipe that I wasn’t going crazy trying to organize myself while trying to keep track of the kids.  And the more you get your kids involved in cooking, the more they will like to help eat their creations, so sure today is brownies, but when we want to make say Split Pea Soup, this will come in handy!

Lucas loves helping. Right now he is in charge of the dry ingredients bowl.

Lucas loves helping. Right now he is in charge of the dry ingredients bowl.

Alaina is loving being in charge of the sugar!

Measure out the unsweetened coco powder. This is your first chocolate and the most focused on, so be sure to use the best you can get your hands on. I ordered this Valrhona on-line.

Lucas is taking his job very seriously.

Add in salt.

Here it is all sifted. You could at this point add in baking powder, I omit it when I am looking for a more dense fudgy brownie.

Once your ingredients are ready to go, move onto the wet.

All four eggs made it into the bowl… yay! I wasn’t able to help the kids with cracking these eggs and take the pictures at the same time, but the kids each helped crack the eggs right into this bowl! If it were up to my son, this recipe would have a dozen eggs!

That’s it for wet ingredients, just eggs. Now onto the mixer.  If you have a stand mixer, this recipe is super easy, if you don’t, it’s still easy, it will just take you 2 minutes longer.

We start here with some butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.

With softened butter, it doesn’t take long to beat with the paddle attachment on the mixer. The kid’s love watching the mixer go… and they love working the buttons!

Add sugar in. Beat on low for a minute.

Add in one egg at a time. Mix well after each addition.

Add in vanilla. Beat one more minutes to ensure everything is thoroughly combined before you add in the dry ingredients.

Mix until just blended and switch to mixing by hand.

Here is your second chocolate… Add in mini milk chocolate chips.

And your third chocolate… Mix in bittersweet chocolate chip these are big, you could chop them or just use as is like I did.

Prepare your pan with butter. I like taking a pad and a piece of paper towel to apply. I don’t care for cooking spray with brownies, I like the slightly salty taste of the butter.

I am using a stone pan, use whatever you like, just be sure it is well buttered.

Add in your brownie batter.

Add in your brownie batter.

Spread evenly. And bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350°F for a 9″x9″ pan… If you are using a 9″x13″ pan, you will yield thinner brownies and therefore need to reduce the baking time to about 20-25 mins.

Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.

Once cooled, cut either 16-24 pieces.

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Triple Chocolate Brownies

Serving Size: 16-24

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder (optional, omitting yields a more dense fudgy brownie)

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup mini milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 350°F.  Prepare a baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl wisk together flour, cocoa and salt. (If you choose to make more fluffy brownies, add in baking powder.  If you choose to make more dense, fudgy brownies as pictured, omit baking powder.)

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or just in a separate bowl with a wooden spoon) beat butter until smooth.  Then add in sugar and beat another minute until combined.  Add in one egg at a time until well combined (this is a bit more tricky if doing by hand, but just be sure it is thoroughly combined after each addition).  Add in vanilla and beat another minute to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Add in the flour mixture in two additions on low speed.  Once combined, stop the mixer.  Do not over mix.  With a wooden spoon or rubber scraper, add in chocolate chips. Mix until combined.

Spread mixture evenly. And bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350°F for a 9″x9″ pan. If you are using a 9″x13″ pan, you will yield thinner brownies and therefore need to reduce the baking time to about 20-25 mins.

Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.  Cut into either 16 or 24 pieces. Serve. Enjoy!

“Portuguese Style” S’Mores (Bolacha Maria S’mores)

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So, I have decided to have a little fun with today’s blog entry.  It’s summer,  which means it’s fire pit and camping season here in New England.  So I decided to think a bit outside the box and merge the Portuguese and American cultures together in a fun and simple way… The Portuguese being the Bolacha Maria cookie… The American being the time-tested camp fire favorite, the s’more.

Now unlike my earlier s’more posting (Peep S’Mores) this post will involve real fire and bona-fide marshmallow roasting technique.  You will need to get ahold of three ingredients… regular size marshmallows… none of  those crazy giant marshmallow, no colors or crazy flavors… just plain ole marshmallows.  You will also need a package of Bolacha Maria cookies and a Hershey’s bar.

Let’s get started!

I like to use two marshmallows for my s’mores, no matter if they are American style with graham crackers or Portuguese style with a Bolacha Maria Cookie.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmellos directly on the fire... you want to gently toast your marshmellos over the coals.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmallow directly on the fire… you want to gently toast your marshmallow over the coals.

Constantly rotate your marshmallow over those coals and you will get a well toasted marshmallow perfect for building your s’more!

Place your Bolocha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Place your Bolacha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Unwrap a chocolate bar, cut in half.

Place the chocolate bar half on top of the cookie.

Add your toasted marshmallow on top of your chocolate bar.

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Recipe for “Portuguese Style’ S’Mores:

(serves 1)

2 Bolacha Maria Cookies

2 marshmallow, Toasted

1/2 regular size chocolate bar

Directions:

Toast marshmallow slowly over hot coals.  Then start stacking as follows: One Maria cookie, one piece of chocolate and then the marshmallows and top it off with the Maria cookie.  Enjoy!

***The Portuguese American Mom is in no way suggesting that this is a traditional Portuguese recipe… this is entirely the an adaptaion of a classic American treat by The Portuguese American Mom

Breakfast in Bed – Fancy Pants Version

done22My special “Breakfast in Bed” Series continues today with “Breakfast in Bed – Fancy Pants Version”.  This series is designed in preparation for Mother’s Day or any time that you want to spoil that special someone with that extra effort.

Beds across the nation will be warmed up with the love of children to their mother’s showing them just how much they are loved and appreciated by that extra effort to take care of Mom as she takes care of them each and every day.  Today’s installment features a fancy kicked up breakfast.  Some of it can be prepared ahead of time, but some elements are meant to be done the morning of.  And unlike my first installment, Breakfast in Bed – Kid Friendly Version where most everything was disposable, this version takes a bit more effort because after breakfast there will be dishes to do and we don’t want to leave that to Mom!

So, again if you are Mom and you are reading this, now is the time to hand the computer or tablet over to your significant other or older child (as there are way too many breakables involved here for a youngster) and turn away.  I will now be addressing the Preparer.

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Some of the elements here such as the Chocolate Covered Strawberries and the Codfish Cakes can be made a day in advance.  Then other elements, such as the Tea, the OJ and the Southwest Veggie Omelet  need to be prepared the morning of.  Although, you should definitely refrigerate your oranges for the OJ, otherwise you will have warm OJ.

Start with your Mom’s favorite tray. This is mine. I bought it the last time I visited St. Michael. It is hand-made and adorned with hand crafted St. Michael’s signature blue and white tile. The scene depicted here is of the ‘Portas de Cidade” or Gates to the City. The Portas de Cidade is a famous landmark in Ponta Delgada, St. Michael’s capital city and is a source of great pride for all Azoreans.

Here is a mini tutorial on how to make delicious Chocolate Covered Strawberries from scratch:

Like I mentioned above, These can be done the night before, but they can also be done same day so long as you have a chilled area for them to set up quickly.

strawberries

Start with some fresh strawberries. Wash and dry them thoroughly. Moisture is melted chocolate’s worst nightmare.

Next, pour half the contents of a chocolate chip bag into a microwave safe bowl.

Pop it in the microwave. Start off with one minute on high. Stir.  Every 15 seconds, stir until you get the proper consistency.

When your chocolate still has this much texture to it, it should be ready to stir into melty goodness.

When your chocolate looks like this, you are ready for dipping!

dip

Give each strawberry its own individual bath.

Be sure to have a plate or cookie sheet covered with parchment paper to receive the dipped strawberries so they may cool and firm up.

Once you have them all dipped and ready to so, get them to a cool place to chill.

Next, here is a mini tutorial on how to make fresh squeezed orange juice:

OJ

There is nothing like fresh squeezed orange juice. It is not like the kind in the carton.  The nutritional value of the fresh squeezed is far superior to anything you might find at the supermarket.

oranges

Start with some beautifully ripened oranges.  It is a good idea to refrigerate these over night, otherwise you will end up with warm OJ, not great.

I found that one large orange was enough to fill a juice glass. Obviously this depends on how large you can find the orange and how juicy they are. Cut them in half to start.

Here are three different methods to getting one delicious glass of OJ:

hand squeeze

The first method of juicing is just to hand squeeze the orange into a glass. I find that this is the least efficient way as you will have a hard time squeezing out every drop.

core squeeze

The next method is a much more common method, using a juicer. This one has the little rim that catches seeds, nice! You will want to work the orange onto the juicer with a bit of elbow grease to get every last drop.

The third option is the squeeze juicer. This baby really gets every last drop out and prevents seeds from falling in the juice! I always find it funny how it almost seems like the orange is put in backwards, but it literally turns the fruit inside out.

This main plate features a Southwest Veggie Omelet and Codfish Cakes.  Recipes and tutorials are detailed on their respective postings.  Take a look, the omelet tutorial teaches how to make the perfect omelet and customize it to your tastes.

Although you may think of Codfish Cakes as a lunch or dinner item, it is especially good in the morning and with some eggs, so give it a try.

tea pot

And last, but not least is the tea. I found this little gem while traveling in Utah. I fell in love with this hand-made beauty and started collecting personal tea pots ever since. If you are looking for a lovely gift for Mom, check out Golden Moon Tea, they have some great high quality teas and tea ware.

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Supplies you will need:

* Pretty Tray

* Pretty plate

* Pretty napkin

* Crystal juice glass

* Personal Tea Pot

* 3″ glazed tile

* silverware

Food and drink:

* Southwest Veggie Omelet

* Codfish Cakes

* Fresh squeeze Orange Juice

* Chocolate Covered Strawberries

* Tea (don’t forget whatever your Mom takes in her tea, ie. sugar, milk, honey or lemon)

 

Have fun and remember to think about what your Mom loves and tailor her Breakfast in Bed to what she likes best!  A nice handmade card goes a long way too!

 

Peep S’mores

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This year we are adding a new tradition to our usual Easter fun… Peep s’mores!  As a Portuguese American mom, sweetbread is the good ole standby tradition (a post for another time) and then of course there is coloring and decorating Easter eggs, but I like to shake things up! I’m crazy like that!

Recently I’ve been seeing people having lots of fun dipping their Peeps in chocolate… I have even seen them packaged this way from the company.  I, however, am taking this a step further. Every year at Christmas I make s’mores on a stick as little treats to give out and they are a BIG hit (check back around Christmas time for that fun project).  Soooo… I thought elevating the chocolate dipped Peep to a new level was just the ticket.

I have a one and a two year old and this project is perfect for them to help with.  It’s cheap, its colorful, fun and their little hands do great with the soft tactile nature of a Peep.  But, I think this is fun at any age!

Here’s what you’ll need:

peeps

Peeps… any color… you can even do this with Peep bunnies if you are really feeling like jumping out of that box!

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Peeps, chocolate chips, graham crackers and sprinkles

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Crush your crackers with your fingers.

microchoc

Place your chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Start out with a minute, mix and then do 15 second intervals until it is mostly melted. Don’t add anything extra to the chocolate. (If you don’t have a microwave or if you prefer, this step can be done with a double boiler)

time

 

Mix until smooth.

Mix until smooth.

3 ingredients

This is what you should have now… along with whichever Peeps you decide on.

Now, give your Peep a little bath... dip him about half way in.

Now, give your Peep a little bath… dip him about half way in.

Now, into the crackers he goes!

Now, into the crackers he goes!

Now, get him over to a piece of wax paper. I like to like a cookie tray so that it is easily moved into the fridge if need be.

Now, get him over to a piece of wax paper. I like to line a cookie tray so that it is easily moved into the fridge if need be.  tip: place cookie sheet in the fridge beforehand to speed up cooling time… if you didn’t do this, you can just pop the whole tray in the fridge for 5-10 mins and you’re good.

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sprinkles

And onto a wax sheet or some parchment as seen here for some sprinkles and set up.

Now dress him up with some sprinkles and let him cool.

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…and repeat

Now you have these little guys! Enjoy!

Now you have these little guys! Enjoy!

Peep s’mores recipe:

20 Peeps

8 graham cracker squares

1/2 package of chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)

colorful sprinkles

You will also need a microwave safe bowl and some wax paper or parchment.

Directions:

Get all your ingredients prepped before you begin because once the chocolate is melted, you will want to work fairly quickly.  So, be sure to lay out some wax paper on a cookie sheet, set aside.  Crush the graham crackers with your fingers, set aside. Separate the Peeps; I do this by cutting them with a knife so they stay neat, if you don’t care about that, they can just be pulled apart. Then, place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute, then in 15 second increments until melted, stirring throughout the process.

Now dip a peep into the chocolate, about half way in.  Then directly dip into the graham crackers.  Place onto a the cookie sheet and sprinkle.  Let cool.  Cooling may mean placing the tray into the fridge for 5-10 mins.

Once cooled, they can be packaged for Easter gift giving or just gobble them up!  If you are keeping them, they will keep for up to a week or two in an airtight container… do not store in the fridge, but in a cool dry place.

Have fun!