Sweet Treats: Aunt Joyce's Brownies

We are debuting a new feature here at Frugal Feasts:

Sweet Treats

A weekly photo tutorial of a family dessert.

Because we all need something sweet,
what with all the sourness we have to swallow every week.

For our first treat, I made a batch of Aunt Joyce's Brownies. In the interest of full disclosure, Joyce is not my aunt. She is the aunt of the brilliant comedian, Stephen Colbert crony and cookbook author Amy Sedaris.

She shares the recipe in her cruelly underrated cookbook and craft encyclopedia:
I Like You, entertaining under the influence.

Aunt Joyce might not be happy that Amy shared the recipe, but you will be.
These are killer.
Chocolicious and quick to throw together.
I've doctored it up with a smidge more butter, some extra chips
and a couple tablespoons of instant coffee
which somehow makes the chocolate taste better, but not all mocha-y.

Yes it is true that box mix brownies are cheaper. And taste pretty good. But these are way better, and you can feel at least marginally good that you are not adding any artificial ingredients or trans fats to your little people's diets.
Or your own.

And come on, box mix brownies never look like this, with a crunchy top crust
and a richly solid bottom.

You will need:

1 stick butter
1 package semi-sweet chips plus another handful
2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat the eggs for 10 minutes in a stand mixer until they are smooth and lemony looking.

Melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the stove and add the chips and the coffee powder. Let sit to allow the chips to melt.

Add the sugar and the vanilla to the eggs and beat for another minute.

Add the dry ingredients and mix for a minute or so, scraping down the sides and the bottom to make sure things are well incorporated.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and beat to combine.

Spray a 9X9 inch brownie pan with non-stick cooking spray.

I got my pan for $.25 at the Sallie Shop, aka The Salvation Army.
I love the way the bottom is scored into a plaid pattern by the millions of batches of brownies that have been made in the pan.
I like to think that this pan belonged to some sweet Grannie
who loved to bake 'em up for her darlings.
But who knows?
Some skanky geezer could have been cooking the crack in this thing for all I know.
It is part of the charm of buying at the Sallie Shop.

After spritzing the Grannie pan with Pam, pour in the batter and smooth it out.

Throw a handful of chips on top -- or nuts if you prefer,
And bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Brownies are done when they jiggle just a little in the center.

let cool, and cut into 9 massive brownies or 18 reasonable sized ones.

We're not here to judge.

Chicken Divan. A fab fifties fav is back!

A giant casserole dish filled with chicken, broccoli and cheese sauce= frugal dinner in a hurry.

To serve 8 you'll need :

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached and cut into bite sized pieces
2 pounds of broccoli and/or cauliflower
1/2 stick butter
4 cups milk
4 cups cheese
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Smoked Paprika, garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the cooked chicken chunks into the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thaw the broccoli and/or cauliflower. I like to save time and water by putting the frozen vegetables into a colander and pouring over the chicken cooking water.

It helps to have one of these pots from the QVC that has the locking lid with the holes, but it isn't necessary.

You could also just nuke the veggies for 4 minutes to thaw.

Drain well and add to the chicken.

And now, make the dreaded white sauce.

You could also just crack open a jar of Cheez Whiz. We don't judge.

To make the cheese sauce, start by melting a half a stick of butter over low heat.
Add 3 tablespoons flour and stir to combine.
Cook for 2 minutes but don't let flour brown.
Meanwhile, nuke 4 cups of milk until warm.
Add the milk all at once and whisk hard to combine.
Cook, whisking constantly until sauce thickens.

Taste and add salt, pepper, mustard and Worchestershire sauce.
Shut off the heat and add the cheese.

Stir until cheese is melted and well combined.
Taste and correct seasoning.

Pour over vegetables and chicken.

Try to cover the veggies pretty well.
Sprinkle with smoked paprika--pretty and delicious.

Bake until bubbly -- approximately 25 minutes.

Or if you have little darlings who don't like to wait until the food cools off, pull the casserole out of the oven when the edges start to bubble
and spoon from the edges for the adults and from the center for the children.

If there is any left over, and I do mean if,
this makes a pretty good leftover.

What's For Dinner Mom ?!!!!!!!

Most days around 4 in the afternoon it hits me like a freight train:
OMG dinner!
What the heck? So the scramble starts.
This recipe is one of those panic meals.


3 pounds of hamburger I should have cooked yesterday, grab it, rummage through the cabinets,ah Mexican.....not enough tacos...too little time...

1 box of taco dinner

1 extra package taco seasoning mix

1 can beans, any kind, liquid drained

1 can black olives

1 can green chilies

1 can stewed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes

2 8 ounce packages shredded cheese-- mozzarella or cheddar

1 cup lettuce chopped

1 med onion chopped

1 package taco sauce


Brown the ground beef, drain the excess, add one can of beans (I used butter beans), 1can green chilies, two package taco seasoning mix.....(one came in the taco dinner package).

add 1 can stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes..red peppers flakes to taste.
Put mixture in a large casserole dish...

Cover mixture with shredded mozzarella and Cheddar cheese and , pop in preheated 350 degree oven for 30minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is bubbly.

Cut up lettuce,onions and black olives...

Remove dish from the oven and cover with the cut up veggies.
Pour taco sauce over top and serve with tortilla chips or soft tacos.

This meal is quick and works well.
No muss, no fuss,
works for me and of course the kids, well,

THEY LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Love you Mr. President, take us home

A little white boy and white girl from Concord NH dreamed big
and became the adopted children of our 44th president
while on a trip to the nation's capitol with their family.



We are all a little Obama crazed in our family,
so the kids jumped right in the photo,
eager to play on their new swing set and get to know their long lost sisters.



Only in America,
where dreams really do come true.

What's For Dinner? Pasta with Spicy Shrimp Sauce

Got 10 bucks and 10 minutes?

The next time frozen shrimp goes on sale, buy a few bags and stash them in the freezer. Shrimp can easily substitute for chicken in loads of recipes and is usually a welcome change. I say usually because I know there are all sorts of horrible children out there who are uninterested in eating buggy looking shrimp. Just means there is more for the worthy to snarf up.

Tonight I made a fast pasta sauce using precooked frozen shrimp and some ingredients from the pantry.

It was a delicious, fairly healthy dinner--all completed in the time it took to cook the pasta.

Spicy Shrimp Sauce over Orecchiette

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes--more or less to taste
1 can petite diced tomatoes
handful of green olives, sliced

2 pound bag medium sized frozen shrimp

1 1/2 pounds orrecchiette or other small pasta

Grated Parmesan cheese, optional for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until done. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until onion is limp and translucent. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.

Add the rest of the sauce ingredients (hold off on adding the shrimp) and simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors. Turn the heat to low, add the shrimp and warm through.

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the pasta in a large bowl. Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.

Seven Layer Dip: A crowd Pleasing Frugal Favorite

The first time I made this dip was in 1988--Peter and I rented a tiny cottage next to the light house in Chatham. We had been married for about a year and for our first "family" vacation we drove about 11 hours from our apartment in Alexandria Virginia to spend a week on Cape Cod.

It was about million degrees and the humidity was about a thousand percent when we were packing...shockingly we didn't bring anything heavier than a t-shirt.

The cape being the cape, the high temperature for the week was about 65. We had to snuggle to keep warm. It was a good thing I still liked him back then.

Anyway I made this dip to go with cocktails after the beach. It's still a great one to make -- everyone likes it, it is pretty simple to make and I can't think of anything better to scarf down in the middle of the night with a handful of fritos.....

Seven Layer Dip

2 packages cream cheese at warm room temperature
1/2 package spicy taco seasoning mix
1 can refried beans with green chilis
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, diced and spritzed with lime juice to prevent browning
1 small can sliced olives
3 green onions sliced thinly
1 can baby corn, sliced into thin rounds (optional)

2 large bags tortilla chips or fritos

Beat the taco seasoning into the cream cheese until smoothly combined.

Spread in the bottom of a 9X13 inch shallow baking pan or decorative dish.

Stir together the beans and the salsa and pour over the cream cheese layer. Spread to cover.

Frost with the sour cream.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over all.

Top with the remaining ingredients.

Serve immediately or chill for up to 48 hours before serving with the chips.

Killer Coleslaw: cheap, easy and delicious

This coleslaw was the hit of the Kimball School Staff Appreciation Luncheon. Becky Bliss made two ginormous bowls and it was snarfed up faster than the crockpot chili or any of the cupcakes.

It is a little sweet, very crunchy and somehow it seems really healthy, even with bacon and mayo and sugar.

Which is exactly my kind of healthy.

Slaw:

2 bags coleslaw shreds
3 bunches broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
1 bag dried cranberries
1 medium onion, minced
15 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

Dressing:

2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar


Combine the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over slaw. Stir to combine. Serve very cold.

With kindest thanks to Becky Bliss for this recipe.

Winners! Concord Crew Men's Varsity 8

Concord Crew Boys Varsity One Men's Boat won yesterday the infamous Crimson Cup.

My son is so proud, and racing for Concord Crew will end on a very good note. After 8 wonderful seasons they finally won a race.

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tilapia on the Grill

First things first:
Start the grill, turn on high, and close the cover.



Gather all ingredients:

3lbs Tilapia ( 4.68 per lb). or one piece per person
1 1/2 stick butter (.75 )
3 whole lemons (one for garnish) (1.33)
3 teaspoons chopped rosemary (1.99)
Some additional rosemary for garnish

3 medium potatoes ( .99)
3 medium summer squash (1.99)
3 medium zucchini (1.99)
Slice up the potatoes and veggies,
(the thinner the better on the potatoes because you'll be cooking them on the grill).



Melt butter, squeeze juice of two lemons right into the bowl and add the chopped rosemary.



Brush the mixture on both sides of each item.



Head out to the grill with the potatoes. Turn the grill down to medium.
Place the potatoes and leave the cover open, cook each side 3 minutes.




Add the veggies and the fish and close the cover for 3 minutes each side, or until fish is cooked through. Baste with the butter mixture as needed.



Remove the meal from grill, garnish with lemon slices and rosemary

and Enjoy!!!!!!

Tilapios?

Frugal Feasts Column May 20, 2009

Fish Tacos with Apple Ginger Slaw

For the Tilapia:

8 fillets (approximately 2 pounds)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for the grill pan

Salt and Pepper fillets to taste. Oil grill or saute pan generously.
Heat pan until hot but not smoking and lay the fish on the pan.
Cook undisturbed for 4 minutes. Turn and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes,
until fish is cooked through but not falling apart.

For the Apple Ginger Slaw

1 package shredded coleslaw mix
2 red delicious or other apple, chopped into small dice

Dressing:

2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger or 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
2 sliced jalapeno pepper, minced
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider or wine vinegar
2/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
juice of 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until sugar is dissolved.

Pour over slaw and toss well. Refrigerate until serving time.

To assemble the tacos:

8 flour or corn tortillas
1 ripe avocado diced and spritzed with lime juice to prevent browning
jalapenos to taste
lime wedges

Place a fillet into each tortilla. Top with a scoop of slaw, and jalapeno and lime to taste.

Menage a Tilapia

Here's a funny thing: today's column is about food.
Shocking!
A food column that is about food.
Not dirty socks,
Not taking holiday pictures,
Not a single mention of how much we hate snow days.

Go figure.

You can read all the dirty dishes yourself over at the Concord Monitor.

Pout? Not So Much. Arms? Forget about It.

I am feeling like our cookbook may be highlighting the old and puffy look.
don't cha agree?