Heavenly Chocolate Brownie~ My Original Recipe

   Indulgence  de  Chocolat                                                                                 

I have a little story to tell you about how I developed this  Heavenly Chocolate Brownie Recipe .
We were getting ready to leave the house, to pick up my Foster Daughter, and I suddenly wanted to
make brownies to take with us....I only had one hour to do this.  I had no Brownie mixes, nor Cake
 mixes, and I did not have enough time to "analyze" any more recipes from Pinterest.  I had tried a
recipe on Pinterest that claimed it was the best ever brownies and, well, if I'm gonna splurge on
calories, it has to be The Bomb, or I won't waste my calories.  Those brownies were not chocolatey
enough, nor were they moist enough or rich enough.  I am a true Brownie Lover, to the 10th power.

I got flustered  and prayed , "God, please just tell me what to put in the bowl and how much, In Jesus Name' I Pray, Amen". He answers my every prayer.
He started telling me the ingredients and the measures and I made them.
They cooled in the baking dish, (glass)....for about 4-5 hours and Oh My Sweet Jesus!  We went bonkers
when we tasted them.  Never, in my 52, uhm, I mean, '25' years, lol, have I EVER tasted brownies that are
so unbelievably, irresistibly, undeniably Out Of This World.  They are dangerously delicious!!! and, I mean
it!

If you are a chocolate lover that has no self control, click out of my Blog as soon as possible; don't go any further.  You can not imagine how hard the challenge to resist going back for seconds will be.  

ps  Since God, Himself gave me this recipe for Heavenly Chocolate Brownies, I am convinced that they are
the exact ones that are served in, you guessed it,  In Heaven . 
So, here goes...............

                   ~Heavenly Chocolate Brownie Recipe~

Preheat oven to 400 degrees:

Dry Ingredients~
2     c. white granular sugar 

2/3  c. cocoa powder   

1     c. plain flour 

1/8  t. salt
1/2  t. baking soda 

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. 

Wet Ingredients~

 1 1/2    Bars Real Butter, melted, cooled 

 3          large eggs 

 1/4 c.   vegetable oil

 1/4 c.   Hershey's syrup
1 1/2 t.  Pure Vanilla Extract

 Melt butter, then pour into dry ingredients, stir well before adding eggs, oil, and Hershey's  Syrup.  Lastly, add Pure Vanilla and stir 
until incorporated.

  
Spread batter in an 11"x9" glass baking dish. 

Bake for 21 minutes.  Remove from the oven
and allow to cool before cutting. 

or until toothpick inserted in the center, comes out almost clean. 

Let Brownies cool for 1 hour before cutting,or they might be really gooey. 

I know that it is fat and carb overload, but, you can ration yourself and only bake it on Special Occasions.

I can truely say that these are The Best Brownies EVER!!!!! 

I don't think I will be purchasing many packages of 

Brownie Mix anymore......I had considered making my own mixes anyway, after I saw it on Pinterest, but, I don't think any other recipe can compare, without adding chunks of candy bars chopped up, or caramel, or anything else.  

 After you bake these, please let me know what you and your family think of these brownies. 

                                     

 

DELICIOUS ONION RINGS AND MORE

This recipe makes the best tasting Onion Rings ever.  I wish they were
healthy , lol.

For the flour mixture, I put flour into a bowl, and add plenty of my absolutely favorite
seasoning ever....."Tony Chacherie's  Creole Seasoning" and whisk it well.

 In this pic, I also have some boneless
chicken breast strips, but, you can
clearly see the Onion
Rings.  They were so delicious!!!









These are my "treasures" that I bought on Ebay, about 6 or 7 years ago.
Aren't they beautiful?  The front one, is called a "milk bowl"; not sure why?
But, it is perfect for the flour mixture, to batter the Onion Rings, and chicken strips.
The bowl in the back is taller, and it is perfect for the "egg wash".  

I love them.  They are so nostalgic looking.  The design is called "picket fences"
because of the "peaks and valleys" on the sides.  

~My tip~
By tossing  the onion slices in the flour first, then, in the egg wash, then, back into to flour,
it ( the flour)gives the onion rings something for the egg wash to cling to , therefore, making them crunchier when deep fried.

For the Flour mixture, I use about 2 cups of all
purpose Flour and to it, I add one teaspoon of
Tony Chacheries' Creole Seasoning; whisk it
well.

~If I'm just frying Onion Rings, I reduce the
amount of Flour to 1 cup and the Seasoning to
1/2 teaspoon . 



For the "egg wash", I mix two eggs, about 1/2 teaspoon of Tony Chacheries' , and about 1/4
cup of  Evaporated Milk, and whisk it well.

~Depending on how much chicken you are frying, you may need to add another egg, and 1/8 cup of  Evaporated Milk, and about 1/4
teaspoon Tony's Seasoning or more. 

Deep fry until golden brown, drain on paper towels, on top of  a brown paper bag on a
pizza pan or a cookie sheet.  Serve hot.

  I use the same flour mixture,egg wash, then, flour mixture
for the chicken too.  Fabulous!!!  You can also use this recipe for battering zucchini strips
or slices, yellow squash slices, mushrooms, cauliflower florets, okra and anything else that
you would fry like tenderized sirloin steak for county fried steak, pork chops....you can
make your own chicken nuggets  and freeze them .  When you are in a hurry, just place the
pieces on a sheet of foil, on a pizza pan, and warm them in the oven til crispy.



ps   I love to mix ketchup and red hot sauce( I use habanero sauce)  together and dip the
 onion rings in it.
I hope you will try these wonderful Onion Rings.  Let me know what you think of this recipe
after you have tried it. 

Thank you for visiting my blog .
Tami   

Smart Solutions

I have found the perfect way to fill qrt. size freezer bags with soup, roast beef, spaghetti sauce or lasagna meat sauce, without  spilling ; I fit a qrt. size bag into a large, plastic tumbler ( drinking cup).  It is the perfect size and leaves enuf room for expansion in the bag while freezing..... I will be buying several of these to use for this purpose; you can usually find these in packs of 4, at the Dollar General, Family Dollar, or Dollar Tree .  http://pinterest.com/cajunindian/great-ideas/

Things to keep in your automobile

This will save you time and money.

If you get invited to birthday parties,baby showers,
and bridal showers, you should buy a small cont-
ainer to store a roll of tape, scissors, cards and
some different colored ribbons, along with some
flat packages of wrapping paper for each of these
3 types of parties.

I also like to keep some liquid soap in a drawer
under the seat, for cleanup after eating on the
go. I keep two wash cloths in the drawer because
I always have bottled water with me.

I have a hair brush,some deoderant and a pkg. of
in the drawer,little toothbrushes from the
Dollar Tree that contains toothpaste,in the
drawer under the front seat of my van for
emergencies,too.

Another thing that I keep on hand is envelopes, a
notebook, an ink pen, and some stamps.

It is always a good idea to keep a brand new
disposable camera in your glove box or in a
special box under your seat, for incase you ever
get into a wreck or witness a wreck. Take a pic
of the car and driver that hits you and the lic.
plate too. If the person leaves the scene of the
accident that they caused, you can always send
a copy of the pics to the 3 local TV channels
and ask them to show them on the News,asking
anyone who has any info, to call the local
Police and report it. I always keep a notebook
and ink pens in the van to jot down any notes
I will need to remember.

I purchased a wicker basket to take up the space
between the two front seats in my van to put
mail, cell phone chargers and other things in
and keep them organized. I also bought another
wicker basket with a fabric liner and I lined it
with a plastic bag from the grocery store; I use
it to keep trash contained in my van. I can't
stand it when people throw trash in their
car. I simply empty the bag when I go to the
dump each week.

BBQ'D BABY BACK RIBS

Baby back Pork Ribs, remove the white, paper thin membrane
from the underside of the ribs and season with Tony Chacherie's
Creole Seasoning and rub the seasoning into the ribs on both sides.
Mix the marinade in a Ziploc bag and place ribs in marinade for 3
 hours (recipe follows):

Marinade:
1/2 bottle Italian Salad Dressing
soy sauce, about 8-10 squirts
garlic powder, lightly sprinled over ribs
worcestershire sauce, about 4-5 shakes

Next:
Prepare your BBQ grill after about 1 1/2 hours from the time
you started marinating the ribs. 
Place rack of ribs on hot grill, when the coals are white and
ashy looking. I use the matchlite coals that ignite instantly.  
I prefer the flavor  that charcoals give the meat.

Meanwhile, prepare your BBQ Sauce (recipe follows):
Grill on a Charcoal Grill (or you can bake the ribs 350 degrees)
until almost done. Test with a fork for doneness.

BBQ Sauce:
1 bottle of your favorite Hickory BBQ Sauce (mine is Bullseye or
K.C. Masterpiece )
2 T. butter
garlic powder
1 T. honey
2 T. dark brown sugar

In a small sauce pan, melt butter, add about 1 cup of BBQ sauce
a sprinkle of garlic powder
1 T. honey
2 T. dark brown sugar
Heat well, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Turn ribs over on the grill, then baste generously with thickened sauce,
on the topside of the ribs first..
Let cook for about 15 minutes, then turn ribs again and baste the
bottom side generously. Let cook for about 10-15 minutes and  turn
 one more time and bast the topside again. Let cook for 5 minutes,
then, remove to a tray, and allow to rest for 5 minutes .Enjoy!

I server the BBQ Ribs  with Bush's Baked Beans and Cajun Potato
Salad, which I will post at a later date.

DOING DOUBLE DUTY

I like to BBQ different kinds of meat when I do BBQ.
Yesterday, I marinated some Baby Back Ribs
and some boneless chicken breasts .



(TIP)I thawed some chicken breasts in the Ziploc Freezer bag
that I had frozen them in and I sliced each one
in half, because they were so thick and huge.
I seasoned them with Tony Chacheries' seasoning
and I mixed a 1/2 cup of Italian salad dress-
ing, 6 squirts of liquid smoke, 7 squirts of
soy sauce and 5 squirts of worcestershire
sauce and 1 squirt of Dales' marinade.

(TIP)I used the same Ziploc bag that the chicken
breasts were in, to do Double Duty to marinate
them .

It also saved me from having to dirty another
dish to marinate the meat in. I also marinated
the Baby Back Ribs in another Ziploc bag.
When I placed them on the grill, I simply poured
out the marinade on the grass and zipped the
bag shut and threw it away.

MOST IMPORTANT TIP I COULD EVER GIVE YOU:
It is extremely important that you never use the
marinade on the meat once it has been cooking,
unless you first heat it up to a boiling point for
about one minute to kill the germs, then you
can brush the meat with the marinade.

You can use the chicken breasts on a salad or
on a pizza or make really quick fajitas with them.
Enjoy! 

CHOCOLAT

                                                       

I love Chocolat! But, who does not, hon???
I get cravings for Chocolat late in the evening.
Have you ever bought those little bowls called,
"Warm Delights" at the grocery store? They
taste great and are a little bit expensive...
but, they only take 45 seconds in the micro-
wave oven.

Well, I decided to keep the bowls that they come
in and "recycle" them. I tried a small package
of Brownie Mix and it was great. I decided to
divide a regular size box of Brownie Mix in half
and mix it up with half the ingredients. The
results were fabulous! I cooked them for 45 seconds,
checked them and cooked them for an additional
10 seconds. The bowls are about 3 1/2 inches
in diameter. You could even use some glass ramekins
which are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.
One regular box Brownie Mix will make about 4
bowls if you use the whole box of mix.
Delicious!

You could experiment with a choped up bite size
candy bar mixed in, or a piece of caramel and
you can always add some chopped pecans or
walnuts.

Be sure to have some ice cold Milk on hand,
becuz you will want some with your fudgy brownies .

REBECCA'S CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN MUFFINS

                                                        
                                  

 My friend, Rebecca, made these fabulous muffins for
 a Friday Nite Game Nite and we loved them. They are
 good that they demand a glass of ice cold milk be enjoyed with them.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

                                          3/4 c. sugar
                                          1 1/2 c. self rising flour
                                          1 1/2 teaspoons  pie spice or cinnamon 
                                          1/4 c. vegetable oil
                                           2 eggs
                                          1/4 c. water
                                          3/4 c. pumpkin (canned)
                                          3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

                                          Mix all the ingredients except the chocolate chips .

                    




   It'll look something like this before adding
   the miniature chocolate chips.

                                                      Fold-in miniature chocolate chips.

                       




  Spoon muffin batter into the muffin pan,
  filling them approximately 3/4 full.

   Set timer for 15 minutes, for regular size muffins,
   then, check them, using a toothpick inserted in the center
   of the muffin, to check for doneness.

   Bake 400 degrees 15-20 minutes,or
   if baking mini muffins, bake only 15 minutes.
                                                                                       

  Allow muffins to cook in the pan for a few minutes.

  Next, using a butter knife, pass it around
  the muffins to loosen them and flip them
  on their side to allow the bottoms to cool.

                                         These are so delicious.  I hope that you enjoy them.

                                          Check back for other recipes and tips and treasures.
                                                                           Tami
                                                          

THE PERFECTLY BREWED SWEET TEA

I have discovered the perfect way to brew Tea is in the microwave
oven and it comes out tasting identical every single time, plus, you
never have to worry about a pot of Tea boining over on the stove,
which makes the Tea taste bitter if you boil it.

I use my 8 cup glass measuring cup (Pampered Chef)
and I fill it with 8 cups of cold water and 10 regular size Tea bags,
then I microwave it for 6 minutes. Once it is done, I let it "steep"
for 20 minutes or more.

Once it has steeped and is very dark brown, I remove the the Tea
bags and add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar and stir briskly, until dissolved.
I then, pour the Tea into a funnel and into the Tea jug, then, I put the
bags back in the measuring cup and fill it with cold water and microwave
it for 3 more minutes, then let it steep.
Add it ti the Tea jug and shake well.

You can empty the tea bags and pour the wet tea grounds on your
garden as compost or simply discard.

The Best Stuffed Bellpeppers You'll Ever Eat!!!

These "Cajun gems " are so good..                         

1/2 bunch green onions, sliced (green & white parts)
6-8 medium bellpeppers, cored (chop only the part around
the stem to saute')
2 stips thick bacon or = amount of real bacon bits
reserve 2 T. bacon drippings for saute'ing veggies
1 lg. onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. celery, minced
1/2 can Rotel tomatoes with juice
1 c. Cooked rice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. pure pork link sausage, skinned & chpd.
1/2 lb. ground Beef or ground Turkey , browned, drained

Topping:
Seasoned bread crumbs
2 T. Parmesan cheese (1 tsp. on each pepper)
Butter, on top (1 tsp. on each pepper)

Fry the bacon, remove to paper towels to drain.
In 2 T. bacon drippings, saute' all the veggies;
garlic should be last so it doesn't burn.

In a separate fry pan, saute' the sausage and brown the
beef in 1 T. oil and then, drain both on paper towels.

To the veggies in the pan, add crumbled bacon, cooked
rice, 1/2 can Rotel mild tomatoes wi/juice , salt & pepper
and drained, browned beef and link sausage. Simmer 2
minutes.

Cut the top off of the bellpeppers, devein, and remove seeds.
Place the bellpeppers in a pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes,
just to partially cook them. Remove and dunk in ice water.
Drain in a dish towel. Stuff the bellpeppers and sprinkle
with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and top with 1 tsp.
butter on each.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I serve them with garlic buttered crusty French Bread
and mashed potaoes.

You will love these.~

WALNUT CHICKEN STIR FRY

This is such a delicious stir fry. Chinese food
is one of my favorite Ethnic Foods. I have had
this recipe in my recipe file of Favs for 23 years.
It's so easy and so good!
ps  Tip of the day: To preserve your favorite recipes,
put them in plastic sheet covers and keep them in
a 3 ring binder. You can get a package of 50 sheet'
covers for $3.50 @ Walmart. :)

~Recipe~

5 T. Crisco oil, divided
5 tsp. soy sauce,low sodium,divided
3 tsp. cornstarch,divided
2-3 chicken breasts,boneless,skinless,
cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c. chicken broth,low sodium
1/2 tsp. fresh ground ginger
1/2 tsp. dried,crushed red pepper
1 med. onion,cut into 1" strips
1 clove garlic,minced
1/2 lb. broccoli,cut into 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Hot cooked rice

Mix 1 T. Crisco oil, 2 tsps. soy sauce,
and 1 tsp. cornstarch in small bowl.
Stir in chicken to coat. Cover and
refrigerate 30 mins.

Meanwhile, mix chic. broth,ginger,remaining
3 tsps. soy sauce and 2 tsps. cornstarch.
Set aside.

Heat remaining Crisco oil in large skillet.
Stir fry refrigerated chicken mixture and
dried red pepper over med. heat till chicken
is no longer pink. Remove chicken from the
skillet until tender. Add chick.en and broth.
Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Stir in walnuts. Serve with rice.
4 servings

Tamar  

NON ALCOHOLIC CHAMPAGNE

I love Champagne, although I've only had it
about 4 times in my life, maybe 5. This tastes
like Champagne, but, it doesn't make you giggly.
Shucks!
This is great for New Years Eve and people can
still drive after they drink it. ha
It is great for Wedding Receptions too.
Enjoy!

Non Alcoholic Champagne

1 2 liter bottle 7-up
1 1/2 gallon apple juice
2 drops cinnamon oil (found in baking aisle)

Mix.
Chill.
Serve.
Enjoy. It's delicious!

ps you can freeze some applejuice in a bundt
pan; as it melts it won't weaken the flavor .
Just add more 7-up and cinn. oil as needed.

MOM'S MAHOGANY CHOCOLATE CAKE by TAMAR

To me,  this is the most precious of all of my dear, sweet,
late Mommas' recipes .  She loved to bake Christmas cookies
and she would make all sorts sweets like homemade fudge, divinity,
Turtles (pecans, caramel and chocolate) and Mounds candies (coconut
filling then, dipped in chocolate). And, then there is her signature cherry
chocolate cake, "Mahogany Cake " .It is so perfect; it's not too sweet,
not to rich and not too chocolatey.  It's just perfect and it gets better each
day that it sits at room temperature. The third day is amazing, if your family
 can resist eating it all before the 2nd and 3rd day.

 She made this every Christmas .
I have such fond memories of her and our family enjoying this
delicious cake together; it was a "tradition" in our home and she
served it with vanilla ice cream.
Please forgive me if I have blogged about this recipe
before, it is just so wonderful.

ps   I don't know where she got this recipe, but, nobody,
outside of my home town of Mamou, has ever heard of a
Mahogany Chocolate Cake. 

MOM'S MAHOGANY CHOCOLATE CAKE   
               
 If you love chocolate and maraschinos cherries , you will adore this cake.

Dry Ingredients:
4   C .sugar
2    t. baking soda
1    T. cinnamon
1    t. salt
1   C. cocoa
4   C. flour

Whisk all the above ingredients, in the Magnalite Dutch Oven (Magnalite is
the brand of cookware used in south Louisiana).. Then, whisk-in the cherry juice and remaining
liquids, leaving eggs for last.

Wet Ingredients:
2   sm. jars of cherries, (pour cherry juice in oil, set cherries aside in
     a bowl for last step) 

1   C. cooking oil
1   C. boiling water
1   C. buttermilk
1   T. Pure Vanilla

Pour wet ingredients into the whisked mixture and stir until well blended

Add:
4   lg. eggs , slightly beaten
Stir in slightly beaten eggs just until there is no sign of raw egg and it
is just incorporated enough.  This gives the cake leavening .
*do not over beat after adding the eggs.

Drop cherries, one at a time, starting in the center, working outward,
placing them about an inch apart from one another.  

(dutch oven).
Bake 300* , 2 1/2 hours
Someday, I will show a pic of this cake .
So sorry that I forgot to take a pic.