Black Bean Brownies

I decided to jump up onto the black bean brownie train.  I have been seeing it appear on blog after blog and it always looks.... cool.  I had a bag of dried brown beans, so I figured why not join in?

The recipe I used was based off of of the Happy Herbivore's version because it was a bit healthier.  Some of the others I had seen included multiple sticks of butter and things of that nature.  The only problem was the binding agent.  You'll see, later.  

After soaking the black beans in cold water overnight and boiling them for about an hour and half, I measured out 15 ounces of  beans. 

 

The recipe called for cocoa powder, but of course, I didn't have any, so I melted down some baking chocolate to equal the same amount. 

 

The other ingredients were added in (agave, cinnamon, vanilla) and then I had a problem.  The binding agent?  2 BANANAS.  

John hates bananas. 

After hemming and hawing, I settled on using only 1 banana and then supplementing it with 1 egg.  I was afraid to get rid of the bananas totally because I there wasn't much else included along the lines of sweeteners. 

 

After this was all mixed up together, and some oats thrown in for good measure, I greased the 8x8 pan.

  

Could I be more frugal?  After I finish a stick of butter, I throw the wrapper in the freezer.  When it is time to grease a pan, I just use the wrapper.  I can get 2 8x8 pans greased with 1 wrapper.  LOVE saving money!

 

The batter was then smeared into the pan and baked. 

 

The finished result was just okay.  John didn't like it, but he didn't know why.  He couldn't taste the banana until after I told him it was there.  I think it just needs to be a little less healthy.  

Fear not.  I will try it again.  

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Snow Day Cookies!

We had yet another snow day today.  My 14-year-old cousin came over since her school had an early dismissal and we made cookies.  

Actually, she made the cookies and I ate the cookie dough.  She is really good in the kitchen.  And she washes dishes.  

Anyway....Ingredients:

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cup flour (We used Whole Wheat)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar.
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• We added a few sprinkles of cinnamon

First, we (and by we, I mean she) mixed the oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together.

 

Then we used my new hand mixer (well, Christmas-new, so a few months old now) to combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar.

 When it was all combined, we added the eggs and vanilla, and then the dry mix.

 

  

After it was shaped into balls,

and baked,

 

it turned into a decadent treat!

And don't worry, I didn't make her do all of the work.  I helped out when the computer started acting up.

See?  I help! 

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No-Bake Cookies

We hadn't baked cookies in a really long time, so I was looking for a really cool oatmeal-peanut butter recipe.  I found it!  No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. Yeah.  They are awesome.  Of course, I had to tweak them!

First, I melted the 2 tablespoons of butter. 

 

Then, I mixed in 1/4 cup milk, a tiny but of salt, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the mix and let it all boil.  

 

When it was nice and bubbly...

 

I added in 1 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter,  and 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

 

 Stirring it took more than a little elbow grease,

 

 but the next step was easy.  I just spooned it out onto some aluminum foil and let it cool in the fridge.  I probably didn't need to refrigerate it, but we wanted to eat them right away.  

 

They tasted SO good and really, for cookies, they aren't that bad for you!

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The (Ugly, yet Delicious) Truth

I have decided to come clean.  Based on the way I post, you probably think that I eat pretty well.  Here is the truth.  I don't.  I mean, I try.  Really, I do.  But I am weak.  And I have a sweet tooth. 

Therefore, this was my 10 pm dessert. 

A warm brownie, chocolate marshmallow ice cream (although I have to say, it is frozen yogurt.  John's choice, not mine.), and a sugar cookie. 

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Thrown Together Meals

Let me just start off with the end products. 

I came home after work today completely exhausted.  I hadn't planned dinner AND I was hungry and cranky.  I wanted a Macaroni Monday, but didn't want the typical topping.     After snooping around in the fridge, I found the mushrooms I bought.  ::LIGHTBULB::  MUSHROOM SAUCE.  Yeah. 

 

I started with a little bit of butter melted in the pan.  (Shhhh....Don't tell John!  He doesn't DO butter.)

I added the sliced up Portabellas and let them simmahhhhh.

Once they were set, I added 2 sliced up onions and a bunch of sliced up garlic to the mix.

John smashed the garlic, THANKS JOHN!!

Eventually, the flavors all blend together and are just steamy.

Check out those flavors floating through the air!  You know it's ready when you can smell it and you can barely keep yourself from devouring it! 

Of course, what meal is finished without dessert?  What do you get when you mix:

 

1 melted banana,

3 spoonfuls of peanut butter, 1 spoonful of cinnamon syrup,

 

and a just-about-cooked-brownie that is so delicious that I may or may not have been scooping secret bites from?

HEAVEN!!

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Sweets!

Chocolate Covered Katie has been making babies for a while now.  She makes them often.  I always read about them and think, "hmmm, they sound good!" but I never make them.  I sometimes wonder if they are really as good as she makes them out to be.  Last night, I decided to try.  Armed with peanuts, dates, and sheer determination, I tried. 

I used 3/4 cup dates and 1/4 cup peanuts.  They are super easy to make.

 

The verdict?  They were AMAZING.  You have to click yourself over here and make them yourself.  You will become a believer.  I did.  

On the subject of sweets, John and I made a gingerbread house today!  Not a foodie gingerbread house, a fun, pre-made gingerbread house!

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Birthday Presents

Today was my dad's birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!).  To fuly understand why I gave him the present I did, you first need to know the back-story.  When he was growing up (with 5 siblings!) the kids, on their birthday, could choose ANYTHING they wanted for dinner.  Every year, my dad picked ravioli.  He loved ravioli on his birthday.  My whole life, at least as much as I remember, he continued to have ravioli on his birthday (do I get my insistence on tradition from him?  Hmmmmmm...).  This year, we were going out the night before his birthday because my mom and I had to go to a bridal shower on his actual day.  So we would not be around for any kind of OFFICIAL birthday cooking.

Last week when I made the home made macaroni this delicious idea hatched in my crazy head.  I knew my dad

1) loved ravioli on his birthday

and 

2) hated to cook on his birthday, although he loves to cook any other time

HOME MADE RAVIOLI birthday present!  I borrowed some cookie cutters and made them in different shapes.  John even helped!  I didn't take any pictures because they would have looked pretty much the same as the ones on the home made macaroni post.  My photography skills have not yet improved.

Now I was very content with what I did, but it seemed incomplete.  I vegged out on the couch catching up on some blog reading and brainstormed (I multitask).  Anne over at Fab Frugal Food had recently posted about Home Made Peanut Butter Cups. My dad loves both chocolate and peanut butter.  I was sold.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.  Apparently I am chocolate-melting impaired. 

I lined the muffin pans with cupcake thingies and I was so excited.  I don't have a double boiler and I don't have any bowls I can put in a pot to make one, so I opted to microwave melt.

I put about 1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips in a bowl and microwaved in 30 second increments, stirring in between each set.  It wouldn't get smooth, but I didn't bother about it.  I should have, because it was scorched.  I filled the cups with it and then tasted it.  Eww!  I scooped it all out and rinsed the cupcake liners.  John searched for other melting methods and came up with putting it in a baggie and then in boiling water.  That time the chocolate seized and wouldn't melt.  Chocolate-2, Us-0

Just as I was about to give up and cry, John said he would try and microwave melt it.  So... 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips go into the bowl, and he microwaves it at 30-second increments, stirring in between each set. SAME THING I DID!  And it was perfect.  Towards the end we did add a little vegetable oil to make it smoother.  He is awesome, although he wouldn't let me take a clear, non-stirring picture.  Consider this an action shot.

After the chocolate stress, the rest was easy.  I spooned the chocolate into the cupcake liners and then smooshed it halfway up the sides. Stick it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to harden. 

Next step?  Mix together about a cup of creamy peanut butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  The recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, but my dad isn't a fan of super sweet things.  Heat up that a little so it is pourable, and then put it on top of the chocolate.  Make sure not to fill it up past where the chocolate was smooshed up the sides because that's how the peanut butter leaks out the sides in the finished cup.  Then stick it in the fridge again to harden.

When the peanut butter layer is done, add another chocolate layer and harden again.  John had to do our chocolate again.  We used about 1/2 a cup of chocolate for this layer. 

This recipe made a dozen for us.  My dad loved them.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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