Fudgy Brownies

Here is a homemade fudge brownie recipe! I had never made brownies from scratch, always used a store bought mix because I thought it was easier! I found this recipe and I had everything for it on hand. We will have it warmed up with some vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce on top. I got this recipe out of a cookbook I have and I didn't change anything about it. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I didn't use any, wanted to see what it tasted like pure chocolate first)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8x8 pan and set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate on low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until just combined then stir in flour and nuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.

I only had to bake for 20 minutes and it was completely done so I suggest starting at 15 and going up from there. I also cut the butter up into about 5 pieces to help everything melt evenly. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Beef Stew

Hi guys! I am finally posting! This is the first of two recipes I have to post! Since it has been so cold and icy here I wanted some kind of soup and something that comforts since I have been sick. I did change several things about this recipe though. Some of the changes are marked in the recipe but I also made a list at the end. Look for (*) through the recipe and that will let you know what I changed. Here goes my first recipe:

2 lbs stew beef
2 tblsp vegtable oil* (I used olive oil)
2 cups of water* ( I used 1 cup sweet red wine and 1 cup water)
1 tblsp worcestershire
1 clove garlic* ( I used pre-minced jarred garlic)
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion* (Omitted)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar* (Omitted since I used sweet red wine)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
dash of ground allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots* (I bought pre-sliced and bagged to save time)
3 ribs celery* (Omitted)
2 tblsp cornstarch* (Stew was thick enough)

DIRECTIONS: Brown the meat in hot oil, but don't cook all the way through. Add water, worcestershire, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice/clove. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. Remove bay leaf and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook another 30 to 40 minutes. To thicken sauce, remove 2 cups of hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and bring to boil. Serve with biscuits, or any side of your choice.

Ok, I wrote the recipe exactly how I got it (Paula Dean recipe). I did change several things to make it my own though.

CHANGES: I also added about a pound of red potatoes that were cut into bite size pieces. I added the potatoes about 45 minutes into cooking, and they ended up being mushy, I don't mind that but if you like them a little firmer then add them with the carrots. I ended up adding two more cups of water toward the end because there was hardly any liquid left. When I make this again I am going to start with 1 cup of water, 1 cup of red wine, and 1 cup of beef broth. Just depends on how much liquid you like in your stew.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!! Still eating the leftovers :) The picture of the pot is the leftovers once a few bowls were already eaten ;)

Please leave me feedback on this post, I am trying to make this easy to read and follow. Thanks for reading!!