Every now and then, a girl just needs some chocolate. Truth. I'm getting to the point in my life, where not just any chocolate will do. I will not waste my calories on fake chocolate, half-hearted candy bars, and the like.
And now I present to you the best homemade brownies I have ever had! Children liked it, and my husband loved it. His favorite dessert is brownies of all kinds, and he noted how "cocoa-y" these are. YUM YUM. I did not make these with the frosting, so that's saying a lot! I think a good brownie doesn't need frosting, just like a good steak doesn't need steak sauce. Yes, you can borrow that analogy. :)
Cocoa-Licious Brownies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
And the winner is...
Have you heard? The "SPICE" girls have a new occupation: Oscar Night® America party planners! We have the privilege of planning this great event for our friends at the Utah AIDS Foundation. Every year this event is hailed as the "Party of the Year" in Salt Lake City, so we girls are having TONS of fun planning and organizing and emailing each other constantly.
Want to get in on the fun? You can VOLUNTEER and follow us on FACEBOOK! Wanna donate to the Silent Auction, or know someone who wants to be a sponsor? Email us at utahoscarnight@gmail.com!
Stay tuned for more fun details on our "GOLD RUSH" themed event!
Love,
M
Want to get in on the fun? You can VOLUNTEER and follow us on FACEBOOK! Wanna donate to the Silent Auction, or know someone who wants to be a sponsor? Email us at utahoscarnight@gmail.com!
Stay tuned for more fun details on our "GOLD RUSH" themed event!
Love,
M
Friday, January 6, 2012
It's a Cucina kind of day...
Last night, we three "spice" girls had a work meeting at our favorite joint: Cucina Toscana. Oh, how we love this place. We go for each of our birthdays, but we have a big drought of birthday fun between September and April. That is far too long to go without Cucina goodness. :)
They treat us so great there! I almost feel like a celeb. But if I was a celebrity, I probably couldn't get away with stuffing myself like I love doing there! We enjoyed a fun sampler, so here are some of my main recommendations. These items aren't all on the menu, but I bet if you ask nicely, and if they have the ingredients on hand, they'll do a little magic for you. :)
 |
| CUCINA! |
They treat us so great there! I almost feel like a celeb. But if I was a celebrity, I probably couldn't get away with stuffing myself like I love doing there! We enjoyed a fun sampler, so here are some of my main recommendations. These items aren't all on the menu, but I bet if you ask nicely, and if they have the ingredients on hand, they'll do a little magic for you. :)
- Limoncello Pasta: a little bit sweet, a little bit sassy. Angel-hair pasta covered an an uber creamy lemon/sweet sauce. YUM.
- Ravioli: Guess what? All of their ravioli's are good. Last night was no exception: a spinachy savory delight! If they say, "[Blah Blah] Ravioli," just say, "YES, PLEASE!"
- Gnocchi in a FABULOUS meat sauce: I'm sorry-- did you say MEAT sauce? Yes, and it was so dang good.
- Okay, I'm running low on remember names. But it was a lovely appetizer which had pate (I know, but guess what, it's OKAY!), duck, fennel flavor, pear slices, fig with figgy sauce... happy in your mouth! I love the warmth of this dish. I've had it a few times, and I always make sure I have a little fig in every bite. I'm a sucker for sweet/savory.
- Caprese: Can you really ever go wrong with caprese? No. But throw a zuchinni on top?! GRAZI!
- SCALOPPINE DI VITELLO BOSCAIOLA: Try to say that even once! This one is straight from the menu: veal scalloppine served with a ragout of wild porcini mushrooms. I know, veal. Sad, scary... but it's okay, just take a few bites. It's fun and different then something you'd probably choose for yourself.
- We also had a pork tenderloin with a fun, rich burgundy colored sauce that had Chianti, capers, peppercorns, and some other fun flavors.
- Escolar with a Mustard Sauce: Escolar is a firm, white fish. YUM. But my favorite part about this dish is the MUSTARD sauce. You've got actual mustard seeds in it, as well as a little lemon. It is such a lovely pairing with any fish. One of my absolute favorites!
- THE BREAD. Eat it. Don't be shy or say you're saving room. Just eat it. and drizzle the happy sauce on it.
Cucina Toscana
307 W. Pierpont Ave.
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Monday-Friday: 5:30pm-10:00pm
Tell them Colleen, Megan, & Paige sent you!
♥,
M
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Pumpkin Eater
Can you believe that our last post was on October 1st?? We are well into the fall season which is filled with so many yummy goodies, we are getting behind! Alas, we have been busy, and this blog may have some NEW twists and turns to it, as the Spice That girls have embarked on a new business venture TOGETHER. Ahhhh, that is how everything should be.
But have no fear! Fall food is still being enjoyed by many, and I have some yummies to share! At the end of October, I threw a surprise birthday/Halloween party for my husband. In my personal blog, I chronicled all of the good eats that were there, so check it out at: http://megosh.blogspot.com/2011/10/thriller-night.html.
The highlight of the evening was definitely Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Butter belongs in the name because there are TWO sticks of butter in this sweet treat! Oh, but it is worth every calorie. I have made this a second time (per request) and I just LOVE it. IT IS SO GOOD.
My cousin and my neighbor do not like pumpkin things (I know, crazy right?!) and they both love this cake. So basically, this cake brings harmony to all homes.
And on a final note, my next challenge will be to find healthier substitutions that still give such fabulous ooey-gooey flavor. Low-fat cream cheese? I never shake a stick at it. A non-butter butter substitute? We'll just have to suffer through it. ;)
And, at last, here is the recipe:
But have no fear! Fall food is still being enjoyed by many, and I have some yummies to share! At the end of October, I threw a surprise birthday/Halloween party for my husband. In my personal blog, I chronicled all of the good eats that were there, so check it out at: http://megosh.blogspot.com/2011/10/thriller-night.html.
The highlight of the evening was definitely Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Butter belongs in the name because there are TWO sticks of butter in this sweet treat! Oh, but it is worth every calorie. I have made this a second time (per request) and I just LOVE it. IT IS SO GOOD.
My cousin and my neighbor do not like pumpkin things (I know, crazy right?!) and they both love this cake. So basically, this cake brings harmony to all homes.
And on a final note, my next challenge will be to find healthier substitutions that still give such fabulous ooey-gooey flavor. Low-fat cream cheese? I never shake a stick at it. A non-butter butter substitute? We'll just have to suffer through it. ;)
And, at last, here is the recipe:
Paula Deen's Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Zucchwinni!
Earlier this week, while babysitting my heart out, my cute little niece asked if I would make zucchini bread. Would I?! Talk about the most ultimate bonding experience you could have with two little girls. And yes, I realized I used "most" and "ultimate" together-- trying to let my emotion flow through the keyboard. :)
So we got their giant zucchini from their garden-- another plus I might add. And I immediately went to my go-to recipe site: www.allrecipes.com.
Maybe as a self-proclaimed foodies you would think that I might turn to something more gourmet or less mainstream. NOPE! I really like allrecipes because they allow people to rate the recipes and leave comments with their results and variations on the recipe. When I have oodles of time I love to pour through these comments... especially if I am missing an ingredient, which is usually the case!
But we were short on time... it was already bed time and I let them stay up *gasp* an hour late! I rock. I pretty much found the best recipe of all time... Mom's Zucchini Bread, with a 5 STAR rating and 3,311 votes. HELLO! Obviously this is a bomb.com recipe. And so, with my food loving friends, I share this bounty:
Now, as I mentioned before, I did not have all of the ingredients-- NO BAKING POWDER! What's a girl to do? Well, if you don't have baking powder, you certainly don't have cream of tartar. Seriously. And then I found that you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt (to replace 1/2 cup liquid called for in recipe). So again, I am going to be honest... I didn't read the parentheses and I did not remove any liquid anywhere else. Well, in this Utah altitude that was MONEY! Talk about moist delightful... MUFFINS!
That's right... I forgot to tell you our other variation... we made MUFFINS! This is very handy for giving a little girl a job... fill those muffin tins, soldier!
So, the two little girls and I stirred and mixed to our hearts content (I had to step in a few times to get some powerful stirring happening), AND then we split the batter in half and each girl got to choose which color they want their zucchini muffins to be. Yes, I am magic... or just okay with food coloring. So we made watermelon red and aqua teal (turned out more green) zucchini muffins that were so cinnamony sweet, you knew these weren't health food muffins.
Enjoy the recipe! 3,312 people already have! :D
-M
So we got their giant zucchini from their garden-- another plus I might add. And I immediately went to my go-to recipe site: www.allrecipes.com.
Maybe as a self-proclaimed foodies you would think that I might turn to something more gourmet or less mainstream. NOPE! I really like allrecipes because they allow people to rate the recipes and leave comments with their results and variations on the recipe. When I have oodles of time I love to pour through these comments... especially if I am missing an ingredient, which is usually the case!
But we were short on time... it was already bed time and I let them stay up *gasp* an hour late! I rock. I pretty much found the best recipe of all time... Mom's Zucchini Bread, with a 5 STAR rating and 3,311 votes. HELLO! Obviously this is a bomb.com recipe. And so, with my food loving friends, I share this bounty:
Directions
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
Now, as I mentioned before, I did not have all of the ingredients-- NO BAKING POWDER! What's a girl to do? Well, if you don't have baking powder, you certainly don't have cream of tartar. Seriously. And then I found that you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt (to replace 1/2 cup liquid called for in recipe). So again, I am going to be honest... I didn't read the parentheses and I did not remove any liquid anywhere else. Well, in this Utah altitude that was MONEY! Talk about moist delightful... MUFFINS!
 |
| Warm happiness for the soul. |
That's right... I forgot to tell you our other variation... we made MUFFINS! This is very handy for giving a little girl a job... fill those muffin tins, soldier!
So, the two little girls and I stirred and mixed to our hearts content (I had to step in a few times to get some powerful stirring happening), AND then we split the batter in half and each girl got to choose which color they want their zucchini muffins to be. Yes, I am magic... or just okay with food coloring. So we made watermelon red and aqua teal (turned out more green) zucchini muffins that were so cinnamony sweet, you knew these weren't health food muffins.
Enjoy the recipe! 3,312 people already have! :D
-M
Monday, September 26, 2011
Perfect Peruvian
This past week, while eating the fabulous food at Cafe Limon in Syracuse, Utah, I thought to myself, "I can't believe I haven't blogged about this place."
Cafe Limon is a Peruvian restaurant and it is a top notch eatery, all around.
First, Amparo (she and her husband Ron own the restaurant) is an award-winner! She submitted a recipe for the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown and SHE WON! You can eat her award-winner at their restaurant: Peruvian roasted chicken, served with yucca fries, huancaina sauce, and aji sauce. The first time we ate at Cafe Limon, this is what I got, and I was hooked! Yucca fries? Yes, please!
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| Guy Fieri's s autograph! |
My husband served an LDS mission in Peru, which is initially why we tried Cafe Limon. He got one of our all-time favorites: Chicken in Aji Sauce (Aji de Gallina). He says it tastes just like he remembered having in Peru, and it was one of his favorites. I always want him to get this, so that I can several big bites of it. Aji de Gallina is shredded chicken, chili sauce, rice, and potoatoes... and half of a hard-boiled egg on top (one of my favorite parts!). Does that sound boring to you? Of course it does. But this dish is so unique and chock full of flavor, you can't pass it up. The aji sauce is so creamy, flavorful, and I'm sure you haven't had anything like it. I hadn't! This dish is comfort food to the max.
 |
| Aji de Gallina GOODNESS |
A few visits ago, a table next to us HIGHLY recommended the Jumping Beef (Lomo Saltado)-- they were pretty passionate, so I was convinced. Now I'm hooked! I think our new Peruvian go-to's will be the Jumping Beef and Aji de Gallina. Jumping Beef is beef stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, aji chile, on top of french fries and served w/ rice. French fries? You got that right. It's GOOD! Obviously there is something awesome about the aji chile, because it seems to make every dish a winner! Instead of just plain rice, we get this dish with "tacu tacu" which is rice cooked with beans and bacon. What?! Seriously folks, a party in your mouth. What a fabulous dish! Once again, packed full of flavor, and just plain good.
 |
| Jumping Beef makes your mouth happy. |
Now this last visit, was extra special. All the other times we have visited Cafe Limon we have been SO FULL that we couldn't even think about dessert. This time we took Amparo up on her offer of rice pudding, and I'm never gonna look back! She uses the traditional recipe, but has a few twists that make her recipe a family secret. This was THE BEST rice pudding I have ever had. One little secret she did share with us-- she cooks the rice in cinnamon, giving her rice pudding a brown color. She warmed it up for us, put a little cinnamon on top, and made me stop mid-sentence to say, "THIS IS SO GOOD!"
So, hopefully you understand that the food is GOOD. And you get A LOT of it. The portion sizes are very generous, and you could definitely share. But then again, if you're like me... you might need to just go all out. :)
Another irreplaceable aspect of Cafe Limon is the service. Cafe Limon is run by Amparo, Ron, and their family. When you enter, Amparo is there to greet you with a smile. She is so personable and warm-- she really adds to the entire experience at Cafe Limon. She chats with every customer and strives to make sure that they have a good experience. She is happy to make recommendations, and she is so passionate about her food! You can't help but have a great time.
 |
| Cafe Limon gets FIVE STARS! |
Cafe Limon is located in the heart of Davis County... so please, come give it a try. If you need a tour guide, I will gladly accept such a challenge. :)
In the meantime, check out Cafe Limon's website, at http://cafelimonrestaurant.com/ and LIKE them on Facebook to find out the weekly specials and get special offers!
Til next time... adios!
-M
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Jump Into Fall...
Hello Friends!
It has been a long summer, devoid of posts, which is to say that we three have been mighty busy! But have no fear-- we had some fabulous food adventures this past week that we will write about soon. Look forward to posts about the Copper Onion in Salt Lake City, and a follow-up love fest for Cucina Toscana, also located downtown in SLC.
As a fair coordinator, I know all about fabulous food of another sort... deep-fried and finger-licken good. August was home to the Davis County Fair, and the Utah State Fair is currently going on through next weekend. I read about some of the food concoctions that they will have there... raccoon, alligator... deep-fried MAGGOT melt, anyone? No. Just plain no. Do we have to stoop to the exotically disgusting?! But let's be honest, these gimmicks, especially at fairs WORK. People may go just to try and find someone else eating the oh, so fiber-full maggot melt. Well, not I. My boss googled a picture of it, and that was enough for me!
My fair go-to's include, funnel cake, Polynesian chicken & macaroni salad, BBQ, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Maybe I'm a simple girl, but I know what's good.
One of the biggest reasons that people attend fairs is for the food. Is this their excuse to eat whatever they want? Well, I say take it. Although, fairs are pretty prevalent all summer long (especially in Utah), so some may want to pick and choose the fairs they let it all hang out for.
At the Davis County Fair, I pretty much tried everything. A few stand-outs were The Greek Station and Wild Wild West BBQ. Both were new to the Davis County Fair, and I hope they come back! I branched out and had a traditional gyro with beef and lamb... the guy was right... SO GOOD! And at Wild Wild West... well, I ate their twice. And that, my friends, is the official stamp of approval. I had his homemade kielbasa sausage and a full platter... ribs, chicken, homemade salsa with tortilla chips. They even make their own BBQ sauce, which is another reason why their food was so good. It had a unique twist to the flavor, and I liked it!
This next week I will be going to the Utah State Fair, and of course I plan on hunting out something fabulous. I do like to branch out... but I'm pretty sure you won't catch me eating raccoon... I hear it's greasy. :)
Tell us about your favorite fair foods and the craziest thing you've tried! I hear deep-fried Pop Tarts are getting popular!
Love,
M
P.S. OFFICAL ADVICE-- Do NOT get funnel cake anywhere other than a fair or city festival. Funnel cake at Cold Stone? I gave it back and got something else. No bueno. Funnel Cake at IHOP? I'm pretty sure the answer is in the question. No. Don't do it. Gird up your loins for the winter, and wait it out 'til summer comes. Your tastebuds will thank you.
It has been a long summer, devoid of posts, which is to say that we three have been mighty busy! But have no fear-- we had some fabulous food adventures this past week that we will write about soon. Look forward to posts about the Copper Onion in Salt Lake City, and a follow-up love fest for Cucina Toscana, also located downtown in SLC.
As a fair coordinator, I know all about fabulous food of another sort... deep-fried and finger-licken good. August was home to the Davis County Fair, and the Utah State Fair is currently going on through next weekend. I read about some of the food concoctions that they will have there... raccoon, alligator... deep-fried MAGGOT melt, anyone? No. Just plain no. Do we have to stoop to the exotically disgusting?! But let's be honest, these gimmicks, especially at fairs WORK. People may go just to try and find someone else eating the oh, so fiber-full maggot melt. Well, not I. My boss googled a picture of it, and that was enough for me!
My fair go-to's include, funnel cake, Polynesian chicken & macaroni salad, BBQ, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Maybe I'm a simple girl, but I know what's good.
One of the biggest reasons that people attend fairs is for the food. Is this their excuse to eat whatever they want? Well, I say take it. Although, fairs are pretty prevalent all summer long (especially in Utah), so some may want to pick and choose the fairs they let it all hang out for.
At the Davis County Fair, I pretty much tried everything. A few stand-outs were The Greek Station and Wild Wild West BBQ. Both were new to the Davis County Fair, and I hope they come back! I branched out and had a traditional gyro with beef and lamb... the guy was right... SO GOOD! And at Wild Wild West... well, I ate their twice. And that, my friends, is the official stamp of approval. I had his homemade kielbasa sausage and a full platter... ribs, chicken, homemade salsa with tortilla chips. They even make their own BBQ sauce, which is another reason why their food was so good. It had a unique twist to the flavor, and I liked it!
This next week I will be going to the Utah State Fair, and of course I plan on hunting out something fabulous. I do like to branch out... but I'm pretty sure you won't catch me eating raccoon... I hear it's greasy. :)
Tell us about your favorite fair foods and the craziest thing you've tried! I hear deep-fried Pop Tarts are getting popular!
Love,
M
P.S. OFFICAL ADVICE-- Do NOT get funnel cake anywhere other than a fair or city festival. Funnel cake at Cold Stone? I gave it back and got something else. No bueno. Funnel Cake at IHOP? I'm pretty sure the answer is in the question. No. Don't do it. Gird up your loins for the winter, and wait it out 'til summer comes. Your tastebuds will thank you.
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