Secret Recipe Club: The Best Frosted Brownies Ever

Once again it's time for the Secret Recipe Club. Group C took the month of December off to celebrate Christmas, so we are back and ready to go! Now I have to apologize for my lack of posts lately. My husband was seriously hurt in an accident involving a bucking horse and my attention has been needed elsewhere. He has required a lot of care and we still have a long road to full recovery, but at least there will be a full recovery and that is what matters.

But enough about me... I have an awesome blog to tell you about today. The Savvy Kitchen has something for everyone. I found so many great recipes and my super secret Pinterest board is chock full of goodies to try. The Slow Cooker Cuban Pork, Herb-Mustard Vinaigrette, and Bananas Foster are just a smattering of the delicious recipe selection. And all of them happen to be on my menu this month. I can't wait to try them.

I've been on a brownie kick lately and any recipe titled The Best Frosted Brownies Ever is just begging to be tried. My favorite part of the brownie is the corner piece. It is the perfect combination of crunchy edges and chewy inside. And these brownies are perfect. Once they were cut they didn't have a chance, and yes, I ate all 4 of the corner pieces. All. By. Myself.

I wish I could have cut these brownies to show you how chewy and delicious these are, but at my house, a cut pan of brownies is a gone pan of brownies. Had I cut these, there wouldn't have been one left to photograph, even if I was home alone. But with 6 ravenous kiddos at home, these didn't stand a chance. Better to be safe than sorry!

The Best Frosted Brownies Ever

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Creamy Brownie Frosting (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.
Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Add chocolate chips and combine well. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare Creamy Brownie Frosting; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.
 
Creamy Brownie Frosting

3 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
3 tbsp. Hershey's Cocoa 
1 tbsp. light corn syrup or honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 cup powdered sugar 
1 tbsp. milk
Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting. 

SRC: Mini Pumpkin Loaves with Powdered Sugar Glaze

It is Secret Recipe Club time again!  this month I was assigned to stalk Mangia.  Chelsy's blog is full of great recipes.  Especially if you are looking for amazing gluten free, vegan or paleo recipes.  There are a great variety of recipes to choose from.  The creativity of people who follow gluten free and vegan lifestyles never ceases to amaze me.  You'd never know there was anything different about the recipes.  They are so good! But for this month I chose to try a taste of the season. And of course that means something made with pumpkin.

These Mini Pumpkin Loaves are delicious!  The bread is moist and full of pumpkin flavor.  They really hit the spot on a blustery fall day.  We had this bread for dessert with some creamy pumpkin hot chocolate.
 

Mini Pumpkin Loaves with Powdered Sugar Glaze

Makes 4 mini loaves

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. Mexican vanilla

1 1/2 c. + 1 Tbs. flour, sifted

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Glaze:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 1/2 tsp. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 4 mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer, combine all of the wet ingredients.

 In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

With the electric mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into each of the 4 mini loaf pans and bake in the oven for 48-50 minutes. Remove for the oven and allow them to cool completely.

Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and water together in a mixing bowl. Drizzle each mini loaf with a good amount of powdered sugar glaze.

SRC: Apple Cream Cheese Muffins

Hello everyone!  It's time for another exciting installment of the Secret Recipe Club.  Every month I seem to get the best blog ever!  This month I had a blast snooping around Our Eating Habits.  I love Jamie's blog because we seem to have really similar tastes so it was really hard to decide what to make.  I also love it because there are some great recipes for dishes I've never had before.  Comfort food and something new.  It doesn't get better than that.

I've made no secret of the fact that I don't like to bake.  At all.  I find it tedious and annoying to put a new batch of cookies in the oven every 10 minutes or to use a dozen mixing bowls to bake something.  I avoid it at all costs, much to my children's dismay.  Knowing that, it is a huge testament to these Apple Cream Cheese Muffins that I've made them three times this month.  They are sooooo good.  First they are made with brown sugar.  It gives them a rich almost caramel apple flavor.  Oh, and did I mention they are full of apples?  Now for the streusel on the muffin, there is a cream cheese layer hiding inside waiting to ambush your taste buds.  These are a little bit of heaven on your breakfast plate.


Apple Cream Cheese Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour    

3/4 cup brown sugar                      

1 teaspoon baking powder                                             

1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon                                             

1/2  teaspoon salt                                             

2  eggs, beaten                                             

2/3 cup oil                                             

1/4 cup applesauce                                             

1 teaspoon vanilla                                             

1 large apple, peeled, shredded (about 1 cup)                                             

1/3  cup cream cheese (from 8-oz package)                                              

   Streusel

 3  tablespoons packed brown sugar                                             

 2  tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour                                             

 1  tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

 

Place cream cheese in small mixing bowl. Measure out brown sugar, remove 1 Tbsp. and add to cream cheese. Place remaining brown sugar in large mixing bowl. To brown sugar add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

 

Beat eggs in separate small mixing bowl. Remove 1 Tbsp. of egg to cream cheese bowl. To eggs add, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

 

Beat into dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in grated apple.

 

Beat together cream cheese, brown, sugar and egg.

 

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Place a spoonful of muffin batter into each cup. Top with a heaping tsp. of cream cheese. Top with additional spoonful of muffin batter.

 

Mix together streusel ingredients and sprinkle on top of muffins.

 

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.

 

Peanut Butter Eclair Cake

Hello all!  It is Secret Recipe Club time once again.  Its been so fun poking around my assigned blog this month!  Melissa's Cuisine is a fantastic site!  Even though I'm almost old enough to be Melissa's mother, we are kindred spirits food-wise.  We seem to have very similar tastes and I found so many yummy recipes that it was really hard to choose what to post today.  In fact, I prepared an entire meal from her blog one night then let my kiddos decide what I posted.  I tried the Roasted Pork Loin, which was delish, the Cucumber Tomato Salad, also yummy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and the Peanut Butter Eclair Cake.  All the recipes were really good, and it really shouldn't have surprised me that my kiddos picked the dessert as their favorite.

This was a really great twist on regular eclair cake.  The addition of peanut butter was genius and made it so much more memorable than plain old pudding ever could. It was a flavor you just didn't expect when you bit into it.  I also love that it didn't heat up my kitchen.  We are still in the grips of summer so this dessert was the perfect treat on a warm evening.


Peanut Butter Eclair Cake
Serves about 12

1 box  graham crackers
2 (3-1/4 ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 cup peanut butter
3-1/2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Line the bottom of a 9x13" pan with whole graham crackers.   In bowl of your stand mixer, mix pudding, milk and peanut butter. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fold in whipped topping.

Pour half the pudding mixture over the graham crackers.  Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer.  Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

In the microwave or in a pan over medium low heat, melt the chocolate chips and cream together.  Whisk until smooth and silky then pour over the top of the graham crackers.

Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving (We couldn't wait that long to taste it, 6 hours is good too). 

Enjoy!

SRC: Fried Banana Fritters a la Mode

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again!  I haven't posted much the last little while with everything that's been going on in life, but now that things have slowed down and gotten back to normal I'm happy that this is my first post back.  I was assigned the most awesome blog!  Simply.Food is written by Nayna who lives in the UK.  I had such a great time snooping through her recipes.  They are fantastic!  I scrolled through her blog for over an hour before I realized that everything is vegetarian.  I don't think there is a higher compliment than that.  I totally forgot there wasn't any meat anywhere.  Coming from a T-Rex like me, all I can say is wow!  I was stunned by the creativity and the mixes of spices used.  I never thought vegetarian food could be so interesting and diverse.  Nayna also has a ton of international recipes.  Everything from French to Middle Eastern to South African.  Her blog is a fantastic resource!

Now this blog also provided some challenges for me.  A lot of the ingredients I needed for what I wanted to make weren't available to me unless I drove 45 minutes each way to the store or ordered from Amazon, so that limited me on what I could make.  My other obstacle was my kitchen.  I swear it's only 2 degrees cooler than Hades in there and I couldn't stand the thought of heating it up even more.  Then I saw these golden little beauties and thought "Fried bananas, caramel and ice cream.  What could be more perfect?"  So Fried Banana Fritters a la Mode was born.  And I was right, it was perfect.  The bananas were hot and crunchy, the caramel sweet and gooey and the ice cream cool and creamy.  It was the perfect snack on a hot day (we're talking 104°).

I am so excited to have another resource for our meatless meal nights and I can't wait to try some more of the recipes. 

Fried Banana Fritters a la Mode
Serves about 6

3 sweet  firm medium bananas (Do not use over ripe bananas)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. flour
1/4 cup Corn flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
water to make batter
oil for deep frying.
Icing sugar to sprinkle
Caramel ice cream topping
Vanilla ice cream

 In a  bowl add the flours and salt and gradually add the water to form a  thick batter that coats the back of a spoon.(It should be fairly thick so that it coats the banana and doesn't drop off)

Peel and slice the bananas into two lengthwise .Cut each slice into two pieces and keep aside

Heat the oil and when it is hot, dip the  banana pieces into the batter and drop them gently into the hot oil.

Deep fry the banana fritters on medium heat  until golden brown , remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Serve over ice cream and drizzle with caramel.  Sprinkle some icing sugar over the bananas.

SRC: Chocolate Fudge Brownie Parcels

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again.  This month I was assigned the coolest blog.  Lavender and Lime is written by Tandy, who lives in South Africa.  I have to say, I had the best time reading her blog.  For one thing, her life is so different from my own.  I loved reading her stories and tidbits about her daily life.  But best off all, I learned a ton from her!  I spent the past few weeks with 2 windows open whenever I read her blog.  One was Lavender and Lime and the other was Google.  There were so many ingredients I'd never heard of  and methods I wasn't familiar with (at least I wasn't familiar with the terms she used for  them).  So this month was a bit of a challenge for me.

I wanted to use an ingredient I hadn't worked with before, but that was available in my area.  So as I went through her mouthwatering recipes, I decided on her Chocolate fudge Brownie Parcels.  And let me say, they were delicious!  I loved learning to work with Phyllo dough.  I've always been a little intimidated by Phyllo because I've heard how hard it is to work with.  But this recipe helped me over come my fears and I won't skip over a recipe just because Phyllo is an ingredient like I have in the past.

I did have to make a change or two.  Her original recipe called for fudge.  I wasn't sure what kind she used.  The only kind of fudge I know of besides the stuff I make at Christmas (that wouldn't work in this recipe at all) is hot fudge.  I know it probably isn't remotely like what Tandy uses, but it added a great fudgy quality that my family loved.  Other than that, I kept things as close to Tandy's recipe as possible. 

As we sat around the table eating these little beauties for dessert, we all decided that they were screaming for strawberries, and wouldn't you know, I didn't have any.  They are so rich and chocolaty that a nice tart berry would have been perfect perched on top of the sweet cream. 

So thank you Tandy for a wonderful dessert and for teaching me so much about cooking in South Africa!  I can't wait to see what amazing dish you come up with next!

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Parcels
Makes about 8

4 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot fudge sauce (I used it straight out of the jar.  Don't warm it.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pkg. phyllo pastry
Melted butter for brushing

Melt the butter and chocolate over a hot water bath and mix until smooth.  Add the hot fudge and stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.

Add the eggs and mix until it is smooth and silky.  Set aside to cool.

To assemble the parcels:

Heat the oven to 350°.  Work with only one sheet of Phyllo at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel.  Make sure the plastic wrap is between the dough and the wet towel.  Cut each sheet of dough into 4 rectangles.  Place 1 rectangle into a well greased muffin tin.  Use a pastry brush to spread with melted butter.  Add another sheet of pastry dough to the same muffin cup and spread with butter.  Repeat until you have 4 layers of phyllo in the muffin tin.  Repeat with the remaining muffin cups, spreading butter over each layer of dough. 

Fill each cup about 1/2 full of brownie batter.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  The brownies will be slightly doughy and the phyllo will be golden brown.  Allow to cool completely.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream.  Enjoy!!

SRC: Nectarine and Blueberry Cake

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again.  And like every other month, I was assigned the BEST blog!  Cookin' with Moxie is written by Jamie.  She is an Italian girl living in Boston and loves to be surrounded by food, family and friends.  She has such a fun personality and really lets it show through her writing.  Her excitement about her recipes shows too.  I had a really hard time deciding what to post today partly because Jamie is so passionate about her recipes and life in general.

I actually made several recipes this month and they were all big hits with my family.  And at my house, that's saying a lot because no matter how hard I try to make my kiddos not be picky, they still are.  And if you ever hear me saying they aren't, then I'm lying.  So it was a real treat for my entire family to find a blog full of such great recipes.  I tried the Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy, and the Lemony Cucumber Salad both of which were delicious.  And still on my "must try" list are Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars and Avocado Fries with Cilantro Citrus Dipping Sauce (goodness that sounds good, and avocados are on sale this week!).

For this month's SRC, I made Nectarine and Blueberry Cake.  I have been so anxious for spring and summer to finally get here it's ridiculous.  And I've been looking for lighter more summery (is that even a word?) recipes.  This cake really fit that bill.  Now I realize there isn't a decent nectarine to be found anywhere in the northern hemisphere right now, and we won't even talk about the state of fresh blueberries from the grocery store.  So I had to resort to frozen fruit.  Which actually turned out really well.  I can only imagine how much better this will be in July or August when fresh fruit is available.

This cake doesn't have much in the way of spices, but that is totally okay.  The flavor of even frozen fruit really shined.  Then add the cream cheese frosting and it was amazing.  Thank you Jamie for your awesome blog!  I had such a great time snooping around and I'm your newest follower.

Tutti Mangia!

Nectarine and Blueberry Cake
Serves about 12

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large nectarines, coarsely chopped  (You can use frozen fruit.  Only thaw partially before chopping and mixing into the batter)
2 cups fresh blueberries  (You can use frozen berries, do not thaw before adding to batter.)
Garnishes: sliced nectarines, fresh blueberries, lemon rind

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears. Add vanilla, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat batter at low speed just until blended. Gently fold in nectarines and blueberries. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Spread or pipe the Cream Cheese Frosting evenly on top of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in grated lemon rind and vanilla.

SRC: Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream

Oooh!  I love the Secret Recipe Club!  Every month I'm assigned the most amazing blogs.  This month, I got to snoop around 365 Days of Baking.  Lynne started her blog with the goal to bake everyday for 365 days.  (Hence the name.)  We must be kindred spirits because I started blogging with a goal to cook outdoors in my dutch oven everyday for a year.  So I know how hard it is to keep up with life and still bake and blog everyday.  My hat is off to her!

There were so many great recipes on Lynne's blog to choose from.  My Pinterest secret board is filled with great stuff.  Things like Banana Tres Leches Cake, Pineapple Bread, Root Beer Float Cake and Baked Strawberry Waffles.  But interestingly, the first recipe that caught my eye was the one I couldn't stop thinking about trying.  It really didn't matter what else there was, I only had eyes for Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream.

And, ooh, ooh, ooh this gingerbread is unbelievable!  I'm the kind of gal that doesn't eat gingerbread just at Christmas.  I love it year round.  But unfortunately for all the other gingerbread out there, I only have taste buds for this one now.  The gingerbread itself is fantastic with a rich molasses flavor, but the lime cream....  There aren't even words to describe what it does for this cake.  It's a miracle that there was any left to serve with the cake because I was eating it by the spoonful.  Y.U.M.  This is a definite must try recipe.  Trust me!

Just a note or two to make this easier to make.  First, be very careful when you add the baking soda mixture to the molasses mixture.  If you like uber sticky stove top, then by all means use a small pan, add it quickly and don't stir.  And lastly, there is no way on earth-- no matter how much butter or shortening and flour you prepare the pan with-- that cake is coming out of the pan in one piece.  It ain't happening, so just be prepared to serve it out of the pan it is baked in.  I mean really, it has a full cup of molasses in it, what else can you expect?

Now on to the amazing deliciousness!

Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream
Serves 9

     ¼ pound (1 stick) butter, plus more for buttering the pan
     1 cup sugar
     3 eggs
     2 cups flour
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     1 teaspoon ground cloves
     2 teaspoons baking soda
     1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)  
     1 cup unsulfured molasses
     2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
     Lime Cream

     Preheat oven to 350ºF, and butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

     Melt the stick of butter, pour into a large bowl, and allow it to cool slightly.  Beat the sugar and eggs into the butter.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and grated ginger.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the molasses and soda solution into the water.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the sugar and the eggs, then stir in the molasses mixture.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, testing for doneness with a wooden toothpick in the center of the cake (it should pull out clean and free of batter).

Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake, invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve with Lime Cream.

 Lime Cream

     2 eggs
     ½ cup sugar
     1/3 cup fresh lime juice
     Zest of 1 lime, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
     4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, cut into small pieces
     1 cup heavy cream

     In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the eggs and sugar at high speed until double in volume and light in color.  Lower the speed and blend in the lime juice and zest.

Pour the egg mixture into a medium metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water (or a double broiler).  Cook over high heat, whisking often, until smooth, very thick, and custard like (about 20 minutes).

Remove from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is fully incorporated.  If the final mixture is lumpy, strain though a fine sieve.  Otherwise, cool to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer or a wire whisk, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks.  Gently fold a fourth of the whipped cream into the lime curd.  Then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Ice Box Strawberry Pie

It's time for February's installment of the Secret Recipe Club!  If you remember, SRC is a little like secret Santa.  We are assigned a blog every month and get to secretly snoop around and make and blog about a recipe from the site.  This month I was given Eat, Laugh Love.  If I had to describe the blog in 3 words, I would use healthy, creative and delicious.  There are so many great recipes.  And such a variety of spices and flavors.  There is no need to be bored with healthy eating with recipes like these.  I made a few different recipes including Southwestern Chicken and Veggie Roll Ups, which were delicious by the way.  My hubby took them to work and was sure to let me know that they were a keeper.

The recipe I chose to share with you is the Icebox Strawberry Pie.  In my neck of the woods it has been a terribly cold winter.  We endured several weeks of sub-freezing temperatures with lows reaching as little as -20°.  We really enjoyed the 10 days we spent without water in the kitchen thanks to frozen pipes.  I'm so sick of being cold I could barf!  I have Spring fever something terrible and I really needed something to remind me that I haven't moved to Siberia.  And I love strawberries.  Plain and simple.  If there is a recipe with strawberries in it, I'm going to make it.

And this strawberry pie is fantastic.  I really love the method this recipe uses.  Imagine 2 pounds of fresh strawberries simmered on the stove until it is thick, gooey and jam like.  Add to that sliced fresh berries and you have yourself a winner.  It has just the right amount of the sweet tart flavor that make strawberries so delicious.  Next time I make this I think I may try using frozen mixed berries and stir in fresh sliced strawberries just to give it a twist. 

Icebox Strawberry Pie
Serves 8

2 pounds strawberries, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 cup sugar

 Pinch salt

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled, either pastry or graham cracker crust

Cook berries in large saucepan over medium-low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jam like, about 25 minutes. Measure the mixture to no more than two cups. If it’s more than two cups, continue cooking longer.

Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.

SRC: Broccoli, Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potato Bites

It's time for another installment of the Secret Recipe Club!  We all took the month off in December for the holidays, but now I'm ready to be back in full swing.  This month I got to poke around Making Memories With Your Kids.  Erin's site is amazing.  It has been a great resource for me when I need a kid friendly recipe or a fun activity for my kiddos on a snowy day. I'm not really the "fun mom" who always has fun things for the kiddos to do and plays games and such.  I really have to work at it for some reason.  But it's nice to have a ton of ideas at my fingertips.  I made several of Erin's recipes, and it was really hard to decide what to actually post.  Between the Two Tone Cheesecake Bars and the Cream Puffs it was a delicious month at our house.

So on the recipe!  This month I chose Bacon, Broccoli, Cheddar Mashed Potato Bites.  It's so funny that I found these because I've been looking at mashed potato bites recipes for a couple of months and wondered if they were worth trying or not.  Most of what I found were pretty plain Jane type recipes.  But when I saw these chuck full of broccoli, cheese and BACON (sigh, heaven!) I knew what I needed to do.  And let me tell you, these are sooooo good!  Cheesy, bacony goodness in every bite!  They are nice and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  My kiddos were going nuts over them.  It's a wonder that any of them made it to the dinner table.  Every time someone walked by they'd steal one.  Little stinkers!  :)

Now Erin makes hers out of something called "leftover Loaded Mashed Potatoes".  I've never seen this mythical thing myself.  I've never even imagined something so wonderful as that.  At my house, potatoes don't stand a chance.  If I made 50 pounds of mashed potatoes we still wouldn't have any left over.  So feel free to use your leftovers, they make these so simple, or you could make them from scratch.

Broccoli, Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Serves about 10

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups cooked and chopped broccoli

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise or Ranch Dressing

3 green onions, finely chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked crispy and chopped 

3 eggs

1  cup plain breadcrumbs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Cover potatoes in water in a large pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Drain and mash.

Stir in the cheddar cheese, mayonnaise or ranch dressing, sour cream, broccoli, green onions and 8 slices of bacon (crumbled.) 

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Remove them from the refrigerator and form them into balls about the size of a golf ball.

In one bowl beat 3 eggs.  In another bowl add 1 cup bread crumbs and 1 cup Panko crumbs.  Dip each ball into the egg and then the bread crumbs.

Fry in hot oil for about 3 - 4 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove and place on a paper towel.  Serve immediately.

Secret Recipe Club: Pavlova

I am so excited for this month's edition of the Secret Recipe Club!  First, I was assigned a blog that I have drooled over for a long time, Manu's Menu.  The photography is stunning, and the recipes mouthwatering!  I especially love the regional Italian recipes.  Italy is my dream vacation. Someday, I'm going to spend 2 weeks eating fabulous Italian food and seeing the beauty and history that Italy has to offer.  But until then, I have to settle for what I can make at home, and Manu's Menu is a great resource.

I had a terrible time trying to figure out what to make this  month.  The short list ended up being very long.  I'm putting Focaccia di Recco on my Christmas Eve menu, along with my homemade ravioli, and the Apple Strudel is so rustic and looks so yummy that I'm making it as a dessert for Thanksgiving. 

So as you've probably already noticed, I chose Pavlova this month.  I was so excited to see this recipe.  It's something I've wanted to make forever, but was too intimidated.  It's also something that was on my culinary bucket list.  Notice I said "was".

Now, I'm not going to say this dessert came out perfect, because it isn't the easiest thing to get right.  I had some cracks and part of it was hollow in the center, but it was delicious and beautiful and gave me enough confidence that I'm going to make it again soon.  I'm also going to use these great tips for getting it right.

Pavlova
Serves 10

For the meringue base
 
6 egg whites, at room temperature
1 ½ cups caster sugar (I used granulated sugar)
3 tsp cornstarch
 2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

 For the topping
 
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
Sliced fruit of you choice.  I used strawberries, bananas and kiwi.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Draw an 8 disc on the paper and turn it ink-side down.  Tracing an 8 inch dinner plate works great.  Set it aside.

 With an electric beater, beat the egg whites just until firm peaks form.  Then, gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick and glossy.  Add the corn starch, vinegar and vanilla and beat for 1 minute more.  NOTE: if you over beat the egg whites, the meringue is likely to collapse and crack during baking

Spoon the meringue mixture onto the disc and shape it into a “cake” with furrows using a spatula.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 300°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 230°F and bake it for 1 extra hour or until the meringue is crisp and dry.  When ready, turn the oven off, but leave the meringue in the oven with the door closed, to cool completely.

Whip the cream with the 2 tbsp of sugar until firm peaks form and spread it on the top of the pavlova.  Decorate it with the sliced fruits.

Secret Recipe Club: Honey Dijon Chicken Tenders

It's time for another installment of the Secret Recipe Club!  I was assigned a totally fabulous blog--Sweetly Serendipity--written by the amazing Taryn.  She lives in Boston, which is probably my favorite city so far, so I'm really jealous, and she loves food.  That love of food shows in every picture and every recipe.  I had a long list of delicious things to try until my oven and slow cooker bit the dust.  Completely.  On the same day.  For 3 weeks I've cooked in an electric frying pan, a dutch oven, a toaster oven or on a single portable burner. And I cook for 9 people, at least.  Sigh.

Needless to say, the Fresh Peaches and Cream Cookies, Raspberry Crumble Cheesecake bars, and the  Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Squares (just to name a few of the endless yummy baked goods) will have to wait until I can get a new oven.  Oh the joys of being on a budget!  :)  So I hope Taryn will accept my apologies for not being able to truly do her blog justice.  But I am her newest follower, so there's no excuse for me not to try her desserts soon.

For this month, I chose to make Honey Dijon Chicken Tenders.  It was something I could make in my dutch oven (outside over charcoal briquettes) and I knew my family would love it.  All I have to do is say "Chicken Fingers"  and my kiddos are doing the happy dance.  And I have to say, these are some of the best I've made.  We tried them with several different dipping sauces, but BBQ sauce and ranch dressing were the hands down favorites.  No surprise there!

Honey Dijon Chicken Tenders
Serves 4

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
3 Tbs butter, melted
heaping 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbs honey
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into vertical strips

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lay a baking rack over a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a pie plate, combine the panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne.  In another pie plate, or a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the butter, mustard, and honey.

Working one chicken strip at a time, dip the chicken first into the mustard mixture, then the panko.  Turn and pat the breadcrumbs on all sides to be sure each piece of chicken is fully coated.

Carefully arrange the chicken tenders on the baking sheet, and cook 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden-brown and the chicken is cooked through.  Serve with your preferred dipping sauce (honey mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch..).

SRC: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

It's time for another edition of the Secret Recipe Club!  For those who don't know, the Secret Recipe Club is an awesome group of bloggers.  Each month we are secretly assigned a blog.  We get to choose a recipe to try and post on our own blog.  It is a lot of fun!

This month I was given Thrifty Veggie Mamma.  Jamie is a busy stay of home mom of 3.  Her blog is amazing!  I never cease to be amazed at the creativity of those who follow a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.  The variety of the recipes on her blog is astounding.  I'm quickly figuring out that vegetarian doesn't equal boring.  I had a hard time choosing what to make!  The short list included BBQ Meatball Sandwiches (vegetarian of course), and  Spanish Chickpea Balls.  In the end, I decided to make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.

Now, I don't mind telling you that this recipe made me face one of my fears.  Tofu.  I have to admit that I've spent my entire life saying how much I don't like tofu when I had never actually tried it.  I've sounded a little like my kids.  I've used my "dislike" as an excuse not to try it.  Since this was my first experience with tofu, I thought it would be best if I disguised it as chocolate and peanut butter.

I'm still chuckling about my family's reaction to this pie.  I didn't tell anyone there was tofu in it, and I went to the trouble of throwing the packaging away in the neighbor's garbage can (sorry Doug!).  Every one of my kiddos scarfed this down like it was their last meal and were begging for more!  I wonder what they would say if they knew there was tofu in it?  I'm definitely going to try the tofu BBQ Meatball sandwiches now!  This tricking them into eating healthy stuff is pretty fun!  ;)

So now I can say that I am a FORMER self proclaimed tofu hater, and I really don't know why I made such a big deal about "hating" it.  It is super versatile and doesn't really taste like anything except what you mix it with.  I think I'll be visiting Jamie's blog often for our once a week meatless meals!

**The only changes I made were to use a graham cracker pie crust since the original called for nuts and we have nut allergies at our house, and I did use dairy milk and whipped cream.**

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Serves 8

1 graham cracker pie crust  

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

1/2 block extra firm tofu
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbs. honey, agave, or maple syrup

For the Chocolate Layer:

1/2 block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of sea salt

Place 1/2 block of tofu, peanut butter, honey and milk in the food processor and blend until smooth.  Add more milk if necessary.  It should be silky and smooth.  Spread in the bottom of your prepared pie crust.

Clean the bowl of the food processor and add the other half of the tofu, cocoa powder, milk, honey, salt and vanilla.  Blend until smooth and silky, adding more milk if necessary.  Spread over the peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight to allow it to thicken.  Top with whipped cream if desired.

Secret Recipe Club: Cinnamon Ice Cream with Cinnamon Chips

Well, hello you gorgeous bowl of creamy goodness!  And when I say creamy, I mean creamy.  Today is another edition of the Secret Recipe Club.  This is always my favorite post of the month.  I love stalking another blog for a delicious recipe to try and share.  I'm also always excited to see what recipe of mine has been chosen.  It's a little like having Christmas every month!

This month, I was assigned The Boys Made Me Do It.  Cara is the mother of 3 boys, so I know she does a lot of cooking to keep them satisfied.  If her boys are anything like mine, they have hollow legs that are impossible to fill.  There is a nice mix of recipes on her blog, along with her weekly menu plan (I need to be better at updating mine, but lets be realistic, I've only been home 2 full days all summer long, we're lucky we eat!).

I really had a hard time narrowing down what recipe to make.  So many of them looked mouthwatering or were things I'd never tried before.  In the end, it was my new ice cream maker and our heatwave that made the decision for me.  I've never made homemade ice cream before, but I've always wanted to.  So I bought the least expensive ice cream maker I could find to learn with.  Then I just needed to find a great ice cream recipe.  And this Cinnamon Ice Cream fit that category.

This ice cream was amazing!!  And steeping the cinnamon sticks in the warm cream--genius!  It had such intense cinnamon flavor, but it was never to much.  And it was so creamy.  All the homemade ice cream I've ever had hasn't had the greatest texture.  Not so with this!  It was silky smooth and unbelievably delicious!  It was a perfect treat with my hubby's birthday cake and really cooled us down when it was 105° outside.  I served mine with cinnamon chips.

Cinnamon Ice Cream with Baked Cinnamon Chips
Serves 4-6

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
pinch of salt
10 cinnamon sticks, broken up
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks, and heavy cream. Warm through but don't allow to boil, and then cover and let steep off the heat for one hour.

Combine the rest of the milk and the cinnamon with the cream mixture and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, before freezing, remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon.

When ready to freeze, place into frozen ice cream bowl and make ice cream according to directions on your ice cream freezer. Enjoy!

Secret Recipe Club: Baked Bananas and Chocolate

 It's Secret Recipe Club time again!  One of my favorite days in the month!  It's when I get to snoop around an amazing blog and cook up one of their creations.  This month, I was assigned We Heart Vegan.
I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by Brittney and Julie's blog.  Being the exact opposite of vegan (I'm as carnivorous as a T-rex) I wasn't sure what to expect.  But I was pleasantly surprised!  I'd always wondered what kinds of foods vegans ate and if they could even eat anything "normal".  I was completely blown away at the variety of recipes on the blog.  Who knew you could make that many dishes without using any animal products.

I do have to say one thing about this blog.  These girls are dedicated.  I've never even considered how difficult living a vegan lifestyle can be.  But after reading this blog, I have new found respect for the time, research and dedication it takes.  We aren't just talking about cutting out meat.  That would be relatively easy, but animal products are in everything.  It takes a lot of work to learn to live and cook without them.

I chose to share two recipes.  The Baked Bananas with Chocolate I made because I've been on a bit of a banana kick lately.  I must be low on potassium or it could be that this recipe pared bananas with melted chocolate and chopped nuts.  I also added some strawberries in for good measure.  It was fabulous! 

The second recipe I made was a Pita stuffed with summer veggies, quinoa and guacamole. My hubby has diverticulitis thanks to the intestinal problems he brought home after two years in the Philippines so we always eat a high fiber diet.  He had a flare up and we spent a night in the ER last week, so we are taking the high fiber diet very seriously right now.  Not only did this fit that bill, but it tasted great!  It was so good that I made a second batch to save for lunch the next day.

**I did substitute what I had available for the vegan items.  For the  original recipes click on the links above.**

Baked Bananas and Chocolate 
 Serves 4 

3 bananas
1-2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
 2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. peanuts, processed in the food processor briefly, or chopped finely
1 Tbsp. shredded, unsweetened coconut, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Peel the bananas and slice off the tips; cut in half the long way, then slice each half in half to make 4 long slices.

Pour the flour onto a plate and dredge the banana pieces in it. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the dredged banana on. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, flip, then bake another 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate sauce. In a double boiler or in the microwave, combine the chocolate, vanilla, milk, and peanut pieces. Stir to combine.

When the bananas are done, carefully move them to a serving plate then drizzle with the chocolate sauce, garnish with the coconut flakes and strawberries and serve.

 Summer Vegetable Saute
 Serves about 4


2 medium zucchini, diced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ears corn, kernels sliced off (I used frozen corn)
1 large tomato
1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1⁄2 to 1 cup drained and rinsed black beans, depending on how much you want.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (depending on how much you want)
1 avocado, diced

To help drain the water from the zucchini, place in a colander and set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss and let stand 20 minutes.

Transfer zucchini to a kitchen towel and pat dry before cooking.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté 3 to 5 minutes until soft.

Add zucchini and corn. Saute 6 to 7 minutes until vegetables are almost tender.

Add diced tomato; sauté 2 to 3 minutes until softened and zucchini is tender.

Add basil and saute for 1 minute.

Add black beans and quinoa and allow everything to get heated.

Remove from heat, add the avocado and stuff inside a pita or roll up in a whole wheat tortilla.  This can be enjoyed hot, or put in the fridge and enjoyed cold later.

Secret Recipe Club: Caramel Apple Marshmallow Dip

Good morning all!  It's my favorite time again.  Yep!  Secret Recipe Club time!  It's almost like waiting for Christmas every month!  I always look forward to trying a recipe or ten from my assigned blog, seeing who had my blog and drooling over all the delicious food from everyone in the group.

This month, I was assigned Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl.  And just let me say, awesome blog!  There is a great variety of recipes and restaurant reviews.  But my favorite thing about Desi's blog is that there isn't anything too gourmet for my family!  Some fancy stuff, sure, but it's all the kind of food I'd make with ingredients that I always have in my cupboards.  Love it!

Now for the recipe!  I chose to make Caramel Apple Marshmallow Dip.  See, I was invited to a get together at a friend's house and I offered to bring something to help out.  She is on a diet (swim suit season is right around the corner) so she requested something "semi-healthy".  I can't tell you how glad I am the she added the "semi" in there.  Because I can't think of one healthy appetizer/dip recipe.  But since it only needed to be "semi" healthy, I  figured a dip filled with cream cheese, marshmallow cream, caramel and toffee bits would qualify since you dipped apples in it.  (Are you lovin' my logic?)  Needless to say, my friend had to start her diet over again because, lets face it, I took a dip with cream cheese, marshmallow cream, caramel and toffee bits in it.  And regardless how many apples you dip in it, there's nothing healthy about this stuff!  But there is something very sinful about it!

Don't let apples have all the fun with this dip though.  Because the strawberries will be very angry if you leave them out.  Thanks goodness I thought to include them, because they were delicious!  But lets be honest here, I'd dip celery in this stuff.  It's luscious!

Caramel Apple Marshmallow Dip
 Serves about 20


8-oz block of cream cheese, softened 

1 cup marshmallow cream 

1/3 cup caramel topping plus more for drizzling 

1 tbsp dark brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup heath toffee bits (or however much you want to cover the dip)

2 granny smith apples, sliced 

2 honey crisp apples, sliced

Blend cream cheese and marshmallow cream in a medium mixing bowl until creamy. Add 1/3 cup caramel, dark brown sugar, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to a decorative bowl, or the center of a platter. Drizzle more caramel topping on top and sprinkle generously with toffee bits. If using bowl, place it in the center of a platter and surround with the sliced apples.

Secret Recipe Club: Pane Bianco

It's time for another edition of the Secret Recipe Club.  This month I got to snoop around Erin's blog,  A Tale of One Foodie's Culinary Adventures.  This blog is full of great recipes and wine reviews.  There is definitely something for everyone.  I had a really hard time deciding what to make, but when I saw this bread, I knew I had to try it.  This Pane Bianco is probably one of the most beautiful breads I've seen in a long time.  It looks complicated, but in reality, it is very easy.  One of my favorite things about it is that you can personalize it to fit your tastes.  I'm a big fan of recipes that are easy to make both kid friendly and grown up sophisticated. With all my little ones running around, we tend to gravitate to family friendly fare, so I don't always get to use some of the ingredients that I enjoy.

Since this bread makes 2 loaves, I made one for the kiddos and one for me and my hubby.  The first loaf had chopped pepperoni, finely chopped green pepper and an Italian blend cheese.  The second had chopped sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and an Italian blend cheese.  And they were both fabulous.  But toppings aside, the bread has really great flavor.  This recipe is a winner all the way around!  When I pulled it out of the oven, my family "oohed and aahed"!  It was fun to hear my little kiddos tell me I was magic for making the bread look that way. I have to tell you, I got a new oven, and I'm still adjusting to the way it bakes, so my bread ended up a little darker than normal.  Next time, it will be perfect!

One tip that Erin gave in the recipe, and I agree, is to use drier ingredients.  Stay away from sauces in the filling.  The pesto I used was perfect, but don't use anything saucier than that.  Now, on to this beautiful bread!

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Pane Bianco
Makes 2 Loaves

1/2 cup warm water 

1/4 cup sugar 

4 teaspoons instant yeast 

1 cup warm low-fat milk 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 large eggs 

2 teaspoons salt 

6 cups bread flour 

1 (8 1/2-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 

1/4 cup pesto

1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese, divided (or any cheese you have on hand - I used cheddar, goat cheese and Parmesan) 

2/3 cup chopped fresh basil (or any fresh mixed herbs - basically whatever you have on hand)

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, milk, olive oil, eggs, salt, and flour, and mix and knead by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine until you've made a cohesive, soft dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 5 to 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and turn to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the sun-dried tomatoes; lay them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Using kitchen shears, finely chop the tomatoes. 

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Roll one piece into a 22" x 8 1/2" rectangle. Spread with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and finally cheese. 

Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal.   Place the log seam-side down on a baking sheet. Using a small sharp knife, start 1/2" from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1" deep, to within 1/2" of the other end. 

Keeping the cut side up, form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a "figure 8"; pinch the ends together to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.

While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes. Tent the loaf with foil after 15 minutes to prevent over-browning.  Remove loaves from their baking trays; cool on racks. Store any leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.

SRC: Oreo Cookie Brownies

I love the Secret Recipe Club for so many reasons, but this month I love it because I got to snoop around Rhonda's blog, The Kitchen Witch. I've actually been reading her blog for a while. And I'll bet she doesn't realize it, but we've even conversed through email. You see, I also write a dutch oven cooking blog (that I've neglected lately) and Rhonda is a budding dutch oven chef! She shared a hilarious dutch oven cooking experience with me.  You'll get a kick out of her experience and storytelling abilities here!

I have to say, The Kitchen Witch has something for everyone.  From the gourmet to simple but delicious recipes, I know you'll find something you'll love!  I chose this dessert because I needed something quick and kid friendly.  My oldest daughter wanted to have some friends over for a party and I needed a dessert to serve after the BBQ.  These Oreo Cookie Brownies was a huge hit.  I had no idea that 6 teenage girls could eat an entire pan of brownies!  This is what was left after they got through with it.  I'm glad they saved me a small piece!

 I did make one small change to the recipe.  The original calls for store bought frosting, and I have a hard time eating it because it's so sweet.  So I substituted vanilla pudding mixed with whipped topping as the frosting.

Oreo Cookie Brownies
Serves 15
 2 cups Cookie Crumbs (about 1 package of Oreo cookies)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 box brownie mix (plus ingredients listed on the box to prepare the mix i.e. eggs, oil and water)
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping
Mini Oreo cookies or cookie crumbles

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Mix the cookie crumbs and the melted butter.  Press into a 9×13 pan.  Prepare the brownies according to the package directions.  Pour the batter over the prepared cookie crust, spread evenly.  Bake according to the package directions.

Let the brownies cool completely.  While the brownies are cooling, mix the pudding with the milk and stir well.  Carefully fold in the whipped topping and spread on top of cooled brownies.  Top with mini Oreo cookies or cookie crumbles and enjoy!  Store any leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.