Stove-Top Brownies

Rich, moist and chewy. Did I say loaded with chocolate? And clean-up is a snap because you use only one saucepan. Sometimes I'm bad. Really bad. I cut up gourmet chocolate bars, such as Dove, to use as the chocolate. Bad? Oh, yea! It's called 'Spank My Taste Buds!' Please, don't stop! Just .... one .... more ... with an ice-cold glass of milk!

When I owned an art studio/gallery, I made pans and pans of these brownies for my Christmas Open House. They were always a hit! So was my Refrigerator Fudge. Store both in a tight-fitted tin in the fridge.

• 2 tablespoons strong coffee, Kahlua, whiskey, brandy or other liqueur of your choice. Or just use water.
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter (not margarine)
• 1 (11.5 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chunks (not morsels) divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• Powdered sugar for decorating

On a piece of waxed paper (why dirty a bowl?), combine the flour and salt. Mix. Set aside until ready to use.

In a saucepan large enough to accomodate all the ingredients, bring the water, granulated sugar and butter just to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Remove from heat and add one cup of the chocolate chunks and stir until melted and smooth. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, stirring just until blended. Stir in vanilla.

Stir in remaining chocolate chunks and nuts into cooled mixture. Stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture in saucepn. Spread into a lightly greased brownie pan or 8 x 8 in pan.

Bake at 325 degrees from 23-28 minutes. Do not overbake. The surface will puff a bit and be cracked. Cool pan on a wire rack. Do not attempt to cut these until they have cooled completely.

Cut into small squares and dust with powdered sugar.


Note: If not using nuts, add one extra tablespoon flour. Brownies are actually better a bit underbaked than overbaked. I now use a convection oven and set it at around 310-315 F degrees and bake them for 23 minutes. Once cool, I like to refrigerate them.

No-Bake Cheesecake

A creamy no-bake cheesecake without heavy cream? You betcha!!!

When I grew up, a frozen Sara Lee cheesecake was cause for celebration. And then this recipe surfaced from wherever it is recipes come from . . . and then disappear to . . . (maybe with disappearing socks from the dryer, I just don't know.) Don't limit yourself to a "pie." You can also pour it in a 9 x 13-inch pan for cheesecake squares or, if you have molds, individual cheese cakes. You can also use a spring-form pan. In the summer, I place fresh berries in concentric circles on the top.

• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust
• 3 large packages cream cheese at room temperature (don't use a cheap brand)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 packages Dream Whip*

Prepare your crust according to directions. If purchasing a prepared crust, be sure to get one that is "deep dish."

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and milk. Mixture will be thick. Spread by spoonfuls all over the crust then smooth out. Do not attempt to "dump" it all into crust as it will pull up the crust as you try to spread it.

Prepare Dream Whip according to package directions. Spread over the cheese filling. Sprinkle with additional graham-cracker crumbs. 

Refrigerate until firm. If using fresh berries, be sure they are dry. Can also be served with cherry or blueberry pie filling. For Christmas, place holly around the serving plate with some fresh cranberries.

*Dream Whip can be difficult to find. It is light and low in calories. Feel free to whip up regular whipped cream with a bit of confectioner's sugar (about one tablespoon or so) or you could use Cool Whip.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

These moist muffins are stored in a tin in the refrigerator.

This recipe hails from my oldest sister where it is a staple in their household and a "must do" for their older daughter's birthday. Store them in a wax-paper lined tin to ensure their moistness and to allow the flavors to meld. They are fine on their own, but a shmear of cream cheese ain't bad either! Yes, it takes some time to cut each berry in half, but you really don't want little "bits." You want bites!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly-grated orange zest
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 bag) cranberries (cut in half)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and zest.

In a separate bowl, mix the egg, oil, orange juice. Add to dry ingredients. Mix well by hand. Add cranberries and mix until combined.

Spray 12 muffin tins with Pam or equivalent. Fill about 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: around 12

Roast of Venison

Do you have a hunter in the family? Venison is lean and healthy with a fine grain. But because of its leanness, it requires special cooking. This particular recipe requires some forethought since it is 4-5 day operation.

For the life of me, I do not remember where I got this recipe. The first time I made it, I lived in Michigan and my friend, Rick, a hunter, was my easy access to fresh venison.

The first time I made it was for Christmas. My mother wasn't too happy, but it wasn't the main meat or star of the show. It was something "different and fun" which is what holidays should be all about. If people had not known it was venison, they would have thought it a nice cut of beef. My Dad loved it.

Do not omit the sauce. 

Marinade:

• 3-4 lb. boneless venison roast, trimmed of fat
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup water
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Slow Cooker Ingredients:

• 6 medium carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (do not omit)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Put the venison, wine, water and garlic into a large zip lock plastic bag. Squeeze out air and close securely. Place on a shallow plate and refrigerate for 4 days, turning every once-in-a-while.

Drain marinade into a slow cooker. Preheat the broiler and brown the roast on all sides for about 20-30 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker and add carrots, celery, onion, rosemary, cumin and bay leaves. Cook on low for 10 hours or until roast is fork tender.

Remove roast and keep in warm preheated oven--150 F. degrees. 

Transfer liquid from slow cooker to a saucepan and add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove bay leaves.

In a small bowl or jar, mix water and cornstarch. Add to saucepan and cook until mixture thickens.

Slice meat and serve with generous amounts of sauce.