Special Brownies Because I'm Getting Old!

I have a BIG birthday coming up on Friday. I'll be 30! To be honest, that number is kind of scary to me. I've always felt older than I am because I didn't have much of a childhood and I was always more mature than the kids that were my age. Even to this day, the majority of my friends are older than I am and I'm okay with that. I just couldn't relate to kids my age. When I was 18, I told people I was 19. When I was 19, I told people I was 20. It wasn't because I was lying, I just have always felt older than my true age. But now I am 29, and I want to stay that way. haha! I will NOT be telling people I am 31 once I turn 30. NO way!

So I am 29 years old for 2 more days and I am trying to make peace with my birthday (aka. Dooms Day!) I don't know why this number feels so different from all the others. I didn't feel that way when I turned 20. My aunt who is 51 says it's not a big deal and maybe when I'm her age it won't be because I'll be wishing I was 30 again. (Love you Letty :-P) All I know is that I'm entering a new age bracket and I have creaky knees. Seriously, I put Hayden down for a nap and quietly back out of the room and my knees crackle and pop like rice krispies. 

I'm getting older old and while I want to celebrate with all my friends and family in a big way, I also want to just ignore it and hope everyone forgets about it. I guess that's not an option anymore though since I'm announcing it to the world here on my blog, but you know what I mean. I was also hoping I wouldn't see my first white hair until after I turned 30, but that didn't happen either. I just discovered my second white hair and neither of them were on top of my head! Think a little further south. No, not that far down, this is a family friendly blog. Would you believe I got my first white hairs in my right eyebrow?! Weird huh? I plucked those suckers at a rapid speed. If you ever see a picture of me and I only have one eyebrow, you'll know why. 

And because this is a food blog, a quick note about these brownies. They're delicious and somewhat healthy.  At least that's what I'm telling myself since I had one for breakfast. Right after I baked them, they were fluffy and cake-like, then the next day they became somewhat fudgy and more like a brownie. The zucchini adds tremendous moisture without tasting like there are vegetables in your brownies. You don't taste the zucchini one bit and if you have skeptical ones in your family, then just peel the zuke before you shred it and they'll be none the wiser. The addition of the chocolate chips don't hurt either. Oh and I forgot to mention, if you omit the chocolate chips, then you'll be left with a completely vegan dessert. 

Zucchini Brownies adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

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• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 packed cups shredded zucchini
• 1 cup chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine sugar, canola oil, vanilla, flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Mixture will be dry and sandy. With a wooden spoon add the shredded zucchini and stir until well combined. (The mixture will be thick and somewhat dry looking, just keep stirring until it's fully incorporated and brownie-like). Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.

Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut brownies into squares and serve.

My Valentines

We don't do much to celebrate Valentine's Day in the Lick The Bowl Household. When Mr. H and I first got together I had high expectations for this holiday, it is the day of love after all. I expected dinner out, a romantic movie at the theater, red flowers, puffy hearts, chocolate and all that other cuddly crap! Before you start rolling your eyes at me I have to mention that we started dating in high school and I didn't know any better. haha! It only took me one year together to realize that the holiday is way overrated.

We started dating in March of 1999, so he was off the hook that year, but in 2000, I expected the works and I was sadly disappointed. I was stubborn- heck, I still am- but as the man in the relationship I thought he needed to make the reservations for dinner WITHOUT me having to tell him. He didn't and I refused to make them myself so needless to say, we drove around town for a couple hours trying to get into any restaurant without having to wait for 3 hours for a table. A few hours later, we were both grumpy and hungry and decided to just go to our favorite Tex-Mex joint and enjoyed a fajita dinner and dessert for 2 for less than $20! I realized then that it didn't matter where we ate, whether or not I got chocolate truffles or long stemmed roses. It mattered that we were together.

I was a brat, I admit it, but I like to think that I've more than made up for it over the years. Now on Valentine's Day, I bake up a favorite chocolate dessert or a steak and potatoes dinner for the man I love. We are both happy to stay in and eat dinner in our lounge clothes in front of the television watching our usual DVR'd sitcoms. This year will be no different, though we have a new little Valentine to spend the evening with- he will be having milk.

This cake combines two of Mr. H's favorite things- chocolate cake and cinnamon sugar. They happen to be my favorites too. The vegan cake was light and moist, tender and quite flavorful. It was even simple enough that little Hayden helped me whip it up for his Poppa. My family loved this cake too. There was one large slice left and we all hovered around the pan with forks in hand and devoured it. I hope you'll enjoy it too.

Cinnamon Sugar Cocoa Cake adapted from Hawaii's Best Local Desserts via Food Librarian

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Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups cold coffee or cold water

Topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and coffee or water to the bowl. Stir together with a whisk - but be sure you don't overbeat. (Do not make this in a KitchenAid mixer or electric mixer - a fork or whisk are just fine. You'll see bubbles because of the reaction of the baking soda and vinegar.)

When combined, immediately pour into the 9 x 13 pan. Evenly sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar topping.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.

Pan Cake. Not Pancake.

Ever heard of one-bowl chocolate cake? Of course you have. It's a simple recipe that can be mixed up in one bowl. But have you ever heard of a one-pan cake? Me neither! This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour and all the ingredients are mixed right into the very pan you bake it in. It sounded too good to be true so I tried it out, and it worked!

I took step by step photos of this one so you could see just how simple it really is. You mix it, bake it and serve it from straight from the same pan. Since it doesn't call for greasing the pan, you need to serve it from the pan, but if you want, you can mix it up in a bowl, then pour it into a greased pan for a nicer presentation. The hard working people at KAF made two cakes to show the difference, check it out here. This cake is great though because there aren't many dishes to clean up, nor do you need a bowl to make it.

Not only is this recipe unique and different, but it's vegan too. According to KAF, it's cholesterol free and if you use canola oil, then it's relatively low in saturated fat as well. It's tasty too and stays moist for days. I served this with Mexican style cinnamon chocolate ice cream, (which my momma loved and ate 3 bowls of in one night!) and some fudgy chocolate sauce from The Perfect Scoop. Simple and delicious and lusciously chocolatey!

Cake-Pan Cake from KAF

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• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup cold water, coffee, or milk

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

1. Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8" or 9" round or square cake pan. (If you use an 8-inch pan, make sure it's at least 2 inches deep, otherwise use a 9-inch pan.)

2. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly with a fork or whisk and scoop out three holes, or indentations.

3. Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.

4. Take the cup of cold liquid (water, coffee, milk, etc.) and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Note: If you've used espresso powder, adding coffee will make this a mocha cake.

5. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork or spatula until they are well blended.

6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve right from the pan; warm from the oven.

Yield: 8-12 servings.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream adapted from Perfect Scoop

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• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 Tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons Brandy

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, then whisk until it is completely melted. Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt cinnamon, and Brandy. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until very smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 1 quart.

NOTE: Ice cream is very rich and thick. You can opt to use half-n-half in place of the cream or add more milk for an icier texture.

Chocolate Sauce from Perfect Scoop

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• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 Tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

Use as a topping or swirl into any flavor ice cream.

Makes 1 cup.

Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

A Little Bit Of Everything

Thick Crust. Chewy Interior. I'm talking about No-Knead Bread. I've made this before with rosemary and lemon, but this time I made it with everyone's favorite bagel topping- Everything Spice Blend. It's a combination of garlic, onion, salt, poppy and sesame seeds. This flavors the inside of the bread as well as the top.

This bread was delicious and hearty. It was aromatic and all the different goodies on top give it character. If you've never made no-knead bread, you must. It's very simple and there's minimal effort involved, you just have to plan for it. This recipe takes several hours to complete, but you can throw all the ingredients into a bowl before you go to bed and finish it up the next day. You stir it once, fold it over it's self a few times and let it rest and rise. That's when all those magical bubbles form.

And I baked it in my brand new Le Creuset! I've wanted one for a long time but I refused to pay hundreds of dollars for it. I don't care how good it works, who has that kind of money to blow on a pot? I found this beauty at Tuesday Morning for a third of the price. It's a discontinued color, which I LOVE, and it has a tiny imperfection on the inside so I got an extra discount on it. It's 4.5 qts and retails for about $230, but I got this one for $102. A steal and a gift to myself.

I'd like to dedicate this loaf to my dear friend Janet of From Captain's Daughter To Army Mom. Ever since I told her I made this a couple weeks ago, she's been wanting to see it. Janet, I know you're a big fan of No Knead Bread and you've made it several times, so this is for you! I hope you'll add it to your bread repertoire.

On another note, I finally figured out how to do collages! A few days ago Laura of Hey Mom What's For Dinner? shared with us how to make a header using different pictures. At first I wasn't so interested in creating a new header, then I went to Picnik.com and got hooked! Not only can you make headers, but you can make collages and edit photos. And it's FREE, all you have to do is sign up at Picnik.com. Thanks Laura for showing how easy it is. I made myself a new header and well as for Ingrid- go check it out!

Everything No-Knead Bread adapted from NY Times

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1¼ teaspoons salt
• 2 Tbsp. Everything Spice, divided (recipe below)
• 1 5/8 cups water
• Flour, cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt and 1 Tbsp. Everything Spice. Add water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 5- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Spritz or brush the top of the dough with water then sprinkle on remaining 1 Tbsp. Everything Spice. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Everything Spice Blend from Appoggiatura

• 4 tsp poppy seeds
• 4 tsp sesame seeds
• 4 tsp dried garlic flakes
• 4 tsp dried onion flakes
• 4 tsp kosher or sea salt

Mix all ingredients together well in a small bowl. Use to liberally top bagels as soon as they emerge from their water bath. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Will keep up to two months.

It's quite delicious slathered with butter and griddled, then topped with garlic pesto and a slice of muenster cheese. oh man!

Don't Knock It Til You Try It

I've made so many different chocolate cakes recently. Some with cream cheese frosting, some with fudge frosting, some with white chocolate mousse and even some cupcakes. I am chocolate caked out! So when Rachel of Five Year Plan announced that this months ingredient for Rach's Baking Challenge was chocolate, I was not so excited.

But, this Chocolate Zucchini Bundt is one chocolate cake I NEVER get tired of making or eating, and neither does my family. They ask for it every holiday.

This year for my mom's birthday, she requested this cake. To make it a little fancier, I added a simple glaze to the top. I didn't measure, but it was about a cup of sifted powdered sugar, with a little milk and vanilla to thin it out.

I love you mom!

I've been making this bundt cake for years. I've baked it in loaf pans, a bundt and even cupcakes. It's chocolaty and so moist from the shredded zucchini. And before you start cringing or turning up your nose, trust me! You can't taste the zucchini at all. It's like carrot cake- it provides moisture and melts into the crumb but you don't really taste bits of the veggie.

My brother who hates zucchini, loves this cake. He hates zucchini because I made him eat it one night for dinner and he gagged through the entire thing. (I know I'm such a mean big sister!) So when I told him I was making this he said, "eww, gross!". But I made him help me and when we were done baking this beautiful bundt he was the first one to want a bite. He even ate it for breakfast the next day- zucchini and all!

So if you don't try any other recipe on this blog, please try this one. I promise you will like love it! This was also the very first recipe I blogged about nearly 2 years ago. It's definitely a keeper. Now go grate up some zucchini and make this bad boy. You will not be disappointed.

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt

• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cup flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cup sugar (plus more for coating pan)
• 3 cup grated zucchini (4 med. zucchini)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl combine cocoa and melted butter (mixture will be stiff and dry). Add vegetable oil to cocoa (it will resemble motor oil- don't be alarmed) and set aside.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and slowly add sugar, until thick and light in color. Add cocoa mixture to eggs until well combined, then gradually add flour being careful not to over mix. Once mixture is well incorporated add grated zucchini and vanilla.

Butter or spray bundt pan evenly with non stick spray, then sprinkle with granulated sugar to form a sugar crust. Pour batter into pan about 3/4 full. Place pan in a preheated oven for 65-70 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. Loosen your belt, because you'll be eating more than one slice.

NOTE:

A small amount of batter will be leftover depending on the size of your bundt (use the largest one you have). I usually pour the extra batter into a small pyrex dish, bake it and eat it while the bundt is still in the oven. The cake baked in a small dish will cook much quicker than the bundt.

Drool :-P'''

A Perfect Pearing

I saw this recipe for Red Wine and Pear Sorbet on the PBS show, Everyday Food. I don't drink red wine so I thought, "oh I'll never make this" and quickly fast-forwarded through it. Then I remembered I still had POM juice in the fridge and rewound it and paid careful attention. I immediately pulled out my laptop and bookmarked this recipe.

My mother-in-law loves pomegranate juice so I decided to make this for her birthday and I served it with angel food cake and strawberries. I wish I had doubled the recipe though because we quickly consumed it and I was longing for more.

Since POM juice is sweeter than red wine, I cut back slightly on the amount of sugar and I added a few drops of red food coloring just to brighten it up a bit. It came together quickly and morphed from a frozen solid mass into a smooth blush beauty with the assistance of the food processor. Tart, smooth, creamy, sweet and refreshing. A perfect fat free summer treat.

POMegranate and Pear Sorbet adapted from Everyday Food

• 1 cup POM juice
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 lb. ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Coarse salt
• a few drops red food coloring, optional

In a small saucepan, bring juice, water, and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Add pears; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice, food coloring (if using) and a pinch of salt; cool completely. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours (or overnight).

With a fork, break frozen mixture into large pieces. In two batches, purée in a food processor until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until ready to serve (sorbet will be soft).

Makes 1 quart

NOTE: I made this in two steps. On the first day I boiled the juice, sugar and pears and poured it into a pyrex dish. I then froze it for a couple days, then processed it til smooth on the third day. Do what you can with the time you have. This recipe's flavor will not be affected, in the least.

See my other POM recipes:

• Strawberry POM Smoothies
• Chocolate POM Cupcakes

Updated: I entered this in the ice cream social sponsored by ScottySnacks, SavortheThyme and Tangled Noodle.

Bedazzled

I'm back from my mini vacation, but I'll tell you more about that in a later post. For now, here is another POM recipe that I made last week.

Michel-lee asked me how I got all this wonderful POM juice. Well, the POM Blogger, Diana, contacted me via email and asked if I'd like to sample some of their juice and I of course said YES! A few days later, I received a case of 8 oz. bottles! So exciting!

The first thing I did was pour it over crushed ice in a tall glass. Refreshing. With half a bottle I made Strawberry POM Smoothies, and the other half I made these yummy cupcakes. I quartered the original recipe, because I didn't want or need 24 cupcakes. I assumed it would make 6 cupcakes, but it made 7. Fine by me. I frosted my cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting, leftover from the Rainbow Cupcakes and topped them with Jelly Bellys to resemble pomegranate arils. They turned out so cute!

These cupcakes were fudgey and INCREDIBLY MOIST. So moist that when I tried to frost them with room temperature frosting, the edges crumbled. They weren't quite as chocolaty as I would have liked, so if I ever decide to make these again, I'd up the amount of cocoa. They also had slightly fruity undertones, which were unexpected and nice. Another bonus, these cupcakes don't contain any eggs or butter, so they're vegan (minus the frosting, of course)- woo hoo!

To see others POM cupcakes, click here, here and here.

POM Chocolate Cupcakes from POM Wonderful

• 1/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water, heated to boiling
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F with rack placed in the center. Place a paper baking cup in regular sized muffin tin; set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. In a large measuring cup, combine pomegranate juice and boiling water. Add oil, vinegar and vanilla to the pomegranate juice mixture.

Add to the flour mixture all at once to the wet mixture and whisk to combine (batter will be lumpy). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about 3/4 full).

Bake 20-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and free of crumbs. Mine took exactly 22 minutes. Let cool completely before topping with the frosting of your choice.

Makes a mini batch of 7 regular cupcakes.

Visit the POM website to find the recipes for pomegranate chocolate or vanilla cream cheese frosting.