Chocolate Mint Brownies

BYU has a famous mint brownie that I have been trying to recreate for years. Even when BYU released the recipe, I still couldn't match it. Finally, I have found a recipe that's even better than BYU's. Yay! Several steps but definitely worth the work!

Best Ever Mint Chocolate Brownies

(From Family Fun Magazine)

Ingredients

• BROWNIES
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• MINT FROSTING
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Green food coloring
• CHOCOLATE TOPPING
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350º and grease a 9-inch square baking pan. For the brownies, place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for 1 minute more. Stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs. Stir in the chocolate and the vanilla extract. Finally, stir in the flour and salt until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pan, then bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for at least 1 hour.

2. To make the mint frosting, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until it is smooth and spreadable. Beat in the peppermint extract and tint to the desired shade with green food coloring. Frost the cooled brownies, cover, and chill for 1 hour.

3. To make the chocolate topping, pour the chips into a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate melts. Stir until smooth. Pour the chocolate over the brownies and smooth it with a knife. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until the coating hardens.

4. Bring the brownies to room temperature, then cut into 16 to 32 pieces. Layer them on a piece of cellophane (place waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking), wrap up the brownie package, and tie with a red ribbon. Makes 16 to 32 brownies.

   
   

   Amy Ellis

   
   

   
   

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

This is one of our family's favorites--gotta love crockpots!

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients:

6-8 boneless chicken breast halves

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup lemon-lime soda

2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Throw everything in the crockpot on low 4-6 hours. You can thicken the sauce with a bit of cornstarch if you’d like. Serve over steamed rice with steamed veggies.

Amy Ellis

Italian Parmesan Chicken and Potato Bake

I'm into easy and inexpensive meals. This one is a favorite! Serve with your favorite steamed veggies or a salad. :-)

2-4 chicken breasts (if using more chicken, then just add a little more dressing and seasonings)

1-1/2 lb. potatoes (about 3), cut into thin wedges

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

paprika

black pepper

PRE-HEAT oven to 400°F. Boil potato wedges until easily stabbed with a fork. In a skillet, brown chicken and sprinkle with paprika and black pepper to taste.

PLACE chicken and potatoes in 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with dressing; sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover with foil.

BAKE 30 min or until chicken is done (165ºF), removing foil after 15 min.

--Aubree Clark

Apple Berry Dip & Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

This is a really yummy snack!

Dip:

2 medium granny smith apples
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 kiwis
1 small orange
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS apple jelly

Mix apples, strawberries, and kiwi in a bowl (make sure they are all cut in small pieces). Zest the orange and add it to the bowl, then juice it (if you don't have a juicer, just cut the orange into small wedges and squeeze it in). Add the brown sugar and apple jelly. Mix it up and serve with delicious cinnamon tortilla chips!

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly coat the tortilla with one of the following - depending on how healthy you're feeling: Butter, pam, or water. Sprinkle - LIBERALLY - some cinnamon sugar mixture (really easy, just 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon - I always add more cinnamon though). Now cut your tortilla into wedges like a pizza, it's easy to use a pizza cutter for this. Place your wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet (if you use butter or pam on your tortillas you don't have to grease the pan, if you use water it's probably a good idea). I can usually fit 3 tortillas worth of wedges on a cookie sheet, they have to be very strategically arranged though! Bake 8-10 min. or until golden brown. Eat a few plain while they are still hot to make sure they are worth sharing - I always have to do that, then serve with yummy apple berry dip!

Jenny McFarland

Beef 'n' Biscuit Bake

This is a great quick recipe we found and tried it out for a couple friends, we had none left over. It is a really good meal all in one. I found it in the Taste of Home's Casserole Cookbook.

1 pound ground beef
1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn drained
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/4 cup milk
2 TBS dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta cheese)
1 tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
2-3 TBS butter or margarine melted
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

~In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, corn. soup, milk, onion, chili powder, and salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted.

~Transfer to a greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 375 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, brush all sides of the biscuits with butter; roll in cornmeal. Place over hot meat mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes longer or until biscuits are lightly browned. Yield: 6-8 servings.


Heather Sorenson

Fiesta Casserole

3 cups shell macaroni
1 lb. hamburger
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (can also use garlic pwd. but I don't know what the measure is)

2 Tbsp. chile powder
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt

1 can mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
3 cups sharp cheese (shredded)
1 cup water
1 can corn (drain off the water)

Cook and drain macaroni, set aside. In large skillet over medium heat cook hamburger, chopped onion, and garlic. Spoon off fat. (I usually cook the macaroni while I'm cooking the meat.)

Stir chile powder, worcestershire sauce, and salt into meat mixture. Cook 3 minutes.

Add mushroom soup, tomato soup, cheese, and water. Cook until bubbly.

Mix in noodles and corn. Pour into 2 casserole dishes (or whatever you can fit it in; this makes a lot of food). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.


Hints, etc.

• This is fun to play around with on spices. My husband and I usually replace the salt with seasoning salt and add taco seasoning. If we want it more spicy we also add cayenne pepper or a minced serrano pepper.
• Doesn't have to be shell noodles. We use whatever we have on hand, i.e. elbow noodles instead of shell.
• We usually skip baking. Rather than waiting to add the noodles and corn; add them with the mushroom and tomato soup, water, and cheese. It's a little soupy and not as casseroley, but it is faster and as long as the cheese is melted, it still tastes good.
• I said this before, but this makes a ton of food. We usually cook the meat and spices in a skillet and then mix everything in our 5 qt pot.
• Finally, this does make a lot of food, but the leftovers are better than the firsts.

Enjoy! Sarah Wilcox

Good and Easy Crock Pot Apricot Chicken

So I have no idea how to post this recipe. but I sure hope this works :) I really need to get a blog started of my own :) Anyhow this is a recipe that I love to make because it ALWAYS turns out good and it is so very easy!! Here is what you need:

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 18oz jars Arpicot-Pinapple Preserves
2 Pkgs Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 Crockpot :)

I mix the Preserves and Soup Mix then pour a small amount of it on the bottom of the crock-pot, place chicken in crock-pot and cover with remaining sauce. Cook on Low 4-5 hours. Serve over rice.
One odd fact, sometimes when I am in a hurry and I have frozen my chicken then I just throw it in the pot without defrosting it and when I do that the chicken is ALWAYS more tender. I know it sounds weird but its true :)

Katie Henrie

Yummy Hummus

Here is a quick, easy hummus recipe that makes veggies a little more appetizing!

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 c lemon juice

1/3 c tahini (sesame seed paste found in the health food section at Smith's. If you don't have it, you can replace the olive oil with sesame oil)

garlic to taste (2 minced cloves or around 2 tsps. of garlic powder is what I use)

1/2 tsp cumin (optional)

Put everything in your blender or food processor. Blend until smooth--you can add a little water or reserved bean liquid if it is too thick. Also, it's a very flexible recipe---add more garlic, basil, cumin or even roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes. It's fun to experiment.

Amy Ellis

Grasshopper Pie

SOOO Yummy!!!

Ingredients:

1 large package of chocolate jello pudding
2 1/4 cups milk
1 oreo pie crust
1 package Keebler Grasshopper chocolate cookies
1 8 oz tub of cool whip

Mix the pudding and the milk together in a bowl till completely mixed then add about 1/3 of the cool whip and mix. Then crumble about 9-10 cookies in the pudding mix.
Put it in the pie crust and place in the fridge for about an hour then spread the rest of the cool whip and crumble about 10 more cookies on top with one whole one in the middle.
and serve!
Hope you love it like we do!
Heather Bradford

Cookies

Today we had a great mid-day activity. It was the bow exchange, I think we all learned so much from each other. There is so much talent in the ward, it is great to have people share them with us. For the activity I made some no-bake cookies and chocolate chip cookies and thought I might as well share them with everyone else on here.

No-Bake Cookies

1 cube of butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups oats

~Combine first 5 ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil for 1 min stirring constantly. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla, take off heat. Pour this mixture over the oats and mix until coated. drop small spoon fulls on waxed paper to cool. Then enjoy!


Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 TBS hot water
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
chocolate chips

~Preheat oven to 375. Cream shortening, butter and sugars; add eggs, water, vanilla and beat well. Add flour, soda and salt to mixture. Add chocolate chips. Bake for 10 min until light brown.
These cookies are moist, and chewy. I have tried many different chocolate chip cookie recipes and this one I think I like the most. If anyone has a really good one they like please post it, I would love to try something new.

Heather Sorenson