Salted Caramel Brownies

Cake mixes are cheap and convenient, but not all that tasty, right? This recipe is a good way to use a cake mix. I wish the picture did a better job showing just how amazingly gooey that middle layer of caramel is, and the salt in it adds just the right zing to make the flavors more complex.

Adapted from this and this recipe by The Pioneer Woman

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 c. chocolate chips

1/3 c. half and half

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 c. half and half

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tsp. salt

Combine cake mix, chocolate chips, 1/3 c. half and half, and 1/2 c. melted butter in a mixing bowl. Press half the mixture into a greased square baking pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350.

Warm 1/2 c. half and half in a small saucepan. In a seperate tall saucepan, dump water and sugar but do not stir (make sugar evenly distributed in water so it is all wet). Place over medium heat and wait without stirring until mixture turns an amber color, which will likely take around 10 minutes. When it is amber, remove from heat and add warm half and half, 1/4 c. butter, and salt. Stir until mixture is smooth and well combined.

Pour over baked brownie mixture. Press remaining brownie mixture into large, flat pieces and lay them over the caramel to cover the top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool to room temperature before eating.

Gourmet Chicken Garlic Pizza

I love Papa Murphy's Gourmet Chicken Garlic Pizza, but Papa Murphy's isn't here in Houston and even if it were the price tag is a bit high for our graduate school budget. This is an adaptation of a copycat recipe I found online here. 

I use a lot of approximation for the pizza crust, but here are the basics I follow:

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
pinch sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine water, yeast, and sugar and let sit until yeast foams. Add salt, flour, and olive oil and knead in stand mixer with dough hook or by hand. Continue to alternate adding olive oil or water as needed. Dough should not be sticky at all but should form a cohesive ball. Lightly coat ball of dough with olive oil, cover with towel, and let rise until double. Makes enough for 1 large jellyroll pan or 2 8-9 inch round pizzas.

Mix together:

1/2 c. ranch dressing

1 Tbsp. minced garlic (the kind from the jar works great)

Spread sauce over pizza and top with:

2-3 c. cooked, diced chicken (seasoned according to your desires)

3 medium roma tomatoes, diced

1 bunch green onions, chopped (minus the lower inch or so of white and the floppy ends)

2 c. mozzarella cheese

Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.

Oreo Cream Cheese Cake

Remember how last year for Sam's birthday I made this Peanut Butter Cup Layered Cake? This year I wanted to do the same kind of thing with Oreos. Then I saw a recipe for Oreo Ice Cream Fudge in the Worldwide Ward Cookbook, and I instantly envisioned the fudge sandwiched between the cake layers. This cake takes a little bit of time to put together, but if you make the fudge and the cakes the day before, it will come together fairly quickly.

Do you like my cake stand? I actually don't own one. This is a plastic plate balanced on a mug. :)

For the cake...

Mix together:

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil:

2 sticks butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup water

Pour over the flour mixture and add:

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

Liberally grease and flour 2 8-inch round pans. Pour half of the batter into each pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For the fudge filling:

Line an 8-inch round pan with plastic wrap. Crush enough Oreo cookies to cover the bottom of the pan. Melt 3 cups milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds. Add 1 c. cookies-and-cream ice cream and stir until incorporated. If needed, stick it back in the microwave for a few seconds to get it all uniformly combined. Pour over the crushed Oreo cookies, and spread a layer of crushed Oreo cookies on top. Store in the freezer until ready to put in the cake.

For the frosting:

Whip until smooth:

2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese

1 stick butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

enough milk to make a good consistency

To assemble:

With a serrated knife, cut the rounded tops off both cakes to level them. Brush off any loose crumbs. Place one cake on a cake plate and spread the top with a thin layer of frosting. Unwrap the fudge and place it on top of the cake. Spread another thin layer of cream cheese frosting on top of the fudge and top with the other cake. Frost the entire cake with frosting and decorate with Oreos in desired design.

Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango

This is another gem from that little Thai cookbook I got at the Asian Market in Provo. It is normally served as a dessert, but we eat it as a main dish. :) It is so refreshing in the summertime! It is traditionally served warm, but I actually prefer it cold. Either way is tasty! I just recommend not reheating the mangoes, so if you serve it warm you should serve the mangoes on the side rather than combining everything together. Enjoy!

2 1/2 cups uncooked Mahatma jasmine rice (Important! It needs to be Mahatma jasmine rice! It comes in a shiny purple package.)

1 can coconut milk

1 cup sugar

3/4 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 mangoes

Cook the rice according to package directions. Put coconut milk, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when it boils. Pour the coconut milk mixture over the cooked rice and cover for 10-15 minutes to let it soak into the rice. Chill or serve warm with fresh, diced mango.