Better than the box!

We had no sweets in the house tonight so I decided I had to bake. Well my go to dessert is brownies. I admit, I have always been a boxed brownie kinda girl. That is, until I discovered this recipe. I will never go back to the box!

Chewy Cocoa Brownies
(recommended by nestie Soon2BMrsN)

1 2/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. melted butter or margarine
2 tbsp. water
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. baking cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9 pan.

Combine sugar, butter, and water in large bowl.
Stir in eggs and vanilla.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt
in medium bowl. Stir flour mixture into sugar
mixture. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Spread into
prepared pan.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until wooden pick
inserted comes out slightly sticky.
Makes 12 servings.


*I prefer my brownies without nuts so I ommit those.
Also, I was out of chocolate chips so I didn't add
those either. It's a great basic brownie recipe even
without those two ingredients.

Burgers and Fries

Tonight I decided to put a healthy spin on traditional burgers and fries. So I made turkey burgers and baked sweet potato fries. The turkey burger recipe is a basic recipe I got from one of the ladies on a cooking board I frequent. They turned out very tasty!

Delicious Turkey Burgers

Entrée-Turkey

3 lbs. ground turkey

¼ c seasoned breadcrumbs

¼ c finely diced onion

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

¼ c chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 t salt

¼ t pepper

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 12 patties.
• Cook patties in a medium skillet over medium, turning once, until heated through.

* I actually halved this recipe and made 4 larger patties instead of 6 smaller ones.



Sweet Potato Fries with Basil Salt
5 sweet potatoes, cut into about 1 by 5-inch "fries"
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the sweet potato "fries" on a foil-lined baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. In another small bowl combine the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice, and stir to combine.

When the sweet potato fries come out of the oven, sprinkle with the basil salt. Serve with the garlic mayonnaise alongside for dipping.

*The recipe calls for a garlic mayonnaise dipping sauce which I didn't make since we aren't really fans of mayo. Instead I sprinkled the potatoes with a little garlic powder for extra flavor.

Giada's recipe-foodnetwork.com http://tinyurl.com/2j9e75

Lady and Sons

Well I can't think of anyone more similar to my grandma (Nana) than Paula Deen. Full of spunk, laughter, and the know how to create some delicious southern eats. This is why on our trip to Savannah, GA in April I told my husband we absolutely had to eat at Paula's Lady and Sons restaurant. I didn't care if we had to wait for hours, we were going to eat there.

Luckily we didn't have to wait for hours and we did get to go! It was everything I thought it would be. Warm, welcoming, and the food was fabulous! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cheese biscuits, greens, corn casserole, peach cobbler and anything else traditionally southern and fattening was on the buffet. They also had a salad bar which I passed up. : )

But I didn't just take away a couple extra pounds from Lady and Sons. After reading about Paula Deen, I thought about what the restaurant must represent for her. She has become hugely successful, starting out with a small, home-based business doing what she loved to do. Her story reminded me of the strength of good southern ladies! It certainly makes me think of my Nana.

http://ladyandsons.com/