Awesome Brownies

With a name like Awesome Brownies, the recipe has to deliver. And I think they do based on two accounts. 

1. I made these and tweeted about it - my coworkers expected brownies in the office the next day. 

2. I made these and packed them up for Howard to bring to work - his coworkers devoured them.

So now there's been a lot of grumbling on both sides. My colleagues are upset that I didn't bring them in and that they went to Howard's colleagues. Howard is now telling me that people are pestering him about when I'll be making more. 

I'm surprised, I thought they would be too rich and that the squares I cut were too big. This is moist, melty, gooey chocolate we're talking about. But the verdict was that the pecans helped lessen the sweetness and added a nice crunchy texture to each bite. 

Awesome Brownies

Recipe adapted from Good Food, Good Life

(Doesn't make enough brownies. Just kidding, makes about 20-24 brownies)

9 ounces of semisweet chocolate (or bittersweet, 61% cocoa or less)

1 stick and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup of sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 9 baking pan with foil. Leave extra foil on the sides to provide as a handle to lift the brownies out when they're finished baking. 

Combine the chocolate a butter over a double boiler to melt. You're only supposed to use 6 ounces of the chocolate and save the rest to mix in after, but I dumped it all in! Let the mixture cool when the butter and chocolate are combined and smooth.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter mixture.

Fold in the flour and then half of the pecans (or 1 cup of pecans if you're following the recipe to a T).

Pour the batter into the lined baking pan (you should spray it with non-stick oil, I forgot) and sprinkle the remaining pecans (and 3 ounces of chocolate if you reserved some instead of melting all of it) on top. Bake the brownies for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the brownies cool in the pan.

Using the foil, carefully lift the brownie out from the pan. Use a sharp knife to divide it into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Yummm, just look at that top crust. I think that all brownies should have that shiny crinkle on top. Everything is awesome!

An update: I made them a second time. This time I brought them into my office. =)

Almond Falafel

This recipe caught my attention in Curtis Stone's Good Food, Good Life because one - I had all the ingredients on hand and two - I never made falafels before. He notes that falafels are traditionally made with uncooked chickpeas that have been soaked overnight, just until they're partially softened. That's how you get the crunchy texture. But by using canned chickpeas and almonds you can achieve a similar crunch and make falafels on the same day.

Almond Falafel
Recipe from Good Food, Good Life
(Makes about 35-40 falafels)

1/2 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2/3 cups of fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup of raw whole almonds
2 cups of canned chickpeas
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
Canola oil for deep frying

Have everything out and ready, rinsed and cleaned (canned chickpeas, parsley, and cilantro leaves). Even though it took me a long time to make the first time around, now that I've made it once, it really is quick and easy!

Throw the onion, garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, parsley leaves, cilantro leaves, almonds, and chickpeas into your food processor and pulse until everything is combined. Oh my bejebus, this mixture smells so good in the food processor!

Mix in the flour, sesame seeds, and baking powder. Set up your deep frying station, turn the heat on and as you wait for the oil to reach 350°F, form the falafel mixture into balls with your hands (about 1 and 1/2 tablespoon).

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently lower the falafels into the oil to deep fry. I was able to fit six in without the temperature dropping. Keep an eye on your thermometer and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.

They're ready when they're golden brown. Take them out and place on paper towel over a cooling rack. Season with salt.

Tahini Sauce
Recipe from Good Food, Good Life
(Makes about 1 1/3 cups)

1 garlic glove
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/2 cup of cold water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Blend everything in a food processor or mixer! That was easy.

Serve with pitas or tortillas, cabbage or lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and shallots (or if you prefer onions). Make sure you spread in the tahini sauce.

Delicious! I loved pulling the falafel open to see the green colour and heat rise out. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge and warmed up when it's time to eat again. I've only had falafels twice in my life. Once here in Toronto and once in New York City. I think I like these homemade versions better. =)

Best of all, they're really filling and Howard didn't even mind that we were having a meatless dinner!

Good Food, Good Life

Good Food, Good Life

130 Simple Recipes You'll Love to Make and Eat

Written by Curtis Stone

Photographs by Ray Kachatorian

ISBN 13: 9780449015896

ISBN 10: 0449015890

Publisher: Appetite by Random House

Hardcover: 304 pages

Sooooo, there's a new Curtis Stone cookbook! I always get excited when I see that there's a new book coming out from him. Usually I find out at sales conference from work and then have to wait an entire year. He once came in to meet with the marketing and publicity department at work and I tried to nonchalantly walk by the boardroom to see if I could spot him or even better - meet him! But no luck, maybe this year!

I'm noticing this trend among a lot of the cookbooks this year, no jacket! And matte interior paper and matte covers with spine wraps. Neutral colours.

Is everyone tired of the glossy and shiny look? I understand that jackets are cumbersome in the kitchen, but they do help protect the book when you accidentally place the book on a wet counter top. Just be extra careful now, you don't want to drop or spill anything by accident to blur out the recipes. But I don't mind this new direction, I'm digging the look. Most cookbooks today are trying to capture a lifestyle compared to the bright and showy cooking shows on television.

Good Food, Good Life is about family and home cooked meals that are humble but tasty. The dedication is made out to Curtis's son, Hudson and the introduction mentions Emerson, the latest addition to his family. You can even make the wedding cupcakes that he made when he married Lindsay Price in the book too. Yes, you can win a girl's heart with food! You can also see that his focus and stories are on raising a family with good food.

Here's a glance at how the cookbook is divided. I mostly tagged recipes for dinner and breakfast. As you can see, I've tagged a lot of them to try. For me, they are mostly weekend recipes because it still takes me awhile to assemble everything, so it's not going to work on a busy weekday for me. I also found that a lot of the recipes I did want to try required firing up a grill, so I had to skip tagging them. A skillet on the stove top might work, but I don't like smoking up my apartment (my exhaust fan in the microwave sucks) and I don't think we're allowed to grill on the balcony. Which is a shame, but maybe I'll take these grill recipes over to my parent's house or borrow a friend's backyard.

Each recipe clearly labels the serving, prep time, cook time, and make-ahead suggestions. I don't know about you, but the prep times are never accurate for me! I'm so slow at getting everything in place before I cook. But I appreciate them just the same, it gives me an estimate (I double it) and I like knowing the cook times so I know when to get up from the couch (stop binge-watching) to make dinner.

If you're someone who fears a long ingredient list like me, I would say that the average would be ten in this cookbook. There are the simpler recipes that use five or less ingredients and then the ambitious projects that list fifteen and over. It really depends on your mood and time.

I wanted to let you a look at a few interior spreads. Most of the recipes include a photograph of the finished products. Others show the ingredients or a picture of Curtis and Hudson prepping and cooking in the kitchen.

The layout is clean and easy to read and the instructions are clear to follow. The photographs look so laid back (even though they're styled) and simple, making the food stand out and really showing you that you can do it, you too can make this dish look good at home. (Why don't my food photos ever look like that?)

Here's Lindsay's Lemonade! I made Lindsay's Guacamole from What's for Dinner? and it's delicious, so I'm expecting the same for this drink.

I have to admit that I prefer What's for Dinner? over Good Food, Good Life a tiny bit, but please keep in mind that the concepts are different between those two cookbooks. I'll be sharing my cooking experience with a few recipes following this post, so return to see how the food turn outs!

And if you ever need a helping hand (sous chef) in the kitchen, you can now get your very own Pocket Curtis! Happy cooking!