The Pajama Chef

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

February 6, 2013September 14, 2015 Sarah

So, if you’ve never checked out Megan’s blog, What Megan’s Making, you’re missing out. I’m not sure how I first found it but I’m glad I did. Everything I’ve made from her blog has been incredibly delicious… and my most recent love are these Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies! They are seriously in hot contention for the best thing I ever ate. An indicator? I rarely make the same recipe twice, but this recipe was first posted in March 2012 and I have made them at least two, if not three times since then. For me, that equals a spot on the bus to Crazytown, USA. No joke.

I know it’s a little redundant but the best way to describe these brownies is to say that they’re uber peanut buttery, chocolatey, and chewy. I don’t use the word “uber” lightly, so when I say all those things, imagine I’m screaming it. And if you know me in real life, you know that me screaming is pretty rare. Sooooo… emphasis should be noted. 🙂

Even though these brownies are rich, I’d be lying if I said you just had to eat a small piece to be satisfied. You won’t. Don’t worry, if you’re anything like me, you won’t have any self control around these insanely addicting brownies. They’re nothing fancy–just a buttery and soft brownie with nutty, caramely peanut butter flavor. And the best parts are the bites with the melted bits o’ fudgy chocolate. Oh wait–that’s each bite. Whoops! They are definitely not for sharing… unless you want to make a second batch tomorrow. Enjoy! 🙂

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

Servings: 12
Time: 40 minutes
Print

from What Megan’s Making

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips [or 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips + 3/4 cup peanut butter chips]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugars and vanilla. Then mix until creamy, scraping the sides as needed. Next, add egg. Beat on low until light and fluffy.

Slowly add flour and baking powder and beat until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth out with spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Appetizers, Recipes

SRC: Baked Jalapeno Popper-Ranch Dip

February 4, 2013May 6, 2015 Sarah

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Wendy’s wonderful blog, The Weekend Gourmet. As I’ve said before, numerous times, I absolutely love being part of the SRC. It’s a fun way to try new blogs and recipes and be part of a fun community. If you’ve missed my past SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog… all while keeping your assignment a secret! Everyone else posts about their secret blog the same day. It’s fabulously fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

Anyway, when I first visited Wendy’s blog I was overwhelmed by the number of fabulous recipes there. Wendy is from Texas, and is as warm and welcoming as can be. I mean, how could she not be… she’s from Texas after all. Plus, she has a cat. Nice people always have cats. 🙂 I could hardly decide what to make. Peppermint White Hot Chocolate? Cranberry-Nut Caramel Popcorn? Citrus-Walnut Brown Rice Pilaf? Mmm, I wanted to make them all. In one day. What a delightful day that would have been! But I asked Ben, my chief culinary consultant what sounded good to him, and then we got to talkin’ about appetizers. Our church small group takes turns bringing snacks each week, and if left to my own devices, I would always bake something. But Ben wanted to do something different, so we settled on Jalapeno Popper Dip. But not just any Jalapeno Popper Dip… Baked Jalapeno Popper-Ranch Dip.

This dip is, in a word, awesome. Spicy and creamy and cheesy. Yum. In another word, addicting. It’s great hot right out of the oven [but beware… Wendy calls it hot lava right out of the oven, and I agree]… and it’s equally as good cold out of the refrigerator [ask me how I know… it’s a great 11 pm snack to finish off peppermint tea… ha!]. And in a last word, forgiving. The recipe I’ll give you will be Wendy’s, through and through… even though my version was laden with “mistakes.”

There were so many! I misread the recipe and put all the ranch seasoning in the cheesy mixture, instead of splitting it between the cheese and the topping. I forgot to buy the green onions so those were omitted. I accidentally used up the plain green yogurt in another recipe, so had to substitute some sour cream and mayo instead. I also rubbed jalapeno juice into some tiny cuts on my hand, which was fun. But you know what? Even with all that craziness, this dip was just SO good. It was just demolished by everyone who tried it, even an adventurous two year old. 🙂 You should totally make it for your next appetizer need… I wish I could have posted it before the Super Bowl, but alas… Ben loved it and says you can eat it anytime!

Enjoy, and be sure to check out Wendy’s blog for more recipe inspiration. Thanks for a great recipe, Wendy!!

Baked Jalapeno Popper-Ranch Dip [from The Weekend Gourmet]
click to print

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened [I used Neufchâtel]
6 ounces plain greek yogurt [I used 4 ounces sour cream + 2 ounces mayo]
1 – 1 ounce package dry ranch dressing mix
1 small can chopped jalapeno peppers, drained [I used 3 fresh jalapenos, about 1 heaping cup, and deseeded 2 of them]
2 sliced green onions
1 cup shredded co-jack cheese
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a shallow casserole dish [I used a 10 inch dish].

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, yogurt, and half of the ranch seasoning. Mix on low until everything is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the jalapenos, green onions, and cheese. Mix again, then spoon into prepared dish.

In a second bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and the rest of the ranch seasoning. Spread on top of the cheese mixture, then spray or drizzle on olive oil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and dip is bubbly. Turn dish around halfway for even browning.

Cool for 5 minutes before serving with tortilla chips.

Time: 40 minutes.

Yield: serves 10-12.

Be sure to check out other great SRC recipes here, and have a great day!

Also linked with: Weekend Potluck.

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

February 3, 2013February 2, 2013 Sarah

Week of February 4

Monday: dinner with friends… I’m bringing salad & dessert
Tuesday: Kale Frittata
Wednesday: Pulled Pork with Ranch Beans
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Kung Pao Chicken Burgers
Saturday: pancakes
Sunday: 1970s Style Tacos with crockpot refried beans

Reviews

Book Review: Against the Tide

January 30, 2013January 25, 2013 Sarah

Another book review! There are a few book reviews coming and I know this is primarily a food blog… but truthfully, reading is my other hobby. Kinda lame, but it works. National Days of Reading, as my dad calls those days when you just hang out under a blanket with a book and your favorite kitty, are pretty much my favorite kind of days. I first heard about the blogger review program for Bethany House Publishers, a well-respected publisher of Christian fiction and other Christian titles, from Money Saving Mom, and really enjoy getting to read new books as soon as [or before] they are released. I have a nice little collection of books I have reviewed that I can now lend out to friends, and that I hope to donate someday.

The awesome book I have to review today is Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

Lydia Pallas has carved out a good life for herself in Boston, where she has landed an enviable position as a translator for the U.S. Navy. When her talents bring her to the attention of the mysterious Alexander Banebridge, he hires her to translate a seemingly innocuous collection of European documents.

But Lydia soon discovers this job is more than it appears. Bane is driven by a secret campaign to end the opium trade, compelled by his troubled past. When Bane’s enemies gain the upper hand, can Bane and Lydia—and the love growing between them—survive the forces that are conspiring against them?

As with my usual style… here’s my five point review.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know I love historical fiction, and this book was no different. Against the Tide is Elizabeth Camden’s second novel, and I will definitely be reading everything she writes from now on. I actually read her first novel, The Lady of Bolton Hill earlier last year and was super excited to see this novel up for review. Like her first novel, this story combines romance, humor, and intrigue into one seamless story.
I appreciated Elizabeth’s writing style for two reasons. First, her faith shines through but is not in your face annoying. Some Christian authors’ use of Bible verses every other page, while good intentioned, can be unrealistic and can detract from the storyline. As a little jest to that, my Christian fiction board on Goodreads is actually called Cheesy Christian. Haha! 🙂 Secondly, her books have both been very well edited, with good vocabulary that hasn’t been dumbed down. That might be a minor thing, but it irks me to no end when books are poorly edited and repeat words all the time.
This story continues following the lives of a couple characters from her first novel, notably Bane, but you can definitely read it as a standalone novel. It isn’t marketed as a sequel and though the stories are related, they aren’t too interlocked… but definitely do read both if you can!
I was encouraged by Lydia’s growth and decision making process throughout the story. Her childhood was difficult, and she overcame alot of adversity as an adult on her own. Watching her get to know Bane better and work with him through her troubles [can’t tell you too much or I’ll spoil it] is just awesome. He is such a good man. They are the kind of couple you just want to be… but will they get together or not? That is the question! 🙂
The last reason that I loved this story was that it was so well researched. Not that you’d expect anything less, but Elizabeth is a librarian! She actually graduated with her MLS from the same program I am finishing now, which is pretty cool. You can tell that she put alot of time into investigating the Navy, opium use, and life in the 1800s… and it shows in her story.

I know that I say every book I read is good, and I loved it, and blah blah blah in these reviews… but it’s true. I mean every word of it. But I must say, this is the single best piece of historical Christian fiction I have read in recent memory. Five stars, definitely. Be sure to check it out! I hope to meet Lydia and/or Bane again… 🙂

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!

Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches {Repost}

January 28, 2013February 12, 2013 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

from July 14, 2011…but BBQ is good in January too, for a taste of summer, of course 🙂

About a month ago, my parents, sister, sister’s boyfriend, [edited to add…they got married on December 28, 2012… YAY!] and grandfather came for a visit. Yup, that’s right–seven people in a two bedroom, 1000 square foot apartment. Pure craziness, at least in terms of space. As I do with any visitors, I wanted to be sure to prepare a fantastic dinner that everyone would love, but with several caveats: we couldn’t grill out (apparently outdoor grills in “multi-family dwellings” are now illegal in the state of Indiana) and I didn’t want to spend all night in the kitchen.

So what’s a girl to do?

Use the crock pot, of course!

When Ben and I got married two years ago, I was a total crock pot skeptic. I thought crock pots were for lazy cooks and that nothing good ever came out of them. I vowed I would never use the crock pot we received as a wedding gift (in fact, we only registered for it at Ben’s insistence). I totally ate my words on that one! Aside from my KitchenAid mixer (fortunately inherited from my grandmother), my crock pot is probably my most-used kitchen appliance. I love it for making soups, applesauce, and large hunks ‘o meat.

As I was brainstorming what to make, I kept coming back to this recipe I had seen on Tasty Kitchen for Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches. The combination of sweet pineapple with vinegary, tomato-y BBQ sauce intrigued me to say the least. So I threw the ingredients together in my crock pot, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best

And “the best” delivered. Many a sandwich were devoured by all that night, and the sweet yet savory BBQ just couldn’t be beat. This is definitely a recipe to make again and again. It’s so easy, so delicious, so tasty, so why wouldn’t you? Enjoy!

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches [from MyRetroKitchen via Tasty Kitchen]
click to print

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless chicken, thawed
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1 – 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
1 – 18-20 ounce bottle BBQ sauce [I used KC Masterpiece]
hamburger buns

Directions:

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Cover with onions. Drain pineapple, reserving juice (see note) and add over top. Pour in BBQ sauce. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. About an hour or two before it is finished, shred chicken with two forks, stir to incorporate the sauce, and let cook for the rest of the allotted time.

Serve on hamburger buns. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, try these: they are quite easy and really tasty! Enjoy!

Note:

For an extra sweet sauce, the recipe recommends a BBQ sauce like Sweet Baby Ray’s (which is so great) and the addition of up to 1/2 cup of the reserved pineapple juice. I didn’t add any juice to mine and it was plenty sweet for us, but others might feel differently. I just chose to drink the juice! 🙂

Shared with the Made with Love Linky Party and Weekend Potluck.