Caramel Oatmeal Bars

These are really, really tasty...but a bit of pain in the butt to make.  Why?  It's the step with the butter that got to me--cutting up 2 and a half sticks into small bits to mash into the batter by hand is very tedious and time consuming, albeit necessary to achieve the proper consistency.  However, I really enjoy them, so I will likely make them again.  9.5/10 (0.5 deducted for the pain the butt butter part).

Link to original recipe: https://bakeorbreak.com/2012/02/caramel-oatmeal-bars/

Ingredients:

2 c. old-fashioned/rolled oats
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. light brown sugar (packed)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. unsalted butter, cold (you may want to freeze it for a few minutes to make step 3 easier)
48 soft caramels (such as Kraft brand ones; I had a regular-sized bag and it contained only 40, which is what I actually used, turned out great)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on short ends. (Original recipe says to spray pan with cooking spray prior to lining, but I did not do this, as I cannot imagine what benefit it would serve.)

2. In a large bowl, stir oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together.

3. Heat oven to 350°F.

4. Cut cold butter into small pieces (I cut into pats, then cut pats into quarters.  Yes, this is a bit of work.)  Add pieces to oat mixture and combine using a fork or your fingers (I tried and failed with a pastry blender, so then I opted for my fingers, which worked better by far), until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Press half of the mixture into the lined baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

6. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes.

7. While the first half is baking (and then cooling), heat caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir frequently, until a smooth mixture is combined. then remove from heat.

8. When the first half has cooled, sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly atop it, followed by drizzling the caramel mixture over it.

(I had to spread it a little for it to be even-ish)

9. Top with the remaining half of the oat mixture/batter, then bake for additional 20-25 minutes, or until pale golden (I went 25 minutes).

10. Cool completely in pan, then cut into bars and enjoy!

Quick/cheat version: Poires Belle-Hélène

Perhaps one day I will make the "real" version of Poires Belle-Hélène, but for now, this is a great shortcut version, far easier to tackle.  There are no amounts set for the ingredients, as you can make it to your own preferences :)  And yes, there is pear peeking out at the bottom of the chocolate lol.

Ingredients:

canned halved pears in heavy syrup
vanilla ice cream
hot fudge topping
whipped cream (optional)
almond slices (optional)

Instructions:

1. Drain the pears and place one or two halves in a serving bowl.

2. Add a scoop of ice cream, then top with hot fudge all over.

3. Top with whipped cream and/or almond slices, if desired (I used * real * whipped cream :))  Enjoy!

Sea Salt Pistachio Fudge Pie

Happy pi day, everyone!  As is tradition, I made a pie to post for the day.  And ohhh is it ever tasty!  And easy, too, so you can make this right now (well, if you have the ingredients on hand, anyway :))  I highly recommend enjoying while it is still warm, with some vanilla ice cream. 10/10 all the way again!

Link to original recipe: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/sea-salt-pistachio-fudge-pie/d97bb8cc-c331-4f33-86ff-b940136b2d5a

Ingredients:

1 prepared pie crust dough for 9" pie (I used this recipe, but you could also go pre-made refrigerated crust)
1 c. pistachio nuts (I actually only used 3/4 c, as that was what I had on hand)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar (NOT packed)
1/4 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Gently place pie crust in 9" glass pie dish and form to dish, cutting off excess.

3. In a large bowl, combine pistachios, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, and flour.

4. Add eggs and stir until combined.

5. Add melted butter and vanilla and stir until combined.

6. Pour batter into prepared crust in dish.  Bake for 35 min (or until center is set and crust is golden brown).  Upon removing from oven, immediately sprinkle with sea salt.

7. Let cool on rack at least 10 min. prior to serving.  Enjoy!

Thick & Chewy M&M Cookie Bars

Oh yes, these were as tasty as they look.  Funny enough, I actually made these last year in September, with, as you can see, M&M's from springtime.  Since it will soon be spring for this year, I thought this would be a nice time to finally get around to posting this.  10/10!

Link to original recipe: http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2013/01/thick-and-chewy-mm-cookie-bars.html

Ingredients:

2 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 bag (12 oz.) M&M's, divided

Instructions:

1. Place rack in lower-middle position of oven and heat to 325°F.  Grease a 9"x13" baking pan and set aside.

2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

3. Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl until combined.

4. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.  Mix well.

5. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into mixture until just combined--be careful to NOT overmix!

6. Fold in 1 c. of the M&M's, then pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.

7. Sprinkle remaining M&M's atop the batter in pan and press in slightly.

8. Bake 25-30 min, or until top of bars is light golden brown and edges start pulling away from sides of pan.

9. Cool completely, cut into squares, and enjoy!

(I don't have a picture of it after cutting into squares, oops)

Lamb Loin Chops with Herbed Cognac Butter Sauce

These were pretty good, but not as good as the ones I make with red wine sauce. I would like to make them again sometime, though, perhaps with brandy instead of Cognac--the flavor was not really present, thus not worth the $$ to use "the good stuff" 8.5/10

Link to original recipe: https://kitchenswagger.com/cast-iron-lamb-loin-chops-cognac-butter-sauce-recipe/
**I made 1.5 times the original recipe; amounts below reflect this modification**

Ingredients:

6 lamb loin chops
1 1/2 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 T. butter
6 T. cognac (or brandy)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Set loin chops out on counter 20-30 min prior to cooking and season liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering, then add loin chops.  Cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes, then turn and cook on other side for 3-4 minutes more.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to skillet and stir until butter has completed melted.  Simmer for additional 1-2 minutes, turning the loin chops at least once to let the sauce flavor soak in on each side.

4. Remove from heat and use the pan sauce to drizzle over the loin chops when served.  Enjoy!

Pork Loin Chops with Camembert Sauce

Extra MMM for this one...I've made this a few times, though none recently.  Not for lack of desire to do so, just always distracted by so many other recipes :) Anyway, this is yet another wonderful recipe from the book French: delicious classic cuisine made easy by Clements & Wolf-Cohen (I have made and blogged many of the recipes in this book already).  While you can make this with heavy cream instead of crème fraîche, I highly suggest you use the latter, as it really enhances the taste. These pair very well with rosemary potatoes.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/e3YF0Um3sgo

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb. boneless pork loin chops, pounded to 1/2" thickness

coarse ground black pepper

1 T. butter

3 T. dry white wine (I used Barefoot Chardonnay)

1/2 c. crème fraîche (or heavy cream)

1/2 T. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1/2 T. fresh sage, chopped

4 oz. Camembert cheese, rind removed (~2.5 oz. de-rinded), cut into small chunks

Directions:

1. Season pork chops with pepper on both sides.

2. Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add butter.  When butter has melted and just started to barely brown (watch carefully!!!), add pork to skillet.

3. Cook pork for 2 1/2 minutes, then turn and cook additional 2 1/2 minutes.  Transfer to plate.

4. Add wine to pan, stir to deglaze.

5. Add the cream and herbs, stirring to combine.

6. Add the cheese and any accumulated juices from the resting pork.  Stir until cheese has nearly all melted.

7. Serve pork with sauce and enjoy (a lot)!

Dark Chocolate Ganache Brownie Cutouts

Attention chocolate lovers: this is a superbly chocolaty recipe that you will want to make as soon as possible.  I renamed it slightly because the original ends with "cakes", implying that these are bake-like in consistency; this is not the case.  Brownie aficionados know there are fudgy ones and cakey ones--this recipe is the former, and quite so.  Super moist and rich plus a lovely ganache topping=heavenly.  10/10 all the way!

Link to original recipe: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/145439/dark-chocolate-ganache-brownie-cakes

Ingredients:

16 oz. dark chocolate chips (I used Nestlé brand), divided
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into large pats
3 T. water
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F and line a 13" x 9" baking pan with foil.  Lightly grease/spray the foil after lining.

2. Using a double boiler (or a saucepan over low heat), melt chocolate, sugar, butter, and water together, stirring constantly.  Once melted/smooth, remove from heat.

3. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and stir the eggs, one at time, until well blended.

4. Stir in the vanilla extract, then the flour and salt.  Pour into prepared baking pan.

5. Bake for 30-35 min (I went 30), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky.

6. Cool completely in pan on wire rack, then transfer brownies (keeping in foil) to cutting board.  Cut into circles using 2 1/2" cookie cutter, or cut into squares (I just did circles so it could look like the original recipe--will do squares next time).

7. Make the ganache: heat cream in microwave using a 4-cup glass measure (or similar sized microwave-safe bowl) for 30-40 seconds on high.  Remove from microwave and slowly pour in morsels.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 5 minutes, then stir to combine until smooth.  (Note: I used 30 seconds and this was not near enough to make the cream warm enough, so I ended up having to microwave 2 more times for 20 seconds to get full melt/smooth.)

8. Top brownie cutouts with ganache and enjoy!!