Chewy White Chocolate Brownies (AKA: Blondies)

White Chocolate Brownies are one of my favorite ways to make brownies! I'm not much of a chocolate fan unless I'm craving it, but I love white chocolate! Happy has been asking me all week to make him some White Chocolate Brownies, so I surprised him one day and did it!

I found this recipe (HERE) while searching online for the best White Chocolate Brownie recipe. This was a lot different than any recipe I've tried so it was a little scary trying it! There's no salt, or baking soda in it. It's just flour. And the great thing about this recipe was that I didn't have to melt the chocolate over a double boiler! It's not my favorite.

Here's what I did differently. I made these like I would make my double chocolate brownies, so I added quite a bit more white chocolate than the original recipe and instead of sprinkling the last of the white chocolate chips over the batter, I folded it in my batter. I ended up baking this in a glass 13 x 9 pan and it caramelized on the sides and bottom so it made it taste a little like caramel or butterscotch!

Chewy White Chocolate Brownies
Makes a 13 x 9 pan

4 cups white chocolate
12 Tbls. butter
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour

• Preheat oven to 350 then grease a square baking pan. Melt 2 cup white chocolate chips and butter over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar until frothy then add vanilla. Slowly mix in the chocolate mixture. Gradually add flour and beat until smooth then spread batter in prepared pan. Fold in remaining 2 cups white chocolate chips then bake 30 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Doc loved this and really liked the end pieces because they were caramelized! He sent me a text message (I love getting messages like this from the Dwarfs!) the next day saying this:

Happy also liked these too :)  

Diana Rambles, My Turn For Us, Sincerely, Paula, A Peek into my Paradise, Anyonita Nibbles, Dessert now, Dinner Later!, Six Sisters' Stuff

A Meal with a Princess: Ariel

A few months ago I asked all my sisters-in-law if they would want to share some of their family's favorite recipes with you, since most of them cook more for the Dwarfs than I do. If you  missed the first 3 sisters-in-law(Belle, Jasmine and Sleeping) posts, you can see it HERE and HERE and HERE. I'll be featuring one sister a month on my blog, and they will be sharing a recipe their Dwarf (or all the Dwarfs) loves! This month Ariel will be sharing a recipe! I got all teary eyed just reading her post! It brought back one of my favorite memories of how we met and became best friends! :) Enjoy!

Hi, I am Lorraine's sister in law, Ariel, happily married to Lorraine's second oldest brother, Sneezy.  We have two, very rambunctious boys that I get to stay at home with and homeschool. My family is my job and I love every minute of it.

When Lorraine told me she started a blog called "Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs"  it made me smile and think back to when I first met Lorraine.  I was invited over to her parents house after church for dinner, which was flooded with her family, six brothers, one sister in law, at the time (Belle) and her Dad and Mom, (Doc and Fairy Godmother).  I was so overwhelmed and nervous,  because I grew up as an only child of divorced parents and was used to having dinner with just my dad.  Thankfully I made it through dinner, with sweaty palms, trying to remember all her brother's names.

 After dinner we all sat in the living room.  The men were visiting and Fairy Godmother was teaching me how to crochet.  Which I learned pretty fast, thanks to watching my Grandmother crochet as I was growing up.  After a while Lorraine decided to make dessert.  She was at the kitchen table all alone, so I took the opportunity to talk to her and get to know her.  Lorraine was young, quiet and shy, and at the time, would only talk to you if you asked her a question.   When I walked up to her I asked "what are making"?  "Moose Poop", she said.  I'm pretty sure I smiled and giggled a little and asked "What is that?"  With red cheeks, she answered "It's crushed up Oreo's with cream cheese that I roll into a ball and cover it with white chocolate.  I named it Moose Poop because I like Moose a lot, I think they are cute."  I smiled and asked if I could help her roll and dip.  And that was beginning of our close friendship. 

I feel honored Lorraine asked me to post on her blog.  She loves her family so much and wants nothing but to please all of us.  The name she chose for her blog "Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs" was perfect. 

So here is my recipe...an alternative to boiled or steamed artichokes.  Roasting artichokes enhances their natural flavor and saves nutrients instead of diluting it away in water.
I hope you enjoy, as did Sneezy and I,  and even my 6 and 5 year boys. 

Dutch Oven Roasted Artichokes

Serves 4

4 small artichokes, or larger one's if wish, they will just take more cooking time

1 small (whole) head garlic

1 lemon, halved 

few sprigs of thyme

olive oil, approx 1/8 cup

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat Oven to 375 

1. Wash, rinse and pat dry your artichokes.  Then with a serrated knife, cut off the top portion of leaves to remove the thorns. Next cut off the stem and the bottom of your artichoke so that it will stand up on its own.   With scissors cut off the remaining thorns on each leaf.  Rub all cut area's with one half of lemon.  No need to squeeze the juice out.  Just rub it with the lemon half.  

2. Coat the bottom of your dutch oven with olive oil so that all sides are coated and there is approx a 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil pooling up in the bottom of your pan.  Then roll each artichoke in the oil to coat all sides.  Place artichokes into dutch oven standing up on their stemless end. 

3. Open artichoke centers with your fingers, (photo 1) drizzle in a little more olive oil in each one. Then squeeze lemon juice into their centers and season with salt and pepper.  Leave the lemon rinds in the the dutch oven.

4. Rub the whole garlic head with olive oil and place in the center of your dutch oven along with the sprigs of thyme. (photo 2)

5. Place lid onto dutch oven and roast at 375 for approx 45 minutes.  Check to see if they are done by pulling out a center leaf.  It should pull out easily if it they done.  If you have larger artichokes they will take longer.  Just pop them back in the oven and keep checking every 8 minutes or so. 

Your artichokes should be browned, soft and very flavorful (photo 3).  

 I served mine with a dipping sauce made of sour cream, horseradish, and the soft pulp of the roasted lemon.  It was great!  

   The garlic in the pan is to add flavor while the artichokes roast.  You can spread the roasted garlic onto toasted bread, like we did, Or save it for another use.  

Blogs I'm linked to: Love Bakes Good Cakes, Feeding Big, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe with an E, Fluster Buster, Ducks n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, Lady Behind the Curtain, Polkadots on Parade, Sew Crafty Angel, Seven Thirty Three, Back For Seconds, DJ's Sugar Shack, What's Cooking, Love?, All Things with Purpose, Diana Rambles, My Turn For Us, Sincerely, Paula, A Peek Into My Paradise, Dessert Now, Dinner Later!, Six Sisters' Stuff

Sweet & Savoury Sunday Link Party #11

Happy Mother's Day to all you who are mothers!! :) I hope you're getting spoiled and have a great Mother's Day!

There were so many great link ups last week it was tough to pick a favorite.

We can't wait to see what you've all been up to this week!

The Velvet Moon Baker's Favorite:

Chocolate Dipped Cookie Dough Bites by I heart eating

 Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs' Favorite:

Double Reeses Bars by The First Year Blog

 Most Clicked Recipe:

Pink Lemonade Marble Cake by Winnie

Grab a button if you've been featured and display is proudly on your blog if you like!

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Rules:

. Follow your hosts Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs and The Velvet Moon Baker

. Link up your DIY, Crafts, Recipe, Family related posts - Link up no more than 3

. Visit atleast 3 other links and leave some lovely comments to let them know you stopped by

. Please note by linking up you are giving your hosts permission to use your images if you have been featured, with link backs to your blog.

. Grab a party button and pop it on your blog.

Lime Dream Cake

Doesn't look much like a dream, but sure tastes like it!

This is such a refreshing dessert and quite possibly one of my favorites! I made this a few years ago (more like 6 years ago) when my great grandma and great aunts were visiting. They loved it so much, they wanted the recipe to take home with them! They even had seconds! This recipe will forever remind me of when they came to visit and how excited I was that they asked ME for a recipe.

When I made the dessert for them, I made it with lemons. The only reason I chose to do limes this time was because I was making it for Cinco de Mayo dinner we went to and I thought limes would fit better with the theme! I love it both ways. It's perfect for a hot spring/summer day!


Lime Dream Cake
Yield: 18-24 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 2 teaspoons grated lime peel
• 1/2 cup lime juice
•    Crust:
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup cold butter
• Topping:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups cold milk
• 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping thawed
• green food coloring (optional)
• 
  
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and lime peel. Gently stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until cool.
• In a bowl, combine flour and powder sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth; carefully spread over crust. Spread with cooled lemon mixture. In another bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low for 2 minutes; beat in vanilla. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over lemon layer. Spread with remaining whipped topping. Chill for at least 4 hours before cutting.

Kitchen Meets GIrl, Polkadots on Parade, Seven Thirty Three, Back For Seconds, DJ's Sugar Shack, View From River Mountain, Mandatory Mooch, What's Cooking, Love?, All Things With Purpose, My Turn For Us, Crafts a la Mode, Sincerely, Paula, Diana Rambles, The Best Blog Recipes, Dessert Now, Dinner Later, Six Sisters' Stuff, Couponing & Cooking, The Frugal Foodie Mama, Plaid & Paisley Kitchen, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Feeding Big, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe With an E, Fluster Buster, Ducks n a Row, Anyonita Nibbles

Pasta Fresca with Shrimp

I am in love with the dish. Doc took me out for lunch a few weeks ago and we ordered this to share at Noodles & Co. I was in heaven! We added shrimp on the side so there was a little meat in the pasta. It looked so simple to make at home, I decided to try it myself!

Pasta Fresca with Shrimp

2 Tbls. Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 roma tomato
1/4 red onion, diced
1 bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 sweet white wine (I used red wine since that's all we had!)
1 pound shrimp
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. red peper flakes
Salt & Pepper
Feta Cheese (topping)
12 oz Penne Pasta, cooked

In a very hot sauce pan, saute minced garlic, and shrimp in olive oil until shrimp is opaque. Add italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and wine, cover and turn off heat. Cut tomatoes, and onion and add to a large bowl with the pre-cooked (hot) penne pasta. Add baby spinach, and shrimp mixture and toss.

Serve:
In a bowl pour a small amount of balsamic vinegar, spoon your desired amount of pasta, and top with feta cheese. Serve immediately.


Doc, Happy and Fairy Godmother and I loved this. I definitely think adding white wine gives it better flavoring, but if all you have is red wine like I did, it'll work.




Plaid & Paisley Kitchen, This Gal Cooks, Couponing & Cooking, Feeding Big, Ducks 'n a Row, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mandy's Recipe Box, Fluster Buster, Kathe with an E, Ginger Snap Crafts, Kitchen Meets Girl, Polkadots on Parade, Seven Thirty Three, Back For Seconds, Dj's Sugar Shack, View From River Mountain, Mandatory Mooch, What's Cooking, Love?, All Things With Purpose, My Turn For Us, Crafts a la Mode, Sincerely, Paula, Diana Rambles, The Best Blog Recipes, Dessert Now, Dinner Later!, Six Sisters' Stuff

Sweet & Savoury Sunday #10

Welcome to Sweet & Savoury Sunday! I hope you've all had a wonderful week. I've been trying to get over being sick, and getting ready to move out of the old building where I work to a new building, so it's been a crazy week! 

We saw some fabulous posts from you all last week and now I can't wait to see what you all show off this week.

Just a quick note the link party is now for all different posts. DIY, Crafts, Family, Recipes. As long as it's family friendly you are more than welcome to link it up.

So on with our amazing features for this week!

Cookin' for the Seven Dwarf's Favorite:

20 Cinco de Mayo Recipes by The Mandatory Mooch

The Velvet Moon Baker's Favorite:

Cookie Butter Scotcheroos by Lemon Tree Dwelling

Most Clicked Link:

Bucca Di Beppo Spicy Chicken Rigatoni Recipe by Gloriously Made

So feel free to grab our button if you've been featured

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Rules:

. Follow your hosts Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs and The Velvet Moon Baker

. Link up your DIY, Crafts, Recipe, Family related posts - Link up no more than 3

. Visit atleast 3 other links and leave some lovely comments to let them know you stopped by

. Please note by linking up you are giving your hosts permission to use your images if you have been featured, with link backs to your blog.
. Grab a party button and pop it on your blog.

Meet & Greet Link Party

I'm the featured blog this week on Kim & Laurie's Meet & Greet Link Party! Thank you so much, ladies! :) I'm so excited!

Weekend Meet & Greet Blog Hop #25 Welcome back to the Meet & Greet Blog Hop! Join in, meet some fellow bloggers, greet them with comments, and grow your blog with new friends! Interested in being a Co-Host? Send an email to 2justByou(at)gmail(dot)com with "Co-Host" in the subject line for consideration and include your blog link!

Meet Everyone! This week’s “Get to know you question”: How many times do you normally hit the snooze button after your alarm goes off?

 *Hosts* Kim - from 2 just B you: Once. Always once. Gotta use it if it's there, right? =0)

Laurie - from Created By Laurie: Ever since I had little man I am a light sleeper. Once I wake up I am wide awake and ready to go! (Hubby on the other hand will snooze over and over for half an hour or more, or until I kick him out of bed!)

 *Co Host* Crystal– from Angelorian Tradition: I have a natural alarm, it is rare I set one to wake me up. It hits a certain time in the a.m. and my eyes pop right open:) On the rare occasion I do set one it is on my phone, which is on the other side of the room. By the time I get to it, I am already up!

 *Featured Guest* Lorraine– from Cookin’ for the Seven Dwarfs: Once! Usually I wake up BEFORE my alarm goes off, but if not, I jump right out of bed so I don't fall back asleep! ;)

 How many times do you normally hit the snooze button after your alarm goes off? Spread the Word, Grab Our Button!
<a border="0" href="http://createdbylaurie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/PrincessCardShark/meetampgreet150.jpg"/></a> Now Link Up and Have Fun! * Please be sure to follow the Hosts, Co-Host, and the new weekly Featured Guest each week! * If you would like to sign up for email reminders for the Meet & Greet Blog Hop, please sign up below. (Your email address and info will not be used for any other purpose.)

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