Pioneer Woman's Potatoes au Gratin

This is the first Pioneer Woman recipe that I've tried. I don't know why I waited so long! I've read her blog many times, and found so many things that look so super yummy, plus she has a knack for writing, which makes it very enjoyable. This recipe was very easy to throw together and tasted great! The garlic cream sauce is excellent. My only complaint would be that the potatoes were a little undercooked. Next time I will par boil the potatoes before baking to make them more tender.

Potatoes au Gratin
Source: Pioneer Woman

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Heavy Cream
½ cups Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Flour
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

I had never made brownies from scratch before. I don't know why, or what I was afraid of, because they are very easy. I guess it was just me being lazy, using a box mix instead. Well those days are over! I will definitely be making these again, and probably looking for any excuse to do so! They are rich, chocolaty, fudgy everything that a good brownie should be. I've read on many food blogs about the search for the perfect brownie, well I think I've found mine on the first try! Make these, you will not be sorry!

Triple Chocolate Brownies
Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated

5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1¼ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth (I put my butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heated in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until everything was melted). Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. (It took me a while to get the flour evenly incorporated and I was worried it would affect the texture of the brownies, but they turned out fabulously – no need to worry.) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.