Red Velvet Brownies w/White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

These are to die for!  The icing would be wonderful in itself to frost a cake.  I used Ghirardelli white baking chocolate and my heavy cream congealed so I used just plain milk.  I can't wait for the rave reviews from my new team mates when I take them to work tomorrow!  If you make one thing for Christmas this year, make these!

Red Velvet Brownies w/White Chocolate Butter cream Icing

Brownies

3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

2oz red food coloring
2 t. pure vanilla extract, divided
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ t. salt

Icing

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups powdered sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
4oz good quality white chocolate, melted
1-2 T. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 8"x8" baking pan. In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring and 1 t. vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.  Beat together the batter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Then stir in the remaining 1t. of vanilla.  Add the cocoa mixture and beat on medium 2 mixtures together until they are one uniform color.  Slowly add in flour and salt, mix on medium just until combined.  DO NOT OVER MIX. 

Stir with rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all the flour has been incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.. You want your batter to be one uniform color.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow brownies to completely cool in pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.  Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars and serve.

 ICING

Cream butter until soft and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.  Mix on low slowly adding sugar ½ cup at a time.  Once all the sugar has been added, beat on med for 30 seconds and scrape down sides of bowl.  Ad in melted white chocolate and beat on medium until incorporated.  With mixer on low add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time.  Beat at medium speed until frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Country Oven Fried Chicken

I am definitely going to make this again.  I was thinking I could make a bigger batch of it and then divide it into packages for ease and quickness.  I also threw all of the chicken in a big bowl and let it steep in the buttermilk for an hour.  I also removed all the skin before throwing it in the buttermilk. Yummy, yum, yum!

Country Oven  Fried Chicken

¼ cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
½ tsp. rosemary
½ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. black pepper

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then dip chicken in buttermilk and roll in the dry mixture.  Bake in a 400° oven for 35-40 minutes.

Snicker Cookies

This recipe is from a cookbook I have "Amish Cooking" ©1995.  I love Snickerdoodles and when comparing it to the Snickerdoodle recipes it is exactly what I made.  These are wonderful cookies and don't spread a lot on the cookie sheet.  The recipe didn't call for a greased baking sheet, so I didn't grease it and the cookies came up fine with a pancake turner.  I ended up with 4 dozen cookies. I will definitely make these again.

Snickers

½ cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening (I used the butter flavor, 'cause that is what I had on hand)

2 eggs

2¾ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cream of tarter

¼ tsp. salt

Mix well. Chill dough overnight, form into balls. Mix ½ cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Roll balls in the mixture and bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes.

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

This is a very flavorful, moist sweet bread.  I will definitely make it again! This recipe came from the same cook book as the Snicker cookies, "Amish Cooking" ©1995.

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

1 2/3 cups sifted regular flour

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

½ tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup mashed pumpkin

1/3 cup water

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Grease a regular loaf pan (9"x5"x3").

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughtly after each addition.  Stir in pumpkin.  Stir in dry ingredients alternately with water, beating just until smooth.  Do not overbeat.  Fold in nuts.  Turn batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for about 45-55 minutes or until done.  Turn out on a wire rack and cool.  Store in tight container.  Slice and serve with butter.