Fudgy Brownies

I've made a few brownies in my day. In fact, when I was pregnant with my little one, I made them quite a few times. My husband just brought it to my attention though that he doesn't like cakey texture of the brownies I have always made in the past. (I should have known, he's not the biggest fan of chocolate cake either.)

Luckily for me, Food Network Magazine was all about chocolate in this month's issue (March 2012) and guess what they had as their special little insert...a whole section dedicated to all different kinds of brownies. To surprise my husband, I made a batch of their Fudgy Brownies and boy did they come out great. My husband was thoroughly happy and has said multiple times that they are "very GOOD!".

Way to go Food Network Magazine for allowing me to make make brownies that my husband loves!

Fudgy Brownies, Courtesy Food Network Magazine, March 2012, Chocolate Issue

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Coat 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. For easy removal, line the pan with foil, leaving and overhang, then coat with more cooking spray.
3. Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring.
4. Off the heat, whisk in both sugars then cool slightly.
5. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
6. Stir in the flour and salt.
7. Spread in the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean.
8. Cool on a rack, then cut into squares.

Kale Chips

Over the past few months, I have been reading about kale chips and have seen them everywhere. I must say I've been intrigued, but was a little afraid to try them. I love kale (and most other greens). I use it in salads, saute it, and have used it in soups, but for some reason, the idea of baking it into chips was scary to me.

I'm now on a health kick though, and it is hard to find satisfying yet healthy chips, so I decided to give them a try. Let me tell you, they are AMAZING! Light, crispy and very flavorful! I've served them as a side dish with dinner, but I can see myself snacking on these at any time of the day.

Even if you don't like kale, I urge you to try making it into chips. Baking the kale really alters the texture and gets rid of that bitter aftertaste that some people don't like.

Now I wonder if this would work with any other greens! I feel some experiments coming on!

Kale Chips - Adapted from many recipes that I've seen.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch kale
• 1 - 1 1/2 Tbs. good quality olive oil
• Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• Any seasonings you like such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, etc. (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Rinse and thoroughly dry the kale and remove the stem. Cut or tear the leaves into large chunks and place in a large bowl.
3. Add olive oil, seasonings and salt; toss to coat.
4. Place kale on baking sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake until crisp (approximately 15 minutes).
6. Cool and enjoy!

A word to the wise: a little salt goes a long way. My first time making these I inadvertently over-salted and the entire batch tasted like a salt lick.