Snow Day Brownies

I have to say that I have definitely had enough snow this winter and I am ready for warmer, longer days.  On the plus side, this snow has made today a "snow day".  While Scott is out hard at work removing snow from countless homes I decided to whip up some brownies for when he gets home, as well as throw some Italian Herb Chicken in the crock pot for dinner.  These brownies are super simple and most people will already have all the ingredients needed in their fridge and pantry.  Here is what you will need to get started:    

10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 Cup of Sugar

3/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

2 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup of Flour

3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1/2 Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

In a medium saucepan bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.  In a heat safe bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt.  Place the bowl on the pan of simmering water until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove bowl from pan and let cool about 5 minutes.

Stir in the vanilla.  Next, add the eggs one at a time stirring well after each addition.  Once well mixed, stir in the flour until combined.  Lastly, beat with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes.  Batter will be very thick.

Finally, stir in the nuts and chips.

Spread batter into a parchment lined 8x8 pan and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 325 degree oven.  

Remove from pan and let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.  Eat alone or topped with vanilla ice cream for a brownie sundae. Or for Super Bowl Sunday cut into little footballs and, with a stencil, dust with powdered sugar! Enjoy!

Eggnog Rice Pudding

So now that the holidays are done you most likely have some leftover eggnog lurking in the fridge and just can't drink another glass.  I know that I did and also had some leftover rice from dinner, which got me thinking.....how about some eggnog rice pudding! I threw a few things together not expecting much but let me tell you AMAZING! Now my only problem is I threw it together so I measured nothing, which is why I am currently making another batch to make sure I let you know how to make it correctly. So here is what you will need.

2 cups of cooked white or jasmine rice

1 1/4 cup of eggnog

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey 

1 egg (beaten)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Raisins are optional and can be added to taste

In a medium pan add the rice, 1 cup of eggnog, sugar and honey. Cook on medium/low for about 10 minutes or until thick and creamy, storing occasionally. Next, in a small bowl beat the egg with 1/4 cup of eggnog.  One the rice mixture is ready add a small amount of the rice to the egg mixture to temper the mixture before adding it to the pan. Add this mixture to the pan and cook on low for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add the butter, vanilla and cinnamon (raison as well, if you choose to). Top with cinnamon, and or whip cream and serve warm. Enjoy!