Bailey’s Irish Cream Swirl Brownies

Happy St. Patrick’s day everyone!

Bailey’s Irish Cream brownies are  my ode to this holiday. We aren’t one to really celebrate St. Patrick’s day… no corned beef and cabbage for us, but I did want to make something somewhat related to celebrate the occasion. The brownies were out of this world. Super chocolaty, super rich and very decadent. I easily could have made myself sick between eating the actual brownies and licking the bowl of Bailey’s glaze!!  I hope everyone has a Happy St. Patrick’s day!

Bailey’s Irish Cream Swirl Brownies

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For the Swirl:

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

For the Brownies:

6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Cream

milk, if needed to thin out the mixture

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8 inch nonstick baking pan. (I also placed foil inside the pan, making sure the foil lays over the sides of the pan.) In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in egg. Mix in flour, Bailey’s, and vanilla. Set mixture aside.

Stir baking chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Using a mixer, beat sugar and eggs in a large bowl until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in chocolate and vanilla extract. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread a little more than half the chocolate batter in prepared pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread cream cheese mixture over chocolate batter. Spoon remaining chocolate batter over top of cream cheese mixture. Using the tip of a knife, gently swirl through batter, forming a marble design. Bake brownies for 30 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.

While baking, make glaze by combining powdered sugar and Bailey’s. If too thick, use milk to thin mixture out. While brownies are still warm, use a pastry brush to distribute the glaze over the brownies.

Let brownies sit for 15 minutes. Cut into squares for serving.

Source adapted from: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Rosemary-Orange Pork Chops

This dish is an oldie, but goodie! Sometimes I forget about certain recipes that both me and my husband really enjoy, then when flip through my cookbooks and find it, it almost becomes a new recipe all over again. There are very few pork chop recipes that I love. I find pork chops to be a tricky protein that can taste very bland or dried out depending on the recipe. The rosemary-orange sauce in this recipe compliments the pork so well. The red pepper flakes add just the right amount of spice, while the rosemary and orange brings out a sweet flavor. While fresh rosemary tastes better, I usually use dried rosemary simply because I always have it on hand.

Rosemary-Orange Pork Chops

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Zest and juice of 1 navel orange

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 cup chicken broth

2 springs of fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped (I used 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 1-inch thick center-cut pork loin chops

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

In a medium sauce pan over high heat, combine the orange zest and juice , brown sugar, chicken broth, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the extra-virgin olive oil. Season the chops with salt and pepper, then add to the hot skillet. Cook the chops for 5 minutes on each side.

Add the parsley to the reduced rosemary-orange glaze. Pour the glaze over the cooked pork chops. Toss to coat and transfer to a serving platter.

Source: 365: No Repeats by Rachel Ray, 2005

Fried Ice Cream

I scream….you scream….we all scream…for FRIED ICE CREAM!!

My dear Husband has been talking about fried ice cream for the past 3 months. I’m not sure what brought it on, but it has been in his head and on his mind for all 3 months. He never asked me to make it for him, but he did ask on several occasions to take me out for dessert, and by dessert, he meant fried ice cream! I turned him down each time thinking he just liked the idea of fried ice cream, having no clue if he really enjoyed it.



Last weekend I broke down and decided to try making it myself. I couldn’t find a good recipe online that incorporated what we had on hand, so I improvised and came up with my own version. I chose to use both vanilla and chocolate ice cream. The Hubby was super happy and enjoyed every bite. I was surprised myself by how good it was. While I still love a simple bowl of ice cream , this is a good way to switch things up.

Fried Ice Cream

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4 to 6 scoops ice cream, any flavor

1 cup cornflakes, crushed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons sugar

Vegetable oil, for frying

Toppings: Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, caramel sauce

With an ice cream scooper, make 4 to 6 large balls of ice cream. Place on a piece of parchment paper and
freeze for 1 to 2 hours, until firm.

Place crushed cornflakes in a bowl. Place egg and sugar in a separate bowl and stir to combine. Take the ice cream balls and dip into the egg mixture and then cover with cornflakes. Return to freezer for another 1 to 2 hours, until firm.

Heat oil in a fryer pan or Dutch oven until it reaches 400 degrees. Place ice cream balls in the oil one at at time for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden brown.

Drizzle with desired toppings and serve immediately.

Chicken Enchiladas

It’s time for another confession, but this one I can blame my mom on! For the longest time I have been using a packet of enchilada seasoning as my base for chicken enchiladas. It is a recipe that my mom has been making for years and one that I have enjoyed as well. When we moved up to NY I noticed that our grocery stores didn’t carry the seasoning mix for enchiladas. I was pretty bummed, so I called up my folks and had them mail me some packets. Well, I have since ran out of the packets they sent me, so I needed to find a new recipe using a homemade chili sauce. This recipe reminded me of my mom’s recipe, only made better with the homemade sauce. The recipe also calls for cooking the chicken in the sauce instead of adding precooked chicken, which provided a more cohesive flavor.

Chicken Enchiladas

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1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon sugar

15 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Combine the onion, jalapeno, and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar. Cook until just fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (thermometer should register at 160 degrees), about 12 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add in 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup of each of the shredded cheeses, add the cilantro. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40 to 60 seconds, until warm and pliable. Spoon 1/3 cup of chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from America’s Test Kitchen

Homemade Spiced Applesauce

A while back I posted a recipe for Baked Apples. They were so good I decided to try another side dish using apples. I love apples with cinnamon and sugar so I knew this recipe was a winner! I couldn’t tell you the last time I had applesauce, but I do know that the majority of apple sauce is almost pureed. This recipe calls for chopped apples, which helps to give the sauce a little more texture.  You can add even more texture and flavor by using a variety of apples. I wrote the original recipe below, but I only made half since I was serving two. If you do choose to make a whole recipe, the sauce stores well for leftovers.

Spiced Applesauce

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12 large apples,such as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Gala,  peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all ingredients and place in a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, 20 minutes or until the apples are tender and the juices are thickened.

Serve warm; or let cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Source: Southern Living Comfort Food, Oxmoor House, 2009