Weekday Recipes

Another later-in-the-day post for your week-day meals. Enjoy!

BROWNIE TART

This comes from The Food Network's Ina Garten, of Barefoot Contessa fame. Total Time: 55 min; Prep: 15 min; Cook: 40 min; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Intermediate

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-tart-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

3 1/4 cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

3 extra-large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped walnuts

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Grease and flour a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a bowl set over simmering water. Add 2 cups of the chocolate chips, remove from the heat, and stir until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, coffee, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cooled chocolate. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the walnuts. Fold the flour mixture into the batter until just combined. Pour into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is puffed (the top may crack). The inside will still be very soft. Cool to room temperature before removing the sides of the tart pan.

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips with the heavy cream and drizzle on the tart.

BEEF STEW

I came up with this years ago when the stew recipes I had seemed too bland. I've since become a vegetarian, but this does hold memories. Also, you can find this and the next recipe (Bean Burger) in my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking.

2-3 lbs. stewing beef

3 T oil

2 C water

1 onion, chopped

8 oz tomato sauce

1 C flour

1 T soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

4 carrots, cut up

1 large potato, peeled & cut up

6 oz tomato paste

4 T vinegar

3 T honey

salt & pepper

Cut beef into bite-sized pieces. Trim fat & dredge in flour & brown in oil. Add every-thing except carrots & potato. Cook 15 minutes. Add carrots & cook 15 more minutes. Add potato & cook 30 minutes. Add water as needed. Serve over noodles.

BEAN BURGER

My kids had this one evening when I had to go out; they loved it.

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

2 15-oz cans baked beans

2 T mustard (or to taste)

2 T brown sugar (or to taste)

Brown hamburger. Drain grease, then add beans, mustard & brown sugar. Heat thoroughly. May be eaten on hamburger buns, taco shells, or plain.

ULTIMATE NACHOS

Not sure exactly where this came from, but I'm leaning toward Ro-Tel.com

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Extra lean ground beef

8 oz. Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 oz. Tortilla chips (about 7 cups)

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1 can (10 oz) Ro Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained well

Directions:

Brown meat in medium skillet; drain.

Microwave Velveeta in medium microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until completely melted, stirring after 30 seconds.

Place chips on large platter; top with Velveeta, meat and remaining ingredients.

SLOW-COOKER BARLEY AND CHICKPEA RISOTTO

This comes from Foxes Love Lemons, by way of ivillage.com. To view int online, go to http://foxeslovelemons.com/slow-cooker-barley-and-chickpea-risotto.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

1/2 small yellow onion, minced

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1-1/4 cups pearl barley, rinsed

1 can (15.5 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2-1/2 cups less-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1-1/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, garlic, cauliflower and onion. Cook until vegetables being to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in thyme and barley; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Transfer mixture to slow-cooker bowl. Stir in garbanzo beans, broth, water, salt and pepper. Cook on high 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until barley is tender and most liquid is absorbed.

Remove and discard thyme sprigs; stir in lemon juice. Serve in warm bowls garnished with cheese and parsley.

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA CREAM PIE

This comes from The Baker Chick. I love the food that comes out in her e-newsletters. If you haven't checked out (and signed up for) her newsletters, I recommend doing so. This makes 1 9-inch pie.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

20-25 Oreo Cookies

3 tablespoons of butter

pinch of salt

3 ripe bananas

For the Pudding:

2 1/4 cups whole milk

2/3 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon butter

Peanut Butter Mousse

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)

2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

For Peanut Butter Sauce: (optional)

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1-2 teaspoons of milk

Instructions

For the Crust:

Place the Oreos in a large ziplock bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a rolling pin. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are moistened- stir in the salt.

Press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes or until set.

For the pudding:

Combine 2 cups of milk and the sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir together and heat until simmering.

Whisk egg yolks together and slowly pour about half of the milk mixture into it with one hand while whisking with the other until combined. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the rest of milk.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with the cornstarch until thick and combined. Pour it into the milk mixture and turn the heat back up to medium. Whisk constantly until very thick and bubbling like lava.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.

Allow the pudding to cool a bit as you prep the mousse.

For the Peanut Butter Mousse:

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla, then peanut butter.

Whip cream in another medium bowl until firm peaks form. Fold large spoonful of whipped cream into peanut mixture to loosen, then fold in remaining whipped cream in 2 additions.

To assemble:

Layer the pie in the prepared crust as follows: Sliced banana, pudding, bananas and mousse. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

For peanut butter sauce:

Melt peanut butter in the microwave until thinned. Whisk in powdered sugar and enough milk to thin it for drizzling. Drizzle the sauce over the pie before serving.