Double Chocolate Brownies

Baloney wanted to make this for a friend's birthday. I was surprised that his mom asked for the recipe because I don't consider myself much of a brownie maker but I am not much of a brownie eater so I don't know if I am the best judge of a great brownie recipe.
It is from the Mrs. Fields cookie book but I altered it. Originally it was called Carmel-Filled Brownies. It has a caramel center but Baloney did not know if his friend liked caramel so we played it safe with the chocolate chip substitute.
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Oil 8x8 baking pan.
Melt chocolate and butter in microwave.
In a mixing bowl beat eggs with electric mixer on high until the thicken slightly. Add sugar slowly. Add vanilla and mix well. Add chocolate/butter mixture and beat on medium until uniformly brown. Add flour and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour half the brownie batter into pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the brownie batter. Add the last half of brownie batter to the top. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (there will be a little chocolate on the toothpick but there should be no batter.

Canned Salsa

This is a recipe I requested from my good friend Julie. I am going to make some this summer because with the weather the way it has been for the last 2 years I will never get enough tomatoes from our garden to make salsa. I figure why not make it easy with tomatoes already processed. Thanks Julie!

1 #10 can diced tomatoes

1/2 #10 can crushed tomatoes

1/8 #10 can tomato paste

2 onions, diced

2-4 cans green chilies

2 green peppers-diced

3 heaping tbsp minced garlic

1 bunch cilantro-chopped

jalapenos to taste (I usually use 3-4 per batch) minced

1/4 c lemon juice or vinegar

1 tbsp pepper

1 1/2 tbsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp cumin

To spread the jalapeno around, I usually take about 1 cup of crushed tomatoes and the jalapenos and blend them all together in the blender, then pour into the rest of the salsa. That way no one gets a big chunk of jalapeno in their bite of salsa

Bottle in pints or quarts, process for 20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortiall Soup

I found this:
http://allrecipes.com/CustomRecipe/61559653/Healthier-Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Tortilla-Soup/Detail.aspx
recipe on allrecipes.com and it is healthy, inexpensive, yummy, and done in the slow cooker. It is a perfect addition to our family menu plan. Well, at lease it was until my slow cooker lid got bumped onto the floor and shattered on the floor.

Skillet Lasagna

I got this recipe from my friend Betsy. She is seriously a GREAT cook. If I am in a hurry I will use quick cook noodles and cut the cooking time by 10+ minutes.
1/2 lb ground beef
1/ c. chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
6-12 uncooked mini noodles
26-28 oz tomato+basil spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c. water
12 oz cottage cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 c. shredded Italian cheese blend

-Brown meat and drain off fat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add noodles, sauce, and water. Mix well. bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook covered about 15 minutes until noodles are done.
-Combine cream parmesan, and cottage, cheeses green onion, and parsley. Mix well
-Spoon cheese mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with Italian cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted.

Oatmeal Bread

My cousin Roxanne submitted this to the family cookbook. I have adapted it a little. I love it because it uses leftover oatmeal. I will make a few loafs and freeze when I have a bunch of left over oatmeal. DB took some to work and this coworkers wanted the recipe. Here it is:
Mix together:
1c leftover oatmeal
1c boiling water
1/2c oil
1c brown sugar
1c white sugar
2 beaten eggs

Add:
1tsp baking soda
1 1/3c flour plus 3Tbsp
1 tsp cinnamon
1c nuts (optional)

Bake 30 to 50 minutes in oiled loaf pan until toothpick comes out clean (time varies by size of loaf pan). Put loaf pans on a cookie sheet as once the topping is added it tends to go over the side of the pan.

While baking mix together topping:
3 Tbsp butter
1c coconut
1c brown sugar
3Tbsp cream
Put topping on loaf and cook 10 minutes more.

Marvelous Meatloaf

My all time favorite meatloaf recipe. It's a recipe from Cristine, my BFF and supplier of all super yummy foodie recipes. My neighbor and walking friend asked for a recipe after I brought her a raw loaf to cook at her convenience. Nothing says friend like raw meat...

1 egg
1 piece bread
1/2 c. catsup
3/4 c chopped fresh basil (if I don't have fresh I use dried but the fresh really does taste better)
1/2 c chopped onion
2 garlic clover, minced
1/2 c provolone cheese
1 lb ground beef
Mix all ingredients together. Shape into loaf. Place on a broiler pan. Cook at 350 for 1 hour. This is a great freezer meal.

Sicilian Pizza Crust

This is a crust that is super bready so we use it when we are in the mood for a real carb. bomb.
1 1/2 c. warm water
4 c. flour
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp oil
2 packages (or 5 tsp) yeast
-combine yeast, 1/2 c flour, and water. Rise 15 minutes
-add 2 c. flour and 1 c cool water, and oil. Mix with wooden spoon.
-add remaining flour
-kneed 15 minutes
-rise to double
-punch down and either use or store in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. If frozen thaw before using.
-roll out, dress pizza and cook 450 degrees for 25 minutes.