Bizcochitos

Originally from: Junior League of Albuquerque cookbook, circa 1987… provided by Karen M. 

Hot Mama Grade: A 

 

Peppermint Brownies

Originally from Karen M.

Sara’s Peppermint Brownies

Brownie:

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup nuts

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 sq melted chocolate

1/2 tsp peppermint flavoring

Beat together eggs, butter, and sugar. Add in peppermint and chocolate, followed by

flour and nuts. Bake in 8”x8” pan at 350F for 25 minutes. Don’t overbake! Allow

brownies to cool completely before frosting.

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Frosting

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp cream

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp peppermint flavoring

Green or red food coloring, if desired

Beat together above ingredients, frost brownies in pan, refrigerate before final chocolate

layer.

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1 square melted chocolate

1 tbsp butter

Melt together butter and chocolate, drizzle evenly over brownies, tip pan around until

completely coated. Refrigerate until chocolate is hardened before cutting.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: These brownies are very tasty. Intense mint flavor. They are VERY rich. I used pecans as my nuts. I think I might 1.5 or 2x the Frosting next time. Also maybe make the last chocolate layer thicker so it drizzles better. This recipe is not quick and easy, though. Thus A-. It takes a long time to bake, and I baked the brownies WAY longer than 25 minutes. Probably almost 15-20 minutes more. They were full on unbaked when I took them out at 25 minutes.

Maybe next time I will try to cover 100% at the final layer by tipping. I did not use good coloring, but that would be a festive thing to do at Christmas. 

Sausage Tortellini Soup

Originally posted by: https://thecozycook.com/sausage-tortellini-soup/

Ingredients

1 pound ground Italian sausage, hot or mild

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon oregano

1 pinch cayenne, optional

1 teaspoon hot sauce

½ teaspoon mustard powder

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 cup heavy cream

5 cups chicken broth

2 cups kale, chopped

2 cups refrigerated tortellini, just under 10 oz.

Salt/ to taste

Instructions

Note: The mustard powder and hot sauce are so subtle in this soup but help enhance the other flavors, so although you may be hesitant to add them, I highly recommend it!

Remove the casings from the sausage if you purchased links. Cook and crumble the sausage and diced onions over medium-high heat until the onions are softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.

Add basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Add the kale and tortellini and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (If your tortellini needs longer cooking time, add the tortellini first, then the kale during the last 5 minutes.)

Taste the soup and add salt if desired. Start with ¼ tsp and add more after that if needed.

Transfer to serving bowls and serve! (This is great with Garlic Bread with Cheese!)

2-3 cups of Spinach can be used instead of kale, stir it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it wilt, about 30 seconds.

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: I used 3 cups spinach as I don't care for kale. I used Louisiana hot sauce, and put 2 pinches of cayenne. I used spinach cheese tortellini by.  It was a 20 oz package, and I used short 2/3. But in hindsight, I should have put all of I the package in there!  I had no red pepper flakes. This soup is very creamy. I think I would like it better with less cream (maybe 1/2 c less), and instead add potatoes to thicken the broth. My boys liked this okay, but honestly, they probably would have liked plain tortellini just fine, too, ha! The spiced sausage is very good! A good dish, but not sure I will make it again!

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Originally posted by: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15057/overnight-blueberry-french-toast/

Ingredients

French Toast Casserole:

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

• 1 cup fresh blueberries

• 12 eggs, beaten

• 2 cups milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ⅓ cup maple syrup

Blueberry Sauce:

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup water

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 cup fresh blueberries

• 1 tablespoon butter

• Lemon juice, some

Directions

1. Prepare casserole: Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in the dish and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle blueberries over the cream cheese, then top with remaining bread cubes.

2. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup together in a large bowl until well-combined; pour over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Remove casserole from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. Bake casserole in the preheated oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking until center is firm and surface is lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare blueberry sauce: Mix sugar, water, and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in blueberries, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all the blueberries burst, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter.

6. Serve portions of casserole on plates and pour warm syrup over top., 

Hot Mama Grade: A-/B+

Hot Mama Notes: I made a half portion in a 9x9 inch pan and covered it with foil. I used 8 slices of bread, a wonder-type honey wheat variety. I used frozen blueberries. I almost used frozen strawberries, but then I found the blueberries in the freezer! :) decided to add 1/8 c powdered sugar on top after reading the reviews, but I don't love cinnamon, so I didn't add that. 

This turned out well. I do think a thick Italian bread would have been better, but this was fine. I think whipping the cream cheese with powdered sugar would be a good plan, so that you can carry an even layer vs chunks of cream cheese. My oldest loved it and had seconds. My youngest thought it was too sweet (I am surprised!!). I am glad I made a half batch to try it out. I will say I don't think it is any less work than making French toast in the morning, but it is nice to have it done all at once! 

Comments to incorporate:

Use Italian bread from the bakery (French bread seemed like too much crust), or brioche, or challah. I also whipped 1 1/2 bricks cream cheese w/ 1/4 cup confectioners sugar and spread it over the cubed bread. I used frozen blueberries (thawed) and only 10 eggs. I also made sure to press the bread down so that everything got french toast consistancy. The syrup is delicious!! I made 1.5 times and poured 2/3 of it over the dish and the other 1/3 was put on the table for those who wanted a little bit more.

After placing the first layer of bread, sprinkle with cinnamon for more flavor.  After reading many reviews, I decided to mix 1.5 blocks of cream cheese with 1/4 c. of powdered sugar and then spread it on the bread. I thought it was still hard to spread, so next time I will add a little milk to thin it out. Maybe also a dash of vanilla.  I used frozen blueberries (thawed) & they worked well. You could also definitely use more than a cup in the middle of the french toast.  After placing the 2nd layer of bread, sprinkle with cinnamon again. I thought the blueberry sauce was lacking a certain wow factor, so I added a little fresh lemon juice

Before refrigeration.

After baking. 

My photo. 

Their photo: