Red Wine Brownies

These red wine brownies are the richest, fudgiest (is this even a word?) brownies you will ever have. I am not kidding you. I recently had half a bottle of red wine left over from making another recipe (weeknight bolognese coming soon!) and I needed to do something with it. Of course I could have had a glass or two of wine, but you know me. I wanted to cook something with it! Call me strange, but it's true. I've had my eye on red wine and chocolate cupcakes, but I just didn't want to have a dozen cupcakes calling my name and saying "eat meeee". Because I would so eat them. I'd eat them all. Okay, not all of them, but more than I should have. I have a wedding dress to fit in for peets sake.

These brownies are a nice change from your favorite brownie. There is just something about the wine and chocolate that make you go "hmmm". You don't really know it's there (unless you told someone), but there is something different about them. Good different, of course. They are super easy to mix up for a quick dessert or if you are craving brownies, but they are fancy enough for a special occasion or to give away as a gift. You know me, I am always gifting treats and one that has wine, even better! Just make sure you do not over bake these. If you do, they lose their fudgy goodness and be a little dry. No one wants a dry brownie. At least I don't. I'm sure you don't either. The next time you are looking for a super yummy (and quick and easy!) dessert, promise me you'll try these. Red wine + chocolate = heaven.

Red Wine Brownies (Butter Me Up Brooklyn)

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup red wine
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini or regular can be used)

For the glaze:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons red wine
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter an 8×8 pan and spray with non stick spray or line with nonstick foil. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugars and vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate mixture and then the wine. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and stir until the batter is smooth and has thickened slightly. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs attached. You may need to bake the brownies for a few minutes more, but set your timer for 15 minutes and then hang out in your kitchen for the last few minutes of baking time just to make sure they don’t over bake. An under baked brownie is better than an over baked one.

While the brownies are baking make the glaze. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until melted. Add the butter, wine and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the warm brownies and spread it to the corners so the top is evenly coated. Cool completely and enjoy!

These red wine brownies will change your life.

Parmesan & Thyme Crackers

Making your own crackers may seem like a daunting task, but I promise it is not. Especially when it comes to these little parmesan and thyme crackers. I was going through all the cookbooks in my kitchen looking for something fun and exciting to make, and came across this cracker recipe. I knew it might not be the best idea to make (considering I would probably eat all of them in one sitting - I'll be the first to admit, I have no self control), but since some friends would be coming over for dinner, I thought they would make a nice little nibbly bit for them while I was making dinner. Plus, these crackers take only five minutes to whip up and they only take just a few ingredients - many of which are probably already in your kitchen. 

All you will need to make these crackers is flour, butter, parmesan cheese, thyme, black pepper and salt. See super simple, right? I would have told you if it was complicated. You literally mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl until combined. No extra bowls needed here! Once everything is combined, you'll want to place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap, roll into a log and then place in the fridge to firm up. You can place this in the freezer to speed this part of the process up, but just don't forget it about it in there. You'll never cut through that frozen butter and cheese without cutting yourself. Trust me. It's not safe. Once the cracker log has chilled, you will want to cut it all up in to cracker like sizes, about 1/2 an inch thick. There is no specific way to do this, but just don't go too thick or too thin. Especially not too thin. Then your crackers will burn. Burnt crackers are not yummy crackers. Especially burnt cheese crackers! Unless you are in to that kind of thing.

Bake these little cheese delights at 350 degrees for 22 minutes and your house will smell better than it ever has before. No joke. As the crackers bake, your home be filled with the most heavenly cheesy aroma. Yikes. I am starting to salivate. These crackers are so easy to make and so impressive. People will really think you spent all day making them. Little do they know that they were a piece of cake cheese to make. These crackers make a great little snack or a great homemade gift (especially when you give them with a bottle of wine!). Just try not to eat them all in one sitting. Trust me, you'll be able to if you aren't careful. They are that deliciously addictive.

making homemade crackers is my new favorite thing!

Parmesan & Thyme Crackers (Ina Garten)

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, add the Parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper and combine. With the mixer still on low, add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about 1 minute. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.

Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball, and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the log into 3/8-inch-thick rounds with a small, sharp knife and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 22 minutes, until very lightly browned. Cool and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

If you thought Cheez-Its were good, get ready for these!

Where Have You Been Lately?

Well, what can I say - I have been MIA since the end of November with not even a blog post in sight. You all have probably been wondering where the heck I ran off to or what has been going on in my life. I really should have posted something sooner to let you know I would be taking a few months off my blog, but life got so incredibly busy that I just never had the time. Oops. So, you want to know what has been keeping me away from blogging and sharing fabulous recipes with you? Here we go!

As many of you know, I am currently working full time and perusing my MBA in Finance. Working full time and going to school is definitely not easy, but taking three classes this semester (instead of two) is a whole other ball game. Let me tell you. I don't even know how I find time to try out new recipes, but of course, I do. My typical days goes something like this - up at 5:30am, study before I leave for work, work from 7am to 4:30pm then class 6-9pm and finally home, showered and in bed by 10pm. Repeat that three days a week. Holy moly! Not to mention I am the girl at work who spends a lot of her lunches working on homework or catching up on reading at her desk. Plus, weekends are typically booked with group projects on campus or working on other school related items. At least the groups I have been working with make projects fun, so it's not too terrible spending all of Sunday in the library. But see, I told you there wasn't much time for anything else. The good news is, the semester is over in three weeks and I will be back and blogging. My phone is full of fabulous photos and I can't wait to share some of the things I have been making. My groups this semester have been sampling all of these goodies - they are taste tested and approved! I know you will love them too.

Let's see. What else happened. Oh, some rather sad news, but it's another reason why I have been kind of MIA. At the end of September, my first ever dog passed away, Lucy. Last February, Ryan and I adopted an older black lab mix from the local SPCA. Even though she ate parts of the house (boy oh boy did she have separation anxiety) we worked though it all and she was such an amazing girl. Lucy loved to play ball (especially with soccer balls, although she would end up popping them after a throw or two), swim until she was exhausted and of course, chasing squirrels and always be around you. She was the sweetest dog you'd ever meet and she loved everyone! Sadly, five months after we adopted her, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. Due to the speed in which her cancer was progressing, there wasn't much we could do other than spend another few weeks with her and keep her as comfortable as possible. Those next few weeks weren't easy and boy was it hard to let her go (I never knew how much you could fall in love with a dog in such a short period of time), but it was the best thing we could do for her. Lucy is no longer in pain and she is now in a place where she can run free and always look after us. She will always have a very special place in our hearts and we think about her often. We love you Lucy girl!

Okay, enough sad stuff. I promise, there is no more of that in this post - promise! Ryan and I are continuing to work on our house (it's a never ending project with our busy schedules), but something BIG happened in early February of this year. WE ARE GETTING MARRIED! I know that some of you know this story, but for those that don't, hold on tight. Let me tell you what happened. Seven years ago, Ryan attempted to fly me to Boonville for a romantic lunch. Not more than 10 minutes up in the air did I get sick all over. Like missed the bag and got it all over me. Not romantic. I kinda forgot to tell him I have a little motion sick issue. Oops. Seven years later, he tried to take me to Boonville again and this time, I made it! And even better, I got a sparkly surprise when we landed. I had no idea this was even coming, despite one of my coworkers having a feeling it might happen. I was just glad I landed and did not get sick! Since that day, we have been wedding planning like crazy. Between working all day and school all night, it doesn't leave much time to book DJ's, rentals or find a caterer. We've picked our place and date and October 17th can't come fast enough. Especially now that I've found the dress. Yes, yes, I said "yes to the dress!".

So, that about covers it all. Work, school, and wedding planning. Life for this girl has always been a little crazy, but this year, it's a lot more so. One more year until graduation. Six months until I'm married. A lifetime full of laughter, love and friendship ahead. Thank you to everyone that has supported me though all the ups and downs these last six months have brought me. I could not have made it through everything with out my friends, family and most importantly, my fiance (I can't believe I get to call him that now!!).

XOXO