donut brownies

i was craving chocolate so bad last night, so i whipped up some brownies real quick. they were so easy and SO yummy. i literally cannot stop eating them.

this is the "best brownies" recipe from Hershey's

1/2 cup butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

heat oven to 350, and grease desired pan. (i used 7''x11'' glass dish)
stir together the butter, sugar and vanilla. add eggs and beat well with a spoon. add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. stir until well blended, and spread evenly into pan.

bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

*this is my own addition, i didn't feel like making the frosting that goes along with these, so i did this instead*

chocolate glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

stir all ingredients together with a fork until well blended.

when the brownies are done, poke them with a fork a few times

pour the glaze over the hot brownies and tilt pan until the glaze is all even. i poured out the extra glaze so it wouldn't puddle in the middle.

DONE!

these are seriously so yummy and gooey and delicious. they would go great with a bowl of ice cream, but are just as good all by themselves. they remind me of a chocolate cake donut!

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

I found this recipe here, but I made a few changes. We had it for dinner, and cold for lunch. Millie even loved it!

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (sriracha sauce)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Hot water
2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon salt
12 ounces dried whole wheat spaghetti noodles (any kind really, I used thin spaghetti noodles)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions (green onions), sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, grated
In blender or food processor, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon (for a total of about 5 tablespoons, give or take) at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, slightly thickened but purable. Set blender jar or workbowl aside.

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to 6 inches from broiler element; heat broiler. Spray broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet lined with foil with cooking spray; place chicken breasts on top and broil chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to broil until thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain then toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls and serve immediately.

*the original recipe called for sesame seeds, but I couldn't find any, so I left them out. I didn't think the dish was missing anything, but it might add something extra if you want to use them!

mexican crepes

well thats what i keep calling them anyway...

first cook a tortilla in some butter

sprinkle with sugar

and a little cinnamon

add some sliced strawberries

roll it up

and enjoy!

we use the Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas (find them at costco) but you could probably used a cooked one too, it would just have to get warm instead of cook! i bet all sorts of fresh fruit would be good in this... just use whatever you have in the fridge!

peace-ful

this picture was taken when Millie was 2 days old. when i look at this picture, i feel like i am right back there in that hospital bed. it truly was peace that i felt laying there, looking at my brand new, perfect little baby girl.

Peace.

Washington DC temple. 

-Cass

peace

Colt's final resting place.

peace

the second peak from the left is mount Owen. I thought it was appropriate :)