What’s better than homemade brownies to get us all through these last weeks of winter, right?
If you think you need a box mix to make brownies, think again! Helen got this recipe from her friend Jennifer, who she’s in a Homemakers group with. This recipe makes gooey, delicious brownies in a few easy and quick steps that are better than a box mix. Trust us!
Jump to RecipeSTEPS: EXPLAINED, WITH TIDBITS AND ADVICE
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, and water. Bring just to a boil and then shut the heat off.
3. Whisk in chocolate chips, cocoa, and vanilla. Stir until chocolate is melted and all ingredients are well combined.
4. Mix in the eggs, baking soda, and salt to the mixture. Whisk well until everything is combined.
5. Mix in the flour a little at a time with a spoon or heat proof spatula. Doing it all at once makes it hard to combine without flour flying everywhere.
6. Grease a 9×13 inch baking sheet. If you don’t have pan spray on hand, use a stick of butter.
7. Pour mixture into pan. Make sure to shake the pan back and forth to get the batter leveled out.
8. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies are spongy and a butter knife cut in the middle of the pan comes out clean.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to decorate!
Helen’s Czech Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 lb Russet potatoes, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
- 6 eggs
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 1 cup dill pickles, diced
- 1-2 cups Miracle whip or whipped salad dressing
- 2-4 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1/2-3/4 cup white sugar
- 2-4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 tp salt
- 1/2-1 tp pepper
- paprika
Instructions
- Fill a medium pot with water and add about 1 tp salt. Boil over high heat for the potatoes.
- Fill a 3-quart sauce pan with water. Boiling over high heat for the eggs.
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Dice the onion, celery, and pickles into small pieces.
- Once the water is boiling, add your potatoes to the medium pot and add your eggs to the sauce pan. Boil both for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, drain your eggs and refill the pot with cold water. The most important thing with potato salad is to get your eggs and potatoes cooled down fast. Set them aside.
- At 10 minutes, check your potatoes. You want them to be firm but not crunchy. When they are firm, cool them down by pouring the potatoes into a colander or strainer from the pot and running cold water over them. Put the potatoes back in the empty pot and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Repeat these steps a second time after 5 minutes and then set aside for 10-15 minutes. Be gentle with them throughout these steps.
- In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup Miracle Whip or whipped salad dressing, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. It should be tangy and sweet.
- Once your eggs are cool, dice your eggs into even pieces.
- Drain the potatoes and put them in a large cake pan. This will help the potatoes cool down even faster, and the salad will be easier to mix without mushing your potatoes.
- Sprinkle potatoes with about 1 tp salt and 1/2 tp pepper.
- Gently mix in the onions, celery, and pickles until evenly combined.
- Gently mix in the dressing until well combined.
- Gently mix in eggs until well combined.
- Now it’s time to taste it! The flavor should be tangy, a little sweet, and salty. The texture should be creamy and crunchy with the vegetables. If the flavor is weak or you taste mainly plain potato, mix another batch of dressing. You don’t have to make the same amount and adjust it for the flavors you are going for. You can also sprinkle the salad with more salt and pepper if that’s what it needs.
- Once you get it tasting the way you want, pop your salad into the fringe to finish cooling down and to let the flavors bled. This salad is usually better the second day, so it’s never a bad idea to make it ahead of time.
- Serve in your favorite bowl with a sprinkle of paprika on top!