This is in the oven right now for Kamren's 10th birthday. I'll take it by his 4th grade class this afternoon. I've made it a handful of times since AnnT posted it on her blog. My guys love it and it packs so nicely in their lunch boxes. Sometimes I use leftover coffee for the water. I also only use 1.5 cups sugar and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour. Texas Sheet Cake (Buttermilk Brownies) ======================================= From the Food Librarian's Blog Source: Better Homes and Gardens Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup water 1 cup butter 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 recipe Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch or a 13x9x2-inch, or a 14" X 11" baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake about 25 minutes for the 15x10x1-inch pan, about 35 minutes for the 13x9x2-inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Pour warm Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting over the warm brownies, spreading evenly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 24 brownies. Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting: In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour milk. Bring mixture to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans. Note: To make 1 cup sour milk, place 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid; stir. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using. Use 1/2 cup sour milk in the brownies and 3 tablespoons sour milk in the frosting. Discard remaining sour milk. Or reconstitute dry buttermilk by following the directions on the powdered buttermilk container. Here is a link that might be useful: AnnT's Blog

Spinach and bacon white pizza (I threw this together last night trying to duplicate a restaurant in Charleston) 1 prepared crust - 12" 3/4 cup ricotta 3/4 cup mozzarella large handful fresh spinach 1/2 chopped pepper, sauteed 1/2 chopped onion, sauteed 1 medium tomato, sliced thin about 10 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled preheat oven to 425 Brush crust with olive oil mix cheeses with your favorite spices, I used fresh oregano, basil, garlic, salt & pepper spread cheese on crust layer generously with spinach top with tomato, onions, pepper and bacon Bake for about 20 minutes. serves 2 hungry people, or 3 with a side salad

Saturday's the Kentucky Derby. Besides mint juleps many people dine on these sandwiches on Derby day (and any other day to, I'm betting). So we're having these in honor of Kentucky on Saturday. HOT BROWN SANDWICH (Kentucky Derby Cookbook) The Hot Brown was created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville in the early 1900's by Chef Fred Schmidt. It is still served year-round in many restaurants in Kentucky. 4 oz. Butter Flour to make a Roux (about 6 tablespoons) 3 � 3 � cups Milk 1 Beaten Egg 6 tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese 1 oz. Whipped Cream (optional) Salt and Pepper to Taste Slices of Roast Turkey 8-12 Slices of Toast (may be trimmed) Extra Parmesan for Topping 8-12 Strips of Fried Bacon Melt butter and add enough flour to make a reasonably thick roux (enough to absorb all of the butter). Add milk and Parmesan cheese. Add egg to thicken sauce, but do not allow sauce to boil. Remove from heat. Fold in whipped cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. For each Hot Brown, place two slices of toast on a metal (or flameproof) dish. Cover the toast with a liberal amount of turkey. Pour a generous amount of sauce over the turkey and toast. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until the sauce is speckled brown and bubbly. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of bacon on top, and serve immediately. This is the genuine recipe from the Brown Hotel in Louisville.

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. Her recipes always look complicated to me (long list of ingredients, wordy) but they usually aren't that difficult when you really look at them. I didn't make the salad or the garlic butter for the rolls when I made these, which simplified things. These were so good! Cacciatore Burgers 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling) 1 1/3 lbs ground chicken or ground turkey breast (I used 1 pound of ground chicken) 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 4 garlic cloves (2 cloves, minced and 2 cloves cracked from skins and reserved) 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 medium yellow onion (1/4 finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced) 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese salt fresh ground black pepper 2 portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced I used some bellas - they were on sale 2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and sliced 2 hot cherry peppers, chopped (plus a splash of the pickling juice) I used some hoagie spread 4 slices provolone cheese, deli sliced 4 crusty rolls, split 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 (12 ounce) bag prewashed mixed baby greens 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme 1 lemon, juice of Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over med-high heat. Drizzle some olive oil in a bowl; add to it the chicken, Worcestershire sauce, chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped onions, parsley, basil, Parmigiano (a generous palmful), salt, and pepper. Combine mixture; for into 4 large patties; place patties on hot skillet; cook 6 minutes, then flip burgers and cook 5 minutes on the other side. Heat a second skillet over med-high heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil; add in the mushroom caps, sliced onions and cubanelle peppers. Season with salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat off; add in the hot cherry peppers and a splash of their juice. Place the provolone over the burgers and turn off the heat in the pan; tent the pan with foil to melt the cheese and carry-over heat. (I skipped the toasted rolls, garlic butter and salad) Preheat broiler to high; toast the crusty rolls until golden; melt the butter with the remaining cracked garlic in the microwave or over low heat in a small pan; brush the garlic butter on the rolls. Place the cheese-covered patties on the bottoms of the buns; top with the peppers and onions; replace the top halves of the buns. Toss the greens with the thyme, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serve the greens alongside the cacciatore burgers.