In my experience, brownies is brownies. They are usually overcooked and/or dry out within about 10 minutes. These however renewed my faith in all that is the gooey richness of a superior brownie. Yes, it makes a batch large enough to feed every large singing family from the 70’s, and yes, that means you end up using an entire pound of butter, but hey! if you are that much of a wussy, then take half to work and share.

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

Brownies (worthy of your time and waistline)

Yield: 20 large brownies

1 lb unsalted butter
1 lb plus 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 extra large eggs
3 Tablespoons instant espresso
2 Tablespoons real vanilla
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups plus 1/4 cup flour, divided
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13×18 sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 lb of chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, stir together the cup of flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with 1/4 cup of flour to coat. Add to chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan. Rap the pan against the counter a couple of times to get all the air bubbles out.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. DON’T OVERBAKE! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares…

…or just cut a piece out while they are still warm to make sure they turned out okay.

This is another one of those reicpes that I need recorded for easy access, as we WILL be making it again. There are definitely more steps than your typical RayRay recipe, but all the customized condiments are really what make it so much better.

Be sure to pay attention to the ingredient list as many of the items are split for multiple uses.

Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray.

Greek Burgers

Yield: 4 burgers

1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small red onion: 1/2 chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
3 medium garlic cloves: 1 chopped, 1 crushed
1 10 oz box of frozen chopped spinach
2 teaspoons dried oregano (split for two uses)
1 1/3 lbs of ground turkey or chicken
1/4 lb crumbled feta cheese
1 Tablespoon grill seasoning (i.e. Montreal Steak Seasoning)
1/4 seedless or hothouse cucumber thinly sliced, plus a 2-inch piece peeled and coarsely chopped
1 plum tomato
1 cup coarsely chopped romaine
hot pepper rings or pepperocini, to taste
The juice of 1 lemon, split for 2 uses
Salt/Pepper
4 crusty rolls
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek
2 whole roased red peppers
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
10 to 12 pitted Calamata olives

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onion and the chopped garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Wring the thawed spinach dry and break up as you add to the bowl of onions and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon of the oregano. Add chicken, feta and grill seasoning, drizzle with healthy serving of olive oil. Mix together, divide into 4 equal patties. In same frying pan, cook for 5 minutes on each side (we grilled them).

Combine the sliced cucumber and tomato with the sliced red onion, romaine and hot pepper rings. Dress with half of the lemon juice and oil to taste then season with salt and pepper; reserve.

Toast the rolls (can be done while grilling). Place the chopped cucumber in a food processor with the crushed garlic, yogurt, remaining oregano and remainin lemon juice. Add a littel salt and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, rinse out processor bowl for use in next step.

Place the roased red peppers, parsley and olives in the food processor, season with salt and pepper and process to a paste; set aside.

Slather the roll bottoms with the yogurt sauce. Place the cooked burgers on the sauce and top with the salad. Slather the roll tops with red pepper-olive paste and serve.

This recipe was harvested from Steve’s inagural issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray and will definitely become a household standard.

Shrimp-Avocado Tostadas

Yield: 6 medium-sized tostadas

2 lbs large shrimp (21-25 ct) peeled and halved lengthwise
6 corn tortillas
Oil for brushing (or cooking spray)
2 avocados, cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch dice
8 oz Queso Fresco (or mild feta cheese)
1 cup shelled edamame, baby lima or fava beans
1 cup yellow corn
1 small head romaine, thinly sliced crosswise
2 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Roughly 1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a large saucepan, bring 4 quarts of water to a bolil. Stir in the shrimp, turn off the heat and let stand until the shrimp are just firm, about 2 minutes. Drain the shrimp in a colander and cover with ice to cool.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tortillas on a foil lined baking sheet (for easier cleanup). Brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil. Bake 6 to 9 minutes, until crisp and a shade darker. Set aside to cool.

Put avocado, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice and tomatoes in a large salad bowl and toss. Add the shrimp, cheese, edamame, corn and romaine; do not toss.

Whisk the vinegar with the mint, the remaining 1 Tablespoon of lime juice, the sugar, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Drizzle the dressing over the shrimp mixture, toss and season to taste.

To serve, spread each tortilla with sour cream and top with shrimp mixture.

We have made this a number of times and by far, the most difficult part is cooking the meat just right. The trick is making sure your pan is hot enough, and that you do it in small batches. Other than that, it is quick, easy and very flavorful.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma’s Meat and Poultry

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Salad:
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
1 lb. flank steak, sliced in half horizontally then cut into thin strips about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide
1 head escarole, cored (you could use just about any hearty lettuce – we use romaine)
1 bag spinach
4 Tablespoons peanut oil
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger (more, if you like it)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup corn kernels
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
chili oil or red pepper flakes, to taste
1 basket of Cherry, grape or pear tomatoes cut in half

In a small bowl, wisk together the mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until blended. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sherry and beef strips, tossing to coat evenly. Let stand at room temerature for 15 minutes.

Tear the lettuce and spinach into bite-sized peices. Place in a large bowl, add the dressing, and toss until evenly coated. Divide the greens evenly among dinner plates and set aside.

In a wok or large frying pan over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil, swirling to coat the sides of the pan. When it is almost smoking, add the onions and ginger and stir-fry for 30 second longer. Transfer to a bowl.

Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan over high heat, again swirling to coat the pan. When the oil is almost smoking, add half of the beef strips and stir-fry until tender but still pink inside, 2-3 minutes. Be sure to distribute the beef evenly in the pan so it comes into maximum contact with the heat and cooks evenly. Transfer to the bowl holding the onion mixture. Repeat with the remaining beef.

Add the corn kernels and soy sauce to the pan over medium-high heat an dstir-fry until the corn is just tender, 1-2 minutes. Return the beef mixture to the pan and stir-fry to heat through, about 30 seconds.

Spoon the misture on top of the greens, dividing evenly among indivudual plates. Garnish with tomatoes. Drizzle with the chili oil (or red pepper flakes) and serve.

Serves 4 small plates, or 2 large ones

This is a pretty basic roasted chicken recipe, but it makes for good show when entertaining. This should probably go without saying, but USE GOOD TOMATOES. And if you don’t know if it is good, let me tell you this: there is no such thing as a good Safeway tomato. Period.

This recipe can be adapted for lighter fare by using boneless, skinless breasts instead.

Adapted from Gourmet Everyday

Serves 2
[Scales nicely.]

7 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large lemon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 whole chicken breast with skin and bone (1 lb), halved
1 lb small (2-inch) red potatoes, quartered
4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
10 Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

Preheat ove to 450 degrees and lightly oil a 13 X 9 inch shallow baking pan.

Mince and mash 2 garlic cloves to a paste with salt. Whisk together garlic paste, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons oil with salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Make 2 beds of overlapping lemon slices in pan and put a chicken breast half, skin side up, on each bed. Brush chicken generously with some garlic-lemon mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Toss potatoes, tomatoes, remaining 5 garlic cloves, and remaining tablespoon olive oil in a bowl until coated well. Arrange vegetables around chicken and sprinkle with olives and rosemary.

Roast in middle of oven 15 minutes and brush with reamining garlic-lemon mixture. Roast 10 to 15 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer inserted into chicken registers 175 degrees.

Discard lemon slices and serve chicken with vegetables, spooning any pan juices over them.