Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies

Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies

I have to be honest and thought these brownies would be great but I had no idea they would surpass my expectations and be "Off The Hook" as Guy Fieri would say! I am a huge fan of Ghirardelli as it is and when I saw this at my local Stop & Shop I remembered it was on Oprah's favorite things list of this year so I decided to try it. I usually make brownies from scratch and have tried some other boxed brands like Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker and they are all really good, but this is the jewel of chocolate brownie mixes in a box.


Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies out the oven!

I used an 8x8 glass Pyrex dish. The mix comes with chocolate chips and I added one teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract. I was blown away. They are so rich and moist. If I had a rating system this would get 5 out of 5 stars. I really hope you make this for yourself. It is insanely delicious.
 

A nice piece of yummy brownie

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie
I love to make Pumpkin Pie around this time of the year, and this Pillsbury recipe is super easy.


Pumpkin Pie ready to go in the oven!

To use this recipe, go to:
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/easy-pumpkin-pie/5793eb83-dca1-45e0-96e1-7f73af9e282f/

One of my favorite things about this Pumpkin Pie is the smell all over the apartment. I just love it. It feels so warm and welcoming in the kitchen and smells delicious. I cannot wait until hubby and me eat it. Yum!

Pumpkin Pie fresh out the oven!

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

Today, I baked 2 dozen Halloween cookies. I used the Wilton 12 Cavity Nonstick Cookie Pan discussed in my former post. I bake a lot especially cakes, but have never used a pan with the different shapes in it so did not know how they would come out.

Halloween cookies Allen and I baked/decorated

Things to know before you set out to do a project like this:

• Don't set your expectations high if you are a novice like me.
• Don't give up and try again if you fail.
• Keep cleaning as you go along because you will make a mess.

The first batch I made had too much dough and the outlines of the shapes were not clear. For the second batch, I put less dough and pressed hard into the cavities of each design. As a result, this batch had better defined indentations even though they were thinner cookies. They looked better too.

Halloween Cookies

I am not an artist so using the decorating icing was harder than I thought. I can barely draw stick figures. Allen did great and decorated about half of the cookies. For beginners, I think we did a fine job! Some of the icing wouldn't stick on the cookie enough or too much came out so you can tell where that happened. I later learned this icing is better for cakes and is not good if you need to stack cookies. Next time, I will either buy Wilton's Royal Icing or make my own and dye it in different colors. Poor Frankenstein, I made a globby mess on him and my bat looks silly. It was quite an experience and fun either way. 

Halloween Cookies

Allen and I did not decorate some of the cookies, since this took way longer than I thought it would. I ate 3 of these cookies and love the taste. I used Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix which only needs 1 egg and 1/3 cup of butter. Working with the dough was messy and took some getting used to. After this experience, I read somewhere that the dough should be refrigerated until it hardens up a little so it will be easier to work with.

I will be baking more cookies for Christmas and hope the decorating process gets easier as I go along. You will see whether I progress or not in the months and years to come. We will enjoy eating these cookies!

-Sophia & Allen/Two Frys

Wilton Goodies for Halloween Cookies

Wilton Goodies for Halloween Cookies

I want to make decorative cookies for Halloween and good thing I have a Target nearby because I found what I was looking for. I bought Wilton 12 Cavity Nonstick Cookie Pan. It features frankenstein, spider web, mummy, cat, bat, haunted house, candy corn, pumpkin, spider, R.I.P. tombstone, ghost, and cauldron. It will be fun trying to decorate these cookies and hubby is helping me. Pictures will be posted.

Wilton 12 Cavity Nonstick Cookie Pan

For decorating cakes and cookies, I purchased Wilton 9-Piece Cake Decorating Set. The set contains 4 decorating tips, 2 standard couplers, 2 bags and instructions. Round Tip 5 is for outlines, dots, printing, and writing so this will be the one I use for cookies. The other three tips are star tip 18 for stars, shells, zigzags, and rosettes; petal tip 104 for bows, ruffles, sweet peas, and rosebuds and leaf tip 67 for basic leaves.

Wilton 9-Piece Cake Decorating Set

I bought Wilton Decorating Icing in Kelly Green, Black, Red and Royal Blue and their tips fit right on them so that should be simple enough, right? I will make my own white icing so I think I have a good variety to start with. I also got Spooky Sparkling Sugars so my cookies should look pretty. 



Wilton Decorating Icing, Spooky Sparkling Sugars

The Halloween section at Target is so fun and full of really cool stuff. I am partial to anything with skulls and bones and found these Skull Placemats for $1.99 each. They are so cool!


Skull Placemats

-Sophia/Two Frys

Skull Platters

Skull Platters

I got 4 Skull Platters for $1 each at my neighborhood discount store this morning in the Halloween section. I keep finding different stuff every week I go there. These Skull Platters go great with decorated Halloween cookies, cupcakes and candies. You can even serve hors d'oeuvres in these platters.


Skull Platters

-Sophia/Two Frys

Skull Ice Trays and other Halloween Goodies

October is my favorite month for many reasons. The fall weather is great and I find the coolest stuff for Halloween. Today, I bought 4 Skull Ice Trays for $1 each. I love them! There are 10 skulls per tray and have many uses. They would complement any drink or can be used as desserts. For the ice trays, you could use them as chocolate molds or freeze your favorite smoothie, lemonade, sangria, etc. You could also freeze water with fresh mint or fruit slices such as strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, lemon, or lime for seltzer or water. You will have delicious fresh flavor that is good for you.


Skull Ice Trays

Closeup of Skull Ice Trays

Last week, I got this plastic Skull Goblet at my neighborhood Rite Aid for $2.49. It's fun for the holidays but since I love skulls I will use it all the time. The goblet is filled with Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale and looks real cool.


Skull Goblet



I bought this foam Silver Glitter Skull and Skull Tablecloth at the same discount store I found the Skull Ice Trays for $1 each.  

Silver Glitter Skull

Have you found any cool Halloween goodies in your neighborhood? I would love for you to share in the comments section.

-Sophia/Two Frys

Peach Upside-Down Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Cake

Peach Upside-Down Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Cake

I was thinking of a way to use 3 peaches I had and decided to make this cake this afternoon. It is very rustic looking and tastes great. Enjoy a piece or two with your favorite cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. This is my recipe. I hope you try it.

Peach Upside-Down Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Cake

Cake Ingredients: 1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour (I like King Arthur 100% Organic All-Purpose Flour)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peach Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 peaches thinly sliced (remove core)
1 cup dark brown sugar

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Use a 9x13 inch baking pan and put butter in pan to melt in oven for a few minutes. Keep an eye on this since you do not want the butter to burn. Take out pan and sprinkle dark brown sugar over the melted butter. Then place the sliced peaches on top.

In a mixing bowl, beat vegetable oil and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Then add remaining ingredients starting with half the amount of flour, then all the wet ingredients, and finish with the remaining flour. Mix well until all the ingredients are blended. Pour batter over peaches.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. (Check oven at 35 minute mark since ovens vary). Insert toothpick and if it comes out clean, it is ready.

Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes and then turn upside down on a large square serving plate or use a large wood cutting board. Let it cool for another 20 minutes before serving.

Add vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you want. It's delicious.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Dip & Salsa Tasting With Trader Joe's

Dip & Salsa Tasting With Trader Joe's

Last night, hubby and I had a dip and salsa tasting from products we purchased at Trader Joe's. We love Trader Joe's Organic Corn Chip Dippers. They are delicious and have a nice crunch. Each chip is aptly shaped for dipping so you should have just the right amount in each bite. Only gripe was we found broken chips in the bag so I don't know if this is always the case.


Trader Joe's Organic Corn Chip Dippers

I have had raita before and loved it but I cannot say the same for Trader Joe's Raita An Indian Style Yogurt Dip which I did not like at all. I felt there was way too much mint which overpowered the other ingredients instead of complementing them. I did not enjoy the taste at all. I will not purchase this again.


Trader Joe's Raita An Indian Style Yogurt Dip

We actually purchased Trader Joe's Pineapple Salsa in Livermore, CA on our summer vacation before I knew a Trader Joe's was opening on the Upper West Side. This salsa is so delicious and chunky. It has a perfect balance since it is not too sweet or spicy. The taste is just right. If you don't want spicy, I recommend it. It has a wee bit of a kick but not much.


Trader Joe's Pineapple Salsa

I have always been a fan of hummus and love Trader Joe's Mediterranean Creamy & Smooth Hummus. Just mix the contents well before you serve. This hummus is very tasty and has a nice texture. I love it and plan to eat the rest with raw veggies instead of the dippers.


Trader Joe's Mediterranean Creamy & Smooth Hummus

-Sophia & Allen/Two Frys

Goodies for the Kitchen and Chives Lemon Aioli Recipe

Like many New Yorkers, we live in a small apartment but I tend to buy gadgets and things for the kitchen I have no space for. Anyways, the week of my gallbladder surgery my hubby got me this adorable Cheeseburger Timer to cheer me up. I love it and use it all the time!

Hamburger Timer

Shopping at Target last week, I bought Nordic Ware International 101 Cookie Cutters (why not 100?). Since I am planning to do more baking and plan to participate in the Great American Bake Sale, I thought this would be fun to have and it costs less than ten bucks. I have used many of the shapes already. To make sure the dough does not stick to the cutter put it in flour first and then do your cutter shapes in the dough. The cutters work great. At target, I also purchased this nifty Chefmate Cake Carrier which is very handy when I bring my baked goodies to my family.

Nordic Ware International 101 Cookie Cutters

These are some of the cookie cutters

Chefmate Cake Carrier

Another thing I did not have until yesterday was a Lemon Squeezer (thanks hubby). I used it last night when I made Chives Lemon Aioli for burgers and much more juice comes out than if you were to squeeze the lemon with your hand. You also don't have to worry about the pits falling in your recipe. I have a Lime Squeezer as well but if you can only get one now, buy the Lemon Squeezer since a lime will fit in it and is more versatile since it is larger. I saw an Orange Squeezer on the Food Network the other day and hope to get one soon.


Lemon Squeezer

Chives Lemon Aioli
2 tablespoons of Mayo
Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon
Thinly chop 7-8 chives
1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper
For an extra kick, add 1 teaspoon of Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce
Mix together and chill for 2 hours
Serve on burgers, as sandwich spread or dip for veggies, very yummy!

-Sophia/One of Two Fry's

Great American Bake Sale:
http://gabs.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GABS_homepage

Spinach Ricotta Ravioli and Cheesy Breadsticks

Spinach Ricotta Ravioli and Cheesy Breadsticks

In the spirit of Sandra Lee's technique of semi-homemade with store bought ingredients, I whipped up this delicious dinner tonight in about twenty minutes. Recipe below.


Spinach Ricotta Ravioli and Cheesy Breadsticks

Trader Joe's Spinach Ricotta Ravioli with Fiore's Famous Garlic Sauce Bring large pot of water to a boil
When boiling add 1 teaspoon of olive oil
Add coarse kosher salt
Carefully drop in ravioli and cook for 4-5 minutes
Drain

Sauce
1/4 cup of Fiore's Famous Garlic Sauce
1/2 cup of Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon of Olive Oil
Simmer for ten minutes on low heat
Mix drained ravioli with sauce
Top with Grated Parmesan and a handful of roughtly chopped flat leaf parsely and serve immediately

Cheesy Breadsticks
Pillsbury Breadsticks Original
Follow package instructions
Bake for about ten minutes then take out real quick and generously sprinkle each breadstick with shredded cheddar cheese
Return to oven for another 2-3 minutes
Mind your oven as they are all different
Serve along the pasta

-Sophia/Two Frys