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Double Chocolate Skillet Brownie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Be Our Guest: Double Chocolate Skillet Brownie! I love gooey brownies, especially right out of the oven. Maybe it’s the butter and brown sugar that makes them so delicious. Or it might be the smidgen of peanut butter mixed with real vanilla extract. Lest we not forget the main attraction: dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate for that rich delectable aftertaste once your teeth sink in. Mmmm. Pass me the milk, please.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SKILLET BROWNIE

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/3 cup crunchy natural peanut butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt crystals

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup white chocolate chips (optional), for garnish

2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10″ iron skillet and set aside. In a stand mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar on low speed. Add egg and vanilla extract. Gradually mix in flour, cocoa, baking soda, and sea salt crystals. Fold in chocolate chips. Transfer batter to iron skillet. Spread evenly. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Bake until set in center and pulling away from sides, 20-24 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into pie-shaped wedges. Serve warm.

White Chocolate Cranberry Spice Bars

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Festive Foods: White Chocolate Cranberry Spice Bars! Like snowdrops over a country field, the white chocolate bits add a sweet creaminess to the crumb bars offsetting the tart tangy taste of cranberry sauce. You may notice a warm sweet-heat every once in awhile. It’s the candied baby ginger infused throughout. I use all-natural crystallized ginger slices and chop them up for added zing. For the merriest of holidays, make a batch of these bite-sized guilty pleasures. Perfect for a cookie exchange.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY SPICE BARS

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups chunky cranberry sauce

1/4 cup crystallized ginger

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together sugar and butter. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together. Add dry ingredients together. Spread 3/4 of batter into a 9″x13″ greased dish. Gently press down with a spoon to level. Divide cranberry sauce over top. Sprinkle white chocolate chips over cranberry mixture. Fill in with chopped crystallized ginger. Crumble remaining batter on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into squares or triangles. To make glaze, mix powdered sugar with milk, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over bars.

White Bean Hot Dish

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: White Bean Hot Dish! One of the secrets of being a seasoned cook is knowing when to use quality ingredients to your advantage. Especially when you’re short on time or just needing a mid-week break. I keep my pantry stocked with what I refer to as “staples”; standby products that produce excellent results. Then on the nights when we are on the go, I can turn to a delicious alternative while serving another food-lover’s favorite. Pat yourself on the back and make yourself a hero, too.

WHITE BEAN HOT DISH

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 24-ounce jar Randall’s Great Northern Beans*

16 ounces ham, cooked and shredded

16 ounces baby carrots

14.5 ounces diced potatoes, including liquid

3 bay leaves

Instructions:

In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Sauté chopped onions in seasoned salt and pepper until they turn opaque. Reduce heat to medium. Add beans, ham, carrots, and potatoes. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add bay leaves and celery seed. Cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer longer for thicker results. Before serving remove bay leaves.

*I receive no recompense for promoting their product.

In Search of The White Rabbit

It may not be Treasure Island, but the magic still engulfs all who venture here. An unforeseen scavenger hunt for The White Rabbit of Jefferson Airplane fame continues to “pop up” in bewilderment. Is this Wonderland? Follow me down the rabbit hole through the tree tunnel and see where immortality and mystification thrive. “When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go…” dare you stick your neck out in a psychedelic haze? The fantasy mushrooms, for those who choose to see it. Do you accept the challenge?