Bake Me More

If you are looking for a quick, easy yet decadent (fool em all) dessert, this one’s calling your name. I have made this before and it turns out wonderfully. I have had a packed schedule all week and while I would love to make a torte from scratch, it just wasn’t going to happen today. So improvising let me here:

Dark Chocolate Brownie Torte with Chocolate Ganache

Brownies:

• 1 Box Dark Chocolate Brownie mix – 8″ size (I used Ghirardelli)
• Oil, Eggs and Water as called for on box
• Zest of 1 Orange

Prepare 8″ round cake pan with cooking spray. Follow baking directions for fudge-like brownies and bake. When done, remove and let cool for 10 minutes then remove brownie from pan to serving dish. Prepare ganache.

Ganache:

• 1 Bar (4 oz) Dark Chocolate Baking Bar, broken into small pieces (60% cacao)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate in small bowl and microwave  in small.

Microwave cream uncovered on high until boiling. Pour over chocolate and stir until smooth.  Cool for 10 minutes, the ganache will thicken. Pour evenly over torte. (You can heat on the stove top as well)

Allow torte to cool completely (or you will need a spoon!) Garnish with orange peel if desired.

Of course, I had already tossed the orange peel when I got to this step, so no decor!

Looking for a quick, easy and healthy “one dish” meal? Foil packs are always a great way to serve a satisfying dish and the filling options are endless. Tonight, I chose to serve a fish and shrimp meal with rice and vegetables. Combining all of the ingredients into one pack make the need for added oils, butter and salt unnecessary. Even better, it makes for a quick clean up. I use a heavy duty foil, though there are ready made foil packs, if you want to spend the extra money.  Nutritionally, each pack comes out to right at 400 calories.

For the seasoning, I found this wonderful new seafood seasoning made by Weber. The first time I used this seasoning, my teenage daughter said that her fish was “fabulous”. From a teenager, I would say that is the ultimate compliment.

Foil Pack Shrimp, Fish, Rice and Veggies

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked instant rice
• 1 3/4 cups broth
• 2 – 3 tilapia fillets (about 16 ounces)
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp
• 1 pound bag of frozen vegetables (I used a broccoli, onion, pepper…mix)
• Weber Mango Lime Seafood Seasoning (to taste)
• 1 medium lemon cut into 1/4 inch slices
• Heavy duty foil, Cooking Spray, Butter

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray 5 (18 x 12″) sheets of foil with cooking spray.

Combine the broth and rice in a medium bowl. Let stand about 5 minutes to absorb broth. (This will help the rice to cook completely). Separate tilapia into 5 pieces and place one in the center of each foil piece. Season fish to taste. Spoon rice around each fillet, then top with equal amounts of shrimp.  Divide vegetables among each foil pack and place about 1 tsp of butter in each foil pack (if desired). Fold foil over so the edges meet, seal edges then fold again. Allow some space for ventilation but ensure an airtight closure.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and the fish is white and flakes easily. Place foil packs on plates, serve and enjoy!

Well, time hasn’t been on my side when it comes to kitchen time. Though I did prepare a nice steak salad for dinner, family hunger took precedence over photographs. So anyway… back to this post… What’s a Bogel you ask? Well, it’s not a misfit from the latest Harry Potter movie…

Yesterday I stopped into Panera to pick up some soup. Yes, I do live in Florida, and it was in the 90′s, but that is one of the few things I will eat out. Then I noticed these cool “new-fangled” items… I guess they would be like the “munchkins” of bagels. These were just too cool and I had to buy a sampler. This Bogel, is a mini version of the famous Panera Cinnamon Crunch Bagel, and perfect for those of us that like enjoy their bagels, but just a bite will do. Well, maybe that’s not what most people do with their bagels, but it sounded good.

So this post is in dedication to the new cute little Bogels available for $1.99 at your local Panera. Enjoy!