Marbled Brownies

OK so I have to admit that this is not entirely my recipe, and I nabbed it right from the top of the cream cheese box. It's brownies from a box too, but this mix is better than the brownies that I make. However, I have made some minor changes. I swapped out vegetable oil and used canola to make it less heart attack enducing, and decreased the cream cheese by two ounces because it's all I didn't have a full 8 ounce package, and it still turned out really pretty and tasty.

1 box or pouch of Ghirardeli brownie mix (Costco is the best deal on this)
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil

6 ounces of softened cream cheese (allow to go to room temperature 3 hours earlier)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Pam cooking spray (or other nonstick cooking spray)
8 x 8 pan

In one large bowl, pour the brownie mix in, add the egg, oil, and water. Mix with a wire whisk until well incorporated and smooth - it wont be perfect because of the chocolate chunks, but the rest of the batter should be smooth and shiny.

Preheat the oven to 375

In another bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese for about 30 seconds. Then add the rest of the ingredients, one at time: sugar, vanilla, and egg. Beat until smooth each time. This should take about 2 minutes.

Prepare the 8x8 pan with Pam, by spraying the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the brownie batter into the pan. Spoon in the cream cheese mixture on top in different places. take a knife and swirl the batter around to make a pattern. If it is too white on top, take a spoon or use a knife to grab a little brownie from the bottom layer, move it to the top, and continue swirling until a desired pattern is achieved. Bake for 35-40 minutes (I baked for 38 minutes). allow to cool to room temperature (or as close to it as you can) before cutting. Refrigerate any leftover brownies.

5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

This is a heart attack on a plate. 5 different cheeses in one dish. Mmmm tis the season.

Serves a crowd

1 pound of pasta - macaroni or other short hallow noodle. I used pennette because the store didnt have macaroni
2 teaspoons of salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) of butter, divided
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsp flour
3 cups of milk
1 cup of half and half
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup smoked Gouda
2 cups Monterrey jack cheese
3 cups cheddar, divided
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp Parmesan Romano blend, divided

In a stock pot, boil enough water as directed. add the salt, and the pasta. cook as directed and drain.

While the water is boiling, heat on low a large pan with high raised edges. Melt 7 tablespoons of the butter (reserve 1 tbsp for later). Mince the garlic cloves and cook for a minute. Then add the flour, this makes the rue, and cook the butter flour mixture stirring frequently for about a minute. The butter will probably brown just at touch. Add in the milk and half and half. Increase the heat to medium. Stir in the mustard. Stir scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula. Bring to boil. Add the gouda, monterrey jack, 2 cups of the cheddar, and the parmesan-romano blend cheese. Gently stir and mix well until all the cheeses are melted into the milk.

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees. After the pasta is drained, place back into the pot. Drop in the remaining tablespoon of butter and mix into the pot until completely melted. Then mix in a 1/4 cup of parmesan romano cheese and mix. Scoop in the sauce into the pasta and mix. Reserve a scoop or two to top. Dump the pasta into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar. Then sprinkle two tbsp of the parmesan-romano cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the top is a little browned.

Corn Pudding

Oh my goodness I am so far behind! Well this recipe I just made last night. Growing up my best friend's mom Pat made this corn pudding during the holidays, and I absolutely loved it. I looked forward to it each season. Years later I asked for the recipe and I was so surprised how simple it is, and now I always make it during the holidays as well. It is the same recipe with the exception I added a little flour to give it some body, and some garlic for a touch more flavor.

Prep time - 10 minutes or less, cook time about 30-40

Serves about 6-8, or a crowd for a potluck Thanksgiving

2 cans creamed corn

1 can regular can corn - juices and all, do not drain

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp of baking soda

4 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

PAM cooking spray

9 x 13 baking dish

Preheat oven to 365. In a large bowl, open up the cans and dump in the corn. Put the butter in the microwave and allow to melt for a minute. In the meantime, mince 4 cloves of garlic. Pour the melted butter into the bowl, and also add in the garlic. add in the flour, eggs, sugar, and baking soda. Crack in some pepper and add salt. Mix with a whisk until fully incorporated. Spray you baking dish with Pam cooking spray. Pour mixture in. Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until browned on top. I've also had success with this baking at 350 degrees for 50 minutes as well.