Mom's Best Brownies

I try to make a dessert a couple of times a week. It keeps us out of the stores when the dessert cravings hit. I save money...who can go to Walmart and just buy 1 thing? My ingredients are are simple, and purchased on sale where possible. I control what is in my food, and it helps me rotate through my food storage. Enough reasons to try? How about these are the best darn brownies ever! It's not fancy, it doesn't need to be. I don't find the need for icing, but you could of course try the chocolate icing on this blog. These are quick to make and bake during supper, or afternoon snack time.

Mom's Brownies

3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 eggs (2 Tbsp. egg powder and 4 Tbsp. water)
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (any nut will do)

1. Melt the shortening and butter and whisk in the cocoa. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Beat the eggs with water and a pinch of salt until they are foamy. Gradually add the sugar. Beat in the vanilla and the cooled chocolate mixture, then flour and baking powder. Stir in the walnuts.
3. Grease a 13 * 8 inch baking pan, and pour the batter into it, spreading it evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean. The brownies should still be moist and slightly sticky when they come out the oven, they continue cooking as they cool and will achieve the right texture.

Pancakes

This recipe is a wonderful staple to have in your recipe book. It's whole grain, but you can substitute white flour if you must. I don't like whole wheat flour from the store. The oils in whole wheat begins to go rancid very quickly. Instead, I buy whole wheat kernals (wheat berries) from the cannery and grind up what I need for the week. What I don't use that day is put in the freezer to preserve the vitamins. Whole foods also sells wheat berries in the bulk food section. To grind my wheat berries, I use is WonderMill http://www.amazon.com/Wondermill-WonderMill-Grain-Mill-110V/dp/B000CPJKWC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1289746153&sr=8-4 . Fresh ground flour is amazing. I highly encourage you to invest in the grinder. We use both white wheat berries and red wheat berries. If you're new to whole wheat, I would purchase the white wheat. Your family will not be able to tell the difference with white flour.

I buy egg powder for my food storage at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/powderedwholeeggscan.aspx . You can also find it at Emergency Essentials and Blue Chip Group. For my family of four it is recommended that you have 4 # 10 cans in your food storage.

Pancakes

Nonstick Spray
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1 egg or 1 Tbsp. egg powder and 2 Tbsp. water
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick surface or apply a little nonstick spray.
In a blender or with a mixer, combine all of the remaining ingredients until smooth.
Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.

When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be light brown. Cook on the other side for same amount of time, until light brown.
Makes 8 to 10 pancakes.

Homemade Buttermilk

Homemade buttermilk is easy, cheap and so convenient to have on hand. Buttermilk can be used in making salad dressings, biscuits, breads, pancakes and buttermilk syrup. It can easily be made with powdered milk.

1 1/3 cup milk powder (if using cannery milk, it will be half this amount)
4 cups water
1/4 cup buttermilk ( you have to start out with storebought buttermilk, but can use homemade buttermilk for the next batch.)

Pour in a quart size jar. Gently stir to mix. Close jar and place in a dark cabinet for at least 7 hours. When it's thick, it's done and when it is done, just place in fridge. It's ready to use.

Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps

This photo is from the internet.

Jessica's boyfriend loves gingersnaps. One day we were joking around and came to the conclusion that the only thing missing from gingersnaps was chocolate. We remedied that. These are wonderful cookies. Neil made himself positively ill from overeating these cookies. Jessica is under orders to limit the times she makes these. Stopping is a problem once you begin eating them.

Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps dipped in White Chocolate

2 cups all purpose or white whole grain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped crystalized ginger (found at world market or whole foods.)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (yes, black pepper)\
1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mild molasses
1 large egg
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate is best. Milk chocolate seems to get lost in the other strong flavors.)
1/2 cup white chocolate, melted (bakers white is best)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and salt.

In Kitchen Aid, cream together shortening and sugar. When creamy, beat in the vanilla, molasses and egg.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Follow with chocolate chips and crystallized ginger.

Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and roll in sugar. Set cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let cookie sit on cookie sheet for not more than a minute, then remove to a rack to cool and crisp. When cool, dip 1/2 of the cookie in the melted chocolate. Set on wax paper to dry.

Best Ever Biscuits

This is a light, fluffy biscuit. It's nice and quick to make in the mornings for breakfast, or with soups or stews for lunch and dinner. I make them, and before I bake them, I flash freeze. Thaw them in the fridge the night before, and bake the next morning.

Biscuits/Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use a mix of white wheat and all-purpose)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 cup butter ( I prefer shortening in the biscuit and butter on the biscuit)
3/4 cup buttermilk (5 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp powdered milk, 2 1/2 teaspoons vinegar and add water until measures 3/4 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the food processor bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter (shortening) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in buttermilk until it comes together into a ball. It may not need the whole amount of buttermilk. Stop adding when it comes together in a ball. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet, roll out into an 8 inch round. Cut in half and half again twice. You will have 8 biscuits/scones. Do not separate. Dot with butter on top of biscuits.

Cover and let stand 10 minutes.
Bake 15 min or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Separate and serve.

This is the base recipe. You can add herbs such as garlic and rosemary for a savory biscuits which are great with soups and stews. You can sprinkle with a cinnamon/sugar mixture for a sweeter scone. You could also add fruit (blueberry, cranberry, apple and lemon or orange zest for a scone.