Peanut Butter Cup Brownies - I swear I'm not trying to give you a heart attack

My kitchen looks like a crime scene. It could be a set straight out of CSI. Thank god Ethan is asleep.

Whose bright idea was it to make peanut butter cup brownies while also, intermittently, shaving beets? Seriously, for all the sense in my head, there are some serious lapses in the common ones. But all is well now - well except for the mess. That is still a problem. If you don't know already, I seem to have the grace of a bull in a china shop.

Cheaters only method:

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

If it is Tuesday night and you want to make brownies and frosting from scratch, you deserve an award. Email me. I will mail one too you. I've had this sketchy bag of brownie mix ... with no box... hanging around for a while and I was feeling ...like...it must feel sad no one has made it yet. Plus, yesterday I ate all the Ben & Jerry's.

It's a wonder I'm not 500 lbs.

What will you need? 
Brownies
1 box brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/4 c. water
Frosting
1 c. peanut butter (Most recipes call for creamy, but all I had was chunky)
4 TBS butter (softened - let it sit on your oven while your brownies cook - but don't over melt)
3/4 c. powdered sugar (less or more depending on how sweet you want it - and since these are brownies already, I really skimmed on the sugar)
1 pinch salt (unless you used salted butter, in that case DON'T add any salt)
~6 TBS half and half (more or less depending on how dense you want it to be)

So make your brownies.
Pretty standard.
In hindsight, there is probably no real good reason to put them in a muffin pan, unless you have your heart set on them looking like cupcakes (which is the way I've been planning them in my head). I used a TON of cooking spray, filled the cups 3/4 full and baked them at 325˚F for 22-26 minutes. But, if you've been reading, you know my oven is a POS, so WATCH THEM like a hawk. Do whatever you gotta do. If you are me, you are playing fruit ninja in front of the stove... instead of doing the dishes.

While your brownies are cooling, take your softened butter and peanut butter and mix, like hell, in a mixer. If you are without a mixer - not to worry - but i would definitely whisk them in a pan over low until they are fully combined. Add powdered sugar, a few spoonfuls at a time, salt, and half-and-half, a TBS at a time until you have the consistent you desire. i was shooting for peanut-buttery but also light and fluffy (less sugar, more half-and-half)

You'll have to excuse my piping job. I can literally see you all judging it right now! This is obviously a technical hurdle I haven't quite overcome. If you have a piping gun - can I borrow it? Where did you get it? I am still using the old-school, ziploc-bag-with-a-hole-cut-in-it method, which works OK at first, but then things kind-of vortex into chaos. No matter, still delicious.

FAIL. If your brownies come with a fudge packet - or you are a chocolate-melting-wiz (unlike myself) you can try to gently drizzle chocolate over your very nice looking, scrumptious peanut butter cup brownies. Or you can ruin them. It's up to you. :)

I LOVE LEMONS

"When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade...and try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.” ― Ron White

I LOVE LEMON. LEMON EVERYTHING. IT'S MY FAVORITE FLAVOR (different from my favorite herb = basil, and my favorite spice = cinnamon). I've been experimenting with different uses, some better than others (see below).

Fun facts about lemons:
1. lemons are thought to be a cross between a sour orange and a citron
2. lemon plants were originally native to the middle east but were spread throughout the world by different conquests including to the Americas.
3. The most common super market lemon is the Eureka lemon.
4. India produces more lemons than any other country, followed by Mexico


Something that went well:

Lemon Cookies  

(thank you Martha Stewart, finally coming through for me)

What will you need?
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS lemon zest (or more!)
2 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

glaze:
2 c. confectioners sugar
2 TBS lemon zest (this is the magic right here)
1/4 c. lemon juice

Mix all dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Do not grate your fingers off trying to zest the lemon, that's important. Add all your dry ingredients. You will have a ball similar to this:

 Wrap in wax paper and leave in the refrigerator 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Roll into a log and slice, if you prefer or flatten into discs with your palm. Shoot for 1/2 inch thickness. I went thinner and I would definitely not opt for that in the future.

Bake 8 minutes at 350˚F. Check. Bake until just barely browned, I burnt the bottoms of mine (of course). So keep an eye on these guys.

Mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and zest. It should be thick. So thick you probably think its too thick, but its not. If it's concrete, add more lemon juice. Drizzle over cookies or dunk them right in. 

Something that didn't go so well: 

Lemon Bread

I know it looks OK in the picture, but it totally wasn't what I had in mind when I set out to do this. I actually won't even tell you what I put in it because I wouldn't make it again. I guess I wanted it to be more like a pound cake without the 8 eggs that make a pound cake. It was lemon-y but it tasted more like artificial lemon flavor instead of the real, fresh, make-your-eyes-squint lemon taste.  Don't get me wrong, we still ate the whole loaf.

ps. other things that went well included roasted asparagus with lemon and roasted chicken with lemon and rosemary