All I really need is love but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt! — Lucy, “Peanuts”

When I think of chocolate, I think of chocolate cake or brownies - nothing else, not candy, ice cream, truffles, etc. And as far as brownies go, these things are good. Not great for a healthy diet, mind you, but incredibly good and worth the splurge now and then. Luckily, I'm now in the habit of bringing the leftovers (if any) to work, to keep me honest.

These are super easy and I've been asked for the recipe each time I've made them, so I figure that warrants a post. I also have to say that of all the brownie recipes I've made and/or tried, I believe that they are my favorite too and given the ingredient, I usually only have to buy one ingredient. They are chewy, so if you are a "cakey" brownie type person, you may or may not like them. Also, since they are pretty rich, I cut them up to be bite-sized. Here you go! And by all means, if you can - PLEASE eat at least one warm from the oven with some good vanilla bean ice cream. Holy chocolate cow, they are gooooood.

Perfect, Gooey, One-Bowl Brownies

• 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 tsp cinnamon (The original recipe doesn’t call for this, but I always add it, it just gives them more depth of flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Microwave chocolate and butter or margarine in large bowl at HIGH for 2 minutes or until butter or margarine is melted.
3. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts.
4. Spread in greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake for 35 minutes (do not overbake). (**I suggest lining the pan with foil and then spraying with cooking spray like "Baker's Joy". It makes for super easy cleanup and the brownies just look a lot better because they are so easy to get out because after cooling, you just lift the foil out of the pan and onto a cutting board.)
   

Mexican fiesta! Old faves and new friends!

So it was my turn for supper club and I've been craving my cheesy chicken enchiladas. Not that they are really MY chicken enchiladas, because I got the recipe from Vanessa from bunko around 10 years ago. I do have to say that I've been making them ever since and they are always good and I can't count how many people have asked for the recipe. So anyway, when we do supper club, the host does all the food, so we keep it simple. And what is easier than Mexican? I can get make and assemble the enchiladas ahead of time, so all I have to do is bake while the beans and rice are cooking. The rice recipe is just really basic and I'm guessing on the amounts. The black beans were really good (I love cilantro), and will definitely keep this combination of dishes together. A little guacamole and homemade salsa and voila (or "Ole", or something like that).

Mexican Rice

• 1 c chicken broth
• 1 ½ c of salsa (or rotel) and tomato sauce (basically, I put the tomato sauce in the measuring cup first and then pour in the salsa or rotel until it measures 1 ½ c total)
• 2 tbs cumin or taco seasoning (if you use the taco seasoning you won’t need to add salt, but if you use the cumin, you will probably need to add salt before serving)
• 2 c rice
• 1 small can of corn (drained)

1. Bring chicken chicken broth and tomato mixture to a boil.
2. Add the rice and seasoning and follow the cooking time on the bag of rice (different rice varies)
3. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the corn.

Best Black Beans

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste
• 2 tbs (approximate) fresh lime juice

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

• 2 ( 10 oz. ) cans diced tomato and green chilies, undrained
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken, I usually put in twice that much
• 1 ( 8 oz. ) package cream cheese, softened
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 1 ( 8 oz. ) container sour cream (I tend to use more, probably more like 12 oz)
• 8 ( 12 inch ) flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese

1. Stir together 1/4 cup diced tomato and green chilies, chicken, cream cheese, and green onions.
2. Stir together remaining diced tomato and green chilies and sour cream; set aside
3. Arrange chicken mixture evenly down center of tortillas; roll up, and place, seam side down in a lightly greased 13 X 9 inch baking dish.
4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour sour cream mixture over enchiladas and top with cheese.
5. Bake 10 more minutes; let stand 15 minutes.