Some Things Should Be Illegal

These things are lethal. So delicious. A moist chocolaty brownie, cut with a ribbon of caramel, and dangerously loaded with pecans. What more could you want? The recipe comes to us from our dear friends at Kraft. They have a product that I recently discovered: Caramel Bits. Unwrapping caramels is now a thing of the past. An added bonus, they melt really quickly for you impatient types. Please make and eat with caution. They are addictive.

Caramel-Pecan Brownies

1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
1 pkg. (11 oz.) Kraft Caramel Bits
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Generously grease foil. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; spread half of the batter into prepared pan. Cover remaining batter; set aside.

Bake 20 minutes or until top is firm to the touch. Meanwhile, microwave caramel bits and whipping cream in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or until caramel bits begin to melt; stir until completely melted. Add 1 cup of pecans; mix well. Spread over partially baked brownie; top with remaining brownie batter. (Some caramel may peek through batter.) Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until top is firm to the touch. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting to serve. Store in covered container at room temperature.

Makes 32 servings.

Corsican Beef

I swear I haven't died. Yes, it's been a long long time since I last posted. Truly, I'm sorry. Life has been moving at warp speed, and still hasn't slowed down yet. We had a family emergency, so I didn't get to take a picture. This picture is from the DK books website, and will have to suffice. It doesn't really do this dish justice, but it's all I've got. When I cook it, It's way more beautiful. My chunks of beef are bigger, the noodles are bigger and there's a freshly grated mountain of parmesan cheese on top. I do recommend using bigger pieces of beef than 2 in x 2 in. Mine are more like 3x3's and I try to stuff in as much garlic as I can into the slit first then plug it with the bacon. You can also use red wine instead of the white if that's all you've got. Please don't be put off by the less than appetizing picture. This dish will truly change your world, and impress the pants off of anyone that you feed it to, if that's what you're aiming to do.

CORSICAN BEEF STEW WITH MACARONI

1 oz dried mushrooms
6 cloves garlic
2lbs chuck roast, cut into 2 inch cubes
4 oz thick streaky bacon cut into 1x1/4 inch pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 ¼ cups dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
pinch of ground cinnamon
sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cups rigatoni (or other large tube pasta)
2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain, set the mushrooms aside and reserve the liquid. Cut three of the garlic cloves into thin strips and insert into the pieces of beef by making little slits with a sharp knife. Push the bacon pieces into the beef with the garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, add half the beef and brown well on all sides. Repeat with the remaining beef. Transfer to a plate. Add the sliced onions to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Crush the remaining garlic and add to the onions with the meat.

Stir in the white wine, tomato paste, mushrooms, cinnamon, rosemary and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently for 30 minute, stirring often. Strain the mushroom liquid and add to the stew with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions for al dente. Lift the pieces of meat out of the gravy and transfer to a warmed serving platter. Drain the pasta and layer in a serving bowl with the gravy and cheese. Serve with the meat.

Recipe From: Mediterranean: over 300 sun-drenched recipes p. 290