Brownies...and if only they'd be more honest about serving sizes

This week, I was either going to make brownies or lemon poppy-seed cake (which I actually wanted more, but they didn't have poppy-seeds at Trader Joe's). So I Googled "best brownie recipe", and came up with this one at all recipes that claims to be just that:

I'm going to be honest...I really didn't look at a lot of recipes before I chose this one, and I don't always know what I'm looking for anyway. But starting with the recipe itself, near the top right corner it tells you how long it takes to make them (1 hour), and how many servings the recipe yields (16).

I kind of knew, going into it, that I would probably not be making the frosting. I'm not into frosted brownies..I just like the chewy goodness. I also knew I wanted to add nuts. Usually walnuts would do the trick, but I opted to use toasted almonds instead. Doesn't that sound kind of good??

I really should have been clued in by the size of the square pan required (8 inches). This recipe absolutely does not, under any circumstances whatsoever, have any business claiming to serve 16 people...unless those people are babies...in which case they probably shouldn't be eating brownies yet, because they aren't likely to have the teeth for it.

They're baking now...I will admit that they've thickened, so that's good...and the house does have that heavenly brownie smell....

But what is the deal with the servings?? I mean, can't we just be honest here? No one who likes brownies, is just going to eat a finger sized piece....that's just crazy. IS it like an FDA recommendation or something? IF so, I know a couple cafe's in Tucson that are in violation of that law(oh Raging Sage...your brownies please me so!). It's just like with cereal...the recommended serving is like 1 cup if you're lucky. I know it's just so they can pretend they have fewer calories, etc, etc....but a serving should be a bit more realistic.

Anyway, Ashley and I will be eating brownies for dessert...I'll let you know later if they were in fact the best brownies ever. And if not, you can bet I'll keep searching.

Casserole for Comfort

Years ago, Ashley told me how to make tater-tot casserole the way she'd had it as a kid. Of course, I made some changes...but something was always not quite right....it was a little too meatloafy...a little too dry I guess. A few months back, her mom made it, and hers was moist and kind of perfect. What was I doing wrong?? I guess I didn't exactly mix the cream of mushroom soup in with the meat, and I put way too many tater tots in. Anyway, I should probably get to the point.

I made this casserole the other night that was delicious. I'm a big scalloped potatoes fan...they remind me of being in my grandma's kitchen listening as my mom and my aunts and grandparents all laughed about things that happened before I was born. So, I wanted to make a casserole that was just a tiny bit healthier than tater tot casserole. Instead of tots, I used real potatoes---I think there were four of them (they were kind of tiny).

I put my turkey burger meat in the pan (vegetarians can totally use your favorite beans, canned or otherwise, in place of meat and it will taste great), mixed it with barbecue sauce and maybe a quarter of a large onion, sliced. Then I took a can of diced green chilis (sliced fresh ones are good too), and scattered them around. Then I poured in a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup with Roasted GArlic, and I made sure to mix it in with the meat a bit. I tossed some olive oil in with my sliced potatoes, and then spread about half the potatoes on the casserole. I then sprinkled grated cheese (cheddar in my case, but any cheese will do), did another layer with the rest of the potatoes, and another layer of grated cheese. Then I sprinkled pepper over the whole thing before putting it in the oven at 375 and letting it cook for 55 minutes or so. Dude! It was great!