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butterscotch brownies

2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
.5 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1.75 cups packed brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 11-ounce package butterscotch morsels, divided

preheat oven to 350

in a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. beat in eggs. gradually beat in flour mixture. stir in 1 cup morsels. spread into ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. sprinkle with remaining morsels. bake for about 30 minutes. i like to take them out of the oven when the edges start to brown and the top looks moist but not wet.

By the way, all three kinds are done now and the apt is finally cooling off. :-)

Someone else said sweet potato fries - yay! A little curry in the mayo on those please. Mmmm.

I'm so on board with melted cheese. It can be on basically anything - pasta, sandwich, and I've even been known, when alone, to melt some in a bowl and dip into it with whatever is around (crackers, tortilla, whatever) or even a spoon when feeling really in need.

Also lots of things my mom made when we were kids - anything with ground turkey (that was half of what we ate before statins were invented for dad's cholesterol issues), mashed potatoes, Near East rice pilaf, salmon croquettes (wow do I love those). In fact my parents called me tonight while both my mom and I were cooking dinner, and we were both using ground turkey! and she was making mashed.

It makes me weep that I can no longer drink most juices (apple is OK, and vegetable juice). I never had heartburn until a couple of years ago and juice is the only thing that triggers it other than serious lack of sleep.

I have never dyed my hair. When you are born a redhead and through your life, the red gets slowly, slowly less bright and beautiful, you reach 33 and say to yourself, OK, self, one of these days we're going to have to dye it. But not yet.

I dropped my computer a month ago, the same day I went down to the car to go pick up my husband at the airport and found it dead in the water after I'd left the door ajar five days earlier (we don't drive much).

I flipping love coffee but cannot tolerate caffeine, so am always on the search for delicious decaf. Toronto SEers, try Le Gourmand's, it's good.

My carbonara

Sweets! When I'm home for the family gatherings, I'm in charge of desserts. When I'm not there, they sometimes forget to reassign the responsibility. Among my friends and coworkers, I'm known for adventurous cooking -- meaning I make the stuff I see on TV. The dish that gets attached to me the most is pound cake.

Chocolate cake w/cooked fudge frosting

The two things I get begged to make:

Chicken Enchiladas

Brownies- I get the chocolate from candy bars 1/2 dark, 1/2 Hershey bar

I really like making pizza from scratch and slow roasted roast beef.

I request sliders for myself I am the only one I make them for. My sloppy joes are so spicy my family won't allow me to make them anymore

@Butrflygirly - sorry I haven't replied sooner (was away from the computer, which is a rare case:-)). Hope it's not too late.

First of all, I always brine my shrimp - I've learnt (empirically) that the same recipe will always taste better when the shrimp are brined (that is, the shrimp will always be plumper and juicier when brined). So, for 2 lbs of shrimp I use 2 quarts of water with 1/2 cup of kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar (dissolved, of course). They only need an 45 min to an hour (in the fridge). I usually use slightly less water and add a cup of ice cubes. For the salad, I actually prefer using larger shrimp and chop them roughly once they're cooked.

After that, I drain the shrimp, pat them dry and sprinkle them with a mixture of salt, black pepper, garlic powder and sometimes, paprika. In the meantime, I bring to a boil a mixture of: water (about 4 quarts), white wine (1 cup - you can use lemon juice for acidity instead), 2 small (or one large) bay leaves, 5-7 whole black peppercorns, salt and garlic powder or granules (or a tsp of freshly mince garlic). Once this stuff boils, I drop the shrimp in, lower the heat to simmer and watch the shrimp like a hawk - I usually don't let them cook longer than 3-5 minutes. Once they turn pink, I try one (OK, you don't have to do that:-), just let them cook an extra minute if you're not sure they're ready), and fish them out with a slotted spoon. I let them cool and chop.

Now, I have two types of shrimp salad - one is with mayonnaise, the other one is with sesame-soy dressing. The first one includes: 1 oz capers (one little jar), 2 celery ribs (diced very finely), 1 bunch scallions (both green and white parts, chopped), some minced dill (about 2-3 tbsp), about 2/3 cup of mayo (I always start with 2 tablespoons and then add as needed. Now, I usually use homemade mayo, made with walnut or hazelnut oil, but I've made it with Hellman's too, and it was good), and - completely optional: a couple of teaspoons of Manischewitz Creamy Horseradish sauce with lemon (I once added it because I happened to have it at the time and was curious, and I really loved it).

I don't remember the exact quantities for the second one (haven't made it in a couple of months), but I'll tell you "more or less". It includes: cooked and thoroughly rinsed soba noodles (the soba noodles we buy, come separated into little bunches - I use two bunches, I just checked, each bunch is 3.2 oz), one bunch of scallions (very thinly sliced), one fresh red bell pepper (julienned), some toasted sesame seeds and the dressing. Now, I don't remember the exact amount of the dressing ingredients (I just make it, taste it and add whatever is missing, you know), but just to give you an idea: soy sauce (let's say, 1/2 cup), about 1/2 tsp minced garlic, about 1/2 tsp of minced ginger (you can certainly use more, depending on how gingery you like it), 1 tbsp of rice vinegar, 1 tbsp of sesame oil and some red pepper flakes.

Woops, I didn't realise this post turned out so long - sorry!