Toblerone Brownies with Cream Cheese Ribbons!

My husband hit pay dirt last week!

Well, let me back up a bit and start by saying that this post is a celebration of my wonderful husband who I've been blessed to be married to for 35 years now. Scott and I met when we were young and I learned very quickly that children, dogs and old ladies just loved him! While I didn't know much about character judgment back then, I figured he must be a pretty decent person because I knew that you can't fool kids, you can't fool dogs..........and you certainly can't fool an old lady!

My husband started out his career many years ago teaching elementary music. Over the years he's taught a variety of other subjects including photography and television production. He has a fantastic rapport with young people of all ages and they flock to him as if he were the Pied Piper. He went back to school mid-life and got a Master's degree in School Administration. He served as a assistant principal and then principal for many years. While he enjoyed this for the most part, as the years passed, he became more and more weighed down with all the bureaucracy and many tedious aspects of the job.

 Instead of continuing to climb the administrative ladder, he decided to make a major change, choosing to take a road less traveled and return to his first love - classroom teaching. He went back to his roots taking a job once again teaching elementary music education.  This move has turned out to be an amazing opportunity for him to impact children, day in and day out.

With less stress and a bit more time, he has also had the opportunity to be creative and write wonderful children's music as well as two musicals, which have been fun ways of teaching children positive character traits. He loves his kids and they LOVE him!

Ok, so now back to the pay dirt......

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week at his school. Thanks to an awesome PTA where Scott teaches, the kids (and parents!) knew that Toblerones were his favorite candy bar. Take a look at the picture below to understand how much the kids appreciate him! His kids at school (and at home) think that he is quite the "rock star" - and so do I!

So, I decided to surprise him and came up with this recipe for Toblerone Brownies!

Scotts Appreciation Loot!

With such a abundant stash of Toblerones, I decided to make a second  recipe in my round springform pan to serve to guests this weekend for a fun and fancy dessert!

Brownies with ribbons of cream cheese and surprise bites of Toblerone here, there, and everywhere!

Toblerone Brownies 

BROWNIES

8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

 2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

FILLING

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING

7-10 ounces Toblerone candy bars, I used 2 of the medium size bars, 3.5 ounces each, roughly chopped.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and whisk until well combined. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended. In a large separate bowl whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt. Transfer butter mixture to bowl with flour and stir with spatula or wooden spoon until batter is smooth.

3. Spread into prepared pan.

4. Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Spread over chocolate mixture. Don't worry about swirling this filling into the chocolate - when the brownies bake the cream cheese layer just magically forms the ribbons!

5. Distribute Toblerone pieces over the top of the batter. (To break up the candy bars, I just roughly chopped them up with a large knife.)

6. Bake for approximately 37-45 minutes. Insert a pairing knife or steak knife straight into center. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done. If it is still doughy, Bake another 3-5 minutes and check again. Let cool completely in pan on rack.

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ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE FROM FINE COOKING

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Greek Salad

It's funny how some foods can create a memory and then later take you, almost instantly, back in time. I can remember the first time I ever tasted a Greek salad. It was years ago, in my college days, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My sister Marlene, picked me up one day and treated me to lunch at a charming little Mediterranean restaurant overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan. I ordered their house salad, not being sure what to expect but when it arrived at our table I was so pleasantly surprised! I loved the juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce and cucumbers along with the salty Feta cheese and Kalamata olives. The dressing was fresh and vibrant and perfectly complemented the other ingredients.

Ever since that day, I have been "hooked" on Greek Salad. When I finished school and began cooking more, I embarked on the quest of finding a really good Greek dressing. I can't tell you how many recipes I tried and discarded; "too bland", "too garlicky", "too oily", "too vinegary"........ and so it went until several years ago I stumbled on this recipe. Hip, hip, hooray!! It was almost perfect!! Over the years I tweaked it a little here and there and now it has become our "house dressing".  If you sneak a peak into my refrig you will almost always find a cache of this fine condiment. It lasts for several weeks however never stays around that long at my house! If I am having house guests, I will triple or quadruple the recipe and it always is well received.

Even though it is called "Greek" salad dressing, it is also fantastic with an Italian meal like lasagna or manicotti. In the summer I like to combine this dressing with tiny cooked potatoes, barely blanched green beans, sliced red onion, Kalamata olives, Feta cheese and anything else that I think looks interesting. We take a big bowl of this to the beach and it makes a wonderful lunch! The veggies just get more and more flavorful as they marinate in the yummy dressing. And heavenly is the word for tomatoes, warm from the garden, drizzled with a bit of this and showered with tiny ribbons of fresh basil.

One more thing about this salad. My husband does not like anything strongly "vinegary". Because this recipe calls for fresh lemon juice and only a small amout of red wine vinegar, he gobbles up anything I make with this dressing. Give it a try, I think you will love it's delicious flavor and versatility!

Greek Salad

For the Salad Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons fresh minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves, chopped fine*

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)

*the mint leaves are optional but they add a delicious, unique, authentic flavor to the dressing, not minty at all!

For the Salad

8 cups lettuce, romaine is traditional but I have tried a variety of different lettuces

3 plum tomatoes, cut in wedges (I actually use whatever kind of tomatoes look the freshest and prettiest at the market)

1 English cucumber, sliced or 1 regular cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 green, yellow or red bell pepper (seeded and cut into rings or sliced) 

3/4 cup cannellini beans 

3/4 cup tiny potatoes cooked till tender and cooled (if you don't have tiny potatoes just diced up a large potato and cook till tender, it just won't be as cute)  :)

3/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled (or to taste)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved

1. Place all salad dressing ingredient in a glass jar. Cover and shake well. 

3. Chill in fridge for a couple of hours before using to blend flavors.

3. Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over to coat lightly; toss to combine.

Serves 6-8

A few ideas

Sometimes I make this salad without the lettuce. Particularly when the tomatoes are fresh from the garden, I slice them in wedges and combine with whatever other vegetables I have along with the Feta and olives. I might add fresh basil and fresh oregano if I have it.

Artichoke hearts and different colored peppers are fun in this salad too. Honestly, the sky is the limit! Have fun with it!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

White Four-Cheese Pita Pizza with Sweet Basil and Garlic Oil (and lots of variations!)

I love, love, love to cook! 

I love going to the grocery store, coming home with fun, fresh ingredients and finding or creating new recipes. But I have to be honest - There are some days that I don't even think of what we will have for dinner until 5 or 6 o'clock. I just get busy with other things. Those are the days when Pita Pizzas come to the rescue!

 I keep a variety of ingredients in my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator for these delicious pizzas. We often have a fresh tasty salad (like this one or this one) and one of these amazing pita pizzas and it makes for a great dinner.  If we are watching our weight, which is most of the time, we will share one of these pitas and have a bigger salad. We really never get tired of them since there is an endless variety of ingredient combinations that make them new and interesting. 

You can vary the base, the toppings and/or the cheese and come up with something creative and fresh every time. I am going to share the recipe for how I made them tonight, but think of this more as another template (see this post for a discussion of template cooking) than a recipe. Feel free to adapt, change, rearrange, whatever... They will be delicious! I know there are those of you who don't have as crazy of an imagination as I do when it comes to cooking, so I am listing some ideas for combinations that I have done that we really enjoy. Really though, the sky is the limit!! 

Peanut sauce base with shredded pork (leftovers from Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce), red pepper, red onion, cheese and a shower of fresh cilantro (after baking).

A colorful salad (so we don't eat so much of this wonderful pizza!). Pizza with a pesto base, with chicken sausage, mushrooms, several cheeses and fresh basil (after baking).

There is one thing that makes all the difference in the world with these pizzas and that is the first step. Please do not omit the first step where you heat a small amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan and quickly pan fry the pitas. Yes, it's the same "magic trick" that I shared in yesterday's post: Mediterranean Chicken Pita Wraps. It makes them "come alive"! It takes plain pitas from ordinary to extraordinary!!! You just have to trust me here! (see yesterday's post!)

Ideas for pita pizza combinations:

Base of pesto, sliced chicken sausage, fresh mushrooms, sliced sweet onion, Italian cheese mix, sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning.

Base of peanut sauce, shredded pork or chicken,  sliced red or yellow peppers, Mozzarella and Asiago cheeses, sprinkle with fresh cilantro after baking. (I did this with the leftovers from Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce)

Base of your favorite barbecue sauce, rotisserie chicken, smoked Gouda cheese, red onion, sprinkle with fresh cilantro after baking.

Apple butter base, thinly sliced apples, Fontina cheese, cooked, diced applewood bacon, sprinkle with minced fresh rosemary after baking.

Base of spreadable goat cheese and roasted garlic, caramelized onions, sauteed portobello mushrooms, Provolone and Parmesan cheeses, sprinkle with fresh basil after baking.

Garlic-olive oil base, Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, sprinkle with fresh basil.

These are just a few ideas, have fun making up your own or if you have a delicious pizza at a restaurant, try copying it at home with a pita pizza base!

White Four-Cheese Pita Pizza with Sweet Basil and Garlic Oil

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

4 pocketless pitas, I use Kontos Brand but whatever you can find is fine

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

6-8 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded

2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup part-skim Ricotta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

dried Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons thinly sliced or roughly torn fresh basil

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with pizza stone or large sheet pan on middle rack.

2. Place the 4 teaspoons of olive oil in a small microwaveable glass container. Add minced garlic and microwave for 30 seconds on high.

3. Heat small (big enough to hold 1 pita) non-stick pan on high for several minutes. For each pita, add 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to hot pan. Heat oil until very hot but not smoking. Swirl oil in pan to cover most of bottom. Add pita to pan and let sear for 20 to 30 seconds or until golden. Flip pita over and repeat. Remove from pan and repeat procedure for all pitas.

4. Transfer pitas to parchment paper or foil on countertop; brush lightly with some of garlic oil. Top with Fontina cheese and goat cheese, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Crumble Ricotta cheese over, then sprinkle with Parmesan and Italian seasoning.

5. Place on preheated stone or sheet pan in oven and bake pizza until crust is golden brown and cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Drizzle remaining garlic-oil over pizza. Sprinkle with fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, to taste. Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Mediterranean Chicken Pita Wraps

Would you like to learn magic trick? A super simple magic trick? One that might just make your family think that you took the afternoon off just to make dinner for them? One that (only you will know) helped you to run home from work and have a great dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes? A dinner that caters to the picky eaters and individual tastes of the members of your family?

Are you ready? It involves pocket-less pitas. Some of you might be asking, "What are pocket-less pitas and what kind of magic trick would anyone want to do with these?" Pocket-less pitas are round flat pitas that are sold these days at most grocery stores. They are very ordinary, anemic and bland looking in the bag at the store. If eaten right out of the bag, they have very little taste, BUT, if you employ the bit of wizardry that I am about to teach you, you will be shocked at the transformation!

This is once again, what I call, a go-to dinner; a healthy, fresh meal that you can have on the table in short order without resorting to box mixes or frozen dinners. I encourage you to plan ahead a bit and keep a well-stocked pantry which will make this fun dinner easy-peasy any day of the week! I love to cook but there are days when, honestly, I don't even think about dinner until I hear the garage door go up, signaling that my hungry husband is home! When I put together a delicious meal in minutes, sometimes I even surprise myself!

I purchase these pitas at Costco in bulk and store them in my freezer. They are very cheap this way: 23¢ a piece to be precise! I have also noticed them at several of my local grocery stores in the bakery section.

So, what is this amazing trick? Like I said, the pitas will look quite anemic when you pull them from the package. If you took a bite you might think you were chewing on a thick piece of cardboard. The secret step involves heating a medium size saute pan, adding just one teaspoon of olive oil and then quickly searing  them on both sides until light golden brown. To me, it's almost as if the pita comes alive! This humble little bread puffs up a bit and ends up tasting like it was just freshly baked.

The small amount of olive oil adds huge amounts of flavor and the aroma when you are searing these is captivating. If you close your eyes, you might just think you're standing at a pita kiosk somewhere along the Mediterranean, waiting for freshly baked flatbreads. Just don't expect to open your eyes and see some handsome Greek street vender hanging out in your kitchen!  :)

Once you are finished with this transformation, you are just minutes from dinner. I like to use a hummus base and then just pile on whatever strikes my fancy - today I used some shredded rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, feta cheese,  kalamata olives, shredded lettuce, cilantro and toasted pine nuts. I finished it off with a drizzle of Greek salad dressing. Yum, I can hardly wait!

Another creative plan is to set out a variety of ingredients and let your family members prepare their own. Even those with the most discriminating (aka - picky) palates will walk away from the table with happy tummies!

P.S. My recipe today calls for "a drizzle of your favorite Greek salad dressing". Warning: Don't buy a very big bottle because later this week, I will be sharing a recipe for a simple but fabulous Greek dressing!

Mediterranean Chicken Pita Wraps

Extra virgin olive oil

4 pocketless pitas (I use Kontos brand, but whatever you can find is fine)

2 cups chicken breast, grilled and thinly sliced or rotisserie, shredded

hummus, homemade or storebought

1 cup Roma tomatoes, diced, or same amount cherry or graped tomatoes, halved

1/2 large cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 cup thinly sliced Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved

1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

Greek salad dressing

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1. Heat a small (big enough to hold 1 pita) non-stick pan on high for several minutes. For each pita, add 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to hot pan. Heat oil until very hot but not smoking. Swirl oil in pan to cover most of bottom. Add pita to pan and let sear for 20 to 30 seconds or until golden. Flip pita over and repeat. Remove from pan and repeat procedure for all pitas. (You'll be tempted, but don't eat the pitas now or dinner will be a bit sad!)

2. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of hummus down middle of each pita. Top with chicken and other ingredients except nuts. Drizzle as desired with Greek dressing. Top with toasted pine nuts. Serve while warm.

This is a template recipe so don't hesitate to substitute, add, subtract, etc. ingredients. There are not rights and wrongs here. Start with the pitas and the hummus and let your imagination and taste buds have some fun!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Serves 4