Reese's Pieces Brownies

     Ahhh…one of those easy but super-rich treats. It captures Reese’s cup flavor, with satisfying crunch on top. I made these for a park playdate today, and the kids all loved ‘em! (Even the representative peanut-allergy kid, who had to scrape off his Reese’s pieces.) We had a lot of little chocolate-monster faces after snacktime.    

     These brownies are my downfall—in my kitchen, I hide them out of sight because if I see one, I eat it.

Ingredients:

20 oz. brownie mix (and necessary ingredients—oil, eggs, etc.) 
½ recipe chocolate frosting (or ¾ c. store-bought frosting)
10 oz. package mini Reese’s Pieces (1 ¼ c.)

Directions:
1. Prepare brownies according to package instructions. Bake in 9x13” pan, which is probably a larger size pan than called for. Because of the large pan, bake less time (e.g. if the mix says 45 minutes, try 30 minutes). Take brownies out of the oven when they are done (toothpick comes out fairly clean) but not overdone (hard burned-smelling edges).

2. Prepare chocolate frosting (or use store-bought frosting). When brownies are cool, spread frosting. It will be a thin layer.

Ready to spread!

3. Evenly sprinkle Reese’s mini pieces all over the top! Cut and enjoy.

A whole pan!  Can you resist?

Any fun baking pieces will work in this recipe—Andes mint pieces, Heath English toffee bits, mini chocolate chips…and the list goes on.

*Nutrition Facts:

Item	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
20 oz. brownie mix, prepared	3400	80	10	20	0
½ recipe chocolate frosting	1000	10	4	1	0
10 oz. Reese’s mini pieces	1330	19	0	19	0
Total (32 brownies):	5730 kcal	109 %	14 g	40 g	0 %
1 brownie:	179 kcal	3.5 %	0.5 g	1.25 g	0 %

*Calculated from food packaging:

I used “Betty Crocker/Hershey” brand brownie mix and “Hershey” brand Reese’s mini pieces.

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Kelli's Rice Enchiladas

    Cousin Kelli (B.Y.U. student) is spending this semester student teaching in Washington, D.C.! She came to our house for the weekend and we had lots of fun. On the way back to her apartment, we stopped by a grocery store because usually she has to shop on foot!

     At the store, Kelli picked up ingredients for these delicious and filling enchiladas. (A vegetarian roommate taught Kelli the recipe).

     They’re easy to make and the Spanish rice and Ro-tel tomatoes give ‘em a kick.

Health Bonus: plenty of fiber!

Ingredients:

5.6 oz. package Spanish Rice

10 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies

15.5 oz. can black beans

8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Fiesta Blend cheese

             (mostly Monterey Jack & cheddar)

10 oz. enchilada sauce (green or red)

10 medium (8”) flour tortillas
6 oz. black olives, sliced (optional)

Directions:

Make Filling:

1. Combine Spanish rice packet contents and undrained diced tomatoes in medium saucepan.  Prepare Spanish rice according to package directions, reducing water by ½ cup because the tomatoes add moisture.

2. When rice is ready, add black beans, 1 cup shredded cheese, (and olives if using).

Assemble Enchiladas:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Spray 9x13” pan with cooking spray.

3. Spread ¼ c. enchilada sauce in bottom of pan.

4. Divide filling evenly among tortillas and roll them up. (I made 4 cups of rice mixture, so each tortilla received a little more than 1/3 cup.)

5. Spread rest of enchilada sauce on top of enchiladas.

6. Sprinkle rest of shredded cheese on top of enchiladas.

7. Loosely cover with foil and bake 10 minutes.

Ready to serve!

*Nutrition Facts:

Item	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
5.6 oz. package ”Fiesta Sides”  Spanish Rice	575	70	15	5	5
10 oz. diced tomatoes w/ green chilies	50	40	2.5	5	5
15.25 oz. can black beans	385	52.5	24.5	24.5	21
8 oz. shredded “Fiesta Blend” cheese (mostly Monterey Jack & cheddar)	880	56	48	0	160
10 oz. mild red enchilada sauce	90	67.5	0	0	0
10        8” flour tortillas	1400	180	40	10	80
Total :	3380 kcal	466 %	130 g	44.5 g	271 %
1 enchilada:	338 kcal	47 %	13 g	45 g	27 %

*Nutrition Facts (with 6 oz. black olives):

Total :	3655 kcal	510 %	130 g	44.5 g	271 %
1 enchilada:	366 kcal	51 %	13 g	45 g	27 %

 *Calculated from food packaging.

I used “Knorr” brand “Fiesta Sides” Spanish Rice, “Great Value” (Walmart) brand diced tomatoes with green chilies, black beans, and Fiesta Blend shredded cheese, “Old El Paso” brand enchilada sauce, “Mission” brand flour tortillas, and “Pearls” brand large black olives.

 

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Smashed Pinto Bean Dip

     For Moms Club playgroup today, I broke out an old recipe from pre-parent days to see if it was still good…and it was! Sauteed garlic & onion infuse great flavor. I served it warm--a cozy hors d’oeuvre on this January day. The dip is also good served cool J

Ingredients:

5 cloves garlic, minced  
½ c. minced onion
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2   15.5-oz. cans pinto beans
½ c. light sour cream
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt (or less)
2 Tbsp. diced “sliced jalapenos” (from a jar)


Directions:

1. Mince garlic and onions. Put them in a small frying pan with oil and sauté over medium heat until softened.

2. In a bowl, mash pinto beans. I used a potato masher at first, and finished up the job with my electric hand mixer. The beans were still a little chunky, but I like texture.

3. Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve with tortilla chips or veggies!

I like “Hint of Lime” tortilla chips!

*Nutrition Facts:

Item	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
5 cloves garlic	20	0	0	0	5
½  c. diced onion	32	0	1.5	1	2
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil	240	0	0	0	0
2  15.5 oz. cans pinto beans	630	119	49	42	28
2 Tbsp. minced jalapeno	2	0	0	0	0
½ c. light sour cream	160	4	0	8	24
1 tsp. salt	0	100	0	0	0
Total (2 ¾ cups):	1084 kcal	223 %	50.5 g	51 g	59 %
¼ cup serving:	99 kcal	20 %	4.5 g	4.5 g	5.5 %

*Calculated from food packaging and the following website: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts .

I used “Wesson” brand vegetable oil, “Morton” brand salt, and “Great Value” brand (Walmart) pinto beans, sliced jalapenos, and light sour cream.

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