I pinned this ‘recipe’ a few weeks ago and today, I had a craving for chocolate.
Mix a package of brownie mix and 1 can Diet Coke. I used an 8 inch square baking pan and baked it for about 50 minutes at 325 degrees.
They weren’t half bad. I would make these again.
In this installment of cooking in the toaster oven, I make a new favorite. I don’t think mom ever served these when I was a kid. I doubt I would have eaten them anyway.
Brussels sprouts are fresh in our grocery, so I picked up a bag. I like them small. Here is how I make them.
Preheat the toaster oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the bottoms off the bottom of the sprouts and peel a few of the outer leaves off. Rinse and pat dry. If the sprout is larger than an inch, cut them in half, cutting down the bottom.
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on each sprout
Sprinkle each with a few grains of coarse sea salt
Grind some fresh black pepper
Bake for 20 minutes, mixing carefully at least once while cooking.
Toss with a little butter before serving.
I use my mandolin to slice the cucumber and onion. I like the uniform slices and it’s ability to slice very thin.
Wash the cucumber, to me, that means rubbing it vigorously under cold running water. Peel the cucumber lengthwise leaving thin strips of skin behind. I do this for looks and flavor. Then, with the tip of a pairing knife, cut the cucumber down the middle starting one inch from the end, not slicing all the way through. Roll the cucumber a quarter turn and repeat the cut. Set the mandolin to 1/4 inch. Very carefully slice the cucumber.
Peel the onions and cut the top and bottom from them. Cut them once down the middle, then load it together on the spikes of your mandolin’s safety handle. Set the mandolin to 1/8 inch. Very carefully slice the onions.
2-3 medium cucumbers
2 medium red onions
1 teaspoon celery seed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press
1-In a medium size bowl combine cucumber and red onion slices.
2- In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour over cucumber and onion mixture and toss to coat. Chill for a few hours. Mix right before serving and enjoy.
Serve sprinkled with feta crumbles. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for added heat.
Let’s be honest, I like to cook using the toaster oven. It heats quickly, and the one I use at home also convection-bakes, which is a nice feature when baking. Finding cook and bakeware that fits is getting pretty easy as this style of micro baking is catching on.
I picked up a new piece of bakeware that I got to try this morning. Today I’m making baked eggs in a nest using a 5 inch round pie pan. It’s going to be 90 degrees today, and I don’t want to heat the house unnecessarily.
Preheat the toaster oven to 475 degrees.
Mix together:
1 1/2 cup pre-shredded hash-brown potatoes
1/4 cup egg substitute
Salt and pepper to taste
Spray the pan with some non-stick spray, even if using a non-stick pan. Use a fork and press the mixture into the pan gently making a bowl. Bake for 15 minutes.
While you wait, if you like, dice some breakfast meat and slice a small piece of cheese. Take the pan out of the toaster and add the filling pieces. Return to the toaster to melt the cheese.
Crack two eggs into the hash-brown bowl. I had leftover ham and cheese to add to the top. I crack each egg into a small bowl first to make sure I don’t add some shell. This also makes adding the egg to the basket easy too.
Bake the eggs for at least 10 minutes, depending how you like your eggs. If you cook them too long the yolk will turn to rubber.
Carefully remove from the pan after a few minutes. This splits easily into two portions.
