Ridiculously Easy Brownies

Come on and admit it. We have all been there. It's the evening, you're kicked back relaxing for the night. Comfies are on, hair is pulled up, and suddenly you remember. Food day in the office tomorrow. Ugh.

While I rarely buy prepackaged mixes, I cannot deny they are handy in emergencies such as this. Brownie mix, in particular. Brownies are easy to make, don't require a lot of fussy decorating or frosting and just about everyone loves them, right? Of course! So when faced with the dreaded Tomorrow Is Food Day And I Didn't Make A Thing....... brownies (and a secret stash of brownie mix) are my go-to emergency food.

The occasion this time was Cinco de Mayo. Bring your favorite Mexican food to share, they requested. Mexican? How do you make nachos for an office potluck? I work for a huge company. I am NOT making a bazillion enchiladas or tacos for 100 people. Instead, 2 boxes of brownie mix and a 10x15 sheet pan made life so much easier. How did I manage to get brownies to fit in the Mexican theme? Easy- ever heard of Mexican hot chocolate? A little cinnamon.....a little chocolate........

Ridiculously Easy "Mexican" Brownies

2 packages (9x13 size) brownie mix

1 1/3 cups oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 small bag sliced almonds

1 cup cinnamon chips*

You will find these in the chocolate chip area- I used half the bag, approximately one cup

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the almonds and chips. Spread the batter in a 10x15 sheet pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the almonds and cinnamon chips evenly over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. This make a TON of brownies- great for a crowd or party, and super easy. I used the no-name store brand brownie mix, just the plain one, no caramel or anything else in the mix. They turn out ooey and gooey and just the perfect brownie soft and chewy consistency. The cinnamon really warms up the bars and the chips are absolutely delicious. Believe it or not I got a ton of compliments! 

Canning Cookbook- Spiced Kumquat Jam

Lots of ladies in a canning group I am in have been talking about kumquats lately. Some people like to can them whole in a light syrup. I thought they would be better in a jam, which is how I'd be more likely to eat them. If you haven't seen them before, kumquats are teeny tiny citrus fruits, about the size of grape tomatoes.

Because kumquats are relatively expensive here in the frozen Midwest, I didn't have pounds of fruit to work with. I had to buy a package and work with that. I wanted something not too similar to a marmalade, as the kumquats have very tender peels, and wanted to use as much of the pulp as possible. I also supplemented the pulp with a couple of oranges, cheating, I know, but I didn't want to shell out $10-15 in fruit for a single jar of jam. 

Spiced Kumquat Jam

1/2 lb kumquats
2 oranges
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 cups water
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon
4 whole cloves

Cut the kumquats into quarters. Scrape the pulp into a bowl and set the peel aside. 

Remove any seeds from the pulp and any large pieces of membrane. I was glad I bought the oranges because the inside of the kumquats were not juicy at all. 

Finely chop the peel. Zest both oranges and add to the kumquat peel. Cut the orange into pieces and cut out as much pulp as possible, leaving the peel and membrane behind. It's easier if you cut the orange into supremes first, but you don't have to go to so much trouble. Be sure to do so over a bowl to catch all the juice.

Combine everything in a saucepan and bring to boil. Adjust the sugar according to the tartness of the fruits. Simmer until you reach the jelling point. If you use a thermometer, it's 220 degrees.

Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves and ladle the jam into a jar. Cover and store in the fridge.

I ended up with about a half pint of jam, so it wasn't something I would process for shelf storage. Now if I lived in a warm climate and had access to several pounds of kumquats I sure would, and follow the processing time for orange marmalade.

The spice flavor was very subtle in this jam, and the kumquat peels are so delicate they really softened up during cooking. I like marmalade but the peel in marmalade has a definite "bite" to it- not the case here. This is something I'd definitely make again but heat not quite to the jelling point and use it as pancake syrup. This jam is going to be perfect with freshly baked biscuits!