"Ice Cream" Brownie Cones

I saw something like these in Kroger one day and I figured I could make them for waaaay cheaper than the $2 per cone they were selling them for. I met the very nice to bakery lady and she gave me the real secret to making these work - brownies! I really figured they were cake pops (like an ice scoop of cake) but instead I learned they are bite sized brownies under that icing.

I went home and baked up brownies from a box mix in my mini muffin pan. You could also buy the bite sized brownies from Kroger. Whatever you make sure they are moist brownies, NOT overbaked. This helps the brownie squish into the ice cream cone.

If you make harder brownies, you might end up with this...

If you are gentle you should end up with little brownies stuffed into the tops of the ice cream cones.

Then you take the whole brownie/ cone contraption and carefully dip it into melted white candy. It's easiest to use the kind that's made for melting and dipping. Just keep it on low in a pan on the stove. After you dip the cone add your sprinkles and then a maraschino cherry on the top!

Ice Cream Brownie Cones

1 box of brownie mix

1 box of sugar cones

1 package of white melting candy

1 small jar of maraschino cherries, drained and dried on paper towels

sprinkles

Bake the brownies in a mini muffin pan. Do NOT overbake, underbake just by a few minutes. Let cool on wire racks. While the brownies are cooking, create a holder for the cones. I used an empty clothing gift box and then cut small squares into the box. It would have been even smarter if I lightly stuffed the box with tissue paper to give it more stability. Whatever you create, it needs to be able to hold the cones until they dry and it needs to be deep enough so the cones (which are top heavy) don't fall into each other or they will stick to each other.

Melt the candy according to the package instructions on the stovetop (not microwave). When the brownies are cool, carefully stuff them into the ice cream cones. Dip the brownie side of the cones into the melted candy. You may have to dip a couple of times to get a thick enough coating. After it looks covered, add the sprinkles and then add the cherry. Press down so the cherry will stick while the candy coating is still warm. Cool in your cone holder.

Serve and enjoy the smiles. Even the adults thought these were fun!

Baby Chicks!!

We got some precious new baby chicks... in May. Yes, you read right, in May. Sometimes I just can't seem to find the time. I'm sure you know what I mean. I'm just now getting their baby pics up, but I will post current photos this week as well since they are practically teenagers now.

I finally convinced my darling husband to let me buy babies so I could get the specific breeds I wanted. I ordered two Americanas (the green/ blue egg layers like our Lady Liberty). I also ordered a Silver Laced Wyandotte, whom we've already christened Wendy. Lastly I ordered two Brahmas to replace my beloved Petunia who got to go to school. I am hoping they will grow up to be a sweet as their breed usually is. Anyone have any good ideas for names for these four?

This is their temporary home (it's a recycling bin) with a screen window on top. We set up food and water and  little stick for a perch. The yellow one in front has a blue mark on her head because they are all yellow fuzz until they get big girl feathers and they look just like leghorns. The breeders mark the Brahmas with temporary dye. The other two are the Americanas.

Turns out the babies already know how to take dust baths! We let them out into the freshly tilled garden and they had a blast just kicking up dirt. The black one on the left is Wendy the Wyandotte.

Ahhh, nothing like a good clean spray of dirt!

The kids were fascinated with the babies and how self sufficient they are, especially in comparison to their baby sister.

Henderson's Chicken Chart is a great list of all the breeds and their egg colors.

Burrito Bowl

 

This is one of my favorite summer recipes. It doesn't require heating up the oven or too much cooking at all, when I often find my kitchen motivation waning since it's just TOO hot.

If you've ever been to Chipotle, you've heard of a burrito bowl. We have some friends who moved to Australia (the ones I made the Pavlova for, which is another amazing summer recipe) who introduced us to Chipotle. I figured for a fraction of the cost, I could make something like their burrito bowl at home.

Burrito Bowl

(this is one of those recipes where "exact" doesn't enter the picture)

steamed rice
black beans
chopped lettuce
chopped tomatoes
chopped avocado
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped black olives
sour cream
The only cooking part of this recipe is the black beans. I rinse out the can of beans and dump them into a pot. I add salt, pepper, cilantro, minced onion and minced garlic. Give it a big stir and add olive oil and some chicken stock. Let these simmer on the stove for 30-60 minutes.

When ready to serve you can use my taco/ oatmeal trick or plate them up yourself. Start with the rice and then beans. Add all of the other toppings as you like. You can "mix, mix, mix" like Bee Bim Bop or just enjoy the randomness of what appears on your forkfull.