Dunk, count 1-2-3, chomp. Dunk 1-2-3 chomp. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Whether you’re a coffee drinker or a tea drinker, these crunchy things are good. Quite some time ago, I posted a recipe for another chocolate biscotti recipe. They are delicious….made from scratch of course. But these here, are made from a boxed brownie mix. Super easy.

You can  add nuts, chocolate chips, dried cherries, dried cranberries, orange zest (delicious), espresso powder, etc. My favorite is pistachios! Make it your own. This isn’t one of those teeth breaking, hard, dry, flavorless biscotti. Seriously.

Get the coffee or tea brewing and get ready to dunk! Remember to dunk 1-2-3 chomp.

Chocolate Brownie Biscotti 

1 box brownie mix, any brand will work (I used Duncan Hines Chewy fudge)
1 stick of butter melted
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup almonds and/or mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325.
Dump everything in a mixing bowl. Using a mixer or a wooden spoon, mix until everything comes together. Shape into 2 long logs and place them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 325, for 35 minutes. Remove and let set for 10 minutes.
Slice into ¾” slices. Lay the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. turn off oven and leave them in oven for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, just try it to check for the crunchy factor. If they aren’t as crunchy as you would like, turn the oven back on to 325 and let them bake for another 5 or 10 minutes.

Allow to cool completely and then seal tightly.

Yep, butter spaghetti. Ok Carol P. Finally I am posting this. I think the last time I made this, was 20 years ago. It’s not exactly healthy, but I have been craving it lately.

I had a neighbor years ago who made this for me one day. She brought over this huge pot of spaghetti. But I noticed right away that it wasn’t the usual thick red sauce pasta that we all know and love. This was very juicy and had bell peppers. Well, I love spaghetti a gazillion different ways, so I was excited.

OMG, my husband (at the time), my daughter and I ate that entire pot. I ran next door and asked my neighbor “what was in that spaghetti that made it so good and juicy!!?” She laughed and said “well, it’s real simple and not very good for you”. Hahahah.

She was right. It’s ground beef, canned tomatoes, bell peppers and a stick of butter. Yes!….a whole stick of butter. The flavor is amazing. It became a family favorite and we had it often. One night, I made it for my friend Carol and her hubby Rick. They LOVED it. Especially Rick. Ok Carol, I have to tell the story. So Carol was always trying to cook a bit healthy. Well, one night, Rick called me and said “hey betty, Carol made your butter spaghetti tonight and it sure didn’t taste like yours.” I asked him to put Carol on the phone. I asked her how she made it. She said “Rick’s being picky.” She proceeded to tell me this, “Well, I used ground turkey, spaghetti, tomatoes and Country Crock”. I busted out laughing and told her “Uh, it’s not called Country Crock spaghetti, it’s called butter spaghetti and you need to use ground beef”. We laughed about that for years.

Well anyway, I know this is not exactly a healthy dish, but it’s so good. You definitely taste the butter and the bell peppers. The pasta just sucks up all that flavor…….just like you will suck up all that juicy pasta!

Oh, and I should warn you…it’s best not to have any leftovers. Hahahah, because if you do and put the leftovers away in the fridge…..welllll, the butter solidifies of course and you will be shocked to see all that butter! 🙂

Butter Spaghetti

1 large 28 oz. can diced or whole tomatoes
1 stick of butter
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 of a 1 pound box of spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, sliced (I used orange, but red or green will do)
salt and pepper to taste

Boil your pasta. While that’s cooking, to a large skillet, fry the ground beef and garlic. Add the pepper slices and give it a toss.  Add the tomatoes and once it starts simmering, add the butter, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer. Pour in the drained pasta.

Give it a good toss until the pasta is all coated. Simmer at low, for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Then go jog a mile…or 2. Hahahah. Just kidding.

Yesterday I posted a recipe for Borracho Beans….my delicious drunken beans cooked with beer. I served them with this yummy Cilantro Rice. This is a super easy, delicious rice. I just dump all of the ingredients in a rice cooker. It doesn’t get much easier. Of course, you could make it on the stove top in a pan as well, which is how I usually make this rice. But I wanted to try it with the rice cooker. PERFECT. Easy. Ready in 25 minutes.

I make all kinds of rice in my rice cookers. I have a huge rice cooker that makes 12 cups of rice…WHY??!! I have a 6 cup and a 3 cup. A girl’s gotta have her rice. OMG, I could give you soooooo many recipes for rice. Oh, I just thought of a really good recipe I must share with you very soon! Yes, yes.

Ok so I think you’re gonna love this. Sorry, I only have the one shot of the rice. I was so excited to eat it.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup of long grain rice
2 cups of chicken broth
3 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
zest of 1 large lime
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (approx. 1 cup)
1 tsp salt
1  tsp minced jalapeno (optional)

Put everything but the cilantro** in the rice cooker. When the rice is done, just leave it alone with the lid on for 15 minutes or so.

Add the cilantro and fluff it all up with a fork.
Optional: Serve with a squeeze of lime juice.

** You can add the cilantro in the rice cooker with everything else, but your rice will be light green in color. It still tastes great, but some people don’t like a green rice.

How about making a big ol pot  of beans for super bowl Sunday! They’re nice and warm, filling and they have beer in them! You gotta have beer for a football game right? Personally, I don’t care for football or beer, but I love these beans!

You could make this by soaking your own beans of course. But I wanted some fast, so I used canned pinto beans. So either way, you will love these beans.

There is an old, old eatery in San Diego that always has a long line out the door. I’m not kidding you. People will wait and wait for the great Mexican food they serve. But it’s their beans that get people excited. They have massive pots of them bubbling away. They cook them with chorizo and some scrambled egg mixed in. I never realized there was egg in them and I’ve been eating them for years. I always order mine with half rice, half beans. So frickin good. Anyway, I won’t claim that mine are as good, but theirs inspired me to make something similar. They don’t cook theirs with beer, but I do! You really don’t have to use beer. But I’ve made them with and without and both are good.

I served mine with a cilantro lime rice. I will post that recipe tomorrow….super simple.

Borracho Beans aka Drunken Beans

2 cans of Pinto Beans (drain the liquid out)
1/2 cup minced onion (a bit more for garnish)
12 oz of beer (I used Pacifico, but any will do) If you realllly don’t want to use beer, chicken stock is ok
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1 chorizo link, cooked and crumbled
2 Tblsp melted bacon fat (yep, for reals)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper, sliced
3 eggs, scrambled and cooked

Have your eggs scrambled and set aside.
I always have bacon grease handy, but if you don’t, just fry a couple of strips of bacon and either use the bacon and the grease, or just the grease. That way, you can munch on the bacon. 🙂

In a medium sized pot, cook the chorizo. Once cooked, add the beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno and bacon fat. Give it all a good stir. Add the beer. Add the egg. Just as it starts to boil, turn the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for at least half an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a scoop of rice. Garnish (or not) with some chopped onion, cilantro, chips or whatever your little heart desires.