Super Fudgey Brownies

from: Martha

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
2 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 20 limes), plus 4 limes, thinly sliced crosswise, for garnish
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

Directions
Bring granulated sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium pan over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Add sugar syrup and mint to a blender; puree. Pour through a very fine mesh sieve into a large serving container; discard solids.

Add lime juice, superfine sugar, and 2 quarts water to a serving container. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day.

To serve, add ice cubes to fill and garnish with lime slices.

from: Everyday Food May 2006

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 t dried oregano
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
coarse salt & ground pepper
1.5 lbs frozen large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 T chopped fresh mint plush more for garnish
4 oz feta cheese

Directions
Heat oven to 475. With rack in upper third. Heat oil in a large skillet over med. Add scallions, garlic and oregano; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 min.

Add tomatoes. Cook over med stirring occasionally until no liquid remains in the skillet, 10-15 min. Season with salt and pepper.

Add shrimp and mint to skillet. Stir to combine; transfer to an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2 qt) baking dish. Crumble feta over top.

Bake until liquid is bubbling, cheese is beginning to brown and shrimp in center of dish are opaque, 15-20 min. Serve with orzo and green beans, sprinkled with additional chipped mint.

Nutritional Info (with orzo and green beans, 1/4 recipe(
563 calories; 20.5 g fat; 46.6 g protein; 47.9 g carbohydrates; 5.7 g fiber

from: Everyday Food May 2006

Ingredients
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 C orzo
8 oz green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T olive oil

Directions
In a med saucepan of boiling salted water, cook orzo 4 minutes. Add green beans; continue cooking until beans are tender and orzo is al dente, about 5-6 min.

Drian orzo and return to saucepan. Mix in lemon juice and oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

from: Everyday Food April 2006

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove bowl from pan. Add sugar; mix to combine. Add eggs, and mix to combine. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Using paper overhang, lift brownies out of pan; transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, using a dampened serrated knife, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.