Nutella Brownie Pie

So, to be honest, I hesitate to call this a recipe.  It's wayyyyyy too easy.

But super delicious.

I mean it's chocolate and Nutella.  What could be wrong?

I've made this several times (also made it once as brownies) and it was a hit each and everytime.  Which, when you see how little effort actually goes into it, is kind of amazing!

Nutella Brownie Pie
1 box dark chocolate brownie mix
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup Nutella (slightly warmed)
1/4 of a log of ready made sugar cookie dough

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a pie plate with cooking spray.

Mix the brownie mix, egg, water, and applesauce until well blended.  Pour into the pie plate.

Warm the Nutella slighly in the microwave, and drizzle over the brownie batter.

Tear pieces of the cookie dough and drop on top of the brownie and Nutella batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set.  Let cool completely before serving!

Avocado Corn Salad

Because let's face it, avocado makes everything better!

This is a quick and easy salad that's perfect for outdoor functions because there is no mayo.  It's light and delicious with a good dose of protein.

For good measure, I roasted the corn.  It made the corn a bit sweeter and deeper in flavor and really added to the flavor of the salad.

Corn and Avocado Salad

2 cans of corn, drained + salt and pepper
29 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 basil leaves, torn
1 tsp. olive oil
1 avocado, diced
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Juice of one lime
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Spread corn in single layer on large baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 9 minutes, toss, and then roast for about 9 more minutes (keep and eye so it doesn't burn).    Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Once corn in cool, combine corn, black beans, avocado, goat cheese, basil, and salt and pepper in large bowl.  Add olive oil and toss to combine.    Finish off with the fresh lime juice, salt and pepper.  May be served at room temperature or cold!

Summer Sangria

 A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to meet a few friends at the Jersey Shore Wine Festival in Lakewood, New Jersey.

If you like wine, do yourself a favor and go to this event next year!

For $20, you get tastings of many different Jersey wineries.  There are also vendors, food, and music.  It's a great way to spend a Saturday!

One of the wineries was Monroeville, where I bought 3 bottles.  Clearly, I liked their wine!  One of the wines I was surprised I liked was their Apple wine.  I thought it would be overly sweet, but it really wasn't. 

So, the wheels started turning, and I started thinking about how it would make a great sangria.

Now, you could use any fruit infused wine for this, or even just a reisling for moscato.  But it was super easy and really delicious and refreshing for a hot summer day!

Summer Sangria
1 bottle Apple wine (or sweet wine of your choice)
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1 bag of mixed frozen fruit (I used mango, raspberry, pineapple and strawberry)
Club soda

In a large pitcher, combine wine, Triple Sec and fruit.  Refrigerate for about a half hour to let the fruit begin to thaw in the wine. 

Pour into glasses and top with a splash of club soda.