Kinda Healthy German Apple Cake

This makes a lovely snacking cake and because it isn't too indulgent you don't need to feel guilty having a slice for breakfast. If you really like baked apples you'll love this cake.
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Sugar or Splenda
1/2 C Unsweetened applesauce
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 T butter (melted and cooled)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C Whole wheat flour
1 C AP Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cardamom
1tsp anise powder *optional
4 cups apples, peeled and diced or sliced into chips.


• Heat oven to 350. Grease a bundt pan or 9x13 baking pan
• In one bowl combine sugars, eggs, applesauce, butter & vanilla. Mix well.
• In another bowl mix everything else except the apples.
• Incorporate the wet batter into the dry in two batches. Make sure to mix completely.
• Finally, stir in the apples. If you choose to do the slices you'll get a nice cake with baked apple layer effect. If you've done dices it will simply be a chunky cake. 
• Pour into baking dish and bake at 350 50min -1hr until the cake is golden brown. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or with cream cheese frosting. 

Guacamole: It's About To Get Sunny In Yo Tummy

It's no secret I'm not big on measuring things. A lot of my savory (ie not baking) recipes are created out of random flavor pairings that swim through my head and are usually developed through a lot of experimenting and trial runs. Thankfully I have a trusty assortment of mouths to provide feedback. This particular recipe has been in the works for a while now and has a few variations to choose from depending on your taste.

Guacamole:

2         ripe (slightly smooshy to the touch) avocados diced up
1/4 c   green onions, finely chopped
1/2 c   tomatoes seeded and chopped
1/3 c   greek yogurt or sour cream
1/3 c   water chestnuts, finely chopped*
1/2 c   black beans*
1/3 c   corn (fresh is ideal frozen will do)*

spices
1/4-1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp       Smoked Paprika
1/8 tsp       Cayenne
1 T            Cilantro chopped (some folks love the taste of fresh cilantro to others is tastes like soap so keep that in mind)
1-2 cloves Garlic finely chopped or ground to a paste
1 tsp          Jalapeno pepper (more or less or not at all to taste)
1/2            Lime squeeeeeeeeezed
1/8 tsp      Smoked Salt**

Put all your mixins in a bowl and stir together. If you like chunky guac just stir. If you like is mushier use a fork and mush away. Season with salt if necessary.

If you're in a hurry or looking for a few other options:
- Use 1 c salsa and forego tomato and peppers
- 1/2 c refried beans
- 1/3 c chopped adobo peppers

Remember this is a recipe you can really make your own. Feel free to add more or reduce amounts. Serve w/ chips and cold beers.
* All optional
** not nec and can be hard to find but a nice touch

Devine Brownies

Ingredients:
2.5 sticks butter (cut into smaller chunks)
2 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
4 eggs
1 Cup AP Flour
Up to 3/4 cup of nuts or chocolate chips or whatever lil bits you prefer.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Spray/grease pan (9x6 for thinner brownies 7x7 for thicker) w/ butter

Put butter, sugar and cocoa powder in bowl. Place bowl in a skillet and pour water around the bowl - be careful not to fill it to the top of the skillet because the bowl may move when you stir and you don't want water splashing. Turn heat on medium and bring the water to a boil. Be careful not to touch the bowl with a bare hand as it will be toasty hot, wrap your hand with a dish towel or wear an oven mitt. Stir occasionally as butter melts and a chocolatey soup is created. Once mixture is really really hot to the touch (yep I mean dip your clean finger in there) remove from stove top and let cool.

Once chocolatey soup is room temp whisk in salt, vanilla, 2 eggs and 1/2 Cup flour. Whisk until fully incorporated then add the remaining eggs and flour. Once mixture is lump free stir in your little bits then pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick poked in the center pulls out clean.

Let cool then devour.