Original Recipe + Cute Story + Ladies’ Home Journal= $400 and fame!

Did you know that if you send in an original recipe with a story behind it, Ladies’ Home Journal may publish it and pay you $400 for it? Seriously, it is true, and here’s how it happened for me.

A coworker told me about this opportunity. Apparently, this has been something LHJ has done for years.  So, I gave it a shot. I actually sent in two recipes with stories behind them. Within a couple months, I was contacted by LHJ, told the test kitchen loved the “man catcher brownies” recipe and they want to publish it with the (excessively cheesy) story. You can imagine my shock and excitement! I was interviewed via telephone by the woman who was writing the piece to make sure the story and recipe were correct. I was sent a $400 check, and then a two page spread with my recipe, story, and picture were published in the next month’s mag.

After this, these brownies became a little more popular. Locally, I was interviewed on KARK 4 news one morning. In other states, a few newspapers did experiments on this recipe, many bloggers blogged about it after trying it themselves. And most exciting, Hoda and Kathy Lee tried them on the Today Show.

Of course, my “fame” was fleeting, but it sure was fun and exciting for a while. And that $400 went a long way for me! 

Now if fame and fortune aren’t as important to you as chocolate, then here is the recipe for those gooey, caramel-y, nutty brownies.

Recipe Video:

 

 

Ingredients:
-1 15.25-oz pkg German chocolate cake mix
-2/3 cup of evaporated milk
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
-30 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
-3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
-1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix german chocolate cake mix, melted butter, and 3 ounces evaporated milk until a thick batter evolves.
3. Add about 2/3 of the batter to a brownie pan (9″x13″ is ideal) and press until evenly distributed.
4. Cook in oven for 7 minutes.
5. Melt the 30 caramels and the remaining 3 ounces of evaporated milk on medium-low heat. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes.
(Remember to take your brownies out after 7 minutes, letting them cool until the caramel sauce is finished)
6. Drizzle the caramel sauce on top of the cooked brownies. Then sprinkle the chocolate chips and chopped nuts on top of the caramel sauce.
7. Add the rest of the uncooked brownie batter in patches or crumbles on top of the chocolate, nuts, and caramel. It doesn’t have to be pretty.  You don’t want to over it all either. Leave some space open so that the caramel, nuts,and chocolate can peek through.
8. Add the brownies back to the oven for another 8-9 minutes, or until brownies are puffy on the top.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments. Or if you have had a recipe published in LHJ, please share!

“Man-Catcher” Brownies (Turtle Brownies)

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 15.25 oz package German chocolate cake mix
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 30 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix german chocolate cake mix, melted butter, and 3 ounces evaporated milk until a thick batter evolves.
  • Add about 2/3 of the batter to a brownie pan (9"x13" is ideal) and press until evenly distributed.
  • Cook in oven for 7 minutes.
  • Melt the 30 caramels and the remaining 3 ounces of evaporated milk on medium-low heat. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes.(Remember to take your brownies out after 7 minutes, letting them cool until the caramel sauce is finished)
  • Drizzle the caramel sauce on top of the cooked brownies. Then sprinkle the chocolate chips and chopped nuts on top of the caramel sauce.
  • Add the rest of the uncooked brownie batter in patches or crumbles on top of the chocolate, nuts, and caramel. It doesn't have to be pretty.  You don't want to over it all either. Leave some space open so that the caramel, nuts,and chocolate can peek through.
  • Add the brownies back to the oven for another 8-9 minutes, or until brownies are puffy on the top.
     
Keyword man catcher brownies, ladies home journal, published, amy westerman, turtle brownies, caramel, chocolate, nuts,

What’s for dinner? An easy, healthy, flavorful recipe

One of my favorite dinners to make is my seared chicken breast, with “colorful couscous”, and topped with an egg. It is pretty easy, healthful and light, and really delicious. If you want to give it a shot, here’s the recipe:

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Colorful Couscous and seared chicken topped with over-easy egg

Seared Chicken (2 large chicken breasts)

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Ingredients:
-Two fresh (not frozen) boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
-1 teaspoon garlic salt. Or you can do 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 teaspoon Cavender’s seasoning: SALT FREE. If you do not have
salt free, do not add previously listed salt.
*Optional: If you like herbs, feel free to add some dry herbs to your
liking. I like rosemary, basil, oregano, or parsley….or all of them.
-2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Cut away any excess fat from the chicken breasts.
2. Place onto wax paper, cover with plastic wrap, and pound the
chicken until evenly thin. You may use a tenderizer or even just a
spatula.  Do this on both sides for most tender results.
3. Add the seasonings evenly over the two pieces of chicken on both
sides (the seasonings listed above are a total amount you will use
on both sides, for both pieces of chicken, combined)
4. Add the e.v.o.o. to a searing pan, making sure the oil covers the
bottom. Heat to medium high heat.
5. Once hot enough (I dip a small end of chicken in and if it sizzles, it
is ready) place the chicken into the pan. Cover with lid. Leave
alone and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden
brown.
6. Flip chicken over and repeat the process. Cover. Cook until golden
brown.
7. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 5 minutes before digging
in.

Colorful Couscous

Here is video recipe, followed by written instructions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_yy_iH-DQA

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“Colorful Coucous”

Ingredients
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-4 bell peppers, diced (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 green)
-3 medium shallots, diced
-2 tablespoons minced garlic
*Optional: Any other veggies you love will work in this dish. I now
enjoy adding cut asparagus spears into it as well.
-1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
-1 cup couscous
-1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
-1 egg (optional)

Directions
1. In a medium-large sauce pan (If you cook chicken first, do NOT
clean the pan before making this dish in the same one. This will
give it a little extra flavor from those chicken bits left at the
bottom), heat e.v.o.o. on medium heat.
2. Add diced shallots and bell peppers. Stirring occasionally,  heat 2-
3 minutes, until they start to soften.  During this time, add your
salt and pepper.
3. Add minced garlic and continue stirring and cooking for another 2
minutes.
4. Add broth and turn heat to medium-high.
5. Once broth is boiling, add couscous. Remove from heat. Stir
slightly, making sure all couscous is in the broth liquid. Wait 5
minutes.
6. Once liquid is soaked into couscous (may take 5.5 or 6 minutes
instead), use a fork to fluff the the couscous. Then you’re ready to
eat!
*Optional: If you like egg yolk, you’re a good person. Also, you’ll
enjoy adding a sunny-side up egg or over easy egg to the top. The
yolk really gives the dish a luxurious flavor.

Final Steps
Uh…just put it on a plate and enjoy! I like getting a bite of everything at once, the separate dishes really enhance the flavor of each other.

If you have any similar recipes or suggestions to make this one better, leave us a comment.