54 percent of Americans

are concerned about the level of stress in their everyday lives.

62 percent of Americans say work has a significant impact on stress levels.

73 percent of Americans name money as the number one factor that affects their stress level.

Increasing numbers of children, teenagers and college students report feeling under stress.

We’ve all got our own ways of coping with stress. A great workout usually helps me. An awesome run is a sure stress reliever. I confess that yoga has yet to become a major stress reliever for me, but I’m working on it (I think that I’m just too conditioned to faster exercise and yoga is taking some adjusting for both my mind and body). Frankly, a nap with my cat, Ned, is also a sweet stress reliever.

But, when I have simply got too too too much to do, my all-time favorite stress reliever is to bake.

From scratch.

Be it buttermilk biscuits (which I have only just perfected in the past couple of years), a great pie, cookies or a cake, nothing relieves my mind of all the worries and cares of the world quite like baking.

And the number one stress cure?

Baking brownies.

Who doesn’t adore warm, chewy, chocolaty nutty brownies?

My family and friends will tell you that I make the best brownies, bar none (is that a pun?). I can also tell you that I have personally tested hundreds of recipes before settling, at long last, on the best, which I present to you now:

Supernatural Brownies

Adapted from “Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers,” by Nick Malgieri (Morrow Cookbooks, 1998)

Time: About 1 hour

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional.

1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.

Note: For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

Don’t skip the parchment paper (parchment paper is my latest “must have” baking accessory) and, hey, you don’t even need to mess with this recipe, but if you do, add 8 oz. of chocolate chips.

Prepare for brownie nirvana …

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 11 oz of fresh or frozen black raspberries (You can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available, defrost and drain them first.)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 3 tablespoons white or brown sugar
• cinnamon

I was familiar with Nigella, having owned a couple of her cookbooks (I used to regularly make her Fairy Cakes for my daughters and they still talk about them), but haven’t seen her on the telly in awhile.

First off, Nigella has to be the sexiest woman around today. She’s got that gorgeous face and smile and hair and wonderfully padded curves. But most of all she’s got a witty, intimate sense of humor that makes you feel like she’s talking directly to you and that sensual style of talking about the food she’s preparing.

I think I’m in love.

Anyway I was so impressed with the show, which featured all breakfast foods (my favorite meal), that I looked up the recipes on the Food Network site.

Earlier this week I found an about-to-expire container of cottage cheese in the fridge and made her cheesecakelets (what Nigella refers to as “cheesecake pancakes”). I topped them with a mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

Just as Nigella promised, they were divine.

Today, when I awoke to a day of rainy, thundery gloom requiring that all the lights in the house be on, I decided to try out Nigella’s Bacon and Tomato Hash for lunch. I thought I’d also try her favorite way to eat an egg – soft-boiled for exactly four minutes (when she dunked her bread in the gooey yellow I almost melted).

Well? Take a look. I used grape tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon and a bit of olive oil mixed with crushed garlic because I had no garlic infused olive oil in the house. I thought about using cream of balsamic instead of Worcestershire, but decided to play by the rules this time.

My verdict?

The bacon and tomato hash is fabulous. I will make it again (and I think I’ll try substituting a dash of cream of balsamic for the Worcestershire).

Can you believe I’ve never eaten a soft-boiled egg? I wasn’t crazy about it. Actually I think I’d love the bacon and tomato hash topped with a couple of over-medium fried eggs or poached eggs. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

And the luncheon after the funeral featured a peanut butter cake TO DIE FOR! All of us desert fans circled around the table of cakes, pies and cookies and one cake stood out – a luscious-looking caramel colored cake. “Was it spice?” … “Do you think it’s a caramel cake?” “I hope that it’s peanut butter” I said.

I tasted it before I even delved into my lasagna. YES! It was peanut butter. And not just peanut butter, but the best peanut butter cake and frosting I have EVER had … light and delicate, yet richly peanut buttery!

My cousin Kim cajoled the recipe from cousin Bernadette. It’s no fancy schmancy Smitten Kitchen or Martha recipe – this is down home comfort food.

I present to you – Bernadette’s Peanut Butter Sheet Cake!

½ c. peanut butter
1 c. water
2 sticks butter
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
½ c. buttermilk

T o prepare cake, bring to a rapid boil: ½ c. peanut butter, 1 cup water, 2 sticks butter. Pour over 2 c. flour, 2 c. sugar, 1 tsp. baking soda. Mix and add: 2 eggs and ½ c. buttermilk. Pour onto greased sheet cake pan (large cookie pan). Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Frosting: Bring to a rapid boil: 1 stick butter, ½ c. peanut butter, 6 Tablespoons buttermilk. Add 2 tsp. vanilla and 4 c. powered sugar, stirring until smooth. Frost cake while frosting is hot.

When possible, I like to keep the frosted cake in the refrigerator until I’m ready to serve it. It makes the frosting set up so it’s just like eating fudge.

Aside from her many grandmotherly qualities and sweet ways, Gram was an awesome cook.

She would tell you otherwise, referring to herself as a very basic, simple farm cook.

In my girlhood, Gram had a fresh from scratch chocolate sheet cake at all times for family and the farm hands. Her homemade noodle soup, usually made with a chicken broth, vegetables and whatever was handy, was filled with homemade egg noodles … of dough rolled as thin as paper and sliced into tiny ribbons. When time was short she’d make lump soup instead. She made a killer pot roast and wonderful fried chicken and mashed potatoes and my favorite chocolate chip cookies ever (her secret was lard).

And, every week, she’d made a big batch of homemade white bread. I don’t remember how many loaves she’d make but there were quite a few, maybe six or seven.

I remember her big strong hands kneading the dough on her wooden bread board.

When we were kids, us grandchildren always got a piece of dough of our very own to pat into our own little loaf. Being Catholic kids, sometimes we would mush our dough into “hosts” and play communion. If my cousin Ken were around he’d play the priest and dole it out.

We always gathered around for the first piece out of the oven. But a lot of times we just couldn’t even wait for that. It was a rare treat when Gram would take the raw dough, slice off hunks, and fry it in her black cast iron skillet until golden brown in lard. We’d eat it dripping with butter and jam and nothing tasted quite as mouthwatering.

Awhile back I was homesick for fried bread dough. Frozen bread dough isn’t quite the same but it works in a pinch. The first time I set out to make it my little one said “mommy, you don’t fry bread dough!” She changed her tune with the first taste.

So here’s the best frozen bread dough recipe ever – trust me on this one:

One loaf of frozen bread dough, thawed and at least half-way risen
shortening – preferably lard but Crisco will suffice
butter
jam

Heat your skillet to medium high. Cut off a hunk of dough about the size of a slice. Fry on both sides until golden. Spread with butter and jam. Devour. And think of my Grandma smiling down from heaven.

But as I endeavor mightily to eat better and to incorporate more protein into my diet, I’ve been trying new recipes and I had to share one that is chock full of protein, low in fat and carbs, and so delicious that my kids love it (I’ve made it four times now).

Did I mention it’s dirt cheap to make?  

It’s also easily modified according to what’s in your kitchen (last night I added sliced baby portabella mushrooms).

Ingredients:

• 15 oz. extra firm tofu
• about 2 cups of broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup raw or roasted cashews
• Trader Joe’s Soyaki Sauce
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• soy sauce
• pepper flakes

Begin by draining the tofu.  Slice it lengthwise (about 1/3″ of an inch) and lay out on paper towels.  Place another paper towel over the tofu and put a heavy plate or pan over it to squeeze out the moisture (about 5 minutes).  Slice into triangles and fry in medium hot sesame oil (or oil of your choice) until golden, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towels.  Depending on how you like your broccoli, you can either nuke it briefly (1-2 minutes) or steam it prior to quickly stir-frying it.  Stir fry the broccoli for approximately 2-4 minutes, add 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of Trader Joe’s Soyaki Sauce into which you have mixed the corn starch, soy sauce to taste and pepper flakes to taste.  Add the tofu and continue to stir fry for 1-3 minutes until the tofu and broccoli is nicely coated and the sauce has thickened.

You can add whatever you like – onions, mushrooms, baby corn, water chestnuts – the options are limitless.  

Serve it over rice or as is for a quick, easy, high protein, low carb dinner!