Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

We gave Joe a cookbook for his birthday and this is the fourth recipe we've made. We ate 1/8 size pieces and found them quite filling so we'll likely serve smaller pieces if we eat some with ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
adapted from this cookbook
9" pan, 350 degrees (metal pan), 50 minutes
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
1 9" pie crust, unbaked
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 c. flour
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar then add eggs and mix until light and fluffy.
Stir in the flour then stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Place pie crust in pan then pour and spread filling.
Bake 50 minutes and cover lightly with foil if pie becomes too brown.
Cool pie for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Armchair gardening

I recently finished two books by the late Henry Mitchell: "Essential Earthman" and "On Gardening" He had a weekly column for The Washington Post and expounded on his thoughts of his, and others', gardens. If you're not a gardener it will likely put you to sleep. Well, actually, I read it in bed and while it did help me go to sleep I also found the writing to be quite humorous. Yes, there's humor in gardening, but you have to be willing to accept it. This quote isn't one of the funny ones, but is one worth repeating.

"Your garden will reveal your self. Do not be terrified of that. You have as much right to live as, -- well, at least one may always say, 'nevertheless, here I am.'

"Gardening is not some sort of game by which one proves his superiority over others, nor is it a marketplace for the display of elegant things that others cannot afford. It is, on the contrary, a growing work of creation, endless in its changing elements. It is not a monument or an achievement, but a sort of traveling, a kind of pilgrimage you might say, often a bit grubby and sweaty though true pilgrims do not mind that. A garden is not a picture, but a language, which is of course the major art of life."

Just when I thought I'd have a lawn for the boys to play in, I find out that not only do I have time for a small garden, but Joe wants his own as well! So much for plans.

To Garden or Not To Garden...

Or would that be "... To Not Garden"? (inside joke)















It's springtime again and my thoughts drift towards........gardening. Joe helped me move the compost pile today to a sunnier location and away from the swingset. Now it's in the garden instead of in a shady, back corner. I had planned on expanding my garden this year now that it seems time is on my side (yes it is) - at least more than the past few years. Originally, the expanded area was to include vegetables. That is, beyond the two tomato plants I had last summer. Come to find out, we are eligible for a home remodeling grant and because of some of the work I'll be transplanting a few flowers & shrubs into the garden instead of vegetables. Let's see...new windows & gutters, fresh paint, rebuilt front porch....or.....a few vegetables. Sorry, but I'll squeeze in the veggies where I can while making plans for next year. There's always plenty to do outside even without a lot of vegetables. I've been thinking that the backyard needs a witch hazel. Preferably one of the February-blooming varieties. Until next year, I'll be gardening at home when & where I can and when I can't then vicariously with my growing list of gardening books and far-flung websites.

Elements in time is sponsoring a growing challenge and participants must grow one additional type of fruit or vegetable than you did last year, and grow it from seed. If you didn't grow anything then you start with one vegetable. They also have many interesting links for you to review in your spare time.

Kitchen Gardener's International. Another site where you can find out that there's more to read on the web than you have time for. If you've read In Defense of Food then you might like this 9 1/2 minute clip of Michael Pollan I found on KGI. If you haven't read In Defense of Food, you might want to.

Happy gardening

Mission Accomplished

I finished my Jane Austen breakout session at the Celebrate the Book conference in Topeka! No one booed or threw anything at me. I had a very kind audience. They seemed to be as into Jane as I am, so it turned into a bit of a girl gab fest. Later in the day I saw laying on the bathroom counter one of the folders from the conference and two of the books I suggested, so someone liked what I had to say. AND I didn't start coughing until it was over. I've had a bad cold this last week, so I wasn't sure I'd make it through.

Now I'm excited to be reading something ANYTHING else. I'm reading The Worst Hard Time by Tim Egan. It's our One Book One Community choice for the year. It's depressing, but really well written. He has a lot of personal stories, so it doesn't get dry.

A bit about books....

I just finished Freakonomics and highly recommend it for anyone wanting a twist on what otherwise appears as obvious (it's not). Covering, among many other topics, crime, parenting, and grade-school achievement testing, I can't say anything more (pro or con) than what's already been said about the book so I won't try. Results from an internet search will soon give you more than enough background. It's non-fiction and I finished it within one three-week check-out from the library - not something I can say for most of what I read which means it's not only a quick read, but fascinating as well.

My friend Bruce recommended a cooking book, Home Cooking, and even thought it was published in 1988, it's still a fun book and the "Extremely Easy Old-Fashioned Beef Stew" recipe is quite delicious and it is really easy. The sequel, More Home Cooking, is on my list of books to read.

I'm also in the middle of Grassroots Gardening which Rhonna discovered for me. It's the newest book in a long list by author Donna Schaper. A quick tour of her website offers plenty of material for contemplation.

Currently fifth in line at the library for Animal, Vegetable, Miracle so when my turn comes again I'll finish it - hopefully in my allotted three weeks this time!

If you're interested in another book along the same line as Buy, Buy Baby, look for the book Consuming Kids. Usually I link to the book, but I just discovered this website - which appears to be an outgrowth of the book.