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.

For a good, easy breakfast...

... if you have time enough till it's finished baking.

Bread Pudding

9x9 pan, greased
Loosely cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees, 60-75 minutes

bread, cubed enough to fill pan, not packed (about 1/2 loaf)

Mix in bowl:
4 Eggs
3 c. Milk

Add:
1/4 t. Salt
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/4 t. Nutmeg
1/4 t. Salt
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 c. Raisins, optional, separated if sticky

Pour liquid over bread then press down to soak all the bread.
Make sure raisins are evenly distributed, more or less.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry.
Enjoy.

Fun in the country

Great day for an evening potluck with friends.

Marie's Scones (as requested)

I never thought I'd actually forget this recipe since I made these 5 days a week for nearly 5 years. At work at 5 am, sometimes 4:30, working alone in the quiet kitchen. Usually all of the scones were gone by 8 am so if you weren't in line when the doors opened, well, you could wait until tomorrow. Or, if it was Friday, you might have been lucky and found an orange-chocolate muffin instead.

With the understanding that all recipes are made for tinkering, here's the original (or at least my best recollection to-date):

Flour 2 c.
Sugar 1/2 c.
Baking Powder 1 T.
Salt 1 t.

Butter 4 oz. (1 stick)

Egg 1
Milk 3/4 c.
Raisins 1/4 c

Lightly grease baking sheet or use baking parchment paper.
Heat oven to 400°.

In one container, whisk egg(s) then add milk & raisins.
(for plump raisins, make this ahead and soak overnight)

In another mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Cut in butter until the mixture looks like cornmeal.

Add wet to dry and stir/fold together.
Turn out on floured surface and knead just until dough forms smooth ball.

Make a round approximately 1/2" thick, then cut into 8 pieces.
Brush pieces w/ water (or egg) and gently sprinkle w/ sugar.
Place scones on pan and bake for about 13 1/2 minutes until lightly golden.

Eat immediately. If there are any remaining a day later, reheating in a toaster oven works best.

As for the tinkering, I suggest dried cherries, apricots, or a diced apple are all good substitutes for raisins. Maybe a little cinnamon or nutmeg or cloves. Chocolate chips, chopped almonds or walnuts. Endless options, really...

Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES W/ CRANBERRIES


Preheat oven to 400°.
Prepare:
5-6 Fist-sized sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
½ - ¾ c. chopped red onion

Spread vegetables on large baking pan (big enough so the vegetables aren't piled up)
Drizzle about ½ c. oil over the vegetables. (I used peanut oil)
Sprinkle, to taste, with salt & pepper.
Roast veggies until lightly browned/blackened, stirring about every 15 minutes.

When sweet potatoes are done, add 1 – 1 ½ c. fresh cranberries to pan and return to oven for about 5 minutes. Long enough to let some of the berries burst, but without burning the sweet potatoes or cranberries. Remove pan from oven and finish glaze, if you're not already done with it.

While roasting sweet potatoes, prepare applesauce glaze.

In small sauce pan, combine:
1 c. applesauce
1 c. apple juice or cider
½ c. brown sugar
3 T. flour
¼ t. ground cloves
¼ – ½ t. ground cinnamon

Heat on medium-high, stirring continuously, until glaze is thickened.
Removed from heat and save.
When sweet potatoes are finished, place them in a serving dish.
Stir glaze over sweet potatoes and serve warm.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

My mom has been making this cake for nearly her whole life. And I believe my grandma was making it before then. Needless to say, it's a family favorite and when we're together it rarely stays in the pan more than 2 days. Even when we're not all together! Call us weird, but we like to have a piece in a bowl with milk. Personally, I only do that with this cake. Why? Good question. Habit? Genetics? Of course, in the interest of graciousness, I will still eat it if there is no milk available. Vanilla ice cream is always a good substitute.

Lest I bore you further...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
(if you're not using a metal pan, reduce 25 degrees)
My experience is to bake 30 minutes in metal pan, 40 in glass.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan

Combine in mixing bowl:
2 c. flour
2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Combine the wet ingredients:
1 c. sour cream (light sour cream works too)
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla

Measure and reserve:
1 c. hot water

Make a "well" in the dry ingredients then add wet ingredients and the hot water. Mix with an electric hand mixer just until completely blended. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, depending on pan. Spread on the frosting when the cake is completely cooled. Serve, devour, and try to share.

I've also made this cake in two 8" round pans. You'll have to adjust the baking times accordingly.

Icing/Frosting for whole cake: (or buy ready made)
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar (sift out any lumps)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
3 T. butter, very soft, almost melted
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. milk

Combine the first 4 ingredients, then pour in some of the milk and continue stirring the icing. If needed, add more milk, but just enough to keep the icing firm, but still spreadable.

Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
from Vegetables by James Peterson, p. 197
Makes 6 side-dish servings

1 2 1/2 lb. spaghetti squash
9 fresh sage leaves
1 garlic clove, minced/crushed
2 1/2 c. grated Swiss gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
3/4 c. heavy cream
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Cut the squash lengthwise and place halves, flesh side down, in a baking dish with enough hot water to come 1/4" up the sides of the squash. The water prevents burning and helps steam the squash so it cooks more evenly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the squash is soft when poked with a knife - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Spoon out and discard the seeds. Scrape along pulp with a fork and pull out and reserve the shreds. Leave the oven on at this point unless you're baking the squash in advance.)

With butter, rub the bottom of a medium (8 cup or slightly larger) gratin or baking dish.

Finely chop 6 of the sage leaves and toss the "spaghetti" with the chopped sage, garlic, 2 cups of the cheese, the heavy cream, and salt to taste. Spread this mixture in the bottom of the dish -- the squash layer should be about 1 inch thick -- and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Arrange the remaining 3 sage leaves on top of the gratin. Bake approximately 45 minutes. If the top of the gratin doesn't turn golden brown in the oven, slide it under the broiler for about 1 minute to brown it. Remove from oven, grind fresh pepper over it and serve immediately.

I've adapted the above recipe in a few ways. Since gruyere is, here at least, nearly $16/pound, I've been known - or maybe unknown - to substitute asiago for half the gruyere. Sometimes I've even completely replaced the gruyere with half asiago and half romano. Do what you like. Also, being that I like garlic - as do most of my friends - I use at least 2 cloves, depending on their size.

Bon appetit!

Pizza Night

Enjoyed dinner with friends this evening. Bob fired up the brick oven to about 1000 degrees and we had home-made pizza, roasted veggies, fresh bread, and chocolate chip cookie bars. The pizza was done in about 5 minutes and this was a first for cookies in the oven, but it's hard to go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. Elaine made a platter of garden vegetables with feta cheese. Perfect. Joe even helped get the coals in place inside the oven. (don't tell mom!)

Homemade Granola

Ten years ago when I worked at a cafe, I made a very similar recipe. Mine adds ground flax and omits the chopped, dried apricots. Add/delete as you wish. I use parchment paper on the baking pan, but I suppose it would work to bake on a greased pan. It may seem expensive, but one bowl of this keeps me full till lunchtime.
Enjoy.


Mix together:
4 1/3 c. Rolled Oats
1/2 c. Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 c. Sunflower Seeds
1/2 c. Shredded Coconut, Unsweetened
1 1/4 c. Wheat Germ, Toasted
1 c. Sliced Almonds, Toasted
3/8 c Ground Flax Seed
3/4 t. Ground Cinnamon

In different bowl, combine:
5/8 c. Honey
5/8 c. Oil
1/2 t. vanilla

Warm liquids until honey and oil are no longer separated.
This takes 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

Add wet to dry and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Evenly spread granola onto parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake at 325 F for 30-35 minutes stirring every 7-10 minutes
Granola is done when it is golden brown.
Let cool completely on pan then store in air-tight container.
Makes about 12 cups.

Macaroni & Cheese

Here's a recipe for some good mac & cheese. The recipe makes enough for 4-6 adults so adjust as needed.

From scratch and all in one pot.

Boil until done, but don't drain any water:

16 oz. Elbow macaroni

4.5 c. water

1 1/4 t. salt

Measure and prepare:

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 oz. parmesan or romano cheese, finely grated

4 oz. cream cheese (neufchatel works), softened & in small pieces

When pasta is done, stirring constantly, slowly add the cheeses.

Choose and add a quantity/mixture/choice of cooked meat and or cooked vegetable.

Suggestions:

Diced, baked chicken breast

Ground Beef

Bacon

Hot dogs/sausage

Broccoli

Corn

Peas

Cauliflower

Salsa

Diced canned or fresh tomatoes

School

Two weeks into the school year and Joe loves it. He even, voluntarily, creates his own homework. He's really taken a liking to learning letters, words, & spelling. During the day Isaac and I putter about the house or go to appointments or run errands.

One thing about school I'm having trouble understanding is the food service. I can understand offering pancakes for breakfast or lunch, but when did a funnel cake become breakfast fare? The district implemented a "wellness policy" a few years back - I guess the food options were even scarier before! Now I'm all for healthy food and sweets in moderation, but I was at a loss when I tried to describe "chicken corn dog" and "chicken O's" to Joe - I at least knew what a corn dog is. Why not just have a baked chicken breast? I just have to remember that our family is the one that would skew the data and that for many kids the food offered at school is better, and maybe more, than what is offered in the home.

An exciting development is that Joe's school is one of several in the district that is part of grant to provide and staff a greenhouse for the students. I need to check into the options for parents interested in assisting with the project.

School Lunches & WIC

Now is time to fight for better school food

“If you are what you eat, then I’m fast, cheap and easy.” When Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse fame, saw that line on a bumper sticker, she wondered, “Is this really what we want the destiny of our nation to be?”

Click here to read the full article, or click here to comment on the re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Programs and WIC. This includes the National School Lunch Programs.

This lawn is your lawn

Much better than the advice from 7 years ago to just keep on shopping. Just watch the video.

Budding Gardener

We picked and ate the first harvest from Joe's first garden. Green beans and summer squash pan-steamed/sauteed in butter and garlic. A great side dish (and cold snack if there are leftovers).

There are more beans to pick and soon we will be eating fresh tomatoes!!!

Food for thought....

A little creativity goes a long way. Yes, everything in this scene is edible. See more here.

Speaking of baking...

In case you didn't already know, the New York Times has ended (yea!) it's fee-only access to archives and some articles. In case you didn't copy it down last November, now you can access this recipe - it's towards the end of the article. If you're a visual person, you can watch the video. It really is as easy as it sounds and the bread is delicious. Amaze your friends at your next potluck.