Chocolate chip bars

I have been making these a lot lately, partly because I am too lazy to actually make regular drop chocolate chip cookies. These bars are fool proof and quick, no chilling of dough, only one pan and poof... lots of chocolate chip cookies, plus who doesn't like those edge pieces :-)

Chocolate Chip Bars

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions:

Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients until mixed, then fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Spread the batter which will be stiff, into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not over bake.
Cool, cut and serve.
These cookies store, freeze and ship well.
They also make your friends and family very happy.

Leave out the chocolate chips for great butterscotch brownies.

Frittata, easier than I thought

I had a lot of leftover steamed broccoli and a lot of eggs, since our hens know that it is now spring !! I make quiche quite a bit but didn't want to bother with the crust. I have made crust-less quiches and called them frittata but this time I wanted to go with the real thing. They are a lot easier than I thought, quicker and great leftover for lunch.
I made mine in my large cast iron skillet, whatever you use needs to be stove top and oven proof.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

You can put just about any vegetables in them. If they are not already cooked you can do that in the pan first. I did heat up the broccoli that way.
Here are some ideas: onions, leeks, potatoes,mushrooms, squash, asparagus, peppers, kale, spinach, chard...you get the idea.
About 3 to 4 cups of veggies will do.
Feel free to add ham, bacon, pancetta, smoked salmon...
Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil in the pan, sautee or heat your choice of veggies.

While that is cooking, beat until frothy: 8 eggs in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of milk. Add 1 cup grated Swiss cheese(I used less), salt, pepper and herbs if you like.

Once the veggies are cooked or heated through pour the egg mixture over the top. Pull the edges away from the sides of the pan with a spatula so the eggs flow to the bottom of the pan.

Once it is has started to set, transfer the pan to the heated oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until puffed and golden.

Shower with grated Parmesan, the recipe said to garnished with sour cream and chives. We liked it as is. I served it with steamed beet green and slices of my homemade bread.

Asparagus is in season, hooray !!

I love fresh asparagus and was so excited to see it in my farmer's market over the weekend.
There are several ways to cook this fine vegetable, whether you steam it, roast it or grill it, please do it lightly !! And don't shy away from the fatter stalks, we fine them to be sweeter than their skinny brethren.

Roasted Asparagus
    •    2 bunches asparagus
    •    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or olive oil spray
    •    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    •    Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover an edged cookie sheet with foil.
Wash then, snap the woody ends from the asparagus. Spread the spears in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle or spray with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and roll to coat thoroughly.

Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through to turn the asparagus.
Serve as is or with a light dipping sauce like a vinaigrette, lemon juice or plain yogurt.
They make any dinner elegant !!

I love them cold the next day too !!

For the bacon lovers...fool proof, mess free

I can't remember where I first saw this way of making bacon but I have never gone back to frying it on the stove top.

I love bacon but hardly ever used to make it due to all the mess with splattering bacon grease, even with one of those mesh covers.

So here it is !!
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Make a foil tray to set on a rimmed cookie sheet or baking pan.
I like to cut my bacon in half but you can leave it long too.

Put the bacon on the foil, then into the oven for 6 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon.
Turn the pan around after those 6 to 8 minutes and cook for 6 to 8 more minutes.

Presto crispy bacon !!
If you like it softer, cook it for a shorter time.

The clean up is so easy with the foil and your stove-top stays clean !!

Baked Potatoes for dinner

Bob loves this very simple dinner. Bake a pile of spuds, serve with a GIANT green salad and voila, easy dinner. You can make it fancy by adding things to the salad like leftover cold chicken, ham, bacon, shrimp or hard boiled eggs or by dressing up the spuds. Baked potatoes are a great vehicle for so many toppings: salsa, teriyaki sauce, marinara, grated cheese, pesto, chili...the possibilities are endless.

Making yogurt

I LOVE homemade yogurt. That's all we eat any more.It's really quite simple and well worth it. We do use a yogurt maker, which is really just a heating unit. It does keep the yogurt at a constant temperature and keeps it from being moved or bumped,both are important for successful yogurt.

You can get yogurt makers pretty easily used on Craig's List, Freecycle or at yard sales.
I found this link which gives a good explanation for making yogurt.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

I high recommend using whole milk for various reasons, mostly it tastes best that way.
And I prefer using some yogurt as starter rather than the powdered cultures.

We eat yogurt for breakfast with a spoonful of homemade jam, for lunch with fresh fruit in season, for dessert with honey, or a late night snack with granola . Yum !!