Flourless Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are completely different from any brownie I've ever made before.

Besides the fact that there's no flour in them.



I first made these last fall, and am not sure why I haven't made them since. Stick everything in a blender (or a food processor, if it's not in the dishwasher already), blend, and put in a greased pan and bake for a half hour. They're very good, for what's in them.



You'll still have to wait until I tell you what's in them.

It's possible I didn't actually make them again because of the stress that ensued while I had them in my possession. Last September I got tickets to U2, one of my most favorite bands (3 times in the same week, but who's counting?). I was so excited to be able to go but I knew that I had better bring snacks, since the traffic to Foxboro was so crazy, especially on game and concert days. This particular day was no exception. I picked up a friend of mine, and we gave ourselves roughly an extra hour or so to get there, knowing the trip took about an hour in the first place. I had the brownies in the backseat.

Fast forward to nearly 3 hours later, when we were still on the road, we could see Foxboro to our left, and if you rolled down the windows and listened, you could barely hear The Edge's guitar. I was so stressed and upset I couldn't do anything, but I did have a brownie or two, and I'm fairly sure I provided some good entertainment for my friend as I slowly melted down in the driver's seat.

We finally made it to the show, and managed to see most of U2's set. This made me much happier, and the excitement definitely returned. That is, until we got back into the car to drive home. And waited in the parking lot for almost 2 hours.

Needless to say, that pan of brownies was nearly polished off by the two of us before we even hit the highway (overall, the return trip took somewhere in the vicinity of 4 hours, in case you were wondering).

I liked them then, and I still like them now, but they will forever be brandished in my mind as "the brownies I took on that horrific drive to Foxboro to see my favorite band play". Here's hoping that they aren't bad luck, and the next time I put them in my car I won't be stuck on the highway for 3 days.



So, still curious about the extra special ingredient? These brownies contain black beans. And you'd never know it unless someone told you. They taste like, well, like flourless brownies. Soft and chocolate-y, and overall, pretty damn good. I love simple recipes that taste good.




Flourless Brownies (recipe from www.wholefoods.com)
1 (15-ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
1/3 c. melted butter (but let it cool down a bit before adding it to the mixture-adding scalding hot butter to something with cold eggs will scramble it!)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease an 8-inch baking pan with some spray butter. Put the black beans, eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and sugar in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender and blend until smooth. Remove the blade (if using a food processor) and stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer mixture to the pan and bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is just set in the center. Cool before cutting.

Granola Bars

Okay, I'm now out of granola. When you're out of granola you do the only thing you can.


You make granola bars.

I'm fairly certain that I have had a lot of granola and granola bars over this past month. Not that I'm complaining. It actually took awhile for me to grow into liking granola and granola bars, but I'm really glad I enjoy them now. I don't know why they weren't top on my list before (wait, maybe that's because chocolate is number one on my list-hell, it still is, really. I can't lie.) but they sit pretty high up these days.

About a year and a half back, I was into a different granola bar recipe. That one and the one I'm writing up now are pretty similar except for the boiling honey and the toasted grains. I think the other one had flour in it, which made it much more bar/cake like. This one: no flour. Makes things interesting.





And how. It's very sweet (with honey, a bunch of fruit, and some brown sugar, you'd think it sweet too!) but it's pretty much a home run (did someone say home run? Just 5 days until Opening Day!!). Not to mention it's really not difficult to do. I wish my food processor wasn't dirty-otherwise I might just have chopped the fruit in that to save time and sticky fingers. I managed though.



Granola Bars (recipe from The Barefoot Contessa, at www.foodnetwork.com)

* 2 c. old-fashioned oats
* 1 c. sliced almonds
* 1 c. shredded coconut (I used sweetened coconut though unsweetened could work just as well)
* 1/2 c, toasted wheat germ
* 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
* 2/3 c. honey
* 1/4 c. light brown sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
* 1/2 c. chopped pitted dates
* 1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
* 1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and restirring every 5 minutes or so, until lightly browned. Put mixture in a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Bring the oven temperature down to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let the mixture continue to cook for a minute or so and then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dried fruit and incorporate everything together well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. If you'd rather not use your fingers you can use the back of a spoon or a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is a light golden color. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

This pesto is what I think of when I want some sort of spread that isn't hummus or guacamole or something. Not so much mayo or mustard, but a different spread.



Sundried tomato pesto (well, this recipe, anyway) takes very little time to prepare, so much that it's to the point of laughable easy. Of course, this ease is made easier with the help of my trusty food processor-without one, I'm not sure it would be so simple-though I'm sure a blender could do the job quite nicely. This is not smooth-this particular pesto is pretty grainy and a little more chunky than your typical pesto. It's not runny at all.





It's perfect for using with crackers, and it works well as a sandwich spread. I'd even say it's good for putting over pasta, though I've never tried it. It's got a bit of tang to it, so be prepared-this is not a mellow pesto!



I made this originally on Thursday for my friend's birthday party, and decided that although I left the container half full at her house, I wanted to make some for myself so I'd have something different to snack on this week. I'm not sorry I had to make it again. Forgive the picture quality though-my camera I normally use to take these pictures ran out of battery power, so I used my other one. You get the idea, though.

This whole recipe, from start to finish, takes roughly 5-10 minutes-all you have to do is measure the ingredients in the bowl and start the processor. You have no reason to wait. No lie, this post took me longer to write than making this sundried tomato pesto did. Stop reading this and get up from the couch and go make it for yourself. You will thank me later.

Sundried Tomato Pesto (from www.recipezaar.com)
2 c. sundried tomatoes (if you get the ones packed in oil, make sure you drain first-I have used both-the ones that are in oil and ones that aren't. I don't notice too much of a difference.
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. packed basil (it doesn't need to be chopped)
1/4 c. packed parsley (again, unchopped)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, whole
ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended. Cover well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chicken with Tomatoes

I needed something for dinner tonight. Weird, I know. You'd think with all the food I had made over the past week I'd have something I could work with.

Sure, I could work with some leftovers. But I needed something I hadn't seen before. I wanted something that was savory, that would taste familiar, that had things in it that I knew and I trusted.

I know I had done that with other dishes and failed miserably. I was putting a lot of weight on making this dinner work.





Chicken with Tomatoes was something I had seen in the Whole Foods website, in their recipes section. The picture looked so good and the recipe seemed really easy and really good tasting that I had to try it.



This time, I was not disappointed by a new dish. This was fantastic. This was filling. It was savory, it was tangy, it definitely came through as a go-to dish. I really could have licked the bowl clean (I actually could have, given that I'm the only one here. But I restrained myself). I loved this. It will go into my regular rotation, I'm pretty sure. I think it should go into yours too.




Chicken with Tomatoes (recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup flour (I used spelt flour-trying to get rid of it! and didn't actually notice any difference! I hate to say it but I'm starting to get used to spelt!)
sprinkling of salt, to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces (get the raw chicken tenders-you'll save time chopping them)
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed (I used a spoonful of minced garlic)
1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes, drained
1 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp butter (or a bit of spray)
1 large portobello mushroom (about 1/2 pound), diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. basil leaves, torn
3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Mix together flour, salt and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl then coat chicken with flour mixture. Make sure to shake off any extra flour. Transfer chicken to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned (don't do something like I did and crowd the pan-it will take much longer to cook!); transfer to a large plate and return pot to the stove. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic and cook until soft and opaque. Add tomatoes, broth and browned chicken back to the pot and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

While chicken mixture is cooking, melt butter (or spray butter spray) in a large pan over medium high heat, add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.

Add cooked mushrooms, basil and parsley to pot with chicken mixture a few minutes before the mixture is done cooking and continue simmering just until heated through. Serve.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I stumbled on this recipe several months ago, back when I was trying to decide what to put in my Christmas baked good goody bags. I couldn't remember if I'd ever had them, and I certainly knew I'd never baked them before, so I decided to give them a shot.

How glad I was that I did. The cookies that came from this recipe were outstanding. They were crunchy, which is unlike a lot of chocolate chip cookie varieties I'd made, and they had a lot of chocolate in them, which is very much like a lot of chocolate chip cookie varieties I'd made. Plus, there was oatmeal in it, and whole wheat flour, so I could pretend that they were good for you.

Although the cookie didn't make the Christmas baked good cut, I did get compliments from friends that tried it then. One friend in particular asked me last week if I'd make them again for her. I love requests, as we all know, so this morning, bright and early, I put the dough together, baked it off, and had one fantastic cookie on my hands.




And then the cookies traveled to her house, where I conveniently left without them-because if I took them home, they would very likely have been eaten all at once. And three dozen cookies is a lot to eat at once!

...but if I had to, I would have done it. :)



"Mom’s oatmeal cookies" (recipe discovered from the Homesick Texan)

3/4 c. of butter, softened (I melted it, per usual)
3/4 c. of brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. oats (not quick cooking)
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups of chocolate chips (or, if you like chocolate as much as I do, one entire 12 oz. bag of semisweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together the butter, sugar and egg (if you can use a hand mixer, please do and save yourself some time!). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Place small balls of dough on a greased or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

Lemon Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Settle in, friends. This is one long, picture heavy post (thanks to my guest photographer that documented while I was decorating this cake-it makes things so much easier to get things done and documented when someone else is holding the camera!)

Let's talk birthday cake. I do love me a good birthday cake. Not only do I love eating cake, I love making it as well. A good friend of mine (and former roommate)is celebrating the day of her birth next week, and we are all commemorating with a big party tonight at her place. A few weeks ago, I asked if I might be able to help with the food, and her boyfriend came back with a very specific request (actually, specific requests are helpful because then I don't second guess myself in the creativity department): A cat shaped cake, in her favorite flavor combination, lemon with chocolate frosting.

Let me say that again: A cat shaped cake, in her favorite flavor combination, lemon with chocolate frosting.

Well, okay.

I'll be totally honest-I like lemon cake, and I love chocolate frosting, but combined together? Not really my favorite. To each their own though. and a cat cake-well, I'd never made a cat cake before (once for my family's Easter celebration my dish assignment was the bunny cake, but for some reason it didn't go very well-and my sister makes the best bunny cake anyway). I love me a good challenge though, so I got to work.

Here's the way to get yourself a cute cat cake, in many fun steps.

1. Make Lemon Cake (see recipe at end). The original recipe told me it would yield one 10 inch cake, so I doubled the recipe. This turned out to be a huge downfall.

The bowl was too small, the measurements were too big, and my kitchenaid mixer totally freaked out. That machine is easily 35 years old, as a guess, and still runs quite well, but the grooves holding the bowl into place have become a little loose over the years. There was enough butter in there that wasn't soft enough that the bowl came loose and I wound up having to stand at the mixer with both hands firmly planted on the bowl so it wouldn't fly across the room.
After I got everything into the bowl, I realized I couldn't get everything incorporated with my little kitchenaid, so I had to ditch it and try my hand held mixer to get everything set. Until it became too much for that too, and then I had to use a regular wooden spoon. I could have gotten my workout that day from making this cake batter alone-there was no need for the gym with this task!

(I wish I still had pictures of this. I know I took them but I may have accidentally deleted them. So sad. If I find them I will repost them here)
2. If making this cake several days in advance, as I was, let cool and then wrap very well in plastic (I also used tin foil, which I'm sure is a big no-no, but I wanted to be sure).

3. Prepare cake for transport to my sister's house, where a chest freezer is in existence (because my own is filled with stuff already).

4. Bring treat for sister and family to bribe with bringing said cake to store in said chest freezer for a few days.

5. Make fudge frosting (see recipe below). This can be done a few days in advance (or for me, the morning before I frosted the cake. I doubled the frosting recipe, just in case. This had much better results than the cake doubling process from the day before. Except that I was short one unsweetened chocolate square. Later taste testing proved that the missing square made absolutely no difference. Cover frosting, and do not refrigerate (yes, really).

6. Get cake back from sister's house when ready to frost.


7. Invite a friend over. Drink lots of wine and get her to take pictures of you decorating the cake. (Decorating is much better and way more entertaining on a buzz!)

8. Said friend is able to give advice on things you should try and opinions of how cake is looking, but mostly will laugh as you work with frosting, marshmallow, cake, and licorice.

9. Cut second cake a little smaller than the first (this will be the head). If you do this right you will have a nice border left that you can split-to serve as the cat tail and cat ears.

10. Frost cake with a thin chocolate layer (I used canned frosting to do this, gasp!). This will help to hide holes between the piped frosting that should look like fur. Then pipe cake using a flower tip to simulate fur using the homemade frosting. Cut marshmallows in half and stack down the cake to simulate legs and cover with frosting.


11. Decorate face with a flattened, stretched marshmallow, black licorice, and pink fondant.







11. Make a cat collar in the birthday girl's favorite color using fondant, and proceed to write the Happy Birthday message there, preferably using a food pen (yup, those actually exist. Try any craft store).

12. Refrigerate cake for the next day. Pray it doesn't fall apart or something doesn't fall on it. When it does (and it did), fix in the morning with more piped fur frosting.



13. Bring to birthday party. Hope the birthday girl likes the cake (I will have to get back to you on this one).


14. Bring backup dessert as well for those of us who don't care much for the lemon/chocolate combination.

I did get to try some of the scraps of the lemon cake, and I have to admit that I liked the cake very much. It was really dense, but had a very distinct lemon flavor. It also holds up quite well, which helps, especially if you're carving it into a shape. The fudge frosting is one of my favorites-I got it from a coworker at Tufts, and it's from Rosie's Bakery. It's really easy and very rich. My friend who was over giving me moral support while I prepared this cake told me that she quite enjoyed the fudge frosting, and over time, grew to like the lemon/chocolate combo. I thought it was decent too, though I don't think it will ever be my first (or second, for that matter) choice for cake. Overall, I was very happy with the way this tasted and the way this turned out! If it's not your choice for flavor combo either, make 'em separate. They're both quite good, if I do say so myself.

Luxury Lemon Cake (recipe obtained from Boston.com)
(This recipe claims it makes one 10 inch cake, so I doubled it and found myself with 4 9 inch rounds. I'd say if you are making a layer cake with this recipe, keep it the single version. If you're making a cat cake like above, you might want to double just in case you make a mistake and you need backup cake)


Finely grated rind of 3 lemons
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 c. sugar
5 eggs
1 c. buttermilk

1. Set the oven at 325 degrees. Grease and flour your cake pan(s) and set aside to be ready.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon rind and extract.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into another medium bowl.

4. In an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar in three portions, beating for 1 minute after each one. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each one. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl to keep everything fully mixed together.

5. Blend in the lemon mixture. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in 3 separate additions, alternating the wet and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with flour.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.

7. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake is clean (it took me about an hour for this to be done).

8. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then take out and let cool fully on wire rack. Either frost once cooled or wrap well in plastic and freeze until ready to use (can be frozen for about a week).

Fudge Frosting (recipe from Rosie's Bakery)

* 6 OZ. Unsweetened chocolate (use the Baker's brand-they come in handy 1 oz. squares!)
* 1 c. plus 2 tbsp evaporated milk
* 1 1/2 c. sugar

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds or so. Cool.
2. Blend the evaporated mild and sugar in a blender at medium speed for 30 seconds. You really need to use a blender for this, do not use a hand-held mixer or a spoon.
3. Add the chocolate to the sugar mixture in the blender and blend on high speed until the frosting thickens, Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. You will notice the mixer's sound will change when the frosting has thickened.
4. Spoon the frosting into a bowl and let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the frosting to set for at least 1 more hour before frosting your cake. Do not refrigerate the frosting. Just make sure it is covered well.

Spring Salad

I'm trying to like salad again. I swear.

With this dish, I think I'm getting there. I found this again in the Whole Foods website, and as the weather is fighting to be in spring mode in the Northeast, I had to try to make this.

I was pleasantly surprised by the way it turned out. It was really easy to throw together, it was much more tasty than I expected, and it reminded me of spring. Just really fresh tasting, and a little bit sweet as well.





I really liked how simple this salad looked to make, and I loved that it actually tasted like something I could have more than once!

It's a good reminder of spring, and the good weather that's supposed to accompany it.

I think if I eat more salads like this, I could get used to liking salads again. :)


Spring Salad (recipe from Whole Foods Market)
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 avocado
1/2 c. orange juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 ounces spring greens or mesclun mix (I used a 9 ounce bag of spinach-it was quite tasty)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 pound raw asparagus, trimmed and sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler (I used about 9 stalks of asparagus)
Method

Puree green onions, avocado, juice, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth to make a dressing. In a large bowl, toss greens, strawberries and asparagus together. Mix dressing together with the salad and serve. Serves about 4.

Fat Pie

I have interesting names for food. It's true. Yesterday it's "That Spinach Thing", today it's Fat Pie. I call 'em like I see 'em.

As far as I'm aware, Fat Pie got it's name from my maternal grandfather. I believe the actual title of the dessert is Chocolate Silk Pie, but everyone knows that's not as much fun to say. The story, as I understand it, was that a very long time ago, my mom made this pie for my grandparents, and my grandfather took one bite, said something like "wow! This is one Fat Pie!" and the name just stuck. Ever since I first had it, that's what I've called it, and that's what my friends and family have called it. It's one of the more well-known dishes amongst friends and family that I have.

All right, now that we've gotten that out of the way, gather 'round, everyone. It's story time. This pie has gained somewhat of a cult popularity status among friends. I loved having one for my birthday, and discovered that my friends in college loved when I got one. So my sophomore year in college, my mom made me a pie that came in a sheet pan instead of a round pie plate, so I could share. That year, my room had a little roof deck that we'd kind of illegally use for extra space when we had parties. In the winter, it also made for great freezer/fridge space when we wanted to keep something cold. When I got the pie, it didn't fit in the cube fridge my roommate had, so I covered it, put it in a box, covered the box with towels and rocks to keep it stable, and went about my day. The next morning while I was at breakfast, my next door neighbor came down to the dining room (back in the day, each dorm at MHC had it's own dining room...pretty cool) and told me "uh, Linda...you might want to check on your pie that's out the window. I think some squirrels found it."

Turns out EVERYONE loves fat pie.

I ran back upstairs to find the box partially open, and opened the tin foil to find a paw print in the corner. I was horrified. Some stupid squirrel was eating (or attempting to eat) my pie! I was determined to keep the pie though, so in a moment of college chaos, I got a knife, and to my roommate's horror, cut that piece out (wide, wide base, people! I wasn't that crazy). Then I re-cut the pie so that the untouched, untainted pieces were still okay. And then I had another piece despite what had just happened. That is how much I love this pie.

No one else touched the tin from that moment out, however. I think mom had to make a new pie so people wouldn't have to eat the "tainted" one. But look, it's 11 years later and I'm still alive. That story has been retold over and over and people are still hysterical that I found squirrels trying to eat that pie.

When I wanted to make this recipe myself, I had graduated from college (and lived in an apartment with a real full size fridge and freezer, no outdoor roof freezer, thankyouverymuch)and I can't remember what the occasion was. I couldn't find the recipe in my mom's recipe collection, and panicked at the thought that I wouldn't be able to recreate it. Many of her recipes (including this one) she had memorized and quite unfortunately disappeared when she passed away. Luckily, after a friend had tried the pie back in college, she asked me for the recipe, so at that time, I got Mom on the phone, she told it to me, and I passed it along (and back then, I of course didn't keep the recipe for me!). Thank goodness that friend still had the recipe over 3 years later when I went to make it! It sits in my arsenal of recipes, one of my most favorite ones, and I hesitate to give it out because it is a)one of my most favorites and b) because really, there's so much eggs and butter in this thing that I don't usually like to give up how much is in it! But all in moderation. It's a Special Occasion Pie. It reminds me of many good times and it's so good. I hope if you make this pie it makes good memories for you too.









It is an incredibly rich, incredibly good dessert. Another bonus is that it's a no-bake dessert and it has whipped cream to go on top (which I haven't put on yet because it hasn't been served-actually it's sitting in my sister's freezer until it will get eaten in a few days because I'm out of freezer space!). Plus, this is one of those desserts where you will TOTALLY want to lick the beaters clean once you finish mixing everything together. Don't think for one second I didn't do that-it totally brought me back to my childhood, where that was always my job :). I promise you will not regret having this dessert AT ALL-it is the kind of thing everyone should have at least once.



Fat Pie (or, if you want to be more sophisticated, Chocolate Silk Pie) (original recipe author unknown-but feel free to give my mom the credit)

(this recipe will yield 2 pies in a round pie plate, or one if you use a longer sheet pan. This time around I used the pie plates)

Crust:
-1 package of Oreo cookies, crushed fine (use a blender or a food processor-I have found that I can crush the entire package at once in a food processor, or a sleeve at a time if I use the blender)
-1 stick of butter, melted

Combine crushed Oreos and butter well and divide evenly into two round pie plates or in one big rectangular pan. Make sure you pack the mixture well-use a spoon or your fingers to press the crust into the pan and up the sides. Freeze or refrigerate until you are ready to fill the pie shells.

Filling:

Beat 2 sticks of softened butter and 1 1/2 c. sugar until fluffy (use an electric hand mixer if you have one, or a stand-up mixer-this will make the process much easier, I promise).
Add 2 tsp. vanilla, and then add 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted (I use the Baker's brand-about 4 oz total. You can either melt it over a double boiler or use the microwave and check every 20-30 seconds until melted totally-and make sure you melt it completely. Nothing's worse than finding a chunk of unmelted, unsweetened chocolate!).
Add 6 eggs, one at a time. Beat each egg for 2 minutes at a medium high speed before adding the next egg.
Put filling into the pan(s) and refrigerate/freeze until ready to use. These may be made a few days ahead if needed.

Whipped Cream topping:
Beat 2 c. heavy cream with 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar to desired consistency. Add whipped cream to pie when ready to serve. :)

"That Spinach Thing"

"That Spinach Thing" is so named because I kept forgetting what the technical term for it was (it's a Spanish dish, though the website where I found it called it Spinach and Chickpeas, which really doesn't leave much room for interpretation), and since it seemed really close to something else I had seen made a few months back by a college friend of mine called "chickpea thing" I figured I'd give it a shot. Plus, the website from which it came from is awesome, and I love getting ideas from it.

I think the fact that I sat on this post all day trying to figure out how I'd write it while having a banana walnut chocolate chunk cookie in my hand is very telling.

This meal (or side, depending on how you choose to serve it) is pretty simple, really. Spices, spinach, garbanzo beans, and fried bread (which I omitted because I just didn't feel like frying up bread, and all I had was some leftover Herb Bread from my favorite sandwich/bakery place ever in the freezer. In retrospect, I should have used it-I'm now very interested to see how it would have tasted.).

I liked this dish, but I didn't *love* this dish. Quite frankly, if I hadn't made it I'd probably know no better. I don't think this is a dish I'd crave; but I'll still eat it-it's not that bad for you, it's easy, and it's filling. I think my problem is that it has too many chickpeas. I thought maybe it just gave it a weird texture or something. Something's just missing from this. I really think it's the bread. The recipe said it was optional, which is why I didn't add it the first time. Next time, I'll definitely do it.



Try it and see if you can come up with something that works. I really think this dish has the potential to work-I just couldn't do it this time around. Separately, it's very good. Together, I just miss something. Maybe I should take out some of the chickpeas and add something else-maybe some chicken or something-but that will change the dish completely. Or, put in more spinach and maybe some extra garlic!

I will have to go back to the drawing board on this-but I won't give up on it! If you find a good combination, let me know-I'll be interested to see what happens with it!



Sidenote-I do wholeheartedly agree with the addition of the smoked paprika. It was a strangely different spice that I really liked and also really liked being able to sprinkle as much or as little as I wanted on it. There's a distinct possibility I'll be adding more to "Spinach Thing" tonight.

Spinach and Chickpeas (aka "That Spinach Thing", aka Espinacas con Garbanzos)(recipe obtained from www.smittenkitchen.com)
2 cans of chickpeas (15 oz), drained well
6 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. baby spinach
1 large slice of Country Bread (or whatever you might have on hand)
1/2 c. tomato sauce (I used eggplant marinara. I'm glad I had something different to contrast it, but feel free to use whatever tomato sauce you have, or none at all)
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin (I used a spoonful of minced)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (try to find this if you can. It really does have a distinct difference from regular paprika)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add 3 tbsp. of the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach and stir. Depending on the size of your pot you may only be able to add a little at a time (I had to put it in a half at a time) When spinach is tender, drain in a colander and set aside.

While the spinach cools, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry up the bread for about 5 minutes or so, then one tbsp of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for another minute or until the garlic is golden brown.

Transfer to a food processor along with the vinegar (a blender also works), and mash mixture to a paste. Put the chickpeas and the mashed mixture back into the pan and add the tomato sauce (if you choose-I'd suggest it, but it can be regular marinara or whatever you like). Stir until the chickpeas are heated all the way through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and cook until it is fully heated. Serve with paprika sprinkled over the top.

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I think this was another recipe that I had stashed away for awhile, because when I tried it I didn't remember having it before-but I'll admit that I don't know why I waited so long to try it. This was the kind of cookie that I brought to the barn to bribe my riding instructor to have my lesson outside this past weekend (as it turned out she had already made the decision to go outside, but let the record show that I brought them anyway) and the kind of cookie that I had one of and then immediately reached for a second one. They are strangely, fantastically addictive.

(In fairness, a lot of baked goods can have that effect on me. I have a wicked sweet tooth.)



I wasn't sure why this recipe was so different than a traditional banana bread, which is what I'm assuming this cookie is modeled after. But it was a , and it had everything that a cookie needed that a bread kind of lacks. It's not crumbly, it doesn't fall apart, you don't have to slice it, and it packs quite a punch (of flavorful goodness, that is).


Sometimes it's nice to have a cookie that tastes kind of like a traditional chocolate chip but has enough different flavor to keep you on your toes.

I feel like this cookie is a good alternative to making an entire loaf of banana bread-it's really easy to throw together and they almost make you feel like you're eating breakfast when you have one. I suppose if you really wanted to make that stretch, go for it; I know we've all had cookies for breakfast at least once before. And if you say you haven't, I ask you: haven't you had a donut for breakfast? That's kind of like a cookie, isn't it? You can eat this for any meal; you can eat this in place of every meal (but you might get a sugar rush). It is the sort of cookie that you eat and *almost* think it's healthy.


For today, it is.


Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies (by Martha Stewart at www.marthastewart.com)
* 1 c. regular all-purpose flour
* 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) softened (room temperature-or just melt it completely like I do) unsalted butter
* 1/2 c. sugar
* 1/2 c. packed light-brown sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1/2 c. mashed ripe banana (about 1 large-the riper the better)
* 1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (I used quick-cook oats-because it's all I had-but it still worked very well)
* 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks (the recipe calls for this. I say you can never have too much chocolate so I used a 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chunks)
* 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (Martha says to toast them. I say do whatever you'd like-I left mine untoasted)


1. Mix together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into another bowl and mix well, using a hand mixer or a stand-up mixer, whichever you prefer (I have both and love to use my stand mixer whereever possible-but a hand mixer works just as well), until it is pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix until just combined. Add in banana, and then flour mixture; mix again until just incorporated. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts (stir this in by hand-I've learned through experience that electric mixers and chocolate chips/walnuts/or anything else that doesn't dissolve don't mix well).
2. Drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper using either a spoon, a small ice cream scoop, or your hands-whichever implement you prefer. Bake cookies at 375 degrees until browned at the edges and just set, about 12 to 13 minutes (my oven actually took about 15 minutes to cook all the way through), rotating the pans once during baking time. Let cookies sit on the baking sheets on wire racks until cool enough to touch. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers

Today I heard someone talk about how they were a little afraid to cook chicken. Call it a salmonella fear or something like that. I had something similar, but it was with beef (which I find odd, since I love my meat rare). Chicken, on the other hand, was something I never really got bothered by or afraid of cooking. 350 degrees in the oven for about a half hour or grill until you thought it might be done, then cut in the center. If it wasn't pink and juices ran out, it was done. But after hearing that today, I knew I had to make this dish tonight (plus, I for some reason really wanted some chicken, so perfect timing).



This was a really easy dish to throw together. The original calls for mozzarella cheese on top, but since I didn't have any, I just left it out altogether. I had read some comments on this recipe that said they missed the cheese. I didn't. I honestly think cheese might be weird with this dish. If you try this and use the cheese, please let me know if I'm completely crazy. I am typically of the nature of "when in doubt always add more cheese" but this time I liked it perfectly fine just the way it was. I think it might have been the balsamic.

The chicken came out really tender and really flavorful. I liked pan searing it and then cooking it on the stovetop. One word of note: Make sure you keep an eye on the pan-the recipe calls for only a half cup of broth, and I think I wound up with a full cup-it kept burning off so I had to add a bit more as I cooked. If you don't want to burn the chicken, I'd suggest you do the same.



Overall, it's a really good dish to put together when you want some extra veggies, when you don't have a lot of time, and when you want something that just tastes really good without being too complicated.



Chicken With Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers (recipe from www.allrecipes.com)

* 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth (as it kept burning off and I needed to not have the chicken burn I added more, a little at a time, and wound up using about a cup)
* 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
* 1 (7 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (I love roasted red peppers, and I only had a 12 oz. jar so I just used all of that. It was fine for me but if you want, use less!)
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 c. chopped plum tomatoes
* 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste (I just put a glug or two around the pan)
* 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional-I left it out)


1. Heat the broth in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to the chicken and place in the pan. Cook 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking, until chicken is almost done.
2. Place asparagus, red peppers and garlic in the pan. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear, the inside is not pink, and asparagus is tender (you will probably want to flip the chicken again during this time) to make sure you cook evenly). Place tomatoes in skillet during last 2 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, if you'd like.

Raspberry-Blueberry Spelt Muffins

I ask you: what is it you do with your leftover spelt flour and blueberries from the blueberry pancakes you made yesterday?



Of course. You make muffins.

I found this recipe for Blueberry Spelt Muffins from a blog by Whole Foods Market. Seeing as how I have a whole bag of this stuff, it seemed like a good opportunity to use the flour for something else. Oh, and then I'd have something to write about today. Good, let's kill two birds (turkeys?) with one stone.

There is a muffin place not too far from me that makes the best muffins I have ever had. Yes, including the ones I make myself. I love this muffin place, and their muffins are gigantic. Like, big-as-your-head gigantic. Their pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting are, of course, my favorite, but I love their blueberry raspberry ones too. I had made my own version of them a few years back, complete with a crumble topping, and loved them. When I saw this recipe for Blueberry Spelt Muffins, I decided to take a cue from these other muffins and make them with raspberries as well.





Let's just say that I didn't read things as closely as I should have. Because again, my butter's frozen solid and I didn't have a chance to defrost like I wanted to, I used oil instead. Imagine my horror when I realized I had read the recipe wrong and had not put in 4 tablespoons, as instructed, but rather 4 ounces, or a half cup of oil. Whoops.



It made for a very moist muffin.

But over-softness aside, I really liked them. It had lemon juice and rind in it which added more tartness that was really good. It's true that the spelt really does make things taste just a little different, because I could taste the spelt in last night's pancakes. That doesn't mean that they're bad, not by any stretch. But you can tell a difference between that and something made with regular flour.



The muffins were really tasty though, and I was very happy. Even if I did accidentally add too much oil. Keep in mind that if you make these, use 4 TABLESPOONS. or a half stick of butter. Not a half cup. (I'm an idiot sometimes. It happens. It could be worse-they could have turned out like rocks!).

Raspberry-Blueberry Spelt Muffins (original recipe: Blueberry Spelt Muffins, by the good people over at Whole Foods Market)-my changes and additions are in parentheses...

* 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) softened butter or canola oil
* 2/3 c. sugar
* 1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 c. orange juice (I used lemon juice instead)
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 c spelt flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp grated orange zest (again, used grated lemon zest instead)
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 cups fresh blueberries (I used one cup blueberries and one cup raspberries, and wound up having just a bit extra in each package, so just added a little bit more)


Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with paper muffin liners (you will likely need two pans-I wound up needing to go to a mini loaf pan because I didn't have extra muffin tins). In a large bowl, stir together butter or oil and sugar until creamy-use a hand mixer if you have one, you'll save yourself a lot of time. Stir in applesauce, eggs, citrus juice (whichever you use) and vanilla.

In a second large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, zest and salt. Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until just combined. Gently stir in fruit. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!