Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Bars

Things are pretty hectic at work right now, so my escape is to bake. I decided to vary my Basic Cookie recipe a bit to make it into bars. I reduced the baking powder and added an additional egg so the texture would be more cakelike. All in all, I think they are yummy.

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Bars
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 package semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 package toffee chips

1. Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee chips.
3. Line a 13- x 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil; lightly grease foil. Spoon in batter, spreading in an even layer.
4. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until done. Cool and cut into squares.
Note: Any combination of chocolate morsels, nuts, or dried fruit would work in this recipe, as it does for Basic Cookies. For Christmas, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and pistachios make a nice flavor combination.

Chicken Parmesan

I love making meals from the contents of the freezer because it gets dinner on the table fast, fast, fast! Tonight we had Chicken Parmesan With Roasted Tomato Sauce, buttered noodles with parsley, steamed broccoli, and Feta Squares (this recipe is in the November 2008 issue of Southern Living; find it at myrecipes.com) topped with additional tomato sauce. The best thing about this menu is that the oven-fried chicken (I made a large batch the last time I found chicken cutlets on sale) and Roasted Tomato Sauce were in the freezer (I put them in the fridge last night) because I made them several weeks ago. So tonight, I placed the chicken on a baking pan and reheated it at 400° for about 15 minutes; this also helped crisp the breading. The sauce went into a pan to reheat. At the same time, I cooked the ziti and steamed the broccoli in the microwave.

Chicken Parmesan
2 chicken cutlets (If you haven't tried these timesavers, you need to.)
Salt and pepper
Japanese breadcrumbs (These are sold as panko on the International Food aisle of most grocery stores; they are much crispier than regular breadcrumbs.)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
2 eggs
Cooking spray
Roasted Vegetable Sauce (You can substitute your favorite jar of pasta sauce.)
Grated Parmesan cheese (I combined Parmesan with fontina cheese because I had some. You could also use mozzarella.)
Buttered Pasta

1. Sprinkle cutlets with salt and pepper.
2. Combine panko and next 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl or plate. Light beat eggs in another bowl or plate. Dredge chicken in panko mixture; then dip in egg. Dredge chicken in panko mixture again.
3. Place chicken on a baking sheet, and cook with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done.
5. While chicken is still on baking sheet, top with tomato sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with pasta.

Buttered Pasta
6 oz. ziti
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook and drain ziti. Toss hot pasta with butter; sprinkle with parsley, salt, and pepper. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

October Girls' Birthday Dinner

This is the month my mother-in-law-, one of our nieces (she's turning 14!), and I were born. To make it more fun, we celebrate with one family party. Tonight we were in Huntsville to celebrate. I made Pork Dumplings, which my sister had requested for her birthday, and Sesame Noodles. My m-o-l and niece made a yummy chocolate pudding-brownie trifle. The original recipe for the dumplings is from Southern Living, but I've evolved it a bit. These take a good amount of time to make but are totally worth it. Trust me! The recipe makes a ton (about 116) and they freeze well. (Don't be turned off by the length of the ingredients list!) Sesame Noodles are a good accompaniment.

Pork Dumplings
1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
1 (16-oz.) package sausage
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 can water chesnuts, drained and chopped
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. teriyaki sauce
2 tsp. chile-garlic sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 (16-oz.) package wonton skins (in the produce section of the grocery store near the tofu)
Peanut oil

1. Combine ground pork and next 11 ingredients. (I use my hands to make sure it's well incorporated.) Spoon 1/2 Tbsp. mixture into center of one wonton skin. Bring up the four corners over meat mixture and squeeze closed. Repeat procedure with remaining meat mixture and wonton skins.
2. Pour peanut oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook dumplings, in batches, in hot oil for 8 minutes on one side; turn over dumplings, and cook 8 more minutes or until wonton skin is crispy and meat mixture is done. Drain dumplings on paper towels. Serve warm with chile-garlic sauce.

Sesame Noodles
2 tsp. peanut oil
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
1 lb. vermicelli or spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp. chile-garlic sauce
1 1/2 balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes

1. Sauté carrots in hot oil 10 minutes or until carrots begin to caramelize. Add in chopped peppers, and cook 10 more minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté 2 more minutes.
2. Place broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add a small amount of water to bowl. Microwave broccoli at HIGH 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Combine hot cooked pasta, broccoli, and carrot mixture in a large bowl. Stir in sesame oil and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Nachos

This is my standby meal, the one l I pull out on nights when I have to work late or if we're running low on groceries. The basic recipe was generated not long after we got married and I was trying to stretch our grocery budget by planning meatless meals. Back then, I would cook a can of black beans in orange juice to cover and a 1/2 cup salsa. I would boil this mixture, stirring often, until all the liquid was absorbed. Then I would sprinkle the beans over tortilla chips, and top with cheese. This would bake at 400° until the cheese was melted. Over the years, I've evolved the ingredients a bit, but I still use the original ones sometimes. Following is the recipe I made tonight. I didn't leave work until 6:30, and we were eating by 7:15 (this even included frying our own tortilla chips). Both versions are yummy.—PHH

Beef-and-Black Bean Nachos
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 lb. ground sirloin
1 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 tsp. dried cilantro or 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10-oz.) package frozen corn
Tortilla chips*
1 (4-oz.) package Cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
Toppings: sour cream, salsa, guacamole

1. Sauté first 3 ingredients in hot oil until onion is tender and beef is cooked and crumbled. Stir in cumin and next 6 ingredients. Cook until liquid is absorbed.
2. Cover a jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil. Arrange tortilla chips in pan. Spoon beef-and-bean mixture over chips. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with desired toppings.

* Making homemade tortilla chips is super simple. Purchased ones are fine, but once you make your own, it will be hard to go back. Homemade ones are much sturdier, which is great for this application. To make tortilla chips, cut the desired number of corn tortillas into six triangles per tortilla. (I use kitchen shears.) Pour peanut oil to a depth of 1 inch in the bottom of a Dutch oven; heat oil over medium-high heat. Once oil has come to temperature, drop tortillas into oil in batches, and cook until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels. After all chips have been cooked, sprinkle lightly with salt. (Note: Corn tortillas are pretty salty on their own, so minimal salt is needed.)

Unexpected Ingredients

This cake marked a milestone for me, so I thought I would post a picture. You are looking at the first gluten-free, dairy-free item I have ever made. A coworker of mine deals with these dietary restrictions and her birthday was Sunday. At work, we make celebrate one another's birthdays with cake. It was important to make a cake she could enjoy, so I asked her for a recipe. This one—Pumpkin Cake With Maple Frosting—came from one of her favorite sites, glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com. The recipe called for a baking mix made from brown rice flour, sweet white rice flour, and quinoa flour. It also uses olive oil instead of butter. And as a first in my adult life, I had to buy dairy-free margarine and vegan cream cheese for the frosting. The taste of the cake was pretty good; the pumpkin and cinnamon gave it good flavor. The texture was similar to cookie batter even though it looks like cake. The frosting was okay, but the consistency was a little different. All in all, it was a favorable experiment; my coworker enjoyed it. However, for me, I think I'll stick to real butter. —PHH

Little Food

Several of my girlfriends came over for dinner tonight. They were planning to surprise me with a birthday cake. However my 4-year-old niece told me they had my "polka-dot cake in the car and some ice cream too!" Thanks, girls, for the kind gesture; I loved sharing my birthday with you! I am so blessed to have these women in my life. They challenge me, encourage me, and make me laugh. The weather was beautiful, so we ate on the deck. Everyone brought her favorite appetizer(s) or dessert to share. Over the next few weeks, I hope to post some of their recipes. I made Feta Squares (November 2008 Southern Living, myrecipes.com), grits with several toppings, and Creme de Menthe Cake. The grits bar was a brainstorm my friend Sal and I had. It will become a repeat performer, for sure!

Grits for a Crowd
Makes about 15 servings
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart milk
2 cups stone-ground grits
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings: shredded white Cheddar, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, mushrooms sautéed in butter, Tomato Gravy (March 2008 SL, myrecipes.com), shrimp*

1. Bring stock and milk to a boil in a Dutch oven. Once mixture comes to a bowl, stir in a pinch of salt. Gradually whisk in grits and return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer grits, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir in butter and salt and pepper to taste, Pour grits into a slow-cooker on WARM. Serve in punch cups with desired toppings.

* For the shrimp, melt 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet. Cook 3 minced garlic cloves in butter for 1 minute. Stir in 1 lb. (26/30 count) fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined. Cook until shrimp turn pink (about 3 to 5 minutes).

Halloween Cookies

This recipe is from cookiemadness.net; I modified it just a bit to reflect the ingredients I had on hand. I decided to call them Halloween cookies because of the color of the Reese's Pieces and because they have so much candy in them. Definitely serve these with milk. They are very rich! —PHH

Halloween Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 package semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 package peanut butter chips
1 package Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups, cut in half (place in freezer for about 15 minutes to make cutting easier)
1 small package Reese's Pieces

1. Beat butter, peanut butter, and sugar with an electric mixer until blended. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
2. Combine flour and next two ingredients. Gradually add to peanut butter mixture until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Spoon dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (Note: I use a tablespoon-size scoop to perfectly size cookies.)
4. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.