Chocolate Raspberry Caramel Bars

Irene asked to make these, and add frozen raspberries to them.  We didn't have caramel topping, so I found a recipe on line.  It tasted a little grainy on its own, but that shouldn't be a problem in the cookies.
2 1/4 cups flour, divided
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter, cold
2 cups semisweet morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts (original recipe calls for pecans, but we were out)
1 1/2 cups caramel (see below)
2 cups raspberries, or enough to sprinkle in a single layer.

In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Set half aside for topping.  Press the remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and nuts.  Sprinkle with raspberries.  Whisk the caramel topping and remaining flour until smooth; drizzle over top.  Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before cutting.  Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen.

Caramel Topping: (I doubled it.)  New and improved recipe.  

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

METHOD

1 First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2 Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the next time you attempt it, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process, this will help the sugar to cook more evenly, though it will take longer as the water will need to evaporate before the sugar will caramelize.

3 As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4 Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5 Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Makes a little over one cup of sauce.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I have been making this recipe since the boys were very young.  I was going to say small, but they measured over the 90th percentile in height all along.  When Allen was about 10 he got the idea to make them into Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, making a well in each ball of dough and dropping in black capped raspberries.  He entered them into the Hemlock Fair and won a blue ribbon!  Sometimes I flatten the dough balls with a fork and put a Hershey Kiss on each one after they are baked.  Unwrap the kisses first, of course. 

1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c shortening
2 eggs
1 c peanut butter
Combine above.  
In a separate bowl, mix:
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
When well mixed, add to first mixture
roll into 1 inch balls, put on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork
bake for 10-12 minutes at
375 degrees

Creamed Chicken over Mashed Potatoes

Comfort food!  Irene requested this for tonight.  She won't get it until she gets home from bussing at the North Shore Grill.
2 whole chicken breasts, boiled in 2 qts water with:
2 celery stalks, cut into thirds
1 onion, cut into quarters
1 bay leaf
1 Tbl Adobo
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp minced garlic

Cool chicken and dice
strain broth

1 1/2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup broth
1 tbl white wine Worcestershire Sauce, dry white wine, or Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

In a large saucepan, combine the frozen vegetables, broth, Worcestershire Sauce or wine, and basil.  Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 5 minutes

2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
diced chicken (about 2 cups)

Meanwhile, combine milk and flour.  Stir into vegetable mixture.  Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 1 minute more.  Stir in chicken; heat through.

Boil as many potatoes as you need.  I use at least 2 potatoes per person, and more is always appreciated.
I use think-skinned potatoes, and leave the skins on.  I cut out eyes (vicious, I know) and cut large potatoes in half.
When potatoes are easy to pierce with a fork, drain and put in electric mixing bowl.  Add milk and butter (at least 4 Tbl butter and 1/2 cup milk) and 2-4 oz of cream cheese.
Whip potatoes with electric mixer until most lumps are gone.

Serve in bowls.

Chili Mac 'n' Cheese

I like the Whitson moist chili seasoning, and I order it by internet from Texas.  The link is below.
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs hamburger
Fry above until meat is brown.
1 jar Whitson chili seasoning
1/4 cup water
Add to meat and simmer 15 miinutes.
1 lb elbow macaroni
Cook according to package directions.

Spread macaroni in 13x9 inch pan.
Top with meat.

Cook cheese sauce.  I'm guesstimating here, because I just add stuff.  If you have a good cheese sauce recipe, I'm sure it will be fine.
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
Cheeses like cheddar, American, Velveeta, Colby Jack, Munster
I add about 2 cups of cheese in cubes so it melts better.
Melt butter in sauce pan and add flour.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.  Slowly add milk and heat, stirring constantly, until mixture almost boils.  Add cheese, and continue cooking and stirring until cheese is almost completely melted.  Pour over meat in 13x9 pan and cook at 350 for about 20-30 minutes.

I made this recipe up, and it is very flexible.  You could add chopped veggies, make chili some completely different way, use different pasta, etc.  Use what you've got in the house.
Fed to Bart and Mollie.  Irene and Allen both bussing at a local restaurant.  Irene said they were short staffed again today because the bussers are heading back to college.  I convinced Allen (with Bart saying it would never work) to get dressed up and bring a resume and completed application to the restaurant when the manager arrived at 2 pm.  He started working at 3!  This will be evenings and weekends, just until the end of September, when he goes back to Edinburgh for his last year of school at the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Medicine.  One of his friends recently changed her facebook name to include "Royal Dick" in it.  Anyway, Allen and Irene can have leftovers when they get home around midnight.

Babi Kecap

The shortbread is almost gone this morning.  Irene says it's a good thing she has swim practice every morning so she can enjoy the desserts around here.  Allen and Bart are enjoying dinner ready when they get home after 8 every night.  Allen has been working such long hours, and then goes to pick Bart up, so Bart is working long hours too.  Allen got caught doing 65 last night, but the officer lowered the charge to disobeying a traffic signal, or something along those lines, since he's a college student.  At 24, he's a pretty old college student.  Irene said when she observed court in Lima for a class she was taking, the judge scolded someone for pleading guilty to a traffic charge when the officer wasn't present.  I guess it's harder to make a charge stick unless the officer is there?  Anyway, Babi Kecap is one of Allen's favorite dishes, and he's looking forward to dinner tonight.  This recipe is from Applehood and Motherpie, one of my favorite cookbooks.  I buy it for my children when they go out into the world "so they can cook like Mom."  This recipe is also at the Putzig.com website.  I don't often use the pork it calls for, since that is expensive.  I substitute venison, and it's delicious.
     I make notes in my cookbook about recipes I like, and the note on this one says terrific!! 4-11-91. Allen and Anna have a note in their copy that says to make it taste more like a satay, add a heaping tbl of peanut butter.  We had a "meat bonanza" at our Shurfine this week, and Bart got the roast beef, 3 steaks, and some stew beef in one package.  I grilled the steaks last night, and also fried red onions, slice mushrooms, and some green and banana peppers from our garden.  I put Worcestershire Sauce, garlic powder, and lemon-pepper on the veggies, and they were delicious.  We also had leftover mashed potatoes, which I whip in the electric mixer with butter, fat-free half and half, and some cream cheese.  Allen says he thinks we eat more meat on its own (rather than in a dish with other ingredients) than anyone else he knows.  He also says that he always has meat for a main dish, and would rather skip any other part of the meal than the meat.  I do non-meat meals about twice a week, plus leftovers about twice a week, so I'm only cooking a real dinner 3-4 times a week.  And when I start working again this fall, I'm sure the rest of the family will be taking more turns cooking and doing dishes again.
    Mollie suggested I offer a trade once in awhile when I ask someone to help out around here, instead of nagging.  So last night I asked if anyone would empty the dishwasher in exchange for my making them breakfast.  Bart, Irene, and Allen were in the room.  Bart took me up on it, and not only did he do the dishwasher, he put away the leftovers and did the "by hand" dishes!  So he got fried eggs, bacon, english muffin, half a grapefruit, and hot coffee this morning.  I did make a couple of extra slices of bacon for Irene, but nothing else.  That was hard for me - not making food for the rest of them.  But since I usually am still asleep when they all leave, it's not like they were accustomed to having breakfast made for them.  In their defense, Allen was exhausted, and hadn't spoken to Anna in Scotland yet, so he wasn't interested in the trade, and Irene had already cleaned the living room that day, plus she doesn't like to go to swim practice with a full stomach.  They work out so hard that she would get nauseous.  I'd have to offer her a lunch, I guess.

1 red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 slices fresh ginger, minced, or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp crushed red pepper
4 Tbl peanut oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cream of coconut (thin slightly with milk,
about 2 Tbl) - I use Lite Coconut Milk (250 cal. vs 600 for regular)
2 pounds boneless pork or venison

optional: 1 Tbl peanut butter - per Allen and Anna, who says that makes it taste more like a satay.  It is delicious.

1. Saute onions, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper in one tablespoon of the peanut oil for a minute or two over 
medium-high heat, stirring to prevent burning.
2. Add soy sauce and coconut milk.  Remove from heat.
3. Cut pork into 1-inch cubes and sprinkle with pepper.
Saute pork in the remaining 3 Tbl oil, until evenly 
browned.
4. Combine spice mixture with pork in a 4-quart pan.  Cook,
uncovered, over medium/low heat until meat is tender (about
1 hour).  Add more coconut milk if necessary.

I always just use 1 can of coconut and no regular milk.
We always serve this over rice, but you can put it over
egg noodles, according to the recipe.  
Pork is expensive, so I always use venison for this 
recipe.  It's a family favorite.  I am generous with my
garlic and ginger.  Make lots; the leftovers are great.

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tbl poppy seeds
• 1 Tbl lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar - to sprinkle over cookies before baking

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar.  Stir in poppy seeds and lemon juice.  Gradually add flour; mix, but not for too long or it will toughen.  Divide dough into 4 portions.  On a lightly-floured surface, roll out each portion into a 4 inch circle.  Transfer to ungreased baking sheets.  Cut each circle into six wedges (pie shaped).  Prick dough with a fork.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Cool for 4 minutes before removing to wire racks.  Break into wedges when cool.  

Yield: 2 dozen

Maple Pecan Pie

We make our own maple syrup.  Bart's sister and her husband grow their own pecans.  How homemade can you get?  We're having this for dessert tonight.  Dinner is roast beef, roasted vegetables, applesauce, mashed potatoes, and yeast rolls.  

Ingredients:

• 1 prepared unbaked pastry shell, 9-inch
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups pecan pieces or halves

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° and place rack at lowest position. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Blend well and stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is set.

Calypso Burritos

I made these as a side dish when my son brought his girlfriend home to meet us.  She doesn't eat meat from animals raised in factory-like conditions.  It was great, and we all loved it.  I'll make it on a regular basis now.  Also it's a great way to use up some summer squash.  I have to leave out the cilantro for some family members - bummer!

Calypso Burritos

2 small zucchini, shredded

2 medium carrots, shredded

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tbl canola oil

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used leftover corn on the cob, cut off)

3/4 cup salsa

2 Tbl taco seasoning

2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

12 flour tortillas, warmed

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and str the zucchini, carrots and onions in oil for 3-5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in the beans, corn, salsa, taco seasoning and cumin. 

     Remove from the heat.  Stir in cheese and cilantro.  Spoon about 2/3 cupful of filling off center on each tortilla (if using large tortillas).  Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up.  Cook at 350 for 10-15 minutes.