School's in session.....

This past week, my youngest started her senior year of high school - What?????? When did she grow up? My husband says that our daughter and I are exactly alike - she's got a healthy dose of my stubborn side.  I say she is more like him as she is witty, sarcastic, sporty, and academically smart like him. She and I don't have much in common when it comes to school. My favorite classes were Foods 101, Home Economics and working in the cafeteria. Her favorites are Creative Writing, Lacrosse, and Orchestra. She even mentioned she enjoyed Physics once or twice - a class you could not pay me to understand or enjoy!  But the two of us do have one thing in common - we like to eat.  She's not much on the school cafeteria food, never thought it was worth the cost or the time waiting in line.  I, on the other hand. loved our cafeteria food.  Everything was scratch-made each morning. Nothing was brought in. I lived on pretty much the same thing for lunch every day. A hot ham and cheese pocket (remember, scratch-made), a chocolate milkshake and a peanut butter chew bar for dessert. Before you leave a comment about how unhealthy those choices are, remember, I was also a teenager.

I still remember the year I got to work in the cafeteria for extra school credits.  My job was to cut and bag those freshly baked peanut butter treats while they were still warm to ensure they stayed chewy. The only thing I could kick myself over is that I never got the recipe for them.

Thanks to the internet and Facebook reunion sites, I found out that I was not the only one in my school who loved those bars. One of the former students had gotten the recipe and posted  it.  Right off I noticed that some of the measurements were off (1/4 cup of Vanilla? I went with 1/4 Tsp.) so I made a couple of adjustments without ruining the integrity of the recipe.  After one bite, I was instantly transformed back to the halls of high school.

I'm not sure what memories will stand out the most for my daughter this year, but I'm fairly certain food, whether it be on campus or at home, will always give her good memories. I'm jus' sayin'!

Peanut Butter Chews adapted from the original cafeteria recipe of  John Muir Junior High School by a fellow alumni student Juaquina Thorpe Twidwell

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PEANUT BUTTER CHEWS
1/2 c.   white sugar

1/2 c.   brown sugar

1/4 t.    salt

1/2 t.    baking powder

3/4 c.   rolled oats

1/2 c.   flour (sifted)

3 T.      butter

1          egg

1/4 c.   peanut butter

1/4 tsp.   vanilla

1.     Mix dry ingredients together.

2.     Cream in butter and eggs.

3.     Add peanut butter, flour and vanilla.

4.     Mix just enough to blend all ingredients (do not over-mix).

5.     Put mixture in a parchment lined square 8x8 cake pan.  Press down with fingers to make level.  Make sure mixture is well into corners.

6.     Bake 375° for about 13 minutes or until golden in color.

7.     Chews will be quite soft when removed from oven but will firm up as they cool.

8.     Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

9.     Cut while still warm into squares.

Salted Caramel Bacon Bars

There are some foods that just naturally go together, like PB&J, chips & salsa, and beer & pretzels, to name a few. There are also some that, well... let's just say they've been tried and experimented with and in the end, should have been left alone. I'm not judging, as I have eaten my fair-share of unpopular foods and enjoyed them. But when it comes to experimenting, the one food I find that always seems to end up on top when mixed with other foods - unless you are vegan - is bacon. I'm talking about that trusty, salty, crispy, fat-drenched pork candy!  Can I get an Amen!

Now, all of my vegan readers will just have to pardon me for a second as I share this newest creation. It's quite simple, actually. I have a friend who had a birthday over the weekend and let's just say she is pretty obsessed with that pig candy.  She is also a lover of salted caramel and I wanted to bake her something special for her special day. With both of those in mind, I decided to try combining the two flavors.  I must say that I have been making these caramel bars from Averie Cooks more than my fair share in the last few months as people just go nuts over them.  I also like how easy they are to make. Adding the bacon seemed like a no-brainer... as well as a match made in heaven... I'm jus' sayin'!

Salted Caramel Bacon Bars
  
Makes one 13" x 9" pan of bars (Depending on your love of bacon and caramel)

1 1/2 Cups of Unsalted Butter (3 sticks) Cubed in 1 Tbs. increments
1 1/4 Cup of Powdered Sugar
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs of Vanilla Extract
3 Cups of Flour

3/4 Cup of caramel sauce (store bought ice cream topping is what I used)
1/2 lbs of crispy cooked bacon chopped in bits. (I used low sodium bacon)
1 Tsp. of Kosher Flaked Salt

Pre-heat oven to 350˚.  I baked the bacon first using this method, but kept the oven temp at 350.
While the bacon is cooking, place the butter and sugars and vanilla in your mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix until all are incorporated. Then scrape down the sides and add your flour. Mix again until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Line your 13x9 in pan with parchment paper (I always do this to make sure the bars don't stick and get really good cutting results). Take 3/4 of your dough and pat it in the pan making sure it is flat and even throughout the pan.

~ Note: I will place another piece of parchment on top of the dough and use a glass or small roller to make sure the dough is completely flat and even. Then I remove the top parchment.

Before placing in the oven, use a fork and prick the top of the shortbread all over to prevent bubbles. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 min. After the first baking, pull out and spread on top (evenly) your caramel sauce. Then sprinkle on your bacon bits. Lastly, sprinkle on the kosher salt. Then take your left-over dough and crumble little bits (dime size) all over the top and place the whole pan back in the oven for approx 20-30 minutes until all the shortbread crumbs on top are brown and golden. Cool an hour (I know, it's hard to wait!) before taking the whole parchment-lined bar out of the pan and cut into squares.

~ Note: after the bars come out and before you cut, you can drizzle more caramel on top.  I prefer not to as they are easier to handle. You have now been warned. These bars will go quickly and they will become your new best friend, or share and get yourself a whole new group of best friends.

Happy Birthday Suzanna!

 

Up On The Roof

"When this old world starts a getting me down, 
and people are just too much for me to face. 
I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs 
and all my cares just drift right into space."

~James Taylor

No matter who we are, there are days that even the most cheerful and upbeat of us get overwhelmed by what life throws our way. Most days, it's the trivial and meaningless that seem to hit us when we are vulnerable. But it's the days that bring heartbreaking news from family and friends that really hit home and personally, leave me completely without words. It's days like this that make me want to simply roll up into a ball and scream "WHY?" through my tears.

 For me, June and July have been a string of those days, one after the other, but instead of listing the deaths, life-threatening diagnoses and ongoing political issues, I'm going to go "up to the roof". Or in my case, instead of the roof, I'm going into the kitchen. Please don't misunderstand – cooking and baking does not take the place of a family member or change a piece of bad news. For me, it's a therapeutic outlet. Sometimes it's just a matter of re-directing my thoughts into a recipe. Or preparing a special treat for the person that is hurting, where the food becomes a catalyst for compassion and empathy when I have no words. I have handled stress and sadness in this manner my whole life. When you think about it, it's actually the way many things are handled. Why do you think we have the term "stress eating"? This year, in changing my eating habits, I have learned that it's ok to bake and cook when I'm upset, so long as I don't drown my sorrows in a whole cheesecake.

"So when I come home feeling tired and beat, 
I'll go up where the air is fresh and sweet. 
I'll get far away from the hustling crowd 
and all the rat-race noise down in the street."

I'll find solace and strength in mixing, cutting and prepping food up on my roof in my kitchen. I'm jus' sayin'!

Here's an old cookie bar recipe. It's an old stand-by and surprisingly, a post-biopsy request from one of my dear friends. I'd like to believe that even just for a moment, when she bit into one of these sweet bars, a smile came across her face and she was taken away from her stress (even for just that one moment).

7 Layer Bars (adapted from this recipe)

I substituted Toffee bits for the butterscotch bits. I did not add nuts (as the receiver does not care for nuts). I also added 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips to this batch. That's the beauty of this recipe - it's flexible so you can mix and match to your heart's desire.

Back In School With PB&J

Whether you are dancing with jazz hands raised in the air or dragging your feet from that early morning alarm, there is no way around it - school is either already back in session or it is poking its head around the corner. I for one have a bittersweet struggle with school starting. I don't have a bunch of little ones clambering at my feet screaming from the roof tops they are bored all the time. I have the last of my sweet ones about to start high school. This summer was particularly hard as she found herself dedicated to a summer babysitting job and I taught a summer cooking camp for kids. This meant that our now-annual summer trip to California to visit friends, family and the beach did not happen.

I will, in a couple days, pack her up and whisk her off to Port Aransas for a little bit of beach air and gulf sand before school starts. Maybe if I'm relaxing on that warm sand breathing in the salty air it will give me the right amount of perspective to hand that summer torch of lazy meals and staying up late over to the rigid schedules and structured meal planning of the school year. Until then I will bask in what's left of the summer and enjoy my healthy version of the classic PB&J... I might even pack some of these wonderful treats to munch on at on the beach... I'm jus' sayin'!

I was never a big traditional PB&J fan so creating this bar makes perfect sense to me. I'm fortunate that whenever my husband is away on business he always brings home some little food treat for me from wherever he's been. Many times it's simply stuff from Trader Joe's to stock my pantry, but this latest trip provided a real treat.

He was invited to a home-cooked meal at a friend's house and she sent him home with some delicious Plum Jam and Plum BBQ Sauce. Thanks Anita! It's a real comfort to know he is being well fed while on the road and always a treat to receive a gift from someone else's kitchen. I used the plum jam for these bars and I see several savory dishes in my future with that BBQ sauce.

I also switched the peanut butter in this recipe for sunflower seed butter as my husband is allergic to peanuts. In this case, the sunflower seed butter was also a gift, this one from my friend Sam in Arizona who loves to surprise me with TJ's care packages from time-to-time. (I'm such a lucky girl!) You can certainly use any nut butter you like. I also added 2 tbs. of ground flaxseed for an extra boost. That way, if the kids decide that these bars make a great breakfast, you won't freak out as they have a good solid punch with the oats and flax seed.

Not Your Average PB&J Bars

Ingredients
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tbs. of ground Flax Seed
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup of nut butter (I warmed mine a few seconds in the microwave to help it spread evenly)
2/3 cup favorite jam (I used Anita's "Mother Rucker" Plum Jam)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Carefully spread nut butter over crumble mixture. I found using an offset spatula works the best. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

The Sweet Taste of Volunteering

Before our youngest child started middle school, my husband and I agreed that it would be a good idea for me to stay home, so long as finances allowed for it.  After all middle school is not for the weak and never has been.  As part of this plan, I volunteered to work in the school office every Tuesday.  What started out as a plan to keep up with my daughter turned out to be so much more. For the last 3 years I have used the staff as my guinea pigs - ahem, I mean testers - for many of the recipes for my blog.  They did not seem to mind being forced each Tuesday to have a sweet treat. Unfortunately, getting honest feedback from them was tougher than nails as they were never critical - I think they were afraid if they gave honest feedback I might stop bringing treats.  Anyway, I digress.  Most of the days I had planned out what I would bring because it was something that had been floating in my head all week.  But then there were those days where I was really busy and completely blocked for creativity.  Those were the days that I had to open up the fridge to see what I had and use my inner "Chopped" skills. Funny how I feel those tend to be my best desserts.  It's like I'm being creative and don't realize it until the finished result.  Now, three years later, our daughter is ready to move on to high school.  It has been an honor and privilege to work in the office with some of the finest ladies I know.  I will miss them dearly and I am proud to say that buttering (or sugaring) up the staff just in case my daughter got in trouble was not needed.  She made it through with a strong shell and, thanks to some of her amazing teachers, a solid focus for the future... I'm jus' sayin'!

One Pot (food processor) Cheese Tart

Preheat oven to 350º

In my food processor I combined the following for the crust.

9 bakery style (non-frosted) sugar cookies
2 Tbs. melted butter

Blend until combined
Pat into an 8 inch tart pan, all the way around and up the sides.
If you use a bigger tart pan just use more cookies and a tad more melted butter.
Don't wash the processor bowl out, just free it from any excess crumbs you may have lingering on the sides.

Place the following in the food processor .

1 8 oz. Brick of Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)
1 Egg
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1 Tbsp. of Vanilla

Whirl until creamy. Spread evenly over crust. Place tart pan on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven for approximately 25-30 minutes. It will be done when it only has a slight movement to the middle but the sides are firm.  Cool completely before topping with your favorite sliced fruit. I used mangos and strawberries as they came in my co-op produce basket this week. I also melted a little peach jam and brushed it on top of the fruit to give it a little glisten. This is also a good tip if your fruit is not very ripe or sweet. However, I feel perfectly ripe fruit is the way to go on this tart.

I would love to see what your favorite fruit combos are - keep me posted.

Many cupcake flavors were taste-tested over 3 years.

I will miss Tuesday afternoons - These ladies made volunteering so fun. 

Another Cranberry Moment

I must really have cranberry on my mind because this next post is also cranberry-related and about a very favorite treat of mine from a very famous coffee shop. One of my very favorite things about going on vacation is that I don't have to get up to make coffee or even remember to prepare it the night before. It makes no difference to me if my coffee is being poured from a waitress, a barista, or a hotel coffee dispenser, as long as it's rich, dark, and hot, I am a happy person. Now, I live in a town of wonderful local coffee shops and I will make every effort to support them when I have time to choose. However, it's no secret that the famous Starbucks is seemingly on every corner and always seems to be closer to where I'm going. I rarely take the time to go inside because the drive-through is simply too convenient, but when I do go in it's usually during the holidays because I just love to drool over their holiday desserts shining behind that sparkling glass counter. They generally taste as good as they look and I often try to re-create those sweet treats at home. One of these days I may just have to go get a job there so I can delve into the "secret" recipe folder - even though I know that most of them are outsourced.

As I alluded to previously, my last post was about cranberry orange muffins (a muffin they make at Starbucks too) and it would appear that I have not quite squelched my cranberry fix. I was looking through my boards on Pinterest.com when I remembered pinning this yummy recipe last Christmas. I wanted to bring something into the office for the staff and this seemed to be the perfect recipe since I know they frequent the above coffee shop as well. This recipe was adapted from the Lovin From The Oven blog, who adapted it from another blogger. I take no credit in creating this recipe other than adding a little orange zest in the final icing. However, I will take full credit for indulging in each bite... I'm jus' sayin'!


Cranberry Bliss Bars adapted by Lovin From The Oven

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1–1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1–1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, minced
1/4 cup plus 1/4–1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup crystallized ginger slices, minced
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. grated orange zest
2 tbsp. of milk
1–1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Beat together the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Add the flour, ginger, and salt into the batter. Beat well. Lightly stir in the 1/4 cup cranberries, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and minced ginger.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven.
Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter, and orange zest and milk until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until you reach the desired consistency.
Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
Cut the frosted cake as desired into bars or triangles. Sprinkle the remaining minced cranberries and chocolate chips on the top.