Emergency Brownies

These make great gifts for all ages.

• 1- 1-qt. canning jar, plus lid (I used a plastic mayonnaise container because I was putting it in the mail.)
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 c. flour
• 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Put the baking powder and salt in the jar. Carefully spoon the flour into the jar; gently tamp the flour down and wipe the inside of the jar with a dry paper towel to clean off any dust.
2. Carefully spoon in the cocoa powder, gently tamping it down and wiping down the inside of the jar with a clean, dry paper towel.
3. Spoon the sugar into the jar, then add the chocolate chips. Don’t worry, they will fit. Tap the jar on the counter several times to allow them to settle, and you’ll get them all in. Trust me.

Don’t forget to include baking instructions!

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13” baking pan.

Add the following ingredients to the brownie mix:

• ¾ c. butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, well beaten

Mix by hand and spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool completely before cutting (haha). Cut with a plastic utensil for clean, pretty edges.

Sweet and Sort of Savory

I used my Martha Stewart’s Cookies book as inspiration for my Father’s Day foodie gift. I found Cornmeal Shortbread and Rosemary Butter Cookies . (What’s the difference between a shortbread and a butter cookie, anyway?) I made both, but hands-down, the rosemary cookie was the winner.

I just happen to have a rosemary bush in my pathetic excuse for a garden.

Does anyone have any tips to avoid the flat bottoms of rolled dough logs?

I didn’t have an appropriate container on hand for all of the cookies I wanted to gift and mail, so I used several of these little cellophane bags.

Summary: Wow. I loved the sweet-but-almost-savory flavor of these cookies. The recipe called for one tablespoon of rosemary, but next time I make these I might just double that. The recipe also called for super fine sanding sugar, but I used raw cane sugar, and that worked just fine.

Grade: A+

Martha Stewart's Rosemary Butter Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup fine sanding sugar

Directions

1. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, rosemary, and salt, and mix until combined.
2. Halve dough; shape each half into a log. Place each log on a 12-by-16-inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Transfer to paper-towel tubes to hold shape, and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375. Brush each log with egg white; roll in sanding sugar. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Good Grains

Looking for make-ahead lunch ideas, someone suggested Ina Gartner’s Wheatberry Salad. It took me a couple days to find the wheatberries, but I found them today and went to work.

Simmer the wheatberries for 45 minutes, or until soft. They were sort of soft by 45 minutes, so I just let them go another 10 minutes, till almost all the water was boiled out.

While that was happening, I chopped the veggies.

Some of the best designs come from Mother Nature.


I didn’t have the time to hand chop everything, so I used my chopper thingy. It’s loud and obnoxious, but it does the job.


The red onions go into the pan with some olive oil.


Back to chopping.


The chopper kind of made a mess of the red peppers. Next time I'll take the time to hand chop.


The scallions I chopped by hand.




When the red onions are translucent, I turn off the heat and add another 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.


By now the wheatberries are done, so I drain them…


…and mix everything together.

Let it all sit for at least 30 minutes, and I’ve got a big bowl of salad to go with this week’s lunches. If we have any leftover chicken, maybe I'll add it to the mix.


It’s chewy, which I like, but the flavors are sort of generic. Salt, pepper, oil (too much for my taste, I'll add less next time), and vinegar. Next time I’m going to ask my husband (who normally does ALL the cooking) to put his spin on it, and I’d like to add more vegetables. Another option that I’m leaning toward is sweet (of course), with dried fruit and cinnamon, maybe a little honey.

Ina Garten’s Wheatberry Salad

• 1 cup hard winter wheatberries
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup finely diced red onion (1 onion)
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 scallions, minced, white and green parts
• 1/2 red bell pepper, small diced
• 1 carrot, small diced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the wheatberries and 3 cups of boiling salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain.

Saute the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl, combine the warm wheatberries, sauteed onions, scallions, red bell pepper, carrot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes for the wheatberries to absorb the sauce. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

For the Love of Carbs

I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to carbohydrates. Breakfast is the most difficult. French toast, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, muffins…so many carbolicious possibilities. I finally found a recipe for healthy pancakes without all the carbs, and I’ve been working on it over the past month or so to make it my own. Here goes.

Grind up some rolled oats.

(I have a coffee grinder dedicated to spices, so I use that).

Add some cottage cheese.

Egg and cinnamon.

I used an egg substitute (like Egg Beaters), but I just found this and might try one of these options next time. (But seriously, one egg isn't a bad thing. I had the substitute, so I used it.)

• 2 T cornstarch = 1 egg
• 2 T arrowroot flour = 1 egg
• 2 T potato starch = 1 egg
• 1 heaping T soy powder + 2 T water = 1 egg
• 1 T soy milk powder + 1 T cornstarch + 2 T water = 1 egg
• 1 banana = 1 egg in cakes
• 1 T milled flax seed and 3 T water = 1 egg

Blend.

The batter was a little thick, so I added applesauce. Milk would work too.

Pancakes!

I topped mine with more applesauce that I’d heated in the microwave.

Carb craving satisfied.

Blinded by Lentils

In my continuing effort to eat healthy, whole, real foods, I got sucked in by a lentil cookie recipe. This one came from Alton Brown.

I didn’t have enough raisins or cherries, so I used a little of both. And I used brown sugar instead of my usual organic cane sugar.

Kind of an odd color, but I can live with that.

No matter what I do, some flour always manages to escape the mixer. I’ve tried the KitchenAid pouring sheild, but I found it an awkward space hog, so I got rid of it years ago.

The first batch didn’t flatten much.

So for the second and third batches I flattened them with a fork a little.

The verdict: They’re good! The lentils give them a different (not bad) texture, but you can’t actually taste them. The thing is, they might be healthier because of the lentils and whole wheat flour, but they’ve still got two cups of sugar in them and a stick and a half of butter. IF I make these again, I’ll try to sub out some of the butter for applesauce, and find a replacement for some of the sugar. I mean, really, how can you go wrong with that much butter and sugar, no matter how many cups of lentils are in something?

Summer Cocktails

I'm a huge fan of basil, and last night I was introduced to the use of them in cocktails. I'm not a fan of sweet cocktails, and I love to find those that require three or fewer ingredients. During the winter months I tend to drink whisky (neat or with soda water), but in the summer months I gravitate toward gin and vodka. This fit the bill perfectly.





Feeling inspired, I decided at the grocery store today that strawberries might go well with basil.

I came home and Googled, and sure enough, found several recipes to choose from.







Delish.

Basil Gimlet
From Rye in San Francisco

Ingredients

5 basil leaves
1 medium lime
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
2 1/2 ounces vodka or gin

Directions

1. Place five basil leaves in a mixing glass. Squeeze the lime into the glass. Press down on the leaves with a muddler and twist 4 to 5 times.
2. Fill glass three-quarters of the way with ice cubes. Add the simple syrup and vodka or gin.
3. Give the glass a good shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Float a piece of the muddled basil on the top as a garnish.

Makes 1 drink.

Note: I didn't have simple syrup, but I didn't miss it either.

Strawberry-Basil Martini
from iFlipforFood

• 3 fresh strawberries (and one slice of strawberry for garnish)
• 3 fresh basil leaves
• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce vodka
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1/2 fresh lime juice

Combine the strawberries, basil leaves and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker and muddle.Next, you'll want to squeeze the lime juice in, add ice and pour in the vodka and gin. Shake the ingredients together and pour into a chilled martini glass garnished with the strawberry.

Note: I didn't have the recipe in front of me and just muddled a sliced lime with the strawberry. That tasted just fine.