Chocolate Chip Bars

I've never been a huge fan of baking bar cookies, mostly because you get so many more if you drop them instead, and as you can see from the picture, I have a really hard time cutting them evenly.

However, I came across this recipe and wanted to give it a try. I was a bit intrigued by it since there is no baking soda or eggs or any other type of leavening.

It's a super easy and quick recipe to make, and I was happy with the results. So happy, in fact, that I had one for breakfast everyday last week. The texture of the bars ended up being like a sandie or shortbread. The recipe is definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Chip Bars

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt (this wasn't in the original recipe, but I thought it would be better with a little salt)

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Mix everything together. Press into a greased 12x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares. Makes approximately 24 bars.

Two by Lesley M. M. Blume

I recently read two young adult books by Lesley M. M.  Blume. The first was so enjoyable, that I promptly headed down to the library after finishing it to see what else I could find by her.

The first one I read is called Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters. It is the story of Cornelia Street Englehart, a lonely and misunderstood 11-year old, who lives in Greenwich Village. Her mother and father are divorced and are also both world-class concert pianists, which leaves Cornelia to be raised by a housekeeper, feeling left out and alone.

One day someone new moves Cornelia's building, and through a series of events, she meets and befriends the new tenants: an elderly woman named Virginia Sommerset, her servant/companion Patel, and a French bulldog called Mr. Kinyatta.

Virginia is a writer by trade and she regales Cornelia with stories from her past - describing the wild adventures she and her three sisters had together while traveling around the world to exotic places like Morocco and India when they were young.

Because of their friendship, Cornelia begins to come out of her shell, make friends, and become closer with her mother. A very sweet book.

The second book I read is called The Rising Star of Rusty Nail. This one takes place in the early 1950s in the small, sleepy town of Rusty Nail, Minnesota.

10-year old Franny Hansen is somewhat of a piano prodigy. Unfortunately, she has learned all she can from the town's only piano teacher, but her parents can't afford to send her out of town for lessons. Then, seemingly out of the blue, a Russian woman arrives in town, and Franny soon discovers that she knows a lot about music. In fact, she is the famed Russian pianist Madame Malenkov.

Franny is able to talk Madame Malenkov into giving her piano lessons in exchange for doing chores around the house, but this is met with opposition from the townspeople who see her [Madame Malenkov] as a "commie" and even start a club denouncing her around town.

Franny and Madame Malenkov hold their heads high, and eventually they are able to overcome the town's prejudices and rivalries and follow their individual dreams. This one is not quite as good as Cornelia, but enjoyable all the same. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Morning English Muffin Bread

I wanted to make bread this morning, and decided on English Muffin Bread. It's so easy and quick to make due to the fact that there is no kneading, and it only rises once. This recipe is similar to what you can get in the store, but better, especially toasted with a little butter and jam spread on it.

Morning English Muffin Bread

2 pkgs yeast

5 3/4 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1/2 cup water

*cornmeal for sprinkling

Grease two bread pans well and sprinkle with cornmeal. Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Heat the milk and water together until very warm (120-130 degrees). Add mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the remaining 2 3/4 cups flour to make a stiff batter. Spread the tops with corn meal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

* I use flour instead of cornmeal because I don't really like cornmeal - I don't put any in the bottom of the pans, just on top to help spread out the dough. For a variation you can add 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup of raisins. Also, I always increase this recipe by half  to get larger loaves - it's better that way. 

Here's my breakfast: toasted English Muffin Bread with homemade cherry jam from my mom. Yum!  

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!!!

My birthday was last week. I won't mention how old I am because I'm trying not to think about it. Anyway, in between having mild panic attacks (I literally hyperventilated in a restaurant the night before the big day just from thinking about turning another year older - it was embarrassing and sad) and lying to anyone who would listen about my actual age, I was able to snag a few cool gifts.

One was a Cuisinart ice cream maker which I am thrilled to have. I couldn't wait to try out, so yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart and bought out the dairy section so I could make some ice cream.

I decided to start with a recipe from the recipe booklet that came with the machine and settled on one flavored with green tea.

Overall, I am pleased with the way it turned out, but I'm not sure I will make the same recipe again. It's a little too eggy for my taste, and the green tea flavor isn't very strong. Still, it is pretty yummy, although I think I can probably tweak it to make it better.

I've been reading about all the different kinds of things I can make with this machine, and I'm excited to try them all, especially since it has been too hot around here for baking lately.

Here's the recipe for the ice cream I made yesterday.

Green Tea Gelato
3 1/4 cups whole milk
8 green tea bags
1/4 cup powdered fat free milk
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat to a simmer. Pour half over the tea bags in a medium bowl and let steep for 30 minutes; strain, pressing all the liquid from the tea bags. Stir powdered milk into remaining milk and keep warm over low heat. Place egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat until thick and pale yellow. While mixing, slowly add the hot milk and whisk until blended. Stir the egg mixture back into the saucepan and addd the tea-infused milk; increase heat to medium. Stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thickened like a custard sauce and registeres 180 degrees. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in cream, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before continuing.

Turn the machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The gelato will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer to an airtight contained and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!