Lasagna

I LOVE lasagna, but I don’t make it very often. The one recipe I had was rather laborious, and the result just wasn’t satisfactory, though I could never figure out just what was wrong with it. So I hadn’t bothered making it in, oh, years, probably.

Then last week I bought a package of ground beef at the supermarket. On the front was one of these peel-off labels, on the back of which, once you peeled it off, was a recipe for lasagna. The idea of making lasagna sounded appealing enough that I decided to try it.

I was a little concerned about using prepared spaghetti sauce. I was even more concerned about the fact that the recipe didn’t say to cook the lasagna noodles first. The recipe I’d used before had you do that. This was a pain because the cooked noodles were slippery and tore easily. In the past I’d seen boxes of lasagna noodles that mentioned that they didn’t need to be cooked beforehand, but when shopping for this dish I couldn’t find any like that. Uncooked noodles are much easier to handle, but would they cook sufficiently during baking?

Yes, as it turned out. The noodles came out fine. In fact, the whole thing came out fine. Even with basic, store-brand spaghetti sauce, the flavor was very good. Maybe not quite as good as you can get at a good Italian restaurant, but good enough. And the preparation is relatively simple.

A note on pan size: the recipe calls for an 11 ¾” by 7 ½” baking dish. I made this in a pan that is 12” x 8” and about 2” high, and it was full. I advise putting a cookie sheet under the pan when you bake this, because it did bubble over a bit. Also, instead of putting all the cheese mixture in the middle, I put half where it's called for in the recipe and the other half on top of the second layer of noodles.

Nutritional note: the recipe calls for part-skim ricotta. At the supermarket I happened to read the nutritional label on the part-skim ricotta, and was appalled. It does have a little less fat than the whole milk kind, but not much less. So I used fat-free ricotta instead, and it was fine.

Verdict: Yum! This one's a keeper!

Lasagna
(source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association)

1 pound ground beef

1 jar (26 to 30 oz) prepared spaghetti sauce

1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 container (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg, well beaten

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried basil leaves, crushed

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1. Heat oven to 375°. Cook ground beef in preheated large skillet over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally to break up ground beef into pea-size pieces. Pour off drippings. Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes with liquid to skillet, stirring to combine; reserve.

2. Meanwhile combine ricotta cheese, egg, cheese and basil.

3. Spread 2 cups beef mixture over bottom of 11 ¾” x 7 ½” baking dish; arrange 3 lasagna noodles in single layer, pressing into beef mixture. Spoon ricotta cheese mixture on top of noodles; sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with additional 2 cups beef mixture; arrange remaining noodles in single layer, pressing lightly into beef mixture. Top with remaining beef mixture, spreading evenly to cover noodles.

4. Bake at 375° oven 45 minutes or until noodles are fork tender. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese on top; tent (loosely cover) with aluminun foil. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Recycle: spaghetti sauce jar, tomato can, cheese containers if possible

Compost: eggshells

Toffee Bars

A borrowed my Silver Palate cookbook recently and when she returned it, I flipped through it. I hadn’t looked at it in years. I was surprised to find a lot of really good recipes and wondered, at first, why I had never tried any of them. Then I remembered. It had been a gift many years ago from a cook that I greatly admired. At the time, I was still cooking for an extremely fussy eater. Trying out new recipes was difficult enough. Ones calling for exotic ingredients were out of the question.

These days, I’m cooking for a very adventurous eater: me! I love sampling new dishes, especially if they feature new flavors. Or old favorites that were not on the fussy eater’s approved menu. For my first stab at cooking from The Silver Palate, I decided to go with Toffee Bars. I love toffee, especially with chocolate.

My only quibble with this recipe is that it calls for an egg yolk. One egg yolk. You know how much I hate to waste ingredients. What am I supposed to do with a single leftover egg white? The cake part of the batter came together beautifully and spread without much difficulty in the pan. The chocolate melted on cue and also spread with much difficulty in the pan.

The recipe calls for the cake to be cooled completely in the pan. Yes, the cake cools, but the chocolate is still runny. It needs to be refrigerated to prevent it from oozing all over your dish and fork (or fingers in my case). And therein lies the problem. After cooling but before refrigeration, the cake part of the bars is delicious. It’s fluffy and toffee-y. After refrigeration, the bottom layer becomes hard and sandy, without a distinctive flavor.

I couldn’t decide. I don’t dislike this recipe but I don’t love it. Easy to make but tastes only “eh”.

Verdict: Not bad, but I won’t be making this again.

Toffee Bars(source: The Silver Palate Cookbook: Delicious Recipes, Menus, Tips, Lore from Manhattan's Celebrated Gourmet Food Shop)


½ pound (2 sticks) sweet butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup shelled walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped


Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 12 inch baking pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk; beat well.

Sift in flour, mixing well, then stir in vanilla. Spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Cover cake layer with chocolate chips and return to oven for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and spread melted chocolate evenly. Sprinkle with nuts. Cool completely in pan before cutting.

About 30 bars.

Recycle: vanilla bottle

Compost: eggshell

Special Dark Picnic Cake

I’ve been in the mood for cookies but I couldn’t find any cookie recipes that really grabbed me so I turned to my personal cookbook. Nope, still not cookie recipes that screamed “Make me!”. So I turned to the cake section. Perhaps I could find something chocolate-y.

Special Dark Picnic Cake is a recipe that I probably originally found on a chocolate chip package. The recipe is available on the Hershey’s site, along with other chocolate recipes. Hmmm, there’s a couple of cakes that I would love to try.

This was a good chance also to test my oven. Since this is a recipe that I have made many times and know that it bakes correctly, if it didn’t cook all the way through like the Red Velvet Cake, then I would know that the problem was with my oven and not that recipe. I’m happy to report that the problem is with the recipe. This cake baked up just fine.

I’ve never followed the directions exactly when making this cake. I just pour the water into the bowl with the chocolate chips and butter and stick the whole thing in the microwave. Ditto the frosting. As a matter of fact, I should have read the directions for the frosting a little more closely! I was wondering why the frosting was so runny. I omitted the step in the refrigerator. Fortunately, this is a sheet cake, not layers, so the consistency of the frosting wasn’t critical.

This is a very easy cake to make that is “Dark” in name but light in texture.

Verdict: Yum!! This one’s a keeper!

Special Dark Picnic Cake(source: Hersheys.com)

1 cup dark chocolate chips
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 ⅓ cups boiling water
2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup dairy sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 13 x 9 x 2 –inch baking pan.

Combine chocolate chips, butter and water in large mixer bowl; stir with spoon until chocolate is melted and mixture is blended. Gradually add flour, sugar, sour cream, eggs, baking soda, salt and vanilla; beat on low speed of electric mixer until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost.

Special Dark Frosting

¼ cup butter or margarine
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract


Place butter and chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 minutes; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, beating until smooth.

Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes or until of desired spreading consistency. Makes about 1 ⅔ cups frosting.

Recycle: sour cream container, vanilla extract bottle

Compost: eggshells

Buttermilk Pancakes

I’ve been making pancakes for years using Half & Half instead of milk because that is what I have in the refrigerator. I love buttermilk pancakes, but who has buttermilk in the house? I bought a quart of buttermilk to make the Red Velvet Cake but only used 1 ½ cups of it. I knew exactly what I was going to do with the rest!

A little searching on my favorite recipe sites yielded a quick and easy buttermilk pancake recipe. I was just a little leery because one of the commenters had noted that this batter was runny. I don’t know how she made this recipe because my experience was just the opposite. I found it to be too thick to pour or cook properly. My pancakes came out oval instead of round. I think it needs just a little bit more liquid to be perfect. The taste certainly was.

Verdict: Needs work

Buttermilk Pancakes(source: BHG.com)

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 ½ cups buttermilk or sour milk
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Desired fruit options (optional)
Desired syrup (optional)


In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl use a fork to combine egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). If desired, stir in desired fruit.

For standard-size pancakes, pour about ¼ cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet, spreading batter if necessary. For dollar-size pancakes, use about 1 tablespoon batter. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm. If desired, top with syrup. Makes 12 standard-size pancakes or 40 dollar-size pancakes.

Fruit Options: Stir one of the following fruits into the pancake batter: ½ cup chopped fresh apple, apricot, peach, nectarine, or pear; ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries; or ¼ cup chopped dried apple, pear, apricot, raisins, currants, dates, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, or mixed fruit.

Recycle: cooking oil bottle

Compost: eggshell

Red Velvet Cake

This seems to be my week to plunge into the culinary unknown. Red velvet cake has intrigued me for a long time. A southern tradition, it was unknown in upstate New York where I grew up. I only became aware of it with the advent of the internet with its plethora of recipe sites and blogs. Most of the recipes I have seen use a cream cheese frosting. I came across this version with the more authentic butter roux frosting on BHG.com. I just had to try it.

The cake was easy to make and other than the intense red color, seemed to be just the right consistency and amount for three 8" pans. When the layers came out of the oven, even after the full 30 minutes baking time, they were not cooked in the centers. Judging by the "doneness" of the edges, I think this recipe would be better made in 9" pans.

The frosting was fun to make. Cooking the milk and flour was like making pudding. It blended well into the butter and sugar mixture. My fears that the roux would make it too heavy were unfounded. This is a light, easy to spread frosting which generously frosts three 8" layers.

My problem with this recipe is the taste. I just don’t like Red Velvet Cake! It’s too sweet even for my overactive sweet tooth. On the other hand, the frosting isn’t sweet enough. And I particularly don’t like the gritty texture.

Note: the picture below is from the site. My version was not nearly as attractive because the layers did not cook fully, creating a cratered cake.

Verdict: Not bad, but I don’t think I’ll be making this again.

Red Velvet Cake(source: BHG.com)

3 eggs
¾ cup butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. vinegar
1 recipe Buttercream Frosting

Let eggs and butter stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8 x 1 1/2 –inch round baking pans; set aside.

In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and ¾ tsp. salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium-high 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. One at a time, add eggs; beat on medium after each. Beat in food coloring on low.

Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on low-medium after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined.

Spread in prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until pick inserted near centers comes out clean (cakes may appear marbled). Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool.

Prepare Buttercream Frosting. Place layer flat side up on plate. Spread top with ¾ cup frosting. Stack layer, flat side up; spread top with ¾ cup frosting. Stack final layer, flat side down; spread remaining frosting on top and sides. Makes 16 servings.

Buttercream Frosting: In medium saucepan whisk together 1 ½ cups whole milk, ⅓ cup flour, and dash salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Transfer to small bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled (do not stir). In large bowl beat 1 ½ cups softened butter, 1 ½ cups sugar, and 2 tsp. vanilla on medium 5 minutes until light and fluffy and sugar is almost dissolved. Add cooled milk mixture, ¼ cup at a time; beat on low after each until smooth.

Recycle: vanilla bottle, food coloring bottle, vinegar bottle

Compost: eggshells

Couscous Paella

For many years, I had no idea what couscous is. I’d seen it written about in recipes. I’d seen photos of it illustrating recipes. But I couldn’t figure out what it was. A grain? A pasta? An exotic part of an animal? Okay, I was just kidding about that last one. Now, paella on the other hand, I absolutely love. Seafood. Spices. Rice. Yum! So what better way to be introduced to couscous than in a couscous paella?

The seasonings alone were enough to sell me on the recipe. Cardamom. Turmeric. And the colors! Red peppers. Pink shrimp. Yellow whatever the heck couscous is. Now I just happened to have a pound of peeled cooked medium shrimp in my freezer. The reason why I had a pound of peeled cooked shrimp in my freezer is a story for another time. But it had been hanging around in there since the holidays and was begging to be used.

I made some rather major changes in this recipe. I cut it in half to suit my 1 pound of shrimp. Most importantly, I substituted chicken broth for the vegetable broth. I just don’t like the taste of vegetable broth. I left out the peas. I’m not a big fan of peas. And I also omitted the toasted chopped almonds and the minced fresh parsley. I didn’t have any in the house and I didn’t feel like buying them for just a couple of tablespoons.

Because the shrimp was already prepared, this recipe came together really quickly. It smelled delicious while cooking and tasted even better when it was done. It was so good that when I needed a little snack before bed, I ate some straight out of the refrigerator! I couldn’t wait to taste it again the next day when the flavors had had a chance to mellow out.

Alas, it was not to be. I woke up the next day swollen and itchy. I was having an allergic reaction to something. It got worse and worse and I ended up at the doctor’s office. I don’t know what caused it. It could have been pollen from the Philadelphia Flower Show. It could have been the spices I used. Or maybe I’m allergic to couscous. Who knows? But I couldn’t risk it. No more Couscous Paella for me.

Verdict: Yum! This one’s a keeper!
Couscous Paella(source: Taste of Home)

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) vegetable broth
2 teaspoons gound coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons chopped almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Lemon wedges


In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, sauté red pepper and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add onions; cook 2 minutes longer or until red pepper is tender.

Stir in broth and seasonings; bring to a boil. Add shrimp; cook for 2-3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Return to a boil. Stir in the couscous, peas and butter.

Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with almonds and parsley. Serve with lemon.

Yield: 8 servings

Recycle: oil bottle, vegetable broth cans, spice bottles

Compost: pepper seeds and veins, garlic skins, green onion stems, parsley stems

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

After the Black-Bottom Coconut Bars fiasco, I wanted to give Martha a chance to redeem herself. There’s been a special on the site featuring chocolate recipes. Outrageous Chocolate Cookies sounded great and like all great Martha Stewart recipes, were easy to make.

I took some time to read the comments posted about the recipe. And it paid off. According to the commenters who had tried it, the recipe posted on the site called for too little flour (¼ cup). For some reason, however, if you did a search on the recipe, another page came up with the same recipe except that it called for ⅔ cup of flour which is the correct amount.

I have a few objections with this recipe. Microwaving butter and chocolate, if you know your microwave oven well, is a breeze. I see no reason to do it in 20-second increments, stirring in between, as recommended. I do it in one shot until the butter is melted and chocolate softened and then stir the result until the chocolate has completely melted.

Beating eggs, brown sugar and vanilla on high speed does not result in anything “light and fluffy”. What you get is well-mixed eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. And once you add the chocolate, flour mixture and chocolate chunks (chocolate chunks, yum!), it is very nearly impossible to drop (rounded) heaping tablespoons of dough. The cookies assume all sorts of unappetizing shapes.

One step that was not mentioned, but that I noticed, is that initially the batter is a little runny but if you allow it to sit for ten minutes or so, it thickens and becomes easier to handle and to drop in rounded heaping tablespoons of dough resulting in rounder and more attractive cookies. Like the ones pictured on the site (see below).

The recipe cautions: “Do not bake the cookies to a crisp; they are meant to be soft and chewy.” My results were more cake-like than chewy. I would have preferred chewy. And the taste? Good. And very chocolate-y. But not “outrageous”.

Verdict: Not bad, but I don’t think I’ll be making these again.

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies(source: MarthaStewart.com)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅔ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks


Preheat oven to 350°. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stiffing in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart into baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen.

Recycle: vanilla extract bottle

Compost: eggshells

Chicken in Spicy Coconut Sauce

Maybe it’s the midwinter blahs or something, but lately I’ve been feeling bored with my own cooking. Restaurant food is better, but eating out all the time is expensive. I’d prefer to cook myself, but I was having trouble coming up with something that sounded appealing. So, the other day, while going through a stack of recipes looking for this one particular one, I pulled out several that I hadn’t made before and that sounded good. This is one of them. I’d printed it out two and a half years ago and never got around to making it. “The sauce is rich with coconut flavor and redolent with spice” it says. Spicy is particularly appealing right now, as is coconut, maybe because I just got back from Florida.

I admit I changed quite a few things when I actually made this recipe. The first problem was that I didn’t have lemongrass or galangal on hand, and didn’t have time to get to an Asian grocery, so I ended up just leaving them out. I wasn’t sure where to find Holland red chiles (or even what they are, for that matter), so substituted a half teaspoon of chili powder. I also didn’t have shallots, so used a large clove of garlic instead. I used powdered ginger instead of fresh, and light instead of dark brown sugar because those are what I had on hand. At least I did have a block of tamarind in the freezer.

The amount of coconut milk called for alarmed me. I spend my days analyzing fats. My boss does research on atherosclerosis. So I know about the fat composition of coconuts. I love coconut milk, but I know that it’s not good for you – and 48 oz, which is nearly 4 regular-size cans, sounded like an awful lot. So I decided to cut the recipe in half (if it turned out badly, I wouldn’t have as many leftovers to deal with) and use two chicken breasts, which I cubed before cooking, and only one 13 oz can of coconut milk. Finally, I didn’t bother to puree the garlic; I just diced it and threw it in with the other spices, which were all already powders anyway.

The tamarind is a bit messy, but otherwise this was an easy recipe – just simmer everything together for awhile, then take the lid off and simmer down until the sauce thickens (I didn’t bother to remove the chicken at that point). As it was cooking, my kitchen was filled with the pleasant aroma of turmeric. Unfortunately, that’s about what the final product tasted like. Instead of the rich mixture of spices I’d expected, I could taste turmeric and coconut milk, and that was pretty much it. Everything else had just disappeared. Turmeric and coconut milk is not a bad combination, but I expected something more complex. The texture of the sauce was nice, though, and the proportions were about right. I was glad I hadn’t added another can of coconut milk.

If I can get some lemongrass and galangal, I may try making this again, but I’ll double the amounts of all the spices.

Verdict: Hmmm.....might be a keeper after some tweaking...

Chicken in Spicy Coconut Sauce
(source: www.epicurious.com)

Sorry, no photo - imagine chunks of chicken in a bright yellow sauce...

3 pound chicken drumsticks and thighs
2 teaspoons salt
2 rounded tablespoons tamarind from a pliable block
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup chopped shallots (4 large)
10 (5 1/2-inch) fresh Holland red chiles, sliced crosswise (1 cup), including seeds
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chopped peeled turmeric (fresh or thawed frozen) or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, 1 or 2 outer leaves and all but lower 6 inches discarded
6 cups well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk (48 fl oz; not low-fat)
1 (1-inch) piece galangal (fresh or thawed frozen), sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons packed dark palm sugar or dark brown sugar


Rub chicken with salt and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

While chicken stands, gently mash tamarind with hot water in a bowl using your fingertips until pulp is softened, then force with a rubber spatula through a medium-mesh sieve into a small bowl, discarding solids. Pulse shallots, chiles, ginger, and turmeric with cumin and coriander in a food processor until finely chopped. Lightly smash lemongrass stalks with bottom of a heavy skillet.

Stir together coconut milk, tamarind purée, shallot mixture, lemongrass, galangal, and palm sugar in a 6- to 7-quart wide heavy pot. Add chicken and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, then reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, until very tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a bowl and simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring frequently, until thickened and reduced to about 4 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, then skim off any fat if desired. Discard lemongrass and season sauce with salt. Add chicken and stir to coat.

Recycle: spice jars, coconut milk can

Compost: peelings/trimmings

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Martha Stewart has disappointed me. I’ve gotten hooked on the recipes on her website. The easy ones. Not the ones that have a million steps, call for pans, utensils and ingredients I don’t own and/or can’t find and take hours to prepare. I love the easy ones because they are easy, always work and taste delicious. Today, I found a recipe that only fulfills two of those three things.

Billed as “a rich chocolate brownie and a chewy coconut macaroon”, these bars seemed almost too good to be true. Coconut macaroon that doesn’t call for egg whites? But I trust Martha and set out to make them. Especially since all I had to buy was the coconut. The rest of the ingredients are staples in my kitchen.

My first clue that disaster was looming was when I finished mixing the ingredients for the chocolate base and instead of the usual stiff brownie batter, my bowl was full of syrup. I gamely poured it into the pan and placed it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The timing was right although it was rather hard to tell when the sides began to pull away from the edges of the pan because the cake was only ½” thick. I made my best guess and moved on to the next step.

The coconut topping turned out to be much stiffer than the chocolate bottom. So stiff, in fact, that I had difficulty incorporating all of the ingredients into the batter. The directions are correct that you have to drop mounds of it over the chocolate base and then gently spread it around.

Lulled into a false sense of security that the worst was over, I cooled the cake in the pan and then attempted to remove it. The foil and the chocolate refused to part company. I had to exile them both to my refrigerator overnight before they agreed to go their separate ways.

Once I was able to unfuse the cake from the foil, it turned out to be delicious. The coconut topping is too heavy to be called a macaroon but it’s just right on top of a brownie.

Verdict: What were they thinking???


Black-Bottom Coconut Bars(Source: MarthaStewart.com)

For Chocolate Base
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

For Coconut Topping
2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), ½ cup reserved for sprinkling

For chocolate base: preheat oven to 375°. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.

For coconut topping: in a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except ½ cup reserved for sprinkling).

Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved ½ cup coconut.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.

Recycle: vanilla extract bottle

Compost: eggshells

Mint Nanaimo Bars

Several years ago, not long after I’d started a new job, one of my coworkers threw a potluck at her house. Another coworker, a Canadian woman, brought these cookie bars – or maybe “dessert bars” is a better term. We all said, “Wow, these are great, what are they?” She said, “What, you don’t know?” They’re called Nanaimo Bars, she explained, and are apparently the unofficial national dessert of Canada (the name is that of a small town on Vancouver Island, BC, where they originated, or so goes the story). She kindly wrote out a recipe for us.

A few weeks ago I was casting about for something to take to the Rutgers Gardens annual holiday potluck, and I thought of these. In addition to the basic recipe, my coworker had mentioned that some variations exist. She provided instructions for a cappuccino version, and said there were mint and peanut butter versions, though she wasn’t sure just how to make them beyond putting mint extract/peanut butter in the middle layer. The mint version seemed appropriate for this time of year, so I decided to take a stab at it.

This recipe is not difficult, but does take some time: it involves three layers, each of which has to be cooled/chilled before adding the next. However, if you plan ahead you can split up the work over three sessions. It also can be doubled and made in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cut them pretty small, because they’re rich.

Two of the ingredients require comments. The recipe calls for “desiccated coconut”. I’m not sure if this is a Canadianism, or something other than the usual flaked coconut. I’ve been using the usual flaked coconut. The other ingredient that puzzles me is the “vanilla custard powder”. The woman who gave me the recipe noted that there’s a product called Bird’s Custard Powder that comes in a red, yellow, and blue box about the size of a large pudding mix box. It may also be called Bird’s Imported English Dessert Mix for Custard Style Pudding. I did see it once at a supermarket, but of course I didn’t need any at that time so didn’t buy it…and I haven’t seen it when I did need it…so I’ve been substituting vanilla instant pudding mix, and it seems to work just fine. I’m not sure if the custard powder is supposed to impart flavor, or helps thicken, or what.

Oh, back to the mint version: I added ½ tsp mint extract and 2 drops green food coloring to the middle layer. I didn’t change the top or bottom layers. I think this was a bit too much mint – about 1/3 tsp might have been better. However, this didn’t seem to hurt their popularity at the potluck (see before and after photos below)…

Verdict: Yum! This one's a keeper!

Nanaimo Bars

(source: Thanks to Barb, now living in British Columbia)

Before the party:

After the party:

Bottom layer:

½ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½-2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup desiccated coconut

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Melt butter; add sugar and cocoa and mix. Remove from heat and add egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients and press into bottom of pan. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes until just firm. Let cool.

Middle layer:

¼ cup softened butter or margarine

2 tbsp vanilla custard powder

2-3 tbsp milk

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Cream together (adjusting milk to give good spreading consistency) and spread over cooled base. Place in freezer (about 7 minutes) or refrigerator (about 40 minutes) until firm.

Top layer:

Melt 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate; can add 1 tbsp butter or margarine to this to make it more spreadable. Spread over chilled bars. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm.

Variation 1: Cappuccino Nanaimo Bars

Bottom layer – same

Middle layer – replace custard powder with 2 tsp instant espresso powder or coffee granules and ½ tsp vanilla

Top layer – add ½ tsp espresso powder to the melted chocolate

Variation 2: Mint Nanaimo Bars

Bottom, top layers – same

Middle layer – add 1/3 tsp mint extract and 2 drops green food coloring

Recycle: vanilla bottle, mint extract bottle, coffee jar

Compost: eggshells

Blackened Fish Fillets

Ah, the joys of the empty nest. The question is no longer do I dare make blackened fish? Rather the question has become: catfish or tilapia? The decision was made for me at the fish counter. The tilapia was from China. There are so many tainted products from that country that I felt safer buying American catfish.

I was a little leery about “rubbing” spices on fish which is more fragile than beef or chicken, but it was no problem. I used a non-stick frying pan so there was no problem with the fish sticking to the pan. The spicy coating sealed in the juices so there was no problem with the fish being too dry.

The problem turned out to be the taste. It just wasn’t all that spicy. I’ve had blackened fish in restaurants that made my eyes tear and my nose run. This recipe is tame compared to restaurant offerings. And since I love spicy food, I’m forced to give a thumbs down to this recipe.

Verdict: Not bad, but I don’t think I’ll be making this again.

Blackened Fish Fillets
(source: Family Circle magazine, 10/17/08)


2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 catfish or tilapia fillets (1 ¾ pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Blend paprika, oregano, onion powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper in a bowl.

Pat fish fillets dry with paper towels, then rub spice mixture into both sides fo fish.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets and cook 4 minutes. Carefully flip over with a large spatula and continue to cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve immediately.

Recycle: spice bottles, vegetable oil bottle

Chewy Cocoa Brownies

After an unnaturally warm start to the month of November, cooler temperatures have finally begun to prevail. And just in time too! I have a few days off from work before beginning the nightshift (don’t ask, trying to understand my work schedule would only make your head hurt) and several new recipes to try.

Time to test my theory about cocoa brands. I made the brownie recipe on the label of the Nestle Cocoa container.

I liked this recipe right from the start. Most recipes that use cocoa instead of baking powder tend to be dry. This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of water to be added to the batter. I think that’s what did the trick.

The batter came together easily. It was stiff without being too stiff. It baked up in about 20 minutes. The range of times, 18 to 25 minutes was a little wide. That did give me pause. But by keeping an eye on the edges of the brownies, I was able to time it just right.

The results were deeply chocolaty unlike the results I get from Hershey’s cocoa. And chewy as promised. I’m definitely going to hang on to the is recipe so that I can make brownies any time regardless of whether I have baking chocolate or cocoa on hand.

Next time I’m feeling flush, I may spring for some those expensive cocoas to see if they are as good as the snooty recipes say that they are.

Verdict: Yum! This one’s a keeper!

Chewy Cocoa Brownies(source: back of the Nestle cocoa container)

1 ⅔ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 13 x 9-inch pan.

Combine sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs an vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen brownies.

Recycle: vanilla extract bottle

Compost: eggshells

Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

I have confession to make. As much as I love home-baked goods, I am addicted to the cinnamon rolls that come in a tube. And it’s mainly because I have never found a recipe for cinnamon rolls that is as light and flavorful as the ones that come in a tube. They always come out crusty and heavy and the glaze is always too thin and runny. But I keep hoping and trying recipes.

I wasn’t going to post a review of this recipe because I made a HUGE error while I was preparing it. I had taken the eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time to warm up to room temperature. Then I had become so involved with mixing the dough using my mixer (who mixes dough in a mixer?), that I completely forgot to add the eggs! It wasn’t until I had finished kneading the dough and had no way at that point of incorporating them into the dough that I saw the eggs still sitting on top of the toaster oven. I had put them there so that they would be out of the way while they were warming up. Out of sight, out of mind.

I went ahead with assembling and baking the rolls but had no intention of reviewing the recipe because it wasn’t a fair trial without a major ingredient. If the rolls came out half-way decently, I would make them again sometime using the eggs and then review the recipe. Amazingly, they were absolutely delicious! They rose with no problem and were surprisingly light but not surprisingly a little on the tasteless side. Best of all, they almost taste like the ones that come in a tube. I can’t wait to make them again using the eggs.

I do have a couple of minor criticisms. One thing that I would change would be to use finer sugar than the granulated sugar called for in the recipe. The filling was a little gritty. The glaze, which is thick like the glaze that comes in the tube, didn’t taste right when I made it but once I had “drizzled” it onto the rolls, it was just perfect.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the rolls the day before and then refrigerate them overnight. The next morning (or afternoon if you are doing a brunch), you can bake them and have warm, delicious cinnamon rolls with your coffee.

Verdict: Yum! This one’s keeper!

Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls(source: BHG.com)


4 ¾ to 5 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup milk
⅓ cup butter
⅓ cup sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
⅔ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 recipe Creamy Glaze (below)

In a large bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups flour and yeast. In a saucepan, heat and stir milk, ⅓ cup butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt just until warm (120° to 130°) and butter almost melts. Add to flour mixture; add eggs. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl; turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 hour).

Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 9 x 1 1/2 –inch round baking pans. Roll each half of the dough into a 12 x 8 rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Combine the ⅔ cup sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over rectangles. Starting from a long side, roll up each rectangle into a spiral. Seal seams. Cut each spiral into 12 slices. Place slices, cut sides down, in prepared pans.

Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise. Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Uncover; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Break surface bubbles with a greased toothpick. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover rolls loosely with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Remove from oven. Cool for 1 minute. Carefully invert rolls onto wire rack. Cool slightly. Invert again onto a serving platter. Drizzle with Creamy Glaze. Serve warm. Makes 24 rolls.

Creamy Glaze: Mix 1 ¼ cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon light-colored corn syrup, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Stir in enough half-and-half or light cream (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make of drizzling consistency.

Recycle: cinnamon bottle, corn syrup bottle, vanilla bottle

Compost: eggshells