Good, but not good enough

Toffee-Oat Bars
Cookies 1,001 Mouthwatering Recipes From Around the World Copyright 2004

¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
¾ cup old-fashioned oats

Chocolate Frosting
6 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, cut up

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 11x7-inch baking pan. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the egg yolks, beating until just blended. I added a dash of vanilla too. Mix in the dry ingredients and oats. Firmly press the mixture into the prepared pan to form a smooth, even layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Cool completely in the pan. Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Spread the chocolate mixture over and let stand for 30 minutes until set. Cut into bars.
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It's been awfully quiet around here. I hope that blog readers are just busy and not bored. I have to admit that cooking has not been my primary activity lately. There's just too much going on this time of year.

This was a test run of a candidate for this year's cookie trays. At first, I thought these bars were too greasy and not firm enough but I enjoyed them after refrigerating them. They won't be on my Christmas cookie trays but they didn't go to waste. I think I've eaten 3/4 of the pan by myself in just 5 days.

I bought this book after enjoying the cake version (Cakes: 1,001 Classic Recipes from Around the World) so much. It's much the same but not quite as exciting and mouth-watering as the cake version.

A Blast From The Past: Snickerdoodles from last Christmas. These are definitely going on my cookie trays again.

Question of the Day: Is anybody reading this?

Yummy breadsticks

Pepperoni-Cheese Sticks
Betty Crocker Reduced-Fat Bisquick Copyright 2000

2 ¾ cups Reduced Fat Bisquick
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz) I used Cabot 50% Light Jalapeño cheddar
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 package (3 ¼ ounces) sliced pepperoni, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped I was lazy and used garlic powder
1 cup grated fat-free Parmesan cheese topping I used regular grated Parmesan in the green can - I had it leftover from another recipe

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Stir all ingredients except Parmesan topping until dough forms.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into Parmesan topping. Roll in topping to coat. Roll into 8-inch breadsticks. Place about 1 ½ inches apart on cookie sheets.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 20 breadsticks.
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I halved this recipe and that was plenty. You don't have to be exact when halving it. I just guestimated and my dough was a little too wet to roll so I just added more Bisquick. My breadsticks are a little bit ugly but that was just laziness on my part. The dough wasn't hard to roll, I was just rushing and trying to do too many things at once, as usual.

These were really good - very flavorful. I was a little hesistant about the chopped onion but that was probably the best part. I served this with a freestyled pasta dish. It was a nice change from garlic bread. I just happened to have everything on hand to make these. I love when that happens.

Gosh, Thanksgiving is one week away. I may have to put my blog on the backburner during the holidays. I won't stop posting but if I miss a day or two, don't worry about me. I think I'll put the Blast From The Past on hold too. That will save me a few minutes each day.

Question of the Day: Are you in the holiday spirit yet?

Easy peasy

Easy Tacos
The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook Copyright 1999

12 taco shells
1 pound ground chuck I used lean ground beef
2 to 3 teaspoons Chili Seasoning Blend*
¾ cup water
¾ cup finely chopped onion
3 cups shredded lettuce
¾ cup finely chopped tomato I omitted this
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) finely shredded Cheddar cheese I used Cabot 50% Light Jalapeño Cheddar
¼ cup taco sauce
¼ cup sour cream I used lite sour cream

Heat taco shells according to package directions; keep warm. Meanwhile, brown ground chuck in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles (I got confused and threw the onions in with the meat); drain. Add Chili Seasoning Blend and water; stirring well. Cook over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Spoon meat mixture into shells; top with onion and remaining desired condiments.

*Chili Seasoning Blend

3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground red pepper

Combine all ingredients; store in an airtight container up to 1 month.
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I have a slightly more complicated taco seasoning recipe but I have to say that this one was just as good. I feel foolish thinking about how many times I bought taco seasoning when I have a cupboard full of spices.

I decided to make tacos because I was trying to use up what I had on hand. I had everything to make these tacos except the shells and the lettuce. I usually make nachos or taco salads because hard tacos can be difficult to eat. I ate the first one neatly but the second one fell apart in my hand. I'm not sure what went wrong but both tacos were delicious.

Tonight is menu planning night. I think, with the holidays coming, I'm going to try to stick to the simplest of recipes for the next few weeks.

A Blast From The Past: Beef Tacos from May 2006. This was a more sophisticated taco recipe but frankly I preferred the Easy Taco recipe.

Question of the Day: Do you own many different spices? Do you buy spice blends?

Question of the Day:

Sampling one of the giveaway cookbooks

Pork Steak Diane
Company’s Coming 30-Minute Weekday Meals Copyright 2005

13 ½ oz. can of evaporated milk
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cooking oil
sprinkle of pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops (about 1 pound), trimmed of fat I had 6 small chops
1 tbsp. hard margarine or butter
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. brandy
¾ tsp. parsley flakes

Stir evaporated milk into flour in small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Sprinkle pepper on both sides of each pork chop. Heat cooking oil in large frying pan on medium. Add chops. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side until desired doneness. Transfer to a large plate. Cover to keep warm.

Melt margarine in same large frying pan. Add onion and garlic. Heat and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Add Worcestershire sauce and brandy. Heat and stir for about 1 minute, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pan, until liquid is evaporated. Stir flour mixture. Add to onion mixture. Heat and stir for about 3 minutes until sauce is boiling and slightly thickened. I added a pinch of salt. Add chops. Turn until coated with sauce. Cook for about 1 minute until heated through. Remove chops to large serving platter. Drizzle with sauce from pan. Sprinkle with parsley.

I served it over mashed potatoes.

Serves 4.
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Since this is one of the cookbooks I'm giving away in November, I thought I should cook something from it. I really liked this recipe. The sauce was creamy and wonderful and you can really control the cooking of the pork, which is important with boneless pork loin. You don't want to overcook it.

I enjoyed this even though I really haven't been enjoying food lately. Too much mindless eating. I haven't been letting myself get hungry. I never do well when I have too many days off in a row but my mini-vacation is over now so hopefully I can get back on track.

This cookbook does give the metric measurements too but I was too lazy to copy them here. Sorry.

A Blast From The Past: Barbara's Pork Chop Dinner from September 2005. This was one of my first recipes and it was a good one.

Question of the Day: What are your Thanksgiving 'must have' recipes? Do you have anything besides the traditional foods on that day?

No cooking this weekend

Café Rico
Mexican Family Favorites Cook Book Copyright 1983

1 cup hot coffee
1 oz. coffee liqueur
3 Tbsp. evaporated milk
1 tsp. light brown sugar
dash cinnamon
whipped cream (or marshmallow cream)

Use an oversized coffee mug. Combine all ingredients in the order given. Top with whipped cream or marshmallow cream.

Serves 1.
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I used to love to get a 'fancy' coffee after dinner out in a restaurant but I didn't like forking out the arm and leg they usually charged for them. If you keep a few liqueurs at home in your liquor cabinet, you can easily and cheaply mix up one of these coffees any time you like. You can use flavored syrups if you don't want the alcohol. If you want a buzz, use decaf!

I never got around to cooking anything this weekend. That's a rarity. I walked out of Costco empty-handed this weekend too. What is happening to me???

I found this gem of a cookbook in the bookstore a couple of weeks ago. Just $6.95 for a basic spiral bound pictureless book that is loaded with authentic Mexican-American recipes. I'm sure not every Mexican-American family cooks exactly like this but the author's family does and that's good enough for me. The book is in at least it's 27th printing so that says something.

A Blast From The Past: Sautéed Shrimp and Vermicelli from November 2005. Because of my son's food allergies, we don't make shellfish around here anymore but I'm thinking about trying this with chicken. It was so good and and so simple.

Question Of The Day: Do you drink alcohol or abstain?