Black Bean Chili

Posted in Soups & Chilis by

This is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. You can be creative with ingredients, adding corn kernels, chopped bell pepper, or extra seasonings depending on what you like or have on hand. For a non-vegetarian version, you can add shredded chicken — I will use most of the white meat from a rotisserie chicken, shredding it right over the chili as it cooks in the pot.

This is easy, quick, and easy to double.

6 15-oz. cans seasoned black beans (drain 4 cans and keep the liquid from the other 2)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for serving
1 red onion, finely chopped
2-3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2-3 celery stalks
2-3 medium red tomatoes, chopped

Ideas for garnish: sour cream, plain yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, extra chopped cilantro

Stir everything together in a large saucepot. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed throughout, about 12 minutes. Use the liquid from two cans, diluted with a little water, if the chili is too thick.

(This is yet another recipe clipped from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sometime in the late 1990s. I have made several changes but the original came from a book called “Tonics” by Robert Barnett.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Posted in Cakes & Muffins, Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

Forget any thoughts of those cookie cakes at the mall, because the only thing they have in common with this recipe is the name. Rather than looking simply like one big cookie (as delicious as that sounds), this is a cookie in a cake pan — thick and chewy in the middle with a crispy, buttery straight-sided crust. The slices could even be eaten with forks. (But don’t do that. Cookies are too much fun to be eaten with utensils.)

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The recipe comes from a recent issue of Southern Living magazine, where it was called a “skillet cookie,” baked in a cast-iron skillet. I swapped the skillet for a 10-inch springform pan, greased it well with butter, and followed the recipe as written.

 

If you ever want to serve cookies for dessert, this is how. And there will be no quibbling about who gets how many.

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter, softened
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (about 9 oz.) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Preheat the oven to 325F (160C) degrees. Lightly coat a 10-inch springform pan with butter.

Beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, beating until bended.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture gradually, beating at low speed until combined.

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Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips, beating until combined.

Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Bake in preheated oven until golden and set, about 50 minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Malted Pretzel Brittle

Posted in Desserts/Baking, Other Desserts by

It’s the salty-sweet combination that is the best part of this quick-to-make dessert snack: crisp, sugary pieces loaded with salty pretzel bits. The malted milk powder adds a touch of creamy sweetness. (And the kitchen smelled like Whoppers malt balls as this baked in the oven.)20160816_003115

As for ease — it’s made in one bowl, baked on parchment (for easy pan clean-up), and it takes less than an hour to make, start to finish. You have to let it cool after baking, of course, but I dare you to wait very long before you start ripping off pieces and gobbling them down.

14 Tbsp. (about 200g) unsalted butter
8 oz. (about 230g) salted mini pretzels, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. malted milk powder
2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder

Preheat oven to 300F/150C degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Place the pretzels in a large bowl and crush (as a rough guide, most of my pieces were between 1/2 and 1 inch). Add both sugars and milk powders and toss to combine. Stir melted butter into mixture until blended.

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Spread mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet and bake 15-18 minutes or until browned. Let stand 10 minutes to cool before breaking brittle apart.

Store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container.

— This recipe comes from my friend Mel at our local Publix, where we always find her at the demonstration table with great food ideas!

Baked Sugar Snap Peas

Posted in Main Courses, Vegetables by

20160825_184458The sweetness of sugar snap peas really comes out in this dish, which uses only five ingredients and takes just 10 minutes in the oven. I made this on a night when we had leftovers, and it baked while the rest of the meal reheated in the microwave.

Serves 4

8 oz. sugar snap peas
1 shallot, minced
Dried basil for sprinkling on top
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt to taste

Heat oven to 400F/200C degrees. Place sugar snap peas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with minced shallot and basil and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake 8-10 minutes. Season with salt before serving.

(Adapted from a Publix recipe.)

Peanut Butter Oat Bars

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

This is like a peanut butter version of blondie brownies, but it’s slightly thicker thanks to the peanut butter. It uses natural, unsweetened peanut butter and whole oats, so you could kind of convince yourself it’s healthy — despite the chocolate morsels! Like brownies, it slices better and holds together better the next day, especially when it’s been stored in the fridge.Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

It’s easy to make — you need only two bowls — and although you could use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar, it worked just as well to mix by hand.

Makes one batch in a 9×13-inch pan.

1 1/4 cup plain all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
16 oz. jar natural unsweetened peanut butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whole oats
1 cup chocolate morsels, divided

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla, stir in flour mixture, oats, and half the chocolate morsels.

Place in an ungreased 9×13-inch pan and press down slightly to fill the pan. Sprinkle the remaining half of the morsels on top. Bake 15-17 minutes, until just golden around the edges.

Buttermilk Coconut Pie

Posted in Desserts/Baking, Leftover Ideas, Pies & Tarts by

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There are many variations of this Southern classic. This recipe is my own version of a recipe featured in our local paper, from an Atlanta food writer who combined his mother’s recipe with one from a cookbook of Southern pies.

It uses buttermilk (a good way to use up any that might be sitting in the fridge) to make a dense coconut-filled base. It’s topped with enough sweetened whipped cream to make a top layer that fills the rest of the pie, keeping it light.

A garnish of toasted coconut covers any flaws and hints at what’s below.

Makes one 9-inch pie.

1/2 cup sugar (slightly more)
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. all-purpose plain flour
5 oz. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, well beaten
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened), plus more for garnish
1 9-inch pie crust (I used a pre-made frozen one and used it straight from the freezer)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 heaping tsp. sugar

Heat oven to 350F (175C) degrees.

In small bowl combine sugar and flour, using a fork to mix well. Add buttermilk, melted butter, beaten egg, and vanilla, and stir until mixed well and evenly. Stir in coconut.

Pour filling into pie crust. Place pie on baking sheet and bake approximately 30 minutes, until firm throughout and filling is slightly browned — but keep an eye on it toward the end.

As it bakes, put a handful of shredded coconut in a small pan and toast it on medium-low until browned, shaking the pan every couple of minutes to toast the flakes evenly. If you have a toaster oven, you can do this on a small sheet of foil and a regular setting, gently shaking the foil occasionally and removing the sheet as soon as the flakes are browned.

When pie is done, let cool on wire rack. Whip cream with sugar*, then spread with spatula over the cooled pie. Try to make it slightly higher than the edge of the crust. Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top. Tip: Sprinkle some at the edge to hide the gap between the whipped cream and pie crust.

*Start whipping the cream without the sugar. Once it is slightly thickened, that’s when you add the sugar. Then continue whipping until stiff.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bread

Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Breads by

This bread would be delicious to have with an Italian meal, for an afternoon snack, or part of a quick lunch. It tastes just like pizza but is made with prepared refrigerated biscuit dough. The fun part is pulling off the individual pieces, especially while it’s still warm.

I made this with my son yesterday after seeing the recipe in his children’s magazine. We put the bread on the dinner table and loved tearing the pieces off. There was one piece left over, but it didn’t last very long after dinner.

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1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1 12-oz. can refrigerated biscuit dough*
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano

 

Grease a 1-quart Bundt pan or angel food cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Heat the oven to 350F/175C degrees.

Sprinkle 3 Tbsp. of the cheese and 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the sauce around the bottom of the pan. Separate the biscuits from each other and tear each into three pieces.

Place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave. Dip half the biscuits in the melted butter and put them into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and sauce, bell pepper, and oregano on top.

Slightly stretch apart the remaining biscuit pieces, dip into the butter, and add them to the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and let cook 5 minutes on a rack. Remove from pan and place, inverted, on a serving plate.

*For those not in the United States, you’ll have to substitute a homemade biscuit dough for the canned, refrigerated kind. Do a search for “Southern buttermilk biscuit recipe” to find one. I have not made this one, but I love Southern Living magazine, and the recipe is probably good. Complete the recipe through Step 2, then weigh the dough and use only 12 ounces of it. Then divide in half and just pinch off large chunks to proceed with the pizza bread recipe.

 

Tortilla Soup

Posted in Soups & Chilis by

20160531_185117This may be one of the easiest recipes I have in my cookbook. It makes for a filling meal, too, which means it’s a great idea for a weeknight dinner. I served it with small tacos, but only to make our plates look fuller and to entice my children to try the soup.

I clipped this from our newspaper more than 20 years ago! (I actually wrote the date beneath the recipe: Thursday, August 19, 1993.) That was the year I started collecting recipes in binders. It was actually one binder back then, and as the years have gone by it has grown to three. The paper said the recipe was from Southern Living magazine.

As for the ingredients, please don’t let them fool you into thinking this tastes cheap. Nearly everything comes out of a can, but trust me, it doesn’t taste like it. Perhaps the only canned clues are the way the chicken and diced tomato look. You can’t do much about the chicken (it won’t really show up anyway), and you can chop the tomatoes further if you think the pieces look too big.

This is also easy to double.

Makes about 4 cups

2 10.5-oz cans chicken and rice soup, undiluted
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes with juice
2 Tbsp. canned green chiles
3/4 cups canned corn, with liquid
1 cup (4 oz.) finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed, lightly salted tortilla chips

Combine soup, tomatoes, chiles, and corn in a large pot and bring to a boil. Serve immediately, sprinkled with cheese and chips, or put the cheese and chips in bowls at the table and let everyone help themselves.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

This mound of a cookie is a peanut butter and chocolate lover’s dream. It’s a thick peanut butter cookie loaded with bits of peanut and chunks of chocolate. They actually taste best when warm, right out of the oven.

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Makes about 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup (4 oz. or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 bag (11 oz.) semisweet chocolate chunks or jumbo morsels
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Heat oven to 350F degrees. In a medium bowl, blend flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add both kinds of sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks and peanuts. Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto baking sheets. Bake for 18 minutes and let cool on wire racks.

Note: If you miss your chance to eat them warm, you can microwave them on a paper towel for 15 seconds.

This recipe originally appeared in Family Circle magazine.

Overnight Fridge Berry Oatmeal

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch by

20160307_083606(0)Oh my goodness. You have no idea what you’re in for with this breakfast. It’s absolutely delicious.

I came across the recipe when I was looking for a way to use up some bags of frozen berries. You make this the night before, with yogurt instead of milk, and you eat it cold in the morning with a sweetener like honey or agave syrup. I had my doubts about the cold part but they flew out the window once I tried it. The oatmeal did not last long after the first spoonful.

The especially nice thing is that it’s so healthy! Nothing is processed and it’s all low-fat or fat-free, depending on the yogurt you use. Whole oats, yogurt, fruit, and a bit of juice are all that’s in it.

Credit to the Busy Mommy blog for the recipe.

3 cups old-fashioned (whole) oats
2 cups vanilla yogurt (low-fat or fat-free)
1-2 cups frozen mixed berries*
1/2 cup apple juice

Mix all ingredients in medium sized storage container with lid. Keep in the fridge overnight. Top oatmeal with a drizzle of honey or agave syrup. Also try mixing in cinnamon, chopped nuts, or coconut. Serve cold.

*I used a mixture of frozen raspberries, which break apart when mixed, and whole frozen strawberries, which held their shape and simply became soft.