Chocolate Chunk Bar Cookies

My family loves chocolate, especially my husband, so I'm always looking for new recipes to try. This recipe is very similar to chocolate chip cookies, but much faster to prepare because they are baked in a 9" x 13" pan, a real time saver. I also trimmed them down from the original recipe by using only egg whites, and dark chocolate chunks instead of semisweet chips. We think they are still plenty sweet and they are only 111 calories per cookie. This makes for a very reasonable dessert, if you can stop at only two! A bit of a challenge for us...blessings.

Recipe: 

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 egg whites
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups (10 oz. pkg.) dark chocolate chunks

1.  Cream butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl. Add egg whites and vanilla; mix well.
2.  In a separate bowl stir together dry ingredients.
3.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture; mix well.
4.  Stir in chocolate chunks using a spoon.
5.  Scrape mixture into a well-greased 9" x 13" pan and smooth out.
6.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
7.  Cool completely before cutting.

24 cookies: 167 calories each, 2 gms. fiber
36 cookies: 111 calories each, 1.3 gms fiber

Simple Rocky Road Candy

If you have never tried your hand at candy making, I would encourage you to try this recipe. It is a very easy preparation, tastes wonderful and is a classic "one-bowl" recipe. The easiest kind! Many candy recipes require a great deal of time standing at the stove stirring a syrup for the base of the candy, not this one.

The second candy pictured is the Reese's Candy recipe I posted earlier, please check the "labels" under candy to find it. Have a wonderful weekend as you, like me, will probably be doing lots of Christmas preparations with your family. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. (10 1/2 oz.) miniature marshmallows
2 cups dry-roasted peanuts

1. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, butter and sweetened condensed milk. ( or melt in a double boiler). Microwave on high for one minute and stir. If mixture is not smooth, continue to microwave for another 30 seconds or more, as needed.
2. Add marshmallows and peanuts; stir to combine.
3. Turn mixture into a buttered 9" x 13" pan and smooth top. Refrigerate for a few hours until chocolate is set. Cut into 36 squares and store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Coconut Brownies

Everyone seems to love chocolate, and if you share goodies with friends and family during the Christmas season, these brownies would be a good addition to the plate. They are very different from other brownies with the addition of a layer of coconut on top of a brownie base that comes from a box. Then wonderful chocolate chunks and nuts on top of the coconut layer. This is an easy recipe and the resulting brownies are moist and delicious. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 pkg. (19 - 21 oz.) fudge brownie mix (not supreme)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) sweetened flaked coconut
1 pkg. (11.5 oz.) dark chocolate chunks
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare brownie mix according to pkg directions
3. Pour into greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake for 16 - 18 minutes.
4. Layer coconut and chocolate chunks over brownie base. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over all.
5. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake another 20 - 23 minutes longer.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 24 bars
Tip: If you like sweeter chocolate, use semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Creating Kitchen Memories at Thanksgiving

When our son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and my mom were here for Thanksgiving we did lots of cooking and eating, as I am sure most families did. One of my favorite moments was when our two-year-old granddaughter helped me make waffles for breakfast Friday morning. The waffles we made are the same recipe that I have already posted, so I won't repeat it here, but I did want to share how wonderful it is to spend time in the kitchen with even the youngest in our families. They love to help and to be included. My granddaughter now knows exactly where to go to get my step-stool so she can help. I measure and she helps to pour the ingredients into the bowl. There was one little mishap. She is fast, and she picked up an egg and cracked it before I knew what was happening. She actually squished it in her hand, so there was a little egg to clean up from the floor and the face of the dishwasher.

So while my mom cooked sausage and my daughter-in-law set the table, my granddaughter and I got waffles ready. When it came time to eat our creation, she cleaned her plate. It is absolutely amazing how much better things taste when we help in the preparation, no matter what our age. We created another kitchen memory together, one that will always warm our hearts. This time together will be an encouragement for her of how very important she is in our family and in our lives. The kitchen is a great place to build relationships with our families and our friends. Have a wonderful week...

Easy Turkey Noodle Soup

One of the best parts of all the cooking for a big Thanksgiving or Christmas feast is the leftovers. We love leftover turkey in soups, casseroles, salads, or sandwiches. I don't like the task of cutting the meat off the turkey carcass, but I love having ready to use, premeasured packages of cubed turkey in the freezer. It is well worth the time to have the work done in advance of the need. Especially during the busy Christmas season. Blessings...

Recipe: 

4 1/2 cups chicken broth
pepper to taste
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot
2/3 cup thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup uncooked medium egg noodles
1 cup cubed cooked turkey or chicken

1. Combine broth, pepper, carrot and celery in saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower heat to simmer for about 5 minutes or until vegetables just begin to get tender.
2. Add noodles and turkey, or chicken, and return broth to a boil. Cook until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes more. Be careful to not overcook and turn the noodles to mush.

Serves 4
95 calories per cup of soup

Sparkling Cranberry Sauce

My husband and I thought we were going to be alone for Thanksgiving, so our neighbors invited us to join them. We were so grateful for the invitation.  Then last Monday morning I received a phone call from our son in which he told me that his wife, my mom, and he wanted to come for the holiday, if they could work out the details. I spoke with my mom Tuesday morning and found out that they would be arriving Thanksgiving morning. We were thrilled, but I had nothing purchased for a turkey dinner since we were not going to be home, so I did the "Christmas with the Krank's" thing Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to get all the things needed. I got one of the last fresh turkeys in the market. My goodness, things were picked over! I did have cranberries in the freezer from last year so I was able to make cranberry sauce Tuesday afternoon and I got my pie crusts made and in the refrigerator to be filled the next day.

If you have never made fresh cranberry sauce, and only know the sauce from a can, I would highly recommend trying fresh. This recipe is very easy to do and only takes about half-an-hour start to finish. Our family, including our two-year-old granddaughter, loves the stuff. Maybe your family will as well. Blessings...

Recipe:

3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 12-ounce pkg. fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda or ginger ale

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Add cranberries and bring back to a boil; lower heat to simmer.
3. Simmer sauce for about 10 minutes or until almost all of the berries have burst and the sauce has thickened. I smash any remaining whole berries with the back of a spoon because we aren't crazy about the, "blast of sour" from the fresh berries.
4. Remove pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Stir in soda and pour into a serving bowl. Cool completely.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups
1/4 cup = 98 calories
1 gm. fiber

Tip:  Cranberries splatter when they are cooking down so be sure to use a saucepan a little larger than the mixture. You will have less clean up.
Note: The traditional recipe does not have soda in it. That recipe is the one my mom has been making for years and is just as simple. It is simply 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Everything else is done the same.

An Easy Recipe for Mud Pie

My husband and I recently had to make a week-long emergency trip to Modesto, Ca. because my father is in critical health. During this week there was a great deal of family time, hospitals, meetings with doctors, and all of the emotions that go along with this kind of family crisis. But, in the midst of all of this, I had some very special time with a niece that means a great deal to me because she is the only daughter of my now dead sister. Our niece spent a great deal of time with our family when she was growing up, and as a result, she and I spent a great deal of time together in the kitchen making memories together. One of her special memories was Mud Pie, so when she and I needed to plan and make an evening meal together because my mom was at work, we decided on Orange Chicken (see labels), mashed potatoes, salad and her old favorite, Mud Pie.

I did not make the long version that I use to make because of the constraints of time and energy. But, the quick version that I was able to throw together in a few minutes was very good, and she, and the rest of our family, loved it. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 chocolate cookie crust
1 half gallon coffee ice cream
1 large jar hot fudge topping
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. powdered sugar, or to taste
chopped nuts of choice

1. Fill cookie crust with all of the ice cream, smoothing surface. Cover with plastic wrap and return to freezer until ready to serve.
2. Whip cream with vanilla extract and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
3. Cut pie into 6 - 8 pieces
4. Top each serving with hot fudge sauce, chopped nuts and whipping cream.