BLT Chicken Salad & Granola Bars

I have TWO recipes to share with you! I have pictures as well, but I'm tired right now so I'll use the www ones for now.
First up, Chicken BLT Salad from Cooking Light. We ate al fresco this evening and enjoyed this lovely meal. I had put off making it for a few weeks because I dreaded how time consuming it was going to be. A few odd circumstances collided this afternoon and I had a fire lit under my hiney to get it done. Surprisingly, even though my chicken was still 1/2 frozen this all was done in about 1 hour. Long sounding, yes, but about 30 min of that was the chicken cooking in the oven.

I made the dressing just so I could try it before I knocked it. Sure enough, I ended up using good ol ranch on mine salad. Senor and I both agreed the dressing just wasn't worth the hassle and the whole thing would be just as good with a honey mustard or ranch dressing.

My girls both ate it, too. CJ wanted LOTS of bleu cheese. Funny kid.

• 1 cup fat-free buttermilk, divided
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten 
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 cup canola mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 medium head iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into 6 wedges 
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato
• 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (1/2 cup)
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. 2. Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk and egg white in a shallow dish. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg white mixture; dredge in panko. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. 3. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add chicken. Cook 4 minutes; turn over. Bake at 425° for 14 minutes or until done. Let chicken stand 10 minutes; slice crosswise.
4. 4. Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, mayonnaise, dill, chives, and vinegar. Place garlic on a cutting board; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Chop until a paste forms, scraping with the flat side of knife to mash. Add garlic to dressing.
5. 5. Place 1 lettuce wedge on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with chicken, 1/3 cup tomato, and 2 1/2 tablespoons dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and crumbled bacon.

My notes:
1. Skip all the dressing ingredients and instructions.
2. I did not have buttermilk (never do) so I used 2% milk (3/4c) mixed with 1/4c cider vinegar. Let it sit for about 5 min. worked just fine.
3. I would say, focus on your chicken first. When it's put in the oven, focus your attention on the bacon (cooking it) and prepping the rest of the salad.

We served ours with cucumber slices, baby carrots and some roasted sweet potato fries. 

NEXT RECIPE...
We (no, not we, I) have been trying to eliminate the processed foods we buy. We don't buy many but the few things we do buy make me cringe a little. For instance, granola bars. Now, I buy them (the ones without hfcs or other scary things) because they are quick, easy grab-and-go snacks to shove in my purse for the girls in case we are out running errands longer than I plan (which always happens) but I cringe thinking of the processed ickiness lurking in every bar. SO, I decided to make my own this month. I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe (sort of--you can link over to hers and compare). They are yummy!!  I will definitely be making alot more of these in the future! LB tried one this afternoon for lunch and LOVED it. Yay! and of course, I'll be tweaking it and trying some new twists...I'll keep you posted. I'm thinking carrot cake version...shredded carrot, dried pineapple, raisins, pecans. maybe toss in some cream cheese instead of pb....yummmmmm

My version of her recipe:

1 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats)

2/3 c 5 grain cereal mix (like Bob's Redmill)
1/4 c granulated sugar

1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*

     -I used 3/4 c chopped pecans, 1 c raisins, 1 c craisins, 1/2 c dark chocolate chunks
2 Tbsp peanut butter or another nut butter (she says optional but I say not really)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( sahe says optional, again I say required)
3 tablespoons melted butter

1/4-1/3 c applesauce (no sugar added kind)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon water

** IF your mixture was like mine and a bit dry feeling you could add in a beaten egg to hold it together a bit more or even a few Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes (Mine were done in 30), until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. [Updating to note, as many had crumbling issues:] If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

Thai Basil Chicken Wraps

Ah! Warm weather is upon us, even if for but a few days!  I don't know about you, but we had the windows open and spent a large portion of the afternoon outside today. It is amazing to me how quickly I can feel myself becoming more energized and enthusiastic when the warm weather starts rolling in.  In honor of the occasion (well, maybe more by happenstance) we had a lovely, light dinner. This was supposed to be one of those "quick" meals. The recipe I loosely based the idea off of was "Super Fast 20-minute cooking" deals. They weren't lying. I panicked when I realized it was 5:15p and I still hadn't pulled a single ingredient out of the refrigerator nor had I thawed any meat. Eeeps!

Never fear, though. I looked up at 5:47p and dinner was done. DONE, I tell you. I could not believe it!  And the taste?  Delicious.

Thai Basil Turkey Wraps
loosely adapted from Cooking Light "Spicy Thai Basil Chicken"

4 tsp canola oil (or vegetable)
1/2 c. minced shallots (roughly 4 shallots)
1/2-1 c. thinly sliced red pepper (I used about 4 of the mini sweet peppers from the mixed bag)...now if you would like more crunch from your pepper make larger slices
4 tsp fresh, minced garlic
1 lb ground turkey, lean
1 Tbsp sweet rice vinegar
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper *depending on how hot you want it
1 cup fresh basil (NO you cannot use dried for this, sorry)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2-3 limes, cut into wedges

*rice (you can add garlic/onions to this)
*chopped lettuce such as Boston or Bibb or Butter leaf, or you can attempt to do wraps and leave it whole
* chopped avocado would be good in this I think

for a "dressing" I mixed 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp sesame seed oil
I think some fresh grated ginger might be nice, too

1. In a large skillet, over med heat add 2 tsp oil, cook turkey until crumbled and brown/done. Remove turkey and put in bowl to the side.
2. Add 2 more tsp to skillet, over med-hi heat add shallots. Stir and sautee for 2-4 min until desired level of doneness (I like mine light brown). Stir in sliced pepper and garlic. Sautee for 1 minute.
3. Add turkey back into skillet and stir all the ingredients in the skillet for a minute or 2.
4. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, black and red pepper. Stir well and mix all of the ingredients in the skillet well, until heated through.
5. Remove skillet from heat, allow to cool for a few minutes. Stir in basil and lime juice.

Serve over rice or in lettuce for wraps.
We made a salad of sorts, rice, lettuce, turkey, dressing.

I served ours with fresh mango and strawberries. I had envisioned serving it with mangoes/sticky rice but that's too much rice for one meal, plus I forgot to soak the rice overnight.
Try this recipe out. If you like spicier things look at the cooking light version. I promise it's quick, easy, healthy, and taste delicious!

Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Rhubarb and Raspberry Compote

Heavenly. Delicious. Amazing.

I tore out this recipe from cooking light recently and set it aside with a mental note to try it out sometime. I purchased a bag of frozen rhubarb back in the fall on clearance certain I could find a good use for it. I found a good use for it alright!

Senor woke up Saturday and asked what we should have for breakfast. I mumbled something about this recipe and rhubarb in the freezer, meaning to try it, blah blah blah, going back to sleep. He, gentle soul that he is, went downstairs and whipped this up; compote and all! I came downstairs later and dived right in to a delicious plate of crisp, nice flavorful, bright waffles for breakfast. I slapped on a heaping spoonful of the compote, followed by a large helping of plain yogurt and drizzled it all with honey. Seriously some of the best breakfast we've had in a while. I think the slightly sweet, cornbread like waffles would definitely be delicious with with blackberry compote or even blueberry.  We made a double batch and froze the extras (my go-to saving method these days! Just put it in the freezer!).  Since my girls love a good waffle (they would seriously eat them for breakfast everyday, I think) we re-heated some in the toaster this morning and they were (to my delight and surprise) just as delicious and crisp as they were the other day!

Try them out. You won't regret it.

P.S. We have a regular waffle maker, not a Belgian waffle maker and we made 8 out of 1 batch of batter.

Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Rhubarb and Raspberry Compote

• Compote:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen sliced rhubarb, thawed
• 1 (12-ounce) package frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and undrained
• Waffles:
• 3/4 cup medium stone-ground cornmeal 
• 1 cup boiling water 
• Cooking spray 
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 
• Topping:
• 3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt 
• 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Preparation

1. 1. To prepare compote, combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and keep warm.
2. 2. To prepare waffles, combine cornmeal and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Let stand 20 minutes or until cooled to room temperature.
3. 3. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat.
4. 4. Add eggs to cornmeal mixture; stir with a whisk to combine. Stir in butter, 2 teaspoons rind, and juice. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) in a bowl; stir to combine. Add flour mixture to cornmeal mixture. Combine low-fat yogurt and milk in a bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add yogurt mixture to cornmeal mixture, stirring just until combined.
5. 5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter per 4-inch waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until done; repeat procedure with remaining batter.
6. 6. To prepare topping, combine Greek yogurt and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Serve waffles with warm compote and yogurt topping.

Almond, Honey, and Apricot cake

aka AHA!
I was bemoaning to Senor last week, the fact that I was craving cake but I had no need to make one until Easter when I'd already decided I would be making a scrumptious carrot cake. He promptly asked why I couldn't make one now. There was no reason to make one!  Better still, if I made the carrot cake now it wouldn't taste nearly as yummy at Easter (for a second time). He then asked, "If you could make an Amanda cake what would it be?".  I was stumped for a while. Then it came to me, "AHA!! An AHA cake!".  He looked stumped this time. I explained to him my vision. An almond, apricot and honey confection. It was spawn from this yogurt I'd eaten earlier in the day and I was in love from the first bite. This company also makes this flavor which I'd had previously and was equally impressed. My mind tried to mesh all the components together into a cake format. After I explained the idea to Senor I immediately began researching if such a thing existed. From my efforts I discovered ZERO such creations. So that was even more of a throw-down challenge to make this cake!  It was burning a hole in my brain. I researched each component and slowly created a lose idea of each component's recipe.

Stopped by the store to pick it all up and went home to start working. It was a bit scary putting in so much work (and butter!) not knowing if it'd turn out the way I imagined. It totally worked! My dad and Senor both voted it as "taste excellent" and "Unique flavor".

So if you're interested in a little something different, here's my recipe. This is for 3 9" cakes so adapt as needed for smaller batches. Also, the frosting was enough but really I could have stood to have more so if you want a nice heap of frosting on your cake make 1.5 times the recipe or double it.

The order of procedure I'd recommend: Make filling, then cakes, then frosting while cakes are cooling.

For the cake: I went straight to me favorite source for cakes...Sky High cakes. They didn't disappoint, although I do think the sugar could be cut back on this to 2 cups or maybe even 1 3/4 cups. It's really sweet, in my opinion, and I might even cut the almond extract down to 1.5 tsp. The almond flavor was almost too strong, almost. I also am curious if you could get away with a tad less butter as the cake is a cross between angel food and pound cake.  It's a tad too much to the pound cake side of things for me. And I'm curious about trying buttermilk instead of milk (I used 2% by the by...rebel, I know!). So those are my musings that I might tinker with next time.

4 1/2 cups cake flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup prepared almond paste (7 ounces)
2 2/3 cups sugar
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon almond extract
10 egg whites
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch (but 9-inch will work just fine) round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.

3. Place the almond paste and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in another large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Begin to cream the mixture on low speed to break up the almond paste, then increase the speed to medium for about 2 minutes, or until the paste is broken into fine particles.

4. Add the butter and almond extract and beat it well, then the egg whites, two or three at a time, beating just long enough to incoperate after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times to make sure it is evenly mixed.

5. Dust about a third of the dry ingredients over the batter and fold in with a large rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in about half the milk. Fold in half the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk. Finally, fold in the last of the dry ingredients just until no streaks of white remain. Use a light hand and do not overmix. Divide the batter among the three prepared cake pans.

6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out on to wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners and let them cool completely, about one hour.

7. Assemble the cake: Place one layer flat side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Slide small strips of waxed paper under the edges to protect the plate from any messiness accumulated while decorating. Pipe (using #12 tip or something similiar) a nice thick band of frosting around the perimeter of the top of the caketo create a little wall to keep your filling from spilling!  Then dump 1/3-1/2 cup of apricot filling into the middle of the cake top and smooth it out to the frosting edges using a flat spatula or knife.  Place the next cake layer on top (be sure to level it before hand if you need to)--and peel off the parchment paper if you forgot. Now repeat the steps of creating a frosting dam and then slathering on the filling. Place the top layer on. Now frost the entire cake! Yum. Decorate as desired. Refrigerate it until it's time to cut it! And keep it refrigerated when it's not being eaten. 

For the Filling:

I adapted 2 recipes to create this yummy tart filling. I liked this because it can be made from dried apricots, lucky for me since it's NOT apricot season and dried was my only option!

12 oz dried apricots, I would recommend chopping them coarsely

1 1/2 c water

1/3-1/2 c lemon juice (don't use any bottled stuff here...if you can use freshly squeezed! And no meyer lemons...you want it to be TART!)

2-4 Tbsp honey

Allow the apricots and water to soak in a saucepan for 2 hours. After 2 hours, place the sauce pan and its contents on the stove. Bring the water and apricots to a simmer over low heat. Place a tight-fitting lid over the sauce pan and simmer for approximately 20 minutes--until the apricots are soft.

Place the apricots and water in a food processor. Add in 1/3 c lemon juice and 2 Tbsp honey. Process on low (with pulses of high) until desired consistency. Think thick baby food. If you want some chunks, fine. If not, keep going!  Adjust lemon juice and honey according to your taste preference. I wanted a very tart filling to "pop" against the cake flavor so I used 1/2 c lemon juice and about 3 Tbsp honey.

Once it's reached your desired consistency and flavor, pour it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. 

For the frosting:

2 sticks of butter, cold

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup honey *

1/4 c full fat sour cream

1/4 c full fat heavy whipping cream **

*Tip: Spray your measuring cup with non stick cooking spray before you measure the honey, it will all pour out and leave zero mess to scrape out!

** I used whipping cream but I'm wondering about full-fat greek yogurt or just upping the sour cream to a full 1/2 cup

In a large mixing bowl (with a paddle attachment) soften the butter for a few minutes on low speed. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Gradually increase the speed until you have a thick paste consistency. Add in the honey and sour cream/cream, now mix on low until it's all incorporated and gradually increase speed until you achieve the desired whipped consistency. If you want thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. 

Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 min before using it to frost the cake

Sugar Cookies

Over the years I have tried at least 10 different sugar cookie recipes in search of the perfect roll-out cookie. I have delicious drop sugar cookies and variations of sugar cookie recipes but I could not find a good roll-out recipe that didn't poof or distort or taste gross.  What kind of mother could I be without a good roll-out sugar cookie recipe?!  I have FINALLY found one!!

I doubled this recipe and it made about 2-3 doz med-large-ish cookies. I also used grated orange zest this last time because I was out of lemons. They were still yum. I don't know that I'll ever use another roll-out recipe again. This one is great tasting, perfect texture and stays true to it's shape. 

Roll-out Sugar Cookies

2½ cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon zest

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. In a one-cup measuring cup, lightly beat the egg with the extracts.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer), beat the butter and salt on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer running, gradually pour in the sugar; add the lemon zest. Beat on medium until fluffy, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, pour in the egg mixture and continue beating until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and mix just until evenly blended.

3. Lightly knead the dough to form a ball, press it into a disk 1-inch thick, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Adjust a rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375F. If you’ve chilled the dough overnight, it’ll need to sit at room temperature for half an hour or so to soften slightly. On a very lightly floured sheet of wax paper with a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thick. Cut cookies using a floured cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps, always using as little flour as necessary. ** to add sprinkles on top brush the shapes with a bit of water and sprinkle them on prior to baking. 

5. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 5-9 minutes, until they no longer look wet on top. The baking time will depend on the size of the cookies you’ve cut. You don’t want the bottoms to be browned, except for maybe just a bit on the edges. Let the cookies rest for a couple minutes on the sheets before transferring them to cooling racks to finish cooling. Decorate as desired.

** I cooked mine for 12 min or so at 350F and they were perfect; they were also a bit thicker than 1/4 in. 

Honey Wheat Bread

This one is for Reba G.  I have had a handful of people in the past few months ask me about making bread. I guess they think I might know something about it. Well, I do make bread, on occasion. So I decided to do a photo tutorial for those who might be novice to the bread-making world and who do not own a bread-maker. I am not a fan of bread makers, but to each his own.  As for recipes, most bread recipes revolve around the same set of ingredients and the same instructions, more or less. But there are slight variations you will come across and these variations often will make or break a recipe in my opinion. After trying a good 8-10 recipes over the past 5 years I have "mine".

Now, as for cost...these loaves break down to be only slightly cheaper than the bread I buy at the store (when it's on sale).  I recommend buying good whole wheat flour. I like the Gold Medal White Whole Wheat. I also like the King Aurther line of flours, they just are more pricey so when I'm feeling flush I'll splurge on them but I usually stick to the less costly options. Now, as for healthier...well, it probably is simply because it's made right here in my kitchen by me and it has no preservatives or additives or funny colorings.  It does take time though...and I'm an impatient sort so some weeks I make bread and some weeks I just pick a loaf or 2 at the store. =)  But onto the topic at hand...

Here is my go-to whole wheat bread recipe. I like this one because it uses honey to sweeten rather than brown sugar.

Makes 1 loaf:
3/4 c warm water (if it feels warm from the tap it's hot enough)
2.5 tsp Fleischman's active dry yeast
3/4 milk
2 Tbsp evoo
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
2 c APF
2 c whole wheat flour
3-5 Tbsp Vital wheat gluten

0. Remove your rings; set them aside in a safe place
1. Place water in large mixing bowl.
2. Add yeast. Stir with a fork.

3. In a small bowl mix milk, oil, and honey

4. Place in microwave for 30-45 sec (Stir it half way through) until it's slightly warm...again, if it feels warm to the touch it's warm enough. It does not need to be terribly warm, much less hot.

5. Dump the milk mixture into the yeast/water. Stir well. Add salt.

You like those little hands and kiddie fork?  I had a little "helper"...

6. Dump in 1 c APF and 1 c whole wheat flour; 3 Tbsp vital wheat gluten. Stir with a fork. It will be sticky. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom well. Stir until you can't see much flour left.

7. Add 1 c APF and 1 c whole wheat flour again. Stir with a fork until it's clumpy. Douse your hands with EVOO and powder your counter with flour and knead the dough using your knuckles--I actually just kneaded mine in the bowl until the very end and then flipped it onto the counter for a few kneads.  Add several tablespoons of flour (you choose which one)  and re-oil your hands as needed until you achieve a nice smooth, elastic dough.  Form into a nice neat ball.

8. Grease a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl; flip it once so the top of the dough is coated lightly with oil/grease.  Now cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set it in a relatively warm place (outside in the summer!) or on your stovetop with the oven on below. Let it sit for an hour or so until it doubles in size. (I forget sometimes about my bread so this loaf actually rose for about 2-3 hours the first time). ***

9. Once it's doubled, take it out of the bowl and slightly roll it out and roll it up jellyroll style into a "loaf". Place it in a lightly greased bread loaf pan and coat the top lightly with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap again. Let it sit and rise for another hour or so.
10. Preheat your oven to 375F. Place on the middle rack in the middle of the oven and bake 25-35 min until it thumps and sounds "hollow". $$$

I lined my loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly sprayed it with non-stick spray...it makes for a much easier, quicker clean-up!

***At this point you can freeze it by placing it in a lightly greased ziplock bag and getting all the air out. Immediately place it in the freezer.  To bake, remove from freezer, remove from bag; place in lightly greased loaf pan and allow it to thaw completely, come to room temp and rise until it's ready to bake.  Bake at 375 for 25-35 min.
$$$ you may have to loosely cover the loaf with foil about 1/2-3/4 way through the cooktime to prevent it from burning on the top; I usually cover mine after about 20 min.
Remove, dump out, cool and eat it all up!!

Brownies

 Does it get much better than brownies?! Chocolate. Cakey, but still kind of fudgey. Cookie-ish. One-pan wonders. They are the workhorse of baked goods I think. As I previously mentioned in the pear tart post, Senor requested brownies this week. For once, I was sad he had chosen a chocolate dish.

 Now, don't think for a second that prevented me from eating some, because it didn't. I had come across a recipe in SL and it had, of course, some tempting photos of brownies with variations on the basic recipe listed. Senor scoured the page and settled on the cream-cheese swirl brownies. I was sort of hoping he'd pick the Rocky Road Brownies (what, with marshmallows, pecans, chocolate sauce?! What could be lacking?) or perhaps the caramel turtle ones...again, pecans, brownie and caramel. No downsides I can see. He was firm in his decision so the cream-cheese swirled brownies were born. I think they're alright.

Maybe I'm just not in the mood for them I don't know; they just have not wowed me in any particular way. Senor, on the other hand has raved about them all week. So if you're in the mood for brownies and want to try something a little daring...have at these. They certainly aren't repulsive or inedible. I think I just wasn't in a brownie mood this week.

 Simple Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
4 oz unsweetened chocolate baking bar, chopped
3/4 c butter
2 c sugar
4 large eggs
1 c all-purpose flour

 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

 1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwave-safe bowl on high 1- 1.5 min or until melted and smooth; stirring at 30 second intervals. Whisk in the sugar and eggs until well blended. Stir in flour. Spread the batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  (you can only schmear half the batter, then dollop cream cheese mixture --as directed below and then finish off with the remaining brownie batter if you like...they're your swirl brownies!)
3. In separate mixing bowl beat cream cheese, 1/4 c sugar, 1 egg yolk and vanilla at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth.
4. Dollop cream cheese mixture over brownie mixture and swirl together using a paring knife. Bake 35-40 min. Cool. Eat. Reflect. Consider future variations on the simple brownie recipe. Drink some milk.