I can’t find my camera cord…so no picture today. Bummer. I even have some great shots of my messy, tiny kitchen and itsy-bitsy oven so you could all feel bad for me. It’s a happy day, though…my cookie sheets just barely fit in the oven. Yippee!

We have had such an amazing show of support from friends this past week – not living near any family, we really needed it. If you were one of the people who fed us, packed and/or moved our stuff, or took care of our daughters…THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

MONDAY:
- Eat at friends’ home

TUESDAY:
- Paninis

WEDNESDAY:
- Pancakes

WEDNESDAY:
- Spaghetti

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers (um, yeah, I realize we may not have leftovers from the previous meals…whatever)

FRIDAY:
- Eat out

SATURDAY:
- I think a soup of some sort…that’s about all my brain can handle right now.

SUNDAY:
- Something GOOD. A real home cooked meal. Any suggestions?

Time to post your menu for the week! I think by next week I’ll be back in cooking business, so I’ll certainly use your menus for inspiration!

Today we have a very special treat! Allow me to introduce you to Katie Goodman, a food blogger who’s blog goodLife {eats} is full of great recipes and writing, and beautiful photography. She’s done oodles of food writing (including for Paula Deen!) and I’m so excited to have her writing for This Week for Dinner today! She also regularly comments and posts weekly menus here on my blog, which automatically earns you 100 points in my book {wink wink}. I’m so happy to have Katie as a friend and I hope you enjoy her post.

Hi everyone! I am Katie from goodLife {eats}. I have been a fan of This Week for Dinner since I read Jane’s guest posts on Design Mom way back. I was so excited to find a blog devoted to helping with meal plans and have been hooked since then. Last year I was able to meet Jane at BlogHer Food, and was so thrilled to make such a sweet, new friend. Thank you, Jane, for having me here to guest post!

This recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry Soup is one of our favorite soup recipes. It is so simple, yet it is so full of flavor. I always try to keep my pantry stocked with coconut milk. I like to use “lite” coconut milk, because it has less fat and calories, but you can’t really tell any difference in the taste. When bell peppers are on sale, you can buy extra and flash freeze them for later.

All in all, I think it is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for a busy night, because it doesn’t really take much time to prepare. If you are really pressed for time, which I’m sure we all are sometimes, you can add the chicken (uncooked), broth, coconut milk, jalapeno and curry powder to the crock pot for a few hours on low. When the chicken is cooked through, just take it out to shred it and put it back in. Then add the lime juice, sautéed onion, bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro and let it cook for a few minutes (until the peppers are tender crisp). You definitely won’t be sorry you spent some of your valuable time on this recipe!

Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

• olive oil
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, minced
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 small red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups freshly cooked jasmine rice

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked through and golden. Remove chicken and set aside. Sauté the onion, adding more oil if necessary, until tender.

Return the chicken to the pot with the onions. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, curry powder and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro and simmer an additional 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice into 4 bowls and top with a ladle or two of soup. Garnish with additional cilantro and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. Serve.

It’s rainy and cold here in the Bay Area. I have a sneaking suspicion it’s a lot colder elsewhere, too. So how about some smoky, warm, cozy corn chowder?

This recipe is from my friend Adrianne’s mom. (Adrianne just had a baby! Welcome to the world, Baby Claire!) Adrianne is an excellent cook – every recipe or cooking advice she’s given me has always been spot on. This recipe is no exception. It’s a fairly straightforward crock pot recipe. The bacon gives it a nice salty and smoky flavor. And, despite the fact it contains half & half AND cheese, the soup is not too thick, but instead has a great consistency.

I have a few other corn chowder recipes posted at this link from a Call for Recipes I did ages ago, in case you feel like shopping around for more corny recipes.

Corn Chowder
From Adrianne Campbell’s Mom
2 small onions, chopped
4 slices of bacon
2 celery stalks,chopped
2 potatoes, chopped (Jane note: I leave the skins on, but you can peel them if you like)
4 cups corn (frozen or canned)
4 cups chicken broth
*****************************
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 1/2 cups cream or half n’ half
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cook onions, bacon & celery, put in slow cooker. Add potatoes, corn, broth, bay leaf, salt & pepper. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Take bay leaf out and throw away. On the stove top, melt butter, add the flour so it makes a paste. Cook until light brown. Slowly add the cream to the paste, heat until it thickens. DO NOT BOIL! Move it from the heat, add the cheese and mix until melted. Add this mixture to the slow cooker mixture. Stir well and serve.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you!

I have a fun giveaway for you today…this totally hip and adorable apron from Puking Pastilles, custom made to fit YOU! Seriously, how cool is this apron? I especially love how good it looks on my blog…too bad my blog doesn’t need an apron.

The winner’s apron will be made by Georgia, the talent behind the Puking Pastilles Etsy shop. I love supporting talented moms who start wonderful businesses…Georgia’s company is no exception. If you like to sew, check out their patterns (which are currently on sale…but not for long!). If you don’t sew, then hop on over and check out their “Learn to Sew” series on YouTube!

Lucky for you non-sewers out there, the giveaway involves no sewing whatsoever. The apron will arrive ready to throw on so you can cook in style!

To enter the giveaway, visit the Puking Pastilles Etsy shop, pick out your favorite sewing pattern and leave a comment on this post telling us which one it is! My favorite is definitely the reusable grocery bag – super cute and roomy. Please leave your comment before Midnight PT, Monday, March 1, 2010. (Prize can be shipped only to a U.S. address. Thank you!) The randomly-selected winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 2.

Good luck to everyone! And big thanks to Puking Pastilles for a perfectly lovely prize!

This is my life for the next week.

Which is why my menu is pretty much absent of any real cooking. We move on Saturday (staying in the same town, for the curious minds out there). I have a LOT of packing to get done before then…plus our regular day-to-day life to attend to. But it will be FUN FUN FUN! (How’s that for a positive affirmation?)

MONDAY:
- Pancakes

TUESDAY:
- Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY:
- Spaghetti

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers (um, yeah, I realize we may not have leftovers from the previous meals…whatever)

FRIDAY:
- Eat out

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- I have no idea. I’m hoping our new place has a Jetsons-type kitchen that does the cooking.

PLEASE share your menus! You need to inspire one another! My boring, busy life is encroaching on my weekly menus…hopefully in a week or two we’ll be back to normal! As always, thank you for sharing your menus every week. I love seeing them!

I know. It’s Friday. The last think you want is homework. But I’m giving it to you anyway…but it’s fun homework, I promise!

I have a few cups of macadamia nuts in the cupboard begging to be used. So, bring it on! Give us your best and most favorite recipes using macadamia nuts, savory or sweet! The only thing I have to offer is the recipe from last week for Chunky Blonde Blondies. Which, by the way, are very good, but I’m wanting more macadamia options!

Not only are macadamia nuts tasty, but very good for you…read more about them here. So that means we can go macadamia nut crazy! Enveloping them in chocolate and butter doesn’t affect their health factor, right?

Can’t wait to see what recipes you have…these Call for Recipes posts always generate such great stuff. Thanks, everyone!

I recently picked up a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran Hot Cereal. Our girls love hot cereal so I thought we’d give it a try. On the back was a recipe for oat bran muffins.  I love bran muffins, so I had to make the recipe. (I’ve yet to cook hot cereal with our bag of oat bran!)

I made quite a few adaptations to the recipe – it was far too healthy. Our muffins came out light and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness.  I used a mini muffin tin and was popping muffins like candy. (Side note: Cate, my 5-year-old, gave me the muffin tin for Christmas and I LOVE it. What a smart little girl. Mini muffins are my new fave.)

Oat Bran Muffins
From Jane Maynard (adapted from the back of the Bob’s Red Mill package)

• 3/4 cup pastry flour (the Bob’s Red Mill recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour, but I didn’t have that on hand. If anyone tries the recipe with another flour – all-purpose, whole wheat, etc – please comment and let us know how it goes!)
• 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill oat bran cereal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup banana (1 medium) mashed
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Mix liquid ingredients in separate bowl. Combine the two mixtures and stir until moistened. Lightly grease or line muffin tin with paper cups. Fill 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Makes 10-12 muffins. (If you use mini muffin tins like I did, bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes 24 mini muffins.)

Don’t miss my post on Make & Takes today! Cate and I had a lot of fun stenciling our brownies with powdered sugar!

Time to announce the winner of the Scharffen Berger giveaway!

Lisa, who said, “These look delicious! Who doesn’t like chocolate… especially on Valentines Day!!”

Congratulations, Lisa! Lucky Lisa will receive a copy of the cookbook Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate, in addition to a Scharffen Berger 9.7-oz 99% Cacao Unsweetened Baking Bar and a 70% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Bar. Have fun, Lisa! If you didn’t win, you can buy the book here! Scharffen Berger chocolate can be purchased at specialty stores like Whole Foods or on the Scharffen Berger website.

I have another giveaway around the corner, so stay tuned!

Also, the recipe for these beautiful truffles can be found on the original giveaway post!

Big thanks to Scharffen Berger for a perfectly Valentinesy giveaway!

I haven’t mentioned my Eat Less Meat Challenge lately, so thought it was time for a quick update…along with a recipe! The challenge is going very well! We’ve definitely been eating less meat overall and we are not feeling deprived one bit. I think knowing we can still eat meat occasionally really makes the whole challenge realistic for us, and we still feel like we’re making a difference. I’m so happy that I set this resolution and, for those of you who have joined along in the challenge, I hope you’re having an equally positive experience!

Last week I made Creamy Potato Leek soup, adapted from an Emeril Lagasse recipe. Our whole family enjoyed the soup, especially our 2 year old! The soup has a nice creamy texture without having to use cream. It’s a nice mild soup yet still full of flavor. I love leeks and pretty much love any soup that has them in the recipe. Without further ado…

Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Adapted from an Emeril Lagasse recipe
– 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped, white and green parts
- 2 minced garlic cloves (I used my garlic press)
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Appx 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add leeks, cook while stirring until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add vegetable broth and potatoes. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are tender, ~30 minutes.

Blend soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to pot and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Makes 4-6 servings.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Cate sends her love. So does Anna.

We are moving in two weeks (just across town, but a pain nonetheless). I have started packing. The house is a mess. On top of moving I have training for a new job, my regular job, my food photo job…oh, and being the best mom and wife ever. When it rains it pours, huh? Bottom line…we are going with EASY, effortless food. I don’t even care if it’s good!

MONDAY:
- Spaghetti

TUESDAY:
- Hot Dogs…and salad, to make it healthy

WEDNESDAY:
- Oriental Chicken Salad

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Pancakes

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Barbecue with our neighbors

Seriously, the next few weeks we REALLY need your menus to inspire one another, since my menus will be less than exciting. Bring it on! Share your menus!

Once Valentine’s Day is over, I’ll let you eat dinner again.  But I’m going to force you to have a little more chocolate today. Sorry. I know it’s torture.

For our Super Bowl shindig last week, my friend Rachel made cupcakes in addition to the homemade oreos I shared with you yesterday. I love these cupcakes. We all kept debating back and forth about which we liked better – cupcakes, oreos, cupcakes, oreos. It was a close race, but these chocolate-packed cups of heaven won.

The cupcake recipe is from The Pioneer Woman. As always, she provides beautiful step-by-step photos. Everything about these cupcakes is great. The actual cake part in and of itself is fantastic. The Hershey kiss hiding inside…oo la la! And the ganache icing…to die for.

A few quick notes.

• Rachel said the recipe made a TON of ganache, enough for a double batch of cupcakes.
• The cupcakes are really heavenly served warm. Since Rachel had made them the day before, when we were ready to indulge, we put the cupcakes in a 250-degree oven for 7 minutes. They came out PERFECTLY.

Life by Chocolate Cupcakes
From Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman (and one of my favorite people)
Cupcakes
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- ½ cups Buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, put 1/2 TBSP of lemon juice or vinegar in your 1/2 cup, fill the rest with milk and let it sit for 5 minutes)
- 2 whole Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Butter
- 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Water, Boiling
- 18 whole Hershey’s Kisses, Unwrapped

Ganache
- 8 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 6 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with baking spray.
2. To make the cake batter, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate container, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.
4. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds, then turn off heat.
5. Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Stir a few times to cool the chocolate. Pour buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine.
6. Pour 1/4 cup cake batter into each muffin cup. Lightly set one kiss in the middle of each cupcake; do not press down.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove cupcakes and allow to cool on a baking rack.
8. To make the ganache, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat. Chop chocolate and add to a bowl. Add vanilla to cream mixture, then pour cream mixture over the top of the chopped chocolate. Whisk together until melted, smooth, and glossy.
9. Dunk cupcakes in ganache. Allow to cool and set before serving.
10. Additional step from Jane: To reheat cupcakes, place in a 250-degree oven for 7 minutes.

Thanks again to my friend Rachel for spoiling my family with such delicious desserts! And thanks to Ree for a wonderful cupcake recipe! And Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

No matter your opinion of Valentine’s Day, we can all agree it’s a good excuse to binge on chocolate, right? So, that’s what I’m giving you this week.  Chocolate. Because that, my friends, is how I show my love.

For the Super Bowl, my friend Rachel made us two utterly delectable chocolate treats. Today I share with you her homemade oreos.  Tomorrow…well, it’s a surprise! But it is most certainly Valentine’s Day worthy!

I’m not a huge fan of store-bought Oreos. I know, how can I call myself an American? But even I, the evil Oreo-disser, loved these cookies. It’s certainly a derivative of the classic Oreo, but much so much better.

Rachel found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen, one of the best food blogs out there.

Homemade Oreos
Adapted by Deb (Smitten Kitchen) from Retro Desserts by Wayne Brachman

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

Chocolate Wafers:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
- 1 large egg

Filling:
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Thank you, Deb, for a great recipe! Thank you, Rachel, for making them for us!

This giveaway is now closed. But be sure to scroll down for the amazing truffle recipe!!!

I love Scharffen Berger. Why, you may wonder? Maybe because they sent me free chocolate to make these amazing truffles. Or maybe because their milk chocolate is absolutely to DIE for, so rich, yet so creamy…how is it even possible? Or maybe just because it’s fun to say their name. Scharffen Berger. Scharffen Berger. Scharffen Berger. Fun, right?

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Scharffen Berger is hosting a giveaway! One randomly-selected winner will win a copy of the cookbook Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate, in addition to a Scharffen Berger 9.7-oz 99% Cacao Unsweetened Baking Bar and a 70% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Bar to get you started with your gourmet chocolate baking!

To enter the contest, simply add a comment to this post by Midnight PT, Tuesday, February 16. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 16. Good luck!

Click (more…) below for the Scotch Truffle Hearts recipe pictured in this post, just one of the amazing recipes from the cookbook you just might win!

(more…)

Wall-E wishes you a Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Seriously, doesn’t this cheesy bread look like Wall-E? We were pretty excited about it yesterday when I accidentally created this adorably cute snack for Cate.

MONDAY:
- Leek & Potato Soup

TUESDAY:
- Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY:
- Oriental Chicken Salad

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner (probably waffles)

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Chicken Piccata

I know you’re all busy partying…but you still gotta eat this week! Plan a menu in between commercials (oh, is that when the game is on?) and please share it with us. Can’t wait to see what you have planned!

Why is there a picture of an empty plate? Because this recipe is so good by the time you’re done serving it up, the plates will be empty lickity split!

Okay, actually, I didn’t get a decent picture of the chicken. It looks more like a pile of cheese. A delicious pile of cheese, but not much like chicken. Trust me, there is delicious, tender chicken hiding in there. I didn’t spend any time plating this dish because I just wanted to eat it!

My mom’s friend Jen shared this recipe with me in the early days of my blog. It has become one of our favorites and a quick go-to meal. Enjoy!

BISTRO CHICKEN
From Jen Schulte
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I usually do two, but the amount of sauce could handle probably 4-6 breasts)
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 14-oz can diced tomatoes (I get petite diced)
- Italian seasoning (or a few shakes of oregano, basil, parsley and garlic powder)
- 1 can Campbell’s French Onion soup
- Swiss cheese, sliced

I cut my chicken breasts into thirds and pound them thin before browning, but the recipe didn’t originally call for that. Brown the chicken breasts in a medium-high skillet in oil or butter. Remove and place in casserole dish.

Cook onions in skillet for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, french onion soup and cook together to reduce liquid for 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken in the casserole dish, top with Swiss cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I like to serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

Addendum after comments have come in: the last few times I’ve made it I haven’t used the entire can of french onion soup. I put all the broth in, but I only put maybe half of the onions from the can in. for me, it’s the right balance. the first time I made it, though, I followed the recipe to a “t” and we still liked it, so feel free to modify or not according to your tastes!

Are you ready for the Super Bowl? I’m not. But I DO have the plan together! I thought I would share the menu and give you all the opportunity to share your own Super Bowl ideas, plans and recipes!

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I’ve written about this Sweet Chex Mix in connection with the Super Bowl before (click here for the recipe). I make it just once a year for the Super Bowl because it is so good that if I made it more often, I would most certainly have an addiction issue.

In addition to the Sweet Chex Mix we will be having:

• Mexican 7-Layer Dip
• Spinach Artichoke Dip (this is one of my better recipes, people. I’ve nailed it. Not to get all conceited or anything.)
• Cupcakes (my friend is making this amazing-looking recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I can’t WAIT to eat them.)
• Homemade oreos (cupcake friend is making these, too. she is too good to us.)
• Frozen cheese pizza…keeping it simple and the kiddos happy
• Buffalo wings
• These quichey appetizer thingies that another friend is bringing over
• Soda

I think that is sufficiently unhealthy, don’t you? Party on!

Please feel free to share your Super Bowl menu plans as well!

Last night I peeled a few potatoes to go along with dinner. Along with making salads, this is one of my least favorite kitchen tasks. At least until last November, when I cooked Thanksgiving dinner with a good friend of mine. As we were peeling potatoes, she started to talk about her father, who passed away a few years ago from cancer. She was very close to him and the pain of that loss is still quite tangible. She recounted how her dad was an amazing potato peeler, super fast and efficient at this seemingly random task. I learned that he had honed his potato peeling skills in the military, where he regularly rotated through that duty. Peeling potatoes always reminds her of her father, this good man that she misses so dearly. And now peeling potatoes reminds me of my friend and that moment we had together reminiscing about someone so dear to her.

Smells, tastes, sounds…they all can elicit powerful memories. Last night as I was peeling away at my potatoes, I was thinking how the act of preparing food can cause the same flood of memory. Nate’s Gram Maynard was an angel who we all loved more than I can describe. The night I heard the news that she had succumbed to a very quick and painful bout of pancreatic cancer, I was in the process of making dinner. I hung up the phone and cried my way through chopping tomatoes. The song I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You by Colin Hay was playing while I chopped, which further fed the sadness I was feeling. To this day, every time my knife breaks through the skin of a tomato, the emotion of that night overcomes me.  Sometimes I cry, but most often chopping tomatoes simply causes me to take a moment to remember this great woman I was blessed to have in my life.

The act of cooking and preparing food is oftentimes an act of love. We are nourishing ourselves and those close to us in the most basic and necessary way possible. It comes as no surprise to me that the act of making food can be so strongly associated with certain memories.  I am grateful for these moments that force me to ponder the people I love, to think about why I love them, why I am grateful they are in my life and, in some cases, why I miss them so much.

I’ve been feeling very subdued and thoughtful the last few weeks. Good friends of ours just suffered a tragic loss in their family – a young, vibrant, wonderful 19-year old boy who had everything to offer the world who fell victim to the debilitating effects of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and took his own life.  My heart has broken for him, for his amazing parents and for his family members. And I have been feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for every moment I have with my own children and husband. I am hugging them more and playing more Go Fish {and trying not to cry at the drop of a hat}. Life is too short, I need to embrace every moment I am blessed with.

As you prepare your food, let it be an act of love rather than a simple, mundane task. Let the act of cooking remind of you a time gone by. And while you’re at it, hug your loved ones extra hard tonight.

I love the idea of “blondies,” but whenever I bake them they’re never that great. I just can’t find a decent recipe. When I was a kid, I remember my mom and her sisters finding a recipe for macadamia white chocolate blondies that were buttery, rich and delicious. I suppose the trouble with my quest for a good blondie recipe is that no bar can live up to the memory of that particular blondie from years ago, a memory which may or may not be accurate, I know!

I found this post on Sweet and Savory Tooth recently and knew I had to try the recipe for Chunky Blonde Brownies that she shares. Nate was skeptical of yet another blondie endeavor, but in the end he gave his seal of approval. Success! They were very good…especially right out of the oven! And I thought the proportion of batter to the size of the pan was perfect, so they cooked nice and evenly.

The big question: does this recipe live up to the ideal in my head? As Larry David might say, it’s pretty pretty pretty pretty close.

Chunky Blonde Blondies
From Taste of Home Baking Book, via Heather
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chips
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped, divided

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the white chips, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup nuts. (Jane note: for the 1/2 cup that I mixed into the batter, I pulsed the nuts in my Cuisinart processor, so they got chopped up pretty good. I liked how the small bits spread throughout the batter. For the 1/4 cup of nuts I sprinkled on top, I hand chopped for a little bit bigger pieces.)

Spoon into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan; spread to evenly cover bottom of pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top begins to crack and is golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack, then cut into bars. Makes about 2 dozen bars