Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies

This recipe is a combination of the peanut butter cookie recipe I learned as a child and the desire to make the classic peanut butter blossom cookies but lacking the Hershey Kisses to do so. While there was an absence of Hershey Kisses in the house there were semi-sweet chocolate chips. This is a quick recipe which makes about 3 dozen cookies. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies (makes 36 cookies)

½ cup (1 stick) butter softened/at room temperature 

 ½ cup sugar 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 egg ½ cup peanut butter 

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon baking powder 

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Place oven rack on middle run setting. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until blended. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix. Add peanut butter. Mix. Add flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix. Gently fold in chocolate chips. 

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto non-stick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 

Bake in oven for 7 – 9 minutes or until bottoms appear lightly browned. 

Cool cookies on wire rack.

Short Plank Potatoes (serves 1-2)

This is a variation of the Potatoes Poupon recipe which I've had in my collection for at least a decade. Not wanting to make 8 servings nor having red potatoes in the house, I chose to scale down the recipe and use the yellow flesh potatoes I had in the house. The end result was something which tasted like a french fry without the salt which was completely consumed within one hour of being removed from the oven. 

 

Short Plank Potatoes 

 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
2 ½ tablespoons deli or brown mustard 
½ teaspoon minced garlic 
¼ teaspoon italian seasoning 
1 pound yellow flesh potatoes such as yukon gold washed and eyes poked out 
 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung. 
 

2) In a medium bowl combine olive oil, mustard, garlic and italian seasoning. 
3) Slice potatoes into planks approximately ¼-inch wide, 1 ½-inch long and 1/8-inch thick. The key is to have the planks all about the same size. 
4) Toss potato planks in oil-mustard mixture until most are evenly coated. 
 

5) Place potato planks in single layer on a cookie sheet. If all planks don't fit, that's okay. If possible, place larger planks on outside of cookie sheet and smaller pieces inside as this will help with even cooking. Lightly spread small amount of oil-mustard mixture over any potato plank not coated. 
6) Bake in 425 degree farenheit oven for 10 – 20 minutes or until majority pieces are lightly browned. 
7) Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes and move to serving dish. 
8) Repeat steps 5 – 7 as many times as needed. 

 
9) Store any leftovers (if there are any) in airtight container in refrigerator. 

 Short Plank Potatoes ready to be served

One Oven Roasted Dumpling Squash

Several years back the farm from which I buy most of my local produce didn't grow any delicata squash as they were unable to get the seeds. Wanting to support the farm and not in the mood to go elsewhere for delicata squash, I bought several dumpling squashes. 

 

Dumpling Squash also known as Sweet Dumpling Squash is a winter squash that looks like a miniature pumpkin with yellow, green and orange striping. When cooked, the skin is edible. This is a variation on my Oven Roasted Delicata Squash recipe requiring one dumpling squash and can be easily doubled or tripled. 

 

One Oven Roasted Dumpling Squash (makes about 3 ½ – 4 cups cooked squash) 

 

1 dumpling squash washed and dried (about 3 ½ – 4 cups)

1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil 

1 ½ teaspoon onion powder 

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder 

 

1. Place oven rack on middle rung. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

 

2. Pierce squash with knife in several places. Place squash on microwave safe dish or paper towel and microwave on high for 3 – 7 minutes or until squash feels warm to the touch. 

 

3. Dice squash into ½ inch cubes, removing seeds and stem in the process. 

 

4. In a large bowl, combine squash, oil, onion powder and garlic powder. 

 

5. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil, tucking in ends. 

 

6. Place squash on cookie sheet, close together but no higher than one layer deep. 

 

7. Place squash in oven on middle rack. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until largest pieces are easily split with fork.  Serve or cool and store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

 

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 as many times as needed.  

Dumpling Squash ready to be cooked

Applesauce Nut Bread (makes one 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ – inch loaf)

On a recent perusal through my revised 13th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, I came across this recipe in the quick breads section. I made it once several years ago finding it quick to make as well as another way to use homemade applesauce. 

 

Applesauce Nut Bread 

 

½ cup shortening 

¼ cup sugar 

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups white flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 cup applesauce 

¾ cup chopped walnuts 

 

Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Butter or grease loaf pan or set aside non-stick loaf pan. 

 

 In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract to sugar mixture and mix well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg to batter and stir well to blend. Stir applesauce and walnuts into the batter. 

 

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Remove bread from pan and cool on rack for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in air-tight container.

No Mayonnaise Tuna Salad for One

This recipe is roughly based on the “Salad Nicoise” recipe in my 13th edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. It's egg-free, dairy-free, anchovy-free, can be mixed in the serving bowl to cut down on the number of dishes to clean afterwards and can be easily doubled to serve two. Using a slightly warm potato gives salad a creamy mouth feel. 

 

1 tablespoon vinegar (red wine vinegar recommended) 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 

¼ teaspoon table salt or 1/16 (pinch) kosher salt (optional)

1/8 - ¼ teaspoon minced garlic 

¼ cup olive oil 

 

1 – 1 ½ cup salad greens (i.e. romaine lettuce, baby spinach, ready to serve salad mix) 

1/3 cup or half of 4 – 5 ounce can tuna fish, drained 

1 small potato or 1 hash brown cooked and diced, slightly warm if possible 

4 black olives 

 

In serving bowl mix the vinegar, pepper, salt (if using) and garlic. Let stand one minute. Stir in olive oil. Add salad greens and toss until coated with dressing. Add tuna fish, potato and olives. Gently toss. Serve. 

 

 

Salad with baby spinach, hash brown, 

tuna and pitted kalamata olives 

ready to serve

 

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles with cheddar cheese

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles with cheddar cheese As with the Ginger Cake and Cucumber Sandwich recipes, this is also from “The Book of Afternoon Tea” by Lesley Mackey. 

 

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles (makes 8 triangles) 

1 (5 ounce) can tuna 

3 medium-sized tomatoes washed and patted dry 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

4 slices bread 

Butter, softened 

 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung setting. 

2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

3) Drain tuna. Into a bowl, place tuna and flake. 

 

4) Slice tomatoes. 

5) Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter. Place buttered sides down on a baking sheet. 

 

6) Spread tuna over bread. Arrange tomato slices on top and cover with cheddar cheese. 

 

7) Bake in pre-heated 400 degree farenheit oven 8-10 minutes, until bubbling. 

 

8) Remove from oven, cool 1 minute, then cut each slice of bread across into 2 triangles. 

 

9) Serve hot.

Cold brew iced tea using teabags (makes 1 pint or 16 ounces)

One of my favorite summer time drinks is iced tea made with tea. As a child, my mother would buy instant iced tea mix which I could not acquire a taste for.

Several years ago, I decided to learn how to make iced tea using tea, not an instant iced tea mix. I found many recipes in my research and settled on this variation from epicurious website using empty pint-size glass jars with lids which have been cleaned. 
 
1 tea bag
16 ounces or 1 pint water either cold or at room temperature 
Lemon juice, optional
Sugar, optional

Place tea bag in cleaned empty pint-size glass jar. Pour water into jar covering tea bag. Affix lid to jar and place in refrigerator for at least 1 ½ hours.

Remove jar from refrigerator. Pour tea into glass or serving pitcher, diluting with water and adding lemon juice or sugar to taste, if desired. 

 

On left: jar ready to be put in refrigerator for cold brew tea. 

On right: cold brew tea ready to be served.