Any chefs on here?

[casil403]

Mmmmmm...I love homemade soup!
Thanks Kat. I''m gonna try this this week. I've got some potatoes and some ham left over from dinner this week!

[casil403]

Can't get enough of these guys! If you like Banana bread, you'll love these!
From Martha Stewart's "Cookie" book...page 170

Banana Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies - makes about 3 dozen
350 degree oven - 12-14 minutes
1C all purpose four
1/2C whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4C soft butter
1/2C white sugar
1/2C brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 large over-ripe banana, mashed
1C oatmeal
8 ounces of chocolate chips (I add about 1/2 to 1 cup instead)
1/2C pecans or walnuts (optional)

Mix together dry ingredients - flour, salt, soda,nutmeg in a bowl and set aside
Mix together with an electric mixer in a separate bowl the butter and both sugars mixing until combined and it looks pale and fluffy...add the egg and vanilla and keep beating.
Mix in the mashed banana next.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Next add the oatmeal, the chocolate chips and the nuts until it becomes a dough.

Drop dough by spoonful on baking sheets lined with parchment paper with space between them as the cookies will spread a bit when baking.

Bake cookies, rotating halfway through until golden brown and just set.
Let cool and store in airtight containers and freeze or eat...we generally eat these up pretty quick when I make them!

*I also add ground flax seed to make them healthier...usually about 1/4 cup per batch.
*Unsweetened chocolate also works well with these cookies too!

[Gem]

Thought I'd revive this thread =) Earlier this week I made Spanakopita with very helpful directions from Casil! I was gonna post a picture, but I kept eating them and forgot (I LOVE these things!). Anyhoo, I made some more today and thought I'd share. It was my first time working with phyllo and I learned a few things O_O

1)Holy hell! Work FAST!
2)There is such a thing as too much butter.
3)There is also such a thing as making the sheets too moist that the break apart.
4)Put lots and lots of feta. LOTS.
5)There has to be an easier way to squeezing the water out of spinach O_O

I can't bake for the life of me, so it's a minor miracle I didn't burn the house down in the process.

[casil403]

AWESOME work Gem! Those look outstanding!

[JAS_Photo]

Lol, good job! Personally I hate the things.

[Gem]

Lol, good job! Personally I hate the things.

BLASPHEMY!


Ha, thanks both! I ended up eating most...I just can't resist them

[edbayani11]

i just hope i'll be still around when the geeks from microsoft and the other IT geniuses invent attachments that can send real food via email!

[JAS_Photo]

Ha ha, that would be good, Ed or you can just tell a machine what you want and it is concocted from thin air a la Star Trek.

[casil403]

Oh and Gem too......

http://www.flickr.com/groups/recipes/

[casil403]

Okay time to revive this thread...it's january and not much else to do so why not bake and cook?
I took these to school this week and they were very well received...I didn't take a picture of them before they were gobbled up!
Thanks Rebar cookbook for this one!!!

Killer Peanut Butter Squares with Milk Chocolate and Oats
Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

The recipe suggests you can drizzle the finished squares with melted chocolate after icing them.

Yields 8"x8" pan

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz (120 g) milk chocolate, chopped into large chunks

Icing
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp soft butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8" x 8" pan and set aside. Cream together the butter, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

2. Combine the oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add this to the butter/peanut butter mix and stir well. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Spread into the prepared pan and bake 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Prepare the icing by creaming together the peanut butter, butter and vanilla. Blend in icing sugar. Stir in cream until you get a nice spreading consistency, using more if necessary.

4. Divide into squares and serve.