Accidental tweaks still make delicious bars

Every week this year I think that we just need to get through this week and then things will calm down, but that's not happening, so we just keep plugging away at all the things and keep going. It was meeting time at our house - so time to bake. Our apple trees are both bursting with fruit - so an apple pie was on the plan - but these guys love chocolate... so these Fudge Nut Bars were also on the menu. Did I run out of oatmeal? Oh my yes. Did one of my kids fill my semi-sweet chocolate chip container with milk chocolate? Um... yeah... So - these had some tweaks accidentally because that's how life works sometimes. Let's just say these bars flew off the table - the pie? Not as much - these guys don't like serving themselves a piece of pie... next time I dish them up myself. I took the left over bars to work and my coworkers quickly ate them up. Never underestimate the hunger of IT professionals!

Classic Fudge Nut Bars
2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
2 cups Light Brown Sugar (lightly packed)
2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 cups Quick Oats
chocolate pecan fudge layer
12 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Chopped Pecans

Generously spray a 13 inch x 9 inch baking pan. Set to the side.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set to the side.
Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until well blended. The mixture will also be mushy. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Switch the mixer speed to low, gradually adding in the whisked dry mixture until just combined.
Fold in the quick oats using a spoon or spatula. Do not mix this with your hand or stand mixer.
Spread and press down approximately ⅔ of the oatmeal cookie base onto your prepared 13 inch x 9 inch pan. Because the mixture is pretty sticky, you might find it easier to use either a spatula sprayed with baking spray or your clean hands. The remaining amount of oatmeal cookie base is used as a topping over the chocolate pecan fudge layer.
Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Using a heavy bottom saucepan stir together the semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract over medium heat until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Add in the chopped pecans then remove from heat.
Immediately pour over top of the oatmeal cookie base, using a spatula or spoon to spread it out evenly.
With the reserved oatmeal cookie base, add small- and medium-size chunks to the top of the chocolate pecan fudge layer.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF. The oatmeal cookie chunks should be a nice light to medium golden brown with the fudge having a shiny top.
Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan before cutting them.

All the tomatoes and basil

It's the season of tomatoes and basil at our house - which means we need to either dry the herbs - which I've done or can the tomatoes - which I've also done. So let's use it fresh and find a way to enjoy it. I saw this recipe for Bruschetta Pasta Salad and figured I couldn't go too wrong on it. I love bruschetta and add it to pasta? Yes. Andy grilled some chicken, we picked up some fresh picked corn in out neighborhood - a local farmer sets it out extra for people to take, and we had a fresh delicious dinner! I used different shaped pasta because I could. Why not mix it up a bit? I did not use cheese in this - Bronwyn isn't always a super fan of cheese so I left it out. I think we could have used more olive oil but to be honest - I went to have some a few days later and it was all gone - Andy enjoyed all the left overs. I did add Red Wine Vinegar too because that's how I make my bruschetta. Now I think I should make regular bruschetta... ALL the garlic and basil! Either way... on toasted bread or with pasta - both delicious and worth the fresh grown ingredients.

Bruschetta Pasta Salad
4 Vine Ripen Tomatoes, or any variety, diced
1/2 small Red Onion, diced
2 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt, more or less to taste
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
5 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
Parmesan Cheese, Burrata, Crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese, as desired, optional
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar Glaze, as desired
500 g Spaghetti Pasta, or pasta of choice

Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta (500g) and cook according to package directions or until al dente.
In the meantime, make the bruschetta. Dice tomatoes and onion, set aside in a medium bowl. Add fresh basil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and 3 tbsp olive oil to the serving bowl. Stir to combine, set mixture aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta has boiled.
When the pasta has finished cooking to al dente, drain, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and transfer to a large heatproof serving bowl or skillet. Add bruschetta to the pasta and toss together until well combined; season to taste if needed. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, top with extra basil, cheese (optional), and black pepper if desired and serve immediately!

Swirled with conditioner and love

First off... measuring ingredients by weight can be annoying... especially when you are trying to put things directly into the mixer, I'm not sitting my mixer on top of the scale, but dirty another bowl? Ok... I guess... but you have fewer measuring spoons and cups to get dirty... so maybe that's the good part? I really did like this recipe and some of the practical ways it makes cinnamon swirly better. You make two layers and roll them together - more swirl! You also spritz the dough with water so the filling sticks. In my case I borrowed a spray bottle from my kid... thinking it was water... then she rushed over... "oh what are you doing with this? Oh it has a little conditioner in it..." We were committed... It was OK, it didn't taste weird and maybe our insides were conditioned. This was perfect toasted with butter on it for Sunday morning breakfast! The swirls got gooey and oh so delicious! Way better than the store brand, maybe a tad heavier, but still pretty stinkin' good!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
400 grams all-purpose flour
8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
7 grams instant yeast
3 grams ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
236 grams warm water (90°F)
20 grams olive oil
8 grams honey
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
132 grams sugar (⅔ cup)
16 grams ground cinnamon (2 tablespoons)
14 grams all-purpose flour (1 tablespoon, tightly packed)

Mix. Mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add warm water, honey, and olive oil. Mix with the dough hook, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass on the dough hook and clears the sides of the bowl.
Knead. Increase the speed to low-medium and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic. The dough may cling slightly to the walls of the bowl but should pull away cleanly.
Rise. Tuck the edges of the dough under to create a ball of dough with a smooth top. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rise in the fridge for 1 hour.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and press it loosely into a square shape. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half so you have two long rectangles. Roll each rectangle out so that they're approximately 7x14 inches.
Spritz the surface of one rectangle with water, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges clear. Spritz the top of the cinnamon sugar mixture, then place the second dough rectangle on top of the other, sandwiching the filling in between them.
Carefully lift the dough around the edges to release any air bubbles inside, then pinch the edges of the two layers of dough together. Spritz the surface of the dough with water again, and sprinkle all over with the remaining cinnamon sugar, this time going all the way to the edges.
Roll it up. Roll the rectangle up into a tight spiral log, trying to keep the edges even using the sides of your hands to guide the dough as you roll.
Rise again. Place the rolled-up log of dough in a lightly greased small pullman loaf pan with the seam side on the bottom. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until the dough doubles in size.
During the final 30 minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake. Right before baking, take a toothpick or a long cake tester and poke 4-5 holes down the center of the loaf to allow steam to escape. Bake the cinnamon swirl bread in the center of a 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 195° for doneness.
Cool. Carefully turn the baked loaf out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Garden bursting at the seams - need recipes!

Our garden has produced some great veggies this summer and the zucchini do not want to be left out of that party. I usually make zucchini bread and muffins but saw this recipe and decided to give it a try. A few things - I would not use giant zucchini - so many seeds! Oops. Also I added extra seasoning to the bread crumbs. Some garlic powder and onion powder for good measure. This recipe was easy enough, coat and bake, layer and bake. I served with extra sauce and some spaghetti noodles. The kids weren't super fans, which I didn't think they would be - to be honest - but they at their serving anyway. Andy really liked it - but suggested smaller zucchini - duly noted!

Layered Zucchini Parmesan
3 large zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch coins
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated and divided in half
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce, homemade or bottled
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Blot zucchini coins with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place zucchini in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat each piece. In a separate bowl, combine half the parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.
2. Dip each zucchini coin into the parmesan mixture, turning to coat and pressing the breading slightly to ensure it sticks. Place breaded zucchini coins in one even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crisp.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a small baking dish with marinara sauce. Layer one third of the crisp zucchini coins over marinara, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle zucchini layer with mozzarella and the remaining parmesan. Repeat the layers 3 times (or until the zucchini is gone, depending on the size of your baking dish) ending with a sprinkling of cheese.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Let it mellow...

I grew up with the same Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe being made. It was good - just always the same. Always the same. I'm a soft cookie person, I like them chewy. I also like to try different recipes - clearly since that's what I post so often - all the recipes!! This recipe was easy and oh the cookies are so good. I loved that I could make the dough a day ahead and then bake them the following day. Food prep is absolutely my jam and I love knowing I can spend a few minutes one day putting it together and then the next day baking it when I have more time. These cookies are great. I used dark chocolate chunks - chef's kiss - so good. Others might suggest semi sweet... blah blah - ok fine. Some of us like dark, others don't. Some of us get a belly ache with milk chocolate. Meh... anyway... whatever chocolate doesn't bother your belly or that you love - add it. Even M&M's would be great! Make these cookies. The recipes doesn't make a ton, so they'll be perfect to whip up and enjoy tomorrow, not today... you need to let that dough mellow, or whatever.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled 5 minutes*
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and appear greasy. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2–3 hours or up to 3 days. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight for less spreading.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, measure 3 scant Tablespoons (about 2 ounces, or 60g) of dough for XL cookies or 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 1.75 ounces, or 50g) of dough for medium/large cookies. Roll into a ball, making sure the shape is taller rather than wide—almost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Repeat with remaining dough. Place 8–9 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. (XL cookies can take closer to 14 minutes.) The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. This is optional and only for looks. After 10 minutes of cooling on the baking sheets, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.