Chocolate-Bran Muffins

Another favorite! My long-ago friend, Elaine McAndrew, gave me this recipe. I think of her each time I make it. Your recipes are part of your legacy. Share them! 

Delicious - and nutritious!

Chocolate-Bran Muffins:

1 - 16 oz. (500 g) pkg double-layer chocolate cake mix

1-1/3 c. (330 mL) water

8 large eggs

1-1/2 c. (375 g) natural wheat bran (see Sickening Blech! Note)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Combine all ingredients, mixing well (as you would for a cake, rather than for most muffins). Spoon into ungreased paper liners in muffin pan, filling each 2/3 full. Bake about 18 min., or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 2-1/2 dozen standard-sized muffins.  These freeze well.

From start to finish ... Less than 30 min.!

Sickening Blech! Note: One fine day, tra-la-tra-lee, I decided to make these with oat bran (which is pebbly) instead of natural wheat bran, which is flaked. They looked and smelled so-o-o-o delicious that I donated them to a community group before I’d sampled them. This is where the “blech!” part came in. I later learned that they were awful. Use only natural wheat bran.

No-Bake Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bars

These five-star cookies taste exactly like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - if not better! I’ve slightly modified the original recipe (from Cruising Cuisine, Kay Pastorius, 1997).

No-Bake Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bars:

1 c. (250 mL) graham cracker crumbs
2-1/2 c. (625 mL) icing sugar
1/2 c. (125 mL) melted butter or margarine
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract
2 c. (500 mL) creamy peanut butter (do not use “natural”)
2 c. (500 mL) chocolate chips, melted

To a large bowl, add graham crumbs, icing sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla, and peanut butter, combining well with clean hands or gloves. 

What foods these morsels be! Delectable - and easy.

Press evenly into ungreased 9 x 13-in. (23 x 33 cm) baking  pan. Place in refrigerator, uncovered, 10-to-15 min. to harden. 

Pour melted chocolate over top, swirling evenly and gently, ensuring chocolate touches edges of pan. Chocolate will be thin, but sufficient. Refrigerate, uncovered, about 15 min. or until chocolate is firm (but not fully hardened) before slicing into bars. Return to fridge, chilling until chocolate hardens completely. Makes 32.

Finger Lickin’ Note: Because this is such an incredibly delicious bar cookie, the recipe yields just one serving!

Another Finger Lickin’ Note: Note: To find more high-energy bars, check out One Click: Energy Bars and Power Bars.

Pommes de Terre Rissolées Rapides

Doesn’t the name of this recipe sound ... pretentious? This is how to - BING! - make Pommes de Terre Rissolées Rapides aka Instant Hash Browns without peeling, shredding, julienning, or doing anything else that requires work. 

Have you ever stared at a mountain of restaurant french fries you couldn’t eat because the serving was too big? And your Cousin Vinnie owns the joint and he’s in the mob and you wouldn’t look good in cement boots and you can’t stand the waste when the restaurant throws stuff out and you’re scared to tell Vinnie he’s over-serving and his customers are getting fat and it’s all his fault. Is that what’s bothering you, Bunkie? 

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qty7IP8wlXM

DON’T BE A NINNY! TAKE THOSE FRIES HOME! 

Dice ’em!

Heat ’em on a griddle or on the slammer’s electric chair.

Dish ’em up for breakfast! Don’t tell Vinnie.

Thunder and Lightning

Punster Peter Battistoni aka P.B.

My Facebook friend P.B., whose identity I have sworn to keep secret, has a punny sense of humor. P.B. shares his puns with his Facebook friends almost every day. One of P.B.’s puns inspired me to make this simple scone recipe. But first, his latest bon mots: 

I was almost caught in a lightning storm. Luckily, I bolted inside.

Har-har-har-har! Um ... I guess you had to be there. My response:

Knock knock! 

Who’s there? 

Thunder. 

Thunder who?

Thunder enlightening. 

Har-har-ha- ??? Really??? 

Oh. Well, now.

Let’s move on, shall we?

Thunder and Lightning:

1 c. (250 mL) currants or craisins  

2 c. (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 c. (60 mL) granulated sugar

1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder

1/2 c. (125 mL) shortening

Enough milk to make a soft dough, about 3/4 c.

Oil for frying, as needed

Plump currants or raisins (see Note); set aside. Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and fruit all at once, stirring just until moistened. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough with floured pin until dough is about 1/4-in. (0.7 cm) thick. Cut into 2-1/2-in. (6 cm) rounds. Fry in a small amount of oil at medium-low heat until golden, about 2 min. per side. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without jam. Makes 2 dozen.

Note: See Index for How to Plump Dried Fruits.

Further Note: My guess is that these scones got their name after being cooked over a fire during an electrical storm. Maybe the lights went out? Maybe P.B. presented everyone with another pun? (Lord, I hope not). As for this punster’s identity? His secret’s safe with me.

Dinner Party Series: Fabulous Femmes Film Fest (Fourth Annual)

Alice, our lovely photographer!

This year marks the 4th annual Fabulous Femmes Film Fest, a little party I try to give each year, gathering friends to enjoy a meal and a couple of Oscar-nominated films.  If you have a flat-screen TV and enjoy watching movies. I encourage you to host your own FFFF. 

As readers of this blog know, I love playing with color. This year, I used a pea-green cloth with matching plates and accessories. From time-to-time, the tables I set don’t use conventional dinner table items. I like to pluck objects from all around the house, setting the table with oilcloth or newspapers (if that works with the theme I’ve chosen), tying cloth napkins with butcher twine, using an oil lantern on the table, using baskets plucked from here and there, and generally trying to put together fresh, fun ideas. Why not? Anything goes!

This year’s Film Fest lunch involved only minimal effort. 

Using three cans of condensed tomato soup to make seven large servings, I prepared Looped Soup, an easy and economical recipe. 

Slicing bagels in half, I set out three types of fillings so my guests could make their own sandwiches - sliced turkey breast, sliced Swiss cheese, deviled eggs, lettuce, sliced pickles, tomatoes, and cucumbers. My sandwich buffet also featured sliced smoked lox, cream cheese, capers, and red onion. I bought dessert - a small, tiramisu-style cake - to save myself some time. 

(Since posting this note about Tiramisu, I’ve found the best ever recipe for it! Check it out by clicking on ... You’ll figure it out! I was surprised how easy this great dessert actually was to make.) 

You’ll enjoy hosting dinner parties more if you simplify them and get your guests involved. These five points bear emphasizing:

1/ Given your level of energy, experience, and the size of your work space, don’t try to do more than you can do. Entertaining friends at home isn’t a contest.

2/ Start your preparations early! That’s important. Set your table a day or two ahead. Plan your menu, taking out the utensils, serving dishes, and everything else you’ll need (refrigerated or ready to go into the oven), well in advance.

3/ Place small notes on or into each empty serving bowl and tray, reminding yourself what needs to go in each and plcing the appropriate serving utensils on each plate and into each bowl. 

4/ Make a check list of each task necessary to get there, and you’ll feel more organized. Keep an eye on the clock! I often scratch one or two dishes from my too-ambitious list of what I want to serve. 

5/ Do not ap0logize when things go wrong! Laugh it off, have fun, and forget about it. 

So here’s how the meal looked! I set the tray of empty mugs on the table for show, removing them to the kitchen to be filled with gin-laced soup, which I served in the living room. Using a funnel will keep the soup from splashing against the sides of the mugs as they’re being filled. 

This was a casual meal - the FFFF is always a casual occasion - so after everyone had their mugs of soup, we allowed a good pause before the next course. After my guests made their own sandwiches, we once again retreated to the living room.

With lunch over, we were ready for main event - movies! - with popcorn, lots more talking, and later, cake and tea. All in all, plenty of fun and not too much work. I hope these photos will inspire you to do something similar! 

Best Tip Ever: Fill a 30-cup coffee urn with water, bringing it to the boil midway through your party. When you offer coffee, use instant granules, filling your pot or cups with boiling water from the urn. When you offer herbal or regular tea, fill your pot or cups directly from the urn, too. This is my #1 tip for keeping things simple at a large party. The best place to buy these urns is on Craigslist or at a restaurant supply house. If you buy a used urn, be sure it functions as it should before you hand over your money. Getting a seven-day written warranty is also a smart idea.  

Start with a basic buffet setting. I tend to change “the look” many times until I’m satisfied. If possible, set the table a day or two in advance. If you don’t want to use your china, use paper or plastic picnic plates! Who doesn’t love a picnic?

Everything starts with your color scheme.

I usually add an extra setting and extra cutlery, just
in case! I served soup in these mugs - easier to handle 
and more casual  than bowls and spoons.

Imagine where various foods will go after placing the basics.

Fresh, cold water is an essential. Water was more popular 

than the Champagne Cocktail I served each arriving guest.

Table tips, 101: A good supply of napkins, 

with extras on hand, just in case!

Bagels are studier than sandwich bread and don’t 

dry out as fast. Partially sliced bagels are the 

perfect start for Build-Yer-Own sandwiches.

Cream cheese, lox, thinly sliced red onions, capers … Shop 

a couple of days in advance so you won’t forget anything.

The table: A happy jumble of candles, flowers, and food.

Parsley’s a great filler for otherwise-empty spaces.

Your hostess! Next time, let this photo be you!