Peanut Butter Brownies

My summer vacation is over.  Waaaaaaahhhhhh!

It sure didn't last long. 

D1 already made the journey back to the valley of the sun.   It feels like it was only a few weeks ago when KikukatDad and I went to pick her up in Kailua-Kona.  Shout out to Mr. Dependable for being a great dad and taking her back.  She had lots to do, and she is lucky he was there to help her.  Thanks to a rented minivan, they were able to get her shit out of storage and into her new apartment in one trip (would've taken at 3+ trips with her sedan).  I cannot imagine she would have so much stuff. 

Just like summer vacation, D1s visit didn't last long either.  I know I will see her in 4 months, but it  was nice having her home.  Who else would remind me to clean the house?  Who else would tell me it's too early to drink alcohol at 3:30?  School for her won't start for nearly 2 weeks, but she had recruitment practice and some other things she needed to get rolling.

In all seriousness, I will miss her many talents.  D1 can do all kinds of things once she sets her mind.  This summer, she conquered macarons.  Having never made macarons before, I was shocked at the lengthy and tedious steps to produce a batch of macarons.  I can also attest that a batch of macarons makes a mound of dirty dishes (and extra egg yolks).  I need to start a list of recipes which use just egg yolks or, at least, use more egg yolks than egg whites, so I will know what to do with the egg yolks (other than throw them away).

It took several attempts, but I think D1 perfected the filling.  Initially, the filling she used was just too sweet.  She experimented with different bases and flavorings and came up with a good filling which didn't try to compete with the already-sweet macaron shells.

D1 put her macaron talents to good use.  She made some for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event in July.  I helped her package them and did the clean up.  I also decided that I won't be making any macarons on my own.  I will stick to less fussy snacks. . .with a lot less dishes to wash. 

If you are like me and don''t like having too many dishes to wash, then these peanut butter brownies might be in your wheelhouse.  They are totally unfussy, whip up in no time with ingredients you likely have on hand, and are mega-delicious.  You will also not be left wondering what to do with extra egg yolks.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Peanut Butter Brownies

     1/2 c butter, softened

     1/2 c peanut butter

     3/4 c sugar

     3/4 c brown sugar, packed

     2 eggs

     2 tsp vanilla

     1 c flour

     1 tsp baking powder

     1/4 tsp salt

     1 c chocolate chips

     1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 13" pan with foil (or grease a 9 x 13" pan).  Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar.  add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla.  Add in flour mixture a little at a time.  Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Spread in prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Cut into bars when completely cool.

A few months ago, I purchased a bag of Korean chili pepper powder.  The ingredients are chili pepper and salt.  I use it occasionally and store it in the fridge.  Last week, I discovered another use for the powder.  I've made the notation on the Spicy Soybean post.

It's been a little over a year since my mom passed.  Although I still miss her dearly, I feel like some normalcy and routine have returned to my life.  I'm hoping to post more frequently since I'm cooking more now (I have another mouth to feed during the work week).  Over the past few years, I've become more adept at knitting, something which would have made KikukatMom proud.  While I will continue to share favorite recipes, I hope to also share my knitting triumphs, fails, WIPs and FOs.  

Auntie's Chinese Salad Sauce

Memorial Day. . . a day to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. 

Memorial Day weekend also marks the unofficial start of the picnic/outdoor eating/beach-going season.  Treat yourself to a refreshing salad to kick off summer. 

Many years ago, my auntie gave me this recipe, and we've been using it in our salad dressing rotation.  This dressing is strong, so my recommendation is to dress greens lightly.  Feel free to add won ton chips for additional crunch or throw in leftover chicken pieces for a chicken salad variation.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Auntie's Chinese Salad Sauce

     1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
     1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
     1/2 tsp peanut butter
     2 tbsp plum sauce
     1 tbsp sugar
     3 tbsp rice vinegar
     1 tsp salt
     1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients and blend well.  Serve with mixed greens.
 

Chicken Satay

We finally caught a break in the weather.  This was the first week in a long time which felt even close to a normal September day.  I think I even wore something other than a sleeveless/short sleeve blouse this week...for the first time since school began.

The students were rather amusing this week.  Some students asked for extra credit work because they decided to act upon the "F" they currently have.  I find this amusing because they couldn't even do the regular work at a decent level and they want MORE work (yes, folks, extra credit = more work).

A separate group of students declared they'd like a local photographer to take pictures of them (as opposed to their teammates) at sporting events.  When I asked if the photographer knew them, they said,"no".  I find this amusing because they want someone to do something for them, yet they make no effort to communicate their request to the photographer.

My colleagues were rather amusing too.  Some are grumbling about the large class size; they have every right to grumble because their classes are ballooning.  I find this amusing because they were warned about this occurring if they didn't opt to do something about this 4 months ago.  I'm neither the one who warned them, nor am I part of the growing class group, but I saw this all play out before my eyes.  SHE was right; they should've heeded HER.

Along the lines of amusement, I received several pictures of food this week from D1.  There was a pic of an acai bowl, which I'm guessing was her breakfast.  The logo on the bowl was from the Original ChopShop.  I find this amusing because I never knew D1 ate acai bowls.  When I questioned her, she said Sweet Cane Cafe in Hilo makes the best.  I've never had acai bowl in my life so I guess I'd better add it to my to do list.

The other picture I received was of a meal at a Korean restaurant.  There was chap chae, kalbi, and spicy ika along with all the banchan.  Food looked delicious.  I shared the pic with Mr. Dependable.  His reaction, "this doesn't look like dorm food."  I find this amusing because Mr. Dependable didn't miss a beat (not dorm food =$$$).  Good think I didn't share the ChopShop pic with him.

On balance, D1's pics this week were better than the one I received from her last Saturday.  I don't think many people get to see the first aid room of Sun Devil Stadium!  I'll take the food pics anyday.  She claims that the ambient heat coupled with all body heat of the students in the Inferno made her feel faint.  I'm glad she didn't faint at Friday's white out game too, although she said it was a lot cooler than the home opener last week.

To close out the days of heat (I'm sure both Hilo and Tempe will get cooler soon), I'm posting a recipe to try during the last few weeks of the grilling season.  I know this is something you can get year-round at any Thai restaurant, but it's nice to make it at home too, especially since you can use all white meat chicken.  This is also a nice change from the more common shoyu-sugar based sauces.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Chicken Satay

     1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

     1 1/2 tsp curry powder

     2 tbsp sugar

     1 tbsp fish sauce

     2 tbsp coconut milk

     1 stalk lemon grass, lower portion, chopped

     1 clove garlic, chopped

     1 tbsp vegetable oil

     1 1/2 tbsp Thai Kitchen red curry paste

     1 c coconut milk

     2 tbsp peanut butter

     1 1/2 tsp fish sauce

     1 1/2 tsp sugar

     15-25 skewers

Slice chicken breast halves across the grain into 1/4" thick strips.  Combine curry powder, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp coconut milk, lemon grass, garlic and vegetable oil in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Marinate chicken strips in mixture overnight.  Soak skewers in water for 45 minutes.  Thread marinated chicken onto skewers.  Grill until done.  For satay sauce, place red curry paste in a small saucepan.  Gradually add 1 c coconut milk, stirring constantly to evenly incorporate curry paste.  Heat for 8 minutes or until mixture thickens.  Add peanut butter, 1 1/2 tsp fish sauce, and 1 1/2 tsp sugar.  Cook for another 2 minutes.  Serve satay sauce in a small bowl alongside chicken skewers.

Insanity: Kikukat's Monster Cookies

Last week was an INSANE week.  Being a 4-day work week meant that all the crazy nuttiness was crammed into 4 days, rather than stretched out over 5 days.  My job doesn't pay enough for all the abuse I take!

I'm grateful to have survived the work craziness.  I took part in a 2-day draining (I was one of the drainers), and there were times when I thought the SSCs were gonna riot.  I don't envy the task ahead of them, and if they are not strong writers, they will be up shit creek when its time for them to write the reports, which cannot be "cut and pasted" anymore.  This is gonna majorly jam some people up.  But I don't make up these rules.

Speaking of insane, I recently decided to bake a batch of cookies using a recipe I first tried 2 1/2 decades ago.  I think the recipe is insane because the ingredient amounts are copious.  Even the recipe yield is hilarious:  "makes enough to feed an army".  And if you are a baker, you'll notice that flour isn't in the ingredient list!  When you get to the recipe below, you'll definitely see the insanity.

I first made monster cookies when I came home on a break from college.  I'm not sure where I found the recipe, but being clueless (even though I thought I knew everything), I went ahead and made a batch.  Yes, I used the dozen eggs and 18 cups of oatmeal.  Needless to say my family had monster cookies coming out of our ears.  In order to stem my parents' growing concern that they'd be eating monster cookies for the remainder of summer, I gave bags away to my friends who were here.
A was given a bag, and right away, she called me for the recipe.  Her mama, a home economics teacher, wanted the recipe.

Fast forward ten years or so...A gives me a cookbook...its a 50th anniversary cookbook of the institute of higher education which gives A a paycheck.  I attended for 3 semesters, so I guess its sort of my school too.  Anyway, she submitted my recipe, the full version with the 18 glorious cups of oatmeal!  Way to go, A!!!

Being older and wiser, I was smart enough to make a quarter batch this time.  I've listed both recipes.  One for the shock value (the original that I made back in the late 80s) and the one I made when wisdom kicked in.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Original Recipe:  Monster Cookies (Insane Amount)

     2 c butter
     3 lbs creamy peanut butter
     12 eggs
     8 tsp baking soda
     1 lb M & Ms (plain)
     2 lbs brown sugar
     4 c sugar
     1 tbsp light corn syrup
     1 lb chocolate chips
     18 c quick cooking oatmeal

Quarter Recipe:  Monster Cookies

     1/2 c butter
     3/4 lb peanut butter
     3 eggs
     2 tsp baking soda
     1/4 lb M & Ms (plain)
     1/2 lb brown sugar
     1 c sugar
     3/4 tsp light corn syrup
     1/4 lb chocolate chips
     4 1/2 c quick cooking oatmeal

The procedure is the same for both:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease several baking sheets.  Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars.  Add eggs and corn syrup.  Quickly add baking soda, M & Ms, chocolate chips, and oatmeal.  Mix well.  Plop large scoops on prepared baking sheets.  Flatten.  Bake for 12-20 minutes, depending on the kind of baking sheets you use and how crunchy you like your cookie.  I like my cookies crunchy so I bake them for the full 20 minutes on airbake sheets.

And for the record, mom DID flip out when she saw the original recipe (yep, the version with the dozen eggs).  I wasn't working then, so she is the one who had to pay for all the ingredients!