Blondies

I tried making Smitten Kitchen's blondies for Conor's playdate Saturday. They turned out disappointingly thin, not the thick little squares pictured on SK's blog. It was basically a big chocolate chip cookie - tasty, but not a blondie. It wasn't until AFTER I made them that I actually read the blog post and realized that she doubles the recipe and cooks them in a 9x13 pan (not 8x8 as the recipes states.)

I made them again last night, keeping the recipes proportions the same (not doubling.) I cooked them in a loaf pan thinking it would make them nice and thick, and they should cook evenly. Well they turned out badly again - the top was almost overdone but the middle was goopy. Not good.

Until today! They looked better so I tried one - AWESOME! Apparently they need to cool completely, if not overnight, to reach their full potential. The first batch was better the next day, too.

Here's the recipe: (italics mine)

Blondies
Adapted from How to Cook Everything

8 tablespoons butter, melted (I used Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used the vanilla)
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Butter an 8×8 pan (or a 9x5 loaf pan if you want them thicker)
   
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

I made mine with 1/2 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, which are dairy free.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Tried these last night and they are yummy! A little time consuming to boil them and then roast them, but they come out very crispy and tasty.

Crash Hot Potatoes
from The Pioneer Woman

Seared Tofu with Gingered Vegetables

This recipe is from Cooking Light (thanks for the link Kelly!) It was very easy and unlike past attempts with tofu, this one turned out well. I used cubed extra firm because that's all I could find at the grocery store. You could easliy substitute chicken.

I wish the ginger flavor had been a little stronger - I might double it next time or maybe marinate the tofu in a ginger sauce. I also used chili sesame oil, which was HOT. Next time I'll use regular sesame oil and it might not mask the other flavors. There also wasn't a lot of sauce to it, which left the the rice a little dry, so I added extra sesame oil and soy sauce to the finished dish.

Here's the recipe with a few minor modifications:

Ingredients
1 pound extrafirm tofu, cubed
1 cup brown rice (uncooked)

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced green onions, divided
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Place tofu on several layers of paper towels; let stand 15 minutes.

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to rice; fluff with a fork.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and bell pepper to pan; sauté for 5-8 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup onions, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce; cook for 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Wipe skillet with paper towels; recoat pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Place pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle tofu with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add tofu to pan; cook 10-15 minutes or until golden, turning to brown on all sides.

Return bell pepper mixture to pan, and cook 3-5 minute or until thoroughly heated. Drizzle tofu mixture with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce; top with sesame seeds. Serve tofu mixture with rice; top with remaining 1/4 cup onions.