Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies - with Whole Wheat Flour and Raw Sugar

DD2 has been behind me to buy her cookie cutters and chocolate chips to make cookies. I bought the chocolate chips but the cookie cutters have not happened yet. I want to buy one that has many different shapes rather than one huge shape and then I will have to keep buying more shapes. Anyway I am not too fond of sugar cookies and I this way I postpone them for some more time.

I suggested that she make crispy rather than the soft ones. She found this recipe on Food Network. The recipe was easy, no rushing to buy any more ingredients and we could live with one stick of butter.

I am not a good baker. I tend to improvise and that is not a good thing as far as baking goes I have to realize. Stick to the recipe and baked goods come out good and tasty. DD2 is not at an age where improvisation is a problem just yet. So we had some amazing crunchy, warm and tasty cookies. Most of them disappeared the minute they came out of the oven.

After tasting a warm delicious cookies is when I realize why so many people go gaga over baking cookies. I am convert but don't tell DD2 that else she will be baking a storm every day. She is into that baking spree now. If not for her this cookie would never have happened.

Recipe Source: Food Network - Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Collect all the ingredients for baking the cookie. Beat together the butter and the sugar till it is fluffy using an electric egg beater.
Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking soda. Add in the butter mixture.
In low speed mix in the flour and the butter mixture. Add in the chocolate chips and mix it in using a spatula.
On a prepared baking sheet spread with parchment paper, place 1 tbsp of dough about 3 inches apart. In a 400F heat over bake for 12 minutes till the edges are browned

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:20 minutes
Makes : 20-24
Ingredients

1. 1 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour (used unbleached white whole wheat flour)
2. 1 stick of butter (1 cup) at room temperature
3. 3/4 cup of sugar (used raw sugar)
4. 1/4 tsp baking soda
5. a pinch of salt
6. 1 egg
7. 1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Using a electric egg beater beat together the butter and sugar till fluffy (as is possible with raw sugar) 4-5 minutes.
3. Crack the egg into the butter mixture and beat for another couple of minutes.
4. In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
5. Add in the whisked butter mixture to the flour and in a slow speed mix it in. Add in the chocolate chips and make sure they are incorporated. Use a spatula to mix in the chocolate chips. (see Note:)
6. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Place a tbsp of dough on the cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes till the edges are browned. Took 12 minutes for our batch.
9. Let cook if possible else enjoy right away.
10. Note:You could use the same bowl to beat the sugar, butter and eggs and then add the flour.

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Sweet Lemony Carrots

DD2 likes to cook. Usually she is the sous chef to DD's head chef. She saw a recipe for Sweet Lemon Carrots in the Kids Post section of the Washington Post and wanted to make it. The recipe called for baby carrots. I did not have any at home and I was not ready to run to the grocery store. DD2 is not one to give up if she has put her mind to it so she settled on regular carrots and with the help of DD cut them into small strips to be used in the recipe.

The end result was a surprisingly good. Not bad at all for a first attempt at cooking. She took pictures and asked me to post it on the blog. Hope all of you enjoy this tasty recipe with hints of sweet and sour taste.

Sweet Lemony Carrots
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Serves : 3-4
Ingredients

1. 3 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch strips
2. 2 -3 tsp of butter
3. 1/2 a lemon's worth of juice
4. 2 tbsp of brown sugar
5. 1 cup of water

Method

1. Heat a sauce with the water and add the carrots. Boil for 8 minutes till the carrots are tender.
2. Strain the carrots and put them back in the pan along with the lemon juice, sugar and butter.
3. Put the flame and stir for about 5-6 minutes till the sugar is glazed on to the carrots.

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The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had - a book review (8-12 years old)

DD2 reads a lot of books and for this age group it is not always easy to pick books that are good reads. Library is our best friend for this odyssey. Usually she finishes reading books, asks me to take her to the library and then finds herself another set of books. I rarely intervene. The last time we went to the library she picked a few from her favorite series and I did the other picking to introduce her to new genres and authors. She is in a new school this year and reading award winning books is part of the expectation.

Feeling obligated to do my part I wandered the aisles and picked a few I thought she would like by either glancing at the title or the author or genre. One among them I accidentally picked was 'The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had' by Kristin Levine. The book lay in the library bag and had to fight for reading time with the likes of Box Car Mysteries, A to Z Mysteries and the other books that she has been reading for a while and still feels a strong affinity towards. She is required to take a book to school every day for what is called 'Independent Reading'.

While a Box Car Mystery's pull is hard to resist. I had been there done that while not exactly with Box Car Mysteries but with other mystery books and finding it impossible to resist the pull. Like 'Forrest Gump' would say 'Books are also like a box of chocolates' you never know what you get until you decide to give it a try. Anyway she finally reluctantly decides to take along the 'Best Bad Luck I Ever Had' to read at school. The book kept her engrossed and unable to peel from even to do homework.

She recommended the book to her teacher and insisted that I read it. This is her first book recommendation to me and I was curious to find out what exactly interested her. The book is 'unputdownable' if you know what I mean!

Based on the story of her own family author Kristin Levine brings life in small town Alabama in the early part of the 20th century set in 1917 to be specific right before your eyes. The book is about friendship, life in the South, race tensions all at the same time but presented in a manner that even an 8 year old could understand but not be overwhelmed. The book is best for the 8-12 age group and to tell you the truth even adults are sure to enjoy it.

This country's racial history is not very pleasant and I for one am not fond of reading about them but I bet in every town in the South there were good and kind people who defied bigotry and racial customs and stereotypes of the times to do what is right and not look the other way.

Most of all children are born color blind. It is the world around them that colors their opinions and attitudes.

From the first page on I had to finish the book before I could move on. DD2 and I have talked about the book enough that DD is reading the book now.

Dear readers has any book interested you recently that you would like to share please do so. While I would like recommendations for the 8-12 age group any book recommendation will be accepted gladly.

Swiss Chard and Jalapeno - Cheese Swirls

Three months is a way too long for summer holidays don't you think? This is a problem every summer when by the time August rolls around the adults are at their wits end to keep the kids engaged. Moreover 3 months out of school and they are bound to forget whatever they learned the previous school year with a school calendar set up for an agrarian society. We are clinging to it when none of the kids are working leave alone in the fields.

I ask DD and DD2 to do school work for an hour during the week. While they mostly do it, I also hear groans that they are the only ones who have to work during summer vacation. This might not be true because while I was at Borders looking at the workbook they were several parents doing the same.

Anyway not long ago President Obama proposed shortening summer holidays. I am all for it if they would lengthen the December Christmas holidays to gone on till mid-January so we could visit India during the winter months making it possible to escape some of the cold here and also take part in the Pongal festival which I miss dearly and have not been able to participate in for the past several years. President Obama here if you promise to implement this proposal you have got my vote!

Anyway it was one of those days and DD had her friend over so I handed over 2 sheets of puff pastry and the recipe for Cheese swirls which was on the package. We made do with what we had at home but a finer cheese would have been better.

This is one of those recipes that never fails to please and the variations are endless. If you have puff pasty sheets on hand this takes no time at all. My friend makes them with a potato-carrot filling which are also delicious.

Kept the kids busy and at the end they had a tasty treat to enjoy. For those of you who want the original recipe, scroll to the end.

Swiss Chard and Jalapeno - Cheese Swirls
Ingredients
1. 2 Puff Pasty sheets brought to room temperature about 40 minutes
2. 2 cups of finely chopped Swiss chard leaves (substitute with spinach)
3. 3 tbsp Pickled Jalapeno peppers chopped fine (see note:)
4. 1 Cup of shredded cheddar cheese (see note:)
5. 2 -3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
5. 1 egg + 1 tbsp of water

Method

1. Boil about 2 cups of water which is salted and drop the chard leaves. Let them blanch for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the water and squeeze the excess moisture out. Chop them further if they are bit long.
2. Mix the chard leaves with the Jalapeno peppers and the cheese and set aside.
3. Beat the egg with a tbsp of water.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
5. Unroll the pastry sheet on a floured surface and with a roller roll it a few times gently (purely optional step, I did this to thin out the pastry sheet a little bit).
6. Brush the egg mixture on top of the pastry. Now sprinkle the chard - cheese mixture on top.
7. From the longer pastry (the recipe said shorter side, I used the longer side) roll the sheet inward like a jelly roll.
8. Slice them about 1/2" apart. Place them on a cooking sheet or baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with oil.
9. Place the cut side down about 1/2" apart and brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes till they start to turn slightly golden. Remove and let them sit for another 8 minutes or so. Best when eaten warm. Or slightly warm them in the toaster oven before eating.

Note:
1. If you want to use fresh jalapeno, brush them with a little oil and roast in the toaster oven, remove skin and seeds and use.
2. Replace any cheese of choice or use the ones suggested in the original recipe.

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Croutons

Asparagus to me is a gentle woodsy vegetable with a delicate taste and a very short shelf life. Whenever we buy asparagus the kids like to eat them roasted with a sprinkle of oil, salt and chili powder or black pepper. I never gave it much beyond that simple fact till I read 'Animal, Vegetable Miracle A Year of Food Life By Barbara Kingslover'.

Reading the book I learned a lot more information about how the vegetable is grown and the short window that it is usually available - a 3 week period in Spring. You have got to be patient if you are growing this vegetable in your garden. It is the third year after planting that it can be harvested. If you are thinking of some fresh delicate Asparagus the window is now.

I would never have attempted soup but DD decided to cook it and need I say the soup was far more tastier than I thought it would be. Croutons were even more tastier.

Recipe Source: Food Network - Roasted Asparagus Soup...

Roasted Asparagus and Potato Soup with Croutons
Ingredients
1. 12-14 stalks of asparagus (should make about 3 cups when chopped)
2. 1 Medium sized potato peeled and chopped
3. 1/4 red onion chopped
4. 2 cloves garlic minced
5. 1 tbsp olive oil
6. 2 bay leaves
7. 6 cups of Vegetable broth or Chicken broth
8. 2 tsp chili powder (or per taste)
9. 1 tsp black pepper powder
10. salt to taste

For the Croutons
1. 4 slices of whole wheat bread cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3. 1/2 tsp olive oil

Method
1. Toss the asparagus in olive oil, sprinkle salt and chili powder and roast the asparagus. We usually do this step in a toaster oven at 400-450F. Cool and chop.
2. In a sauce pan heat the remaining olive oil and roast the onions and garlic and cook until soft.
3. Add the bay leaves and cook for another minute .
4. Add the asparagus, potato and the broth and let it simmer in medium heat.
5. Taste and add black pepper if required. Turn of heat when the potatoes are soft.
6. Remove bay leaves and puree the contents till smooth.

Croutons
1. While the soup is cooking, toss the bread slices slightly in the olive oil and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on the bread cubes.
2. Roast the bread cubes in the toaster oven for 8-10 minutes or till the bread is slightly toasted and turn golden brown.

Ladle the soup with the croutons added on top along with a dab of butter which is purely optional. (see note)

Pear and Date Loaf with bran

I am bit miffed, I am supposed to be the cooking expert, the head chef in my kitchen right? DD cooks no bakes something and it turns out perfect and the loaf vanishes within 1 hour of it stepping out of the oven.

I have tried baking with fruit - apple, bananas and the inside is always soggy and kind of feels uncooked but this loaf she bakes comes out crumbly and perfect. Do I sound like I am 'J'? No really I am just proud of her accomplishment.

This is Spring break week and from the minute I showed DD this recipe on Exclusively Food she has been behind me to make it.

Couple of days ago her friend had come over and she started the request all over again. So I happily assigned the task of baking to them. We did not have all of the ingredients at home. They set off on their bikes to the grocery store, finished their purchase and completed the baking while I had a few undisturbed moments to concentrate on my work.

ready for the oven

As for hiccups just one. They used my carefully roasted almonds for blanching instead of the raw ones. Not a big disaster no.

The experiment was so successful she wanted to give it a try again and baked another load yesterday before I came back home, to enjoy some warm slices for evening snack.

I want to add a few words about Exclusively Food - a blog I have been following for a long time now. Fantastic and clear instructions are the hallmark of this lovely blog. Makes even the most complicated baking recipes seem very simple.

Recipe Source: Bran, Pear and Date Loaf

Pear and Date Loaf with Bran
Ingredients
1. 1 cup Wheat Bran (Kellog's Wheat All Bran cereal)
2. 1 6 oz Greek strained yogurt
3. 1 1/2 tsp of honey
4. 1 1/2 tsp of maple syrup (3 and 4 in place of golden syrup)
5. 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
6. 1/3 cup + 3 tsp raw sugar
7. 1 cup of deseeded Deglet Noor Dates chopped into 1/2cm bits
8. 1 ripe Bartlett pear peeled and chopped into 2 cm dice (chop when adding to the mix)
9. 1 egg
10. 1/2 cup self-raising flour
11. 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
12. 1/3 cup + more for nibbling blanched roughly chopped almonds (if using raw almonds see Note)
13. 1/2 tsp of baking soda
14. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1. In a mixing bowl add yogurt, all bran, sugar, honey, maple syrup, olive oil, chopped dates, egg and vanilla extract. Mix together with a spoon.
2. Butter a 9 * 5 * 2 1/2 inch loaf pan and set aside. Preheat the pan to 365F
3. Peel and cut the pear and add it to the mixture. combine.
4. Sift the flour and baking soda and add it to the sugar mixture.
5. To Note: fold the flour into the batter with the spatula (do not mix).
6. Pour the batter into the pan and even with the spatula. add the almonds on top.
7. Bake in the middle rack for 40 minutes. Check for doneness and bake for another 5-10 minutes (see notes)

Cool and slice and see it disappear in minutes.

Note:
1. If using raw almonds, heat a pot of water and add the almonds and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Peel the skin, dry completely.
2. for checking doneness, insert a skewer in the center and if there is nothing sticking on the skewer then the cake is baked.

Quick and Easy Pizza

I do not know what it is with pizza and kids! Given a suggestion to eat out or order it always ends with pizza. The adults in the house are not terribly fond of the store bought pizza.

Firing up the oven to cook pizza or for that matter anything else in the oven in the summer is not appealing to me or my power bill. But all this does not mean the talk of pizza by the kids stops.

-

So an easy pizza with very less oven time had to be devised. Flat breads or the Indian store bought roti or naan provide the perfect base for just such a thing. The kids (and so do the adults) like it a lot and can be put together very easily with a minimum fuss.

You can be as creative as you want with the toppings. The breads are small enough to go into a toaster oven and it is easy enough for the kids to put together themselves.

We used onions and tomatoes as topping. Mushrooms, grilled zucchini, bell peppers, blanched spinach are all good. Since they are going on top of precooked bread make sure the veggies are partially or fully cooked.

Quick and easy Pizza
Ingredients
1. 4-6 storebough Kulcha Naan or Flat breads
2. 1 onions chopped or sliced
3. 1 tomato chopped
4. 1 clove garlic minced
5. 2 tsp chili powder/black pepper powder
6. 1/2 cup of feta cheese (or any cheese)
7. salt to taste
8. 1 tsp oil

Method
1. In a pan add oil and when hot add the onions and saute till they are soft
2.Add in the garlic and saute for a minute followed by the tomatoes and let them get mushy
3. Add salt to taste and the chili powder
4. Set aside

To assemble pizza
5. Spread the onion tomato topping on the flat bread or naan
6. Sprinkle cheese on top
7. Put in toaster oven at 400F for 5-6 minutes till the cheese just starts to melt (with feta the color changes a little bit)
8. Broil for a minute, cut and enjoy

Note:
1. Be watchful of the bread in the oven. They tend to burn quickly.

A "Green" Pizza

Hope all the mothers out there had a great Mother's Day. We are not much into the Hallmark holidays and other than the hand drawn/made gifts that DDs bring from school there is usually no gift giving. DH is of the belief that the bank account is joint so it is easy to buy ourselves the things we need rather than an elaborate gift exchange. This eases the pressure on me and I have bought into this cool idea big time. Very romantic household don't you think?

Things changed a little bit this Mother's Day. There was a lot of activity and secrecy Saturday evening and on Sunday the little darlings gave me the wrapped gift. Beautiful platters and bowl for my blog. There will be on display in this space very soon. I have been asked several times already if I am cooking something that can be plated on the new crockery. Now I am under pressure to come through for Father's Day hmmm.

During the day we went of on a picnic with a large group of friends. while we (the adults) were busy socializing and playing volleyball DD2 spend the whole day under the sun playing in the sand building castles and making mud cakes thoroughly enjoying herself. She did not drink water and I was too busy to remind her and the result, when we came home DD2 was burning up with fever. She started sleeping right after we came home and woke up around midnight and I lay awake unable to fall sleep thinking of the three letter word that has so scared us the past few weeks - FLU. The temperature is down this morning and fortunately I have eliminated the most obvious symptoms. The mommy police must be tsk tsking about not being on my toes as a parent all the time and thus ended our Mother's Day.

The gift sure sealed the deal that the family would continue to see dishes like this "Green Pizza" on the table. On the weekends while breakfast and lunches are easy the dinner is usually not an easy affair. This is perfect for a relaxed Saturday dinner.

The name attribution goes to Vani of Mysoorean from her comment on the Tibetan Flatbread and it suited the Pizza perfectly. As I had mentioned in the post this bread made a perfect pizza base. I doubled the recipe to make a slightly thicker crust.

Thick Crust Pepper and Mushroom Pizza
Ingredients
For the base: Based on the Tibetan Flat Bread
1. 2 Cups Whole Wheat flour (I used chapati flour)
2. 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
3. 2 tsp baking powder
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 2 tbsp olive oil
6. 2 1/2 Cups + 3 tbsp Water (I should have used slightly more water for the dough)

For the topping:
1. 1 Orange Bell Pepper
2. 1 Large Banana Pepper
3. 1 pack Baby Bella Mushrooms
4. Shredded Mozzarella cheese
5. 1 tsp chili powder + salt

Slice the veggies and set aside.

For the sauce:
1. 4 Roma tomatoes chopped fine
2. 2 tsp chili powder

Method
1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt with water to form a gooey dough. I should have added a bit more water because of the WW flour.
2. To a 12" slightly deep cold saute pan add the olive oil and then the dough and spread it around. Dip a rubber spatula in the oil and use it pat the dough around (my dough was slightly less gooey because of less water another 1/4 cup should have been enough)
3. Add the 2 tbsp of water around the dough to create steam. Cover the pan.
4. In medium high heat cook for 10 minutes.
5. Flip the bread over and cook for 5 more minutes.

6. While cooking the bread, in a pan saute the pepper first followed by the mushrooms. Sprinkle with the chili powder and salt and set aside.

7. Along side in a pan cook the tomatoes with some chili powder and salt to the desired consistency.

8. The bread should be done at this point, add the sauce, the veggies and the cheese. Put the lid back on, reduce the heat to below medium till the cheese melts.
Let it sit for a few minutes, cut and serve.

The kids showered praises like "this is the best pizza I ever tasted". The crust on this one was thick and solid. Adjust the crust thickness as per taste