Recipe #9: Tomato Chickpea Soup with Barley

I got this recipe from Mike last week out of his Alberta cookbook (which I of course can't remember the name of). It's pretty good, although I suggest using a lot less rosemary (I guess I'm not a big fan), and up the cayenne (or chili powder) quotient.

Also, I would also think that this recipe would be pretty easy to vegetarianize/veganize.

Ingredients

*1 cup finely chopped lean back bacon or ham
*1 medium onion, chopped
*1 large carrot, chopped
*2 stalks celery, chopped
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*¼ cup of olive oil (I used half olive oil, half canola)
*1 14-ounce can tomatoes, pureed
*1 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
*5 cups chicken broth
*½ cup pearl barley or small pasta like orzo
*2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (I used less than 1 teaspoon and thought it was too much)
*Salt and black pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper (I used about a teaspoon of chili powder for the whole batch)
Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (makes it!!)

Directions

1. Place ham, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in food processor and chop finely. Heat olive oil in a soup pot and sauté chopped vegetable mixture until tender and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes to pot with chickpeas and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

3. Add barley and rosemary, and cook until barley is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and cayenne/chili pepper. Sprinkle parmesan and enjoy!

Recipe #8: Cocoa Chews

This is a recipe that I always associate with my mom. The only copy of it I have is handwritten by my mom into the ancient, printed upside down Mary Moore cookbook she bought years ago. It has no directions, it just has the list of ingredients. However, I watched her and have made these chews, so many times, that instructions are pretty much unnecessary. However, for you guys, I shall type 'em out! They are the easiest thing to make, and are so tasty.

Ingredients:

*1/4 cup butter
*3/4 cup sugar
*1/4 cup milk
*1 1/4-1 1/2 cups oats
*1 cup coconut
*1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large pan on low heat. Add sugar and blend together.

2. Add cocoa, coconut, and oats gradually stir together. Slowly mix in the milk and soon you will get a slightly cohesive mound of chocolate goodness.

3. Spoon dollops of mix onto a cookie pan and put in the fridge until solid. After about 45 minutes, you can shimmy them off the cookie pan and eat away!

I recommend keeping them in the fridge. They just taste better. They stay fresher and together. The coconut is really light and you can barely taste it. I also find getting the unsweetened is great, and I actually use a little less sugar than what the original recipe calls for (1 cup). Makes about 18 chews.

Recipe #7: Peach Cobbler

So... I bought peaches in September with the plan of baking cobbler at a time it would be otherwise impossible. This, the middle of November, is that time. I had previously tried a similar recipe with the batter on the bottom and then bubbling up between the peaches, but it didn't work out very well. The peaches were amazing in themselves, but the batter was gooey and way too heavy. So I tried this one out with much greater success.

Generally for the batter, I used a little bit less of everything than what the recipe called for because I think that cobbler should be all about the peaches. So the amounts in the recipe aren't the same as the link. I also baked it longer and got a really great almost-crust.

I just scarfed a whole bowl in about 30-seconds. Mmmm...

Ingredients:

*3 ounces butter, melted
*2/3 cup sugar
*1 cup all-purpose flour
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*3/4 cup milk
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*3-4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
*1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
*3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°.

2. Pour melted butter into a 8x8 inch baking pan.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the 2/3 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend. Stir in the milk and vanilla until blended. Pour the batter over the melted butter.

4. Toss the peaches with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange the peach slices over the batter.

5. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The top will be browned and the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Recipe #6: Ridiculous Brownies

These brownies are called "best brownies" on the website I found them, but really they're just ridiculous... ridiculously good! These are NOT healthy at all, but easy and sososososo good! I didn't make the icing because honestly, you don't need it. Annnnd I made a double recipe because I had one of those huge glass brownie dishes. They were moist and addictive. And now I am hungry and want to bake them again!

Ingredients

*1/2 cup butter
*1 cup white sugar
*2 eggs
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
*1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

See? Easy!!