Hey Rach - I'm in the middle of making dinner. Swiss chard, ricotta, and asparagus cannelloni, with the swiss chard from the garden, accompanied by a lettuce salad with a basil dressing, also from our little plot. Coby dove into my bowl of swiss chard and is happily munching and shredding while she watches (I'm trying to aspire my baby food philosophy to Real Food guru Nina Planck, but more on that later). Oh it's going to be tasty!

Mega Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wrote this last night but never got to posting.. Please disregard any weather-grumpiness. The sun is shining! All is right with the world!

R-

That cake looks amazing, Thanks for joining me in the 'rocking-your-own-birthday-cake' club.

The fake fireplace is on, cookies cooling on the racks and we've been cuddled up with quilts and books for what seems like forever. It should be the season of grilling and exotic salad concoctions, yet the most popular dinner item at the Campbell table lately correlates directly with rain-fall: mashed potatoes.

I've always had problems with potatoes - after eating them almost exclusively at dinner for the first 10 years or so of my life (that would be 6 of yours)- Joan discovered the world of rice and pasta and potatoes were relegated to wedges with hamburgers, and maybe Christmas. Mike, of potato bar fame, loves potatoes. In the past, potatoes were my nemesis. I seemed incapable of cooking the perfect mashed potato- I could roast 'em, wedge 'em, and occasionally bake 'em but mash I could not. They always turned out a bit lumpy, never the mashed potato that I (or Mike) envisioned. Well, I've confronted the lowly spud and would smugly like to declare a new winner. So, with gloomy days, the yukon golds have been pumping through my kitchen - in part because princess Coby loves them- and she really does have us all wrapped around her perfectly-pudgy little finger.

But on to cookies - this is my day-to-day chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe. I rotate batches of these babies with batches of chocolate chip squares (blondies). All is not right with the world if there is not a tupperware container stocked with cookies in my snack cupboard. This is another throwback to our Reems childhood. I still remember the moment that Mom left the kitchen - all four us us, plus Guy*, would skulk into the kitchen for a cookie-snatching. This recipe is lower fat and sugar, note not low fat, the 'er' is key to that taste/health ratio. The oats and whole wheat flour are important for the illusion of health after you've hit the cookie jar a bit too hard.

This is my mega-version of the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from One Smart Cookie. You pointed me to this recipe when I fell in love with your white chocolate chunk cranberry version at Carmen's stagette. I've tinkered with amounts and ingredients that work for me. To dress these babies up I add pecans and swap the chocolate chips with Bernard Callebaut chunks. The most important part of this recipe is the cooking time. Er on the side of caution and UNDER-BAKE. They will firm up as they cool. Because we consume so many of these on a daily basis I use a combo of whole wheat and white flour, since they are a chunky, chewy cookie this seems to work, though they do dry out after a few days so I freeze most and take out of the freezer as needed.

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies - The Mega Batch
Sorry, but if you want a smaller batch I'll let you do the math! I used to make all at once and freeze half of the batch- now I'm trying your method and freezing ziplocks of individual cookie dough balls to be baked when my cookie container is empty.

In your biggest mixing bowl cream:
1 cup butter (I can never remember to soften the butter ahead of time and always have to zap it in the microwave - I find this works well since the butter melts just enough to make it really easy to cream with the butter)
2 1/2 c brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Add:
3 eggs
3 T honey or maple syrup

Next add your dry ingredients (you can mix them together separately, I just mix in the same bowl):
3 1/2 cups flour (I use 2 cups all purpose and 1 1/2 c whole wheat)
3 cups old fashioned oats (you could try regular too)
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 generous cups chocolate chips
Other options: chopped pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, raisins, white choc chunks....

It takes a bit to mix, just because there is a lot of stuff in the bowl.

Drop by spoons onto a cookie sheet, flatten each cookie and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until just brown and set on the bottom, the tops should still look doughy. Set your timer for 7 minutes just to be on the safe side.

These don't last long, thus the mega batch!


*Note to non-Reems readers: Guy is affectionate Reems-speak for Dad

27 Candles

Thanks for the birthday wishes Finn,

I, too, hope we can get together soon. I would also appreciate some candy if you are able to catch a ferry boat in my direction. Although, you're looking pretty eastside in those shades...Everything alright? Are you making a bid for a 'new' kind of attention now that Coby's on the scene? I gotta tell you, I've been there...cute younger sister...time to go covert.

When the brownie buzz wears off, and you're in the mood for something really crazy, try this cake on for size. Atley dug it. Even if his dad did fork into half his piece. (That, he was not too pleased about).

The Recipe is from Perfect Baking, by Flo Braker (I bet she frequently laments that first 'r' in Braker)

Auntie Sach's 27th Birthday Cake

For the Sponge:
1 cup flour
7 Tbsp sugar PLUS (Flo's emphasis) 7 Tbsp sugar PLUS 1 Tbsp sugar
7 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cream of tarter

Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 300 degrees.

Get out a 9 (or 10 or 12--although decrease baking time slightly) springform pan. DO NOT grease the pan.

Sift together flour and 7 Tbsp sugar

Separate the eggs.

With a hand mixer, whip the yolks on high speed for 3 to 5 min. Add vanilla and whip another 15 seconds. Should be thick, pale yellow, and have increased in volume.

Whip the egg whites (Make sure your beater is absolutely clean) for 40 seconds (ish). Sprinkle on the cream of tarter and 1 Tbsp sugar. Whip again at medium speed for 5 min, or until the whites appear glossy and stiff, but not dry.

Add the yolks and fold in with a spatula.

Sprinkle on half of the remaining 7 Tbsp sugar and fold with a spatula to incorporate. Add the rest of the remaining sugar and fold again.

Add the flour/sugar mixture in thirds, folding after each addition.

Bake for 55 to 60 min, or until the top is golden.

Invert the pan on a wire rack to cool--so the cake is upside down. (Make sure the cake pan is resting on the rack, not the cake itself). Let cool for 2 hrs.

Cool another hour, right side up, on the counter.

Remove from the pan by sliding a thin metal spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen the cake. I also had to slide my knife beneath the metal bottom, after removing the springform sides, to loosen off the bottom.

Cream Filling
Whip 2 cups heavy cream with 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1 Tbsp sugar (more if you like it sweeter).

Melt 2 ounces chocolate. Put the chocolate in a bowl and add 1/2 a Tbsp water. Stir to a smooth paste. Add half of the whipped cream and stir with a spatula.

You know have both chocolate whipping cream and vanilla whipping cream to fill you cake.

Ganache
Heat 1/2 a cup whipping cream until it just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and pour over 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate. Let cool and then use to spread.

I cut the cake into three layers, filled it, then topped it with ganache.

Over the top, I know, but heck, Finn, I was like, whatever.

Peace Out,

Auntie S.

Birthday Brownies

Auntie Sach-
(Guest Post by Finn)

Happy Birthday. You are hilarious. We made Birthday brownies for you. But you're not here. So I will eat them. They are chocolatey. Come on the ferry boat and see me. Bring me candy.

I love you,
Finn

Buckwheat Waffles

Rach-

Finn is a little put out with you right now - he fully expects you to hop on the ferry on Thursday morning and pop over to Chilliwack for your birthday celebration. He was quite disconcerted to find out that the only participation he will have in your special day is card-making and well wishing. His almost-3-year-old egocentricity is in full-swing.

I still have a bag of buckwheat flour, just waiting to try your buckwheat bread recipe. In the meantime, I made buckwheat waffles. They turned out amazing, the best whole grain waffle I've made. I followed this recipe. My only changes (I couldn't resist a little tinkering) were to swap maple syrup with the sugar and to use whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all purpose. I doubled the recipe and served them with a raspberry sauce and more maple syrup. Yum.

My exciting find while making this recipe was a whim I had to use my hand-held immersion blender to beat the egg whites. My trusty soup puree-er and baby-food mashing side-kick came into use again. Inspired with this discovery, I successfully whipped up a cup of whipping cream later on in the day. One more piece in my lazy cook arsenal.

OK Rach, Have a great day on Thursday. Your card may make it to you next week, it might be a record. Might.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Rach-

I have a bowl of flour and yeast sitting in my pantry waiting to be sourdough starter - Thanks for the post, I have been wanting to try sourdough for awhile but needed a push. Mike loves anything sourdough - I have to confess that I'm on the fence, but am hoping to be won over by a homemade product.

The rainy weather had me craving soup this week. Grey skies, combined with a bag of 5 avacados, and the cilantro growing like a weed in my little garden, pointed me in a Tex-Mex direction. This soup recipe is a template - it's very versatile and can be tailored for one's pantry. This was last night's version:

In a soup pot with maybe a tsp of canola oil I sauteed 1 roughly diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, and the tip of a jalapeno (optional). I also threw in half a sliced tomato (leftover) and 2 other roughly chopped tomatoes. I added in one large chicken breast. I stirred the vegetables and flipped the chicken breast once to brown.

Then I added approximately 2 litres of chicken stock (I use msg and salt-free powdered chicken soup base because it's easy to have in my cupboard - this chicken would taste great with homemade stock).

Seasoning (you could substitute taco seasoning instead of the following):

I added 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, and about 1/8 tsp of ground chipotle pepper (1 tsp ground chili pepper would work instead).

Oh, and I had about 1 cup of leftover tomato sauce so I added that too. I let this whole mixture simmer for about 45 minutes.

I then removed the chicken and shredded it. I used my hand-held blender to puree the vegetables (again, I do this because Mike hates any texture, you could chop the veggies finely and skip this). I seasoned the soup with more salt and pepper to taste, added a shot of garlic powder to boost the garlic flavour, and added the chicken, 2 cups of corn and 2 cups of cooked black beans.

To serve: This is the fun part, everyone can add their own topping according to preference. I even leave out the beans sometimes and let people add their own.
Toppings we like:

• cilantro (you love it or hate it. I love it!)
  
• shredded cheese
  
• sour cream
  
• tortilla or corn chips - I cut up strips of tortillas, brush with oil and broil them for a few minutes
• sliced avacados- my favourite

Everyone around the table - even our littlest 8-month eater- loved this meal.

100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Hi Haley,

I have been a negligent sister of late, which is why I’m giving you a particularly juicy post. Don’t expect a lot of words, here. It’s 8:11 on my kitchen clock. It’s been some time since we’ve lived together but you might remember that I’m not exactly a barrel of sunshine in the wee hours. And when one starts one’s work day at 10:00 at the earliest, that makes 8:00 the equivalent of 6:00. So instead of feeling guilty for sitting here in a tattered green robe with no inclination of brushing my hair for at least another hour, I’m pleased by ---kettle boiling---my early rise and this industrious start to the day. Oh, and there’s Caleb, doing a monkey dance in purple underwear. This is my world.

Time for an Americano or two and a piece of toast.

This is my country whole wheat sourdough bread.

It’s nearly 100% whole wheat, save for the starter which is made from all purpose flour. It’s really good. The crust is crusty! The texture is open--it’s a very rustic bread with not much of a sour flavour to it; the starter is fairly mild and overrun by the flavour of whole wheat. You can use the starter to make other types of sourdough bread.

You need to take a week in advance to make the starter, which you can then keep indefinitely in your Frigidaire. You also need to be flexible and ready to pay attention to your intuition.

Starter:
1 and 3/4 cups flour
1 cup warm water
¼ tsp active dry yeast

Mix, then let stand at room temp until tripled in volume, 8 to 24 hrs. Refrigerate for three days.

Add:
½ cup water
¼ cup flour

Cover and refrigerate for three more days.

It’s ready to use. Every time you use it, you must feed it. To feed the starter, divide it in half. Half you will use for your recipe, and the other half you will feed and return to the fridge. After dividing add 1 cup flour and ½ cup water and return the starter to the fridge.

Bread:

Preferment:
½ your starter
½ cup water
1 cup flour
Combine these ingredients. Let the preferment sit at room temperature from 8 to 12 hours. It should be bubbly and have risen noticeably.

Add to the Preferment:
5 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp salt
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups water (you may need to add an extra ¼ cup water if dough is too stiff)

Mix using a wooden spoon. Then use your hands to lift and fold the dough over on itself. This is to ensure that all the ingredients get incorporated throughout the dough. The dough will be quite wet and sticky. It will get all over your hands. If you want to minimize the dough to hand stick, wet your hands before touching the dough.

First Rise: Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 8 to 10 hours. The dough will have risen but it doesn’t need to have doubled.

Flour your counter top then use a spatula to scrape the dough onto your counter. Use a knife to cut it in two. Flour your hands and shape each dough hunk into a boule (fancy word for ball). Flour two cotton tea towels and set each in a colander or bowl. This is where you will place your dough to rise. The bowl/colander will give the dough shape as it rises.

Second Rise: Let the boules rise for 2 to 2.5 hours. They will have risen noticeably and look sort of puffy. They will not necessarily double.

Baking: Half an hour before you plan to bake the dough (ie, when the dough has half an hour left of rising time), place two round casserole dishes or over-safe pots into your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you don’t have round pots you can use square but round are much preferred.

After 20 minutes to half an hour of preheating time. Put on your oven mitts and remove the pots from the oven. Gently put your hands under one boule and tip it into a pot. Put the lid on top and place it gently in the oven. It will deflate a bit. Don’t bang the pot into the oven as you don’t want to add to the deflation. Repeat with the second boule. Bake the boules with the lids on the pots for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lids and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Let the bread cool completely before cutting in to it.