A Special Treat For A Special Little Girl

My niece, Kayla, is the best little girl on the face of the planet (I'm a bit biased, as I am a proud, doting aunt). Yesterday, she broke her collar bone at karate (she wasn't actually doing karate at the time, but that's a story for another time). I immediately sprung into "make K feel better" mode and began plotting the care package to end all care packages. I knew that in addition to the books, princess wand and stickers, she needed an extra special treat. Enter the congo squares.

What's a congo square? Only the best treat ever. Think chocolate chip cookie in bar form. They are a Farkas family treat and are hands down the number 1 most requested item from my friends.

Every member of my family makes them. My brother once told me I make them better than my mom. I like to think its because I put the love in mine.

Tonight's batch has an extra dose of love and an extra helping of healing powers for my favorite K.

This week's recipe comes from this cookbook:
Its the official Farkas family cookbook. It contains all of the recipes from my mom's recipe box. After I made it a few years ago for her for Christmas, my sister in law gave me her recipe box and asked me to expand on it. Its nice to have all of our family recipes in one location.

Congo Squares

2/3 c margarine
1 package brown sugar
2 3/4 c flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
1 c nuts, chopped (I use walnut)
1 package chocolate chips

Melt margarine and mix with brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then rest of ingredients. Put batter into a 9x13 pan. Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Note: These are best when they are slightly undercooked, so keep any eye on them.

The finished product:

Recipe #2: Chicken and Vegetable Potage

My second recipe comes from the same cookbook, Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2. I chose it both for its simplicity (perfect for a night when I have minimal time at home before running off to a meeting) and for its homage to French cooking. I'll post photos later - it is simmering on my stove as I type this.

Chicken and Vegetable Potage
Makes 4 servings
4 boneless, skinless breasts (I used chicken thighs, as that was what I had on hand)
Salt, to taste
3 carrots, peeled and cut on an angle into 1/2 slices (I used "baby" carrots, as I'm really lazy)
3 ribs celery, peeled and cut on an angle into 2 inch pieces
2 small to medium onions, cut into 1 and 1/1 inch chunks (I sprinkled onion powder instead, as I'm lazy)
**New potatoes - a handful, cut into quarters** - this was my own addition, as I had them on hand and potatoes are one of the few foods that have never let me down, so I like to show them love (you can omit, if you want)
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 sprigs thyme
2 cups dry white wine (thank you to my party guest who left a bottle of white behind last weekend!)
Water to cover
Chives and/or parsley as garnish

Season chicken with salt. Arrange pieces in a deep, large skillet. Cover chicken with carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Add bay leaf, thyme, white wine and water to cover the veggies and chicken. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook, 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme. Adjust salt to taste. Arrange chicken and veggies in shallow serving bowl and cover with some of the broth. Garnish with chives/parsley. Serve with crusty bread (if wheat is your friend).

A New Year's Resolution

Hello and welcome to my blog. For my New Year's resolution, I decided to cook one recipe from one of my cookbooks each week. I'm hoping to break the food rut I'm in while tapping into the resources I have right at my fingertips.
Since I'm late in starting this, I'll play catch up by posting three recipes in one day.

My first recipe is from this:
I realize to some Rachael Ray isn't exactly high quality food. I received two of her cookbooks for Christmas when I turned 28, shortly after I learned to cook. I will confess that watching her show was one of the ways I became less afraid of cooking. So, we'll forgive her for not being high brow.

I chose a Green Minestrone recipe to make. With bad weather in the forecast, a healthy dose of warm veggies seemed in order.

The finished product:


Hearty, healthy and yummy.

Green Minestrone from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2
Makes 4 servings
2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 slices pancetta or prosciutto, chopped (I used prosciutto)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, dried or fresh
1 medium zucchini, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15 oz) white cannellini beans
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
8 c chicken broth or stock (2, 1 quart paper containers)
1 c ditalini or mini penne pasta (I used brown rice gluten free pasta, since wheat is my personal kryptonite)
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
10 oz spinach (the fresh kind)
1/2 c Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese

Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and prosciutto. Saute 2 minutes, then add onions, celery, garlic, bay leaf and zucchini to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans and chicken broth to the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans and cook 8 minutes (I had to cook for 16, since gluten free pasta takes longer to cook). Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Remove bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls (I desperately need a soup ladle!) and top with cheese.

What are you cooking this week?