If you cut them into 32 small squares, each one has 7 grams of fat and 180 calories (the math whiz in our family figured it out for me a long time ago). I just say that right up front so you can stop reading now if you’re counting those things. I’ve never seen anyone eat “just one.”

With a mixer, beat together:
one package chocolate cake mix
one stick of butter
one egg

Beat until you have a very stiff dough – don’t stop when it gets to the “little pebbles” stage. Press into a greased 9×13 pan. Don’t bother to wash the bowl or beaters.

OPTION: spread a layer of chocolate chips over the dough.

In the same bowl, beat together:
8 oz. cream cheese
3 – 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 eggs

Pour this mixture over the chocolate layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into small squares while still warm.

Lenora Larson is an amazing woman who lives on a butterfly farm just outside Paola, Kansas. If you google her, you may find articles she has written about butterflies, raising goats (the name of the place is Long Lips Farm, because Nubian goats are a long-lipped variety), and microbiology, as well as medical marketing. She’s a true renaissance woman, and I think fond thoughts of her every time I make these bars.

It’s a cool and cloudy day in Minnesota – time to fire up the oven (or the Crock Pot!) for this Taylor household favorite, adapted from Meatless Main Dishes. I always make a bigger batch so we can have leftovers, which can be eaten cold for lunch the next day, or packed into bell peppers or acorn squash halves and baked (add a little more Swiss cheese to the top)… possibilities abound. Cut everything in half if you are cooking for just one or two.

4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 c dry lentils
1 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 c brown rice
1/2 dry white wine (or some other flavorful liquid – sometimes I just add more broth with maybe a touch of cider vinegar or wine vinegar)
8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded or just chopped into small cubes – I mean, you already have the knife dirty from the onions, right? Who wants to wash a grater if you don’t have to?
at least a tsp of each of the following dried herbs, crushed with a mortar and pestle:
basil
oregano
thyme
cracked pepper (and a pinch of salt)
4 oz Swiss cheese cut into strips for garnish

Combine everything except the cheese garnish strips in a large casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Remove lid and give a little stir after about an hour. If it’s still pretty runny, leave the lid off. Otherwise, keep baking for up to two hours, until all the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are tender. Uncover for the last 5 minutes, and arrange the cheese strips over the top to melt in a lovely pattern. If you have any fresh herbs to sprinkle over the top, that’s nice too. Serve with your favorite green salad.

This travels well to potlucks, and we always get asked for the recipe.  It works in a slow cooker, and doubles easily.

This is the perfect al fresco meal to serve friends – just add a salad and some good wine. Linda finished off the meal with Bosc pears poached in wine, but fresh fruit or a little sorbet would work just as nicely.

Butter Bread Dough (for the crust)

2 c flour
2/3 c lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp salt

Mix the salt into the flour in a medium bowl, and make a well in the flour. Add the warm water and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let stand until the yeast bubbles the dough. Stir together with a fork, adding in the melted butter, until a dough forms. Knead for a few minutes and immediately roll out (approximately 12 x 9 inches) to fit easily onto a cookie sheet, pinching the edges up a bit.

Filling:

4 Tbsp butter
8 small to medium (or 4-5 large) leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and cut into chunks (NOTE: I think Linda got this recipe from a friend in France. They apparently grow smaller leeks over there. Two-three large leeks from an American grocery store are enough.)
1 c heavy cream
Salt and pepper
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Heat the butter in a large skillet, add the leeks and saute until soft. Add the cream and cook until well reduced, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread the leek mixture over the bread dough and dot with the goat cheese and chopped nuts. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven until golden (about 20 minutes) and serve sprinkled with coarsely cracked pepper.

Honestly, just reading through this recipe again made me want to go preheat the oven and run to the store for some heavy cream and leeks, so this is what I made for Valentine’s dinner this year.  It’s good cold, too, if you can manage to have any left over for lunch the next day.

Named for the sound it makes when you slap a big spoonful on your plate, this is the perfect one-pan meal for a college student who’s tired of eating Ramen noodles every night. If you aren’t a college student, you can add a salad.

One box macaroni and cheese dinner
Milk and butter, per package directions
One can tuna (water-packed)
1-2 c. frozen mixed vegetables

Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling water, and throw the veggies into the cooking water with the macaroni. When the pasta is al dente, drain into a colander in the sink (clean out the sink, first, duh). Melt 1/2 stick butter or margarine, and stir in the cheese packet from the mac’n’cheese box to make a nice roux. Slowly stir in some milk to make the sauce. Add the can of tuna (you don’t have to drain it unless you want to), and stir in the macaroni and veggies. If it seems a little thick, splash in a little more milk, and stir until all ingredients are well blended and the sauce is bubbly – about 30 seconds. Add pepper to taste. Eat.

True story: MONTHS after returning home from college, our son got a text message from his former roommate. “Dude. When do you add the tuna to the glop?” Our son replied with the necessary information, to which his roommate responded, “Lovely.” That kid now works for Ernst and Young. Our son now works for Wells Fargo.  They both still eat tuna glop, I’m pretty sure.

One of my many fond memories of Grandpa included making pancakes for Sunday night supper. This version is adapted from Stella Standard’s Our Daily Bread, and really has very little to do with Grandpa Joe’s recipe, except that these pancakes are worthy of supper. Add some fresh fruit if you want, but butter and syrup are all you really need.

1 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar (brown, if you have it)
3 tsp. baking powder
3 T. melted butter or light vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. milk (more or less… adjust to taste)
2 eggs, separated (this is the secret ingredient!)

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, because it’s easy to pour the batter from it, but that’s just me). Add the egg YOLKS, melted butter and milk. Mix with a fork to combine all ingredients – it’s okay if there are lumps, especially if you used brown sugar. If the batter seems a little thick, add more milk, a splash at a time, mixing until the batter is nice and thick, but pourable. If you have unexpected guests, you can make the batter a little thinner, to stretch it into more pancakes.

Beat the egg whites with a whisk until your wrist gives out or soft peaks form, whichever comes first. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Lightly butter a griddle and heat it until a drop of water dances across it. Keep the griddle at medium heat. Spoon or pour batter to form 6″ diameter cakes. Cook until bubbles form and pop – lift the edge with a spatula to confirm browning – and flip the cake with a metal spatula. Cook the second side until it has browned evenly. Remove to a warm platter, and repeat until all the batter is gone.

Truth be told, I could eat half a dozen of Grandpa’s pancakes, but these are very filling, and i can barely finish two of them, especially if there is “side meat” (we do turkey sausages or turkey bacon) or fresh fruit as an accompaniment.

Seeing pictures from the Bach Festival’s dining hall reminded me of this delectable appetizer, willingly shared by the dining hall chef one afternoon.

Marinate a pound of sliced mushrooms in some balsamic vinegar for at least an hour.
Sweat some chopped onions and garlic in a little olive oil. (Sweating is the technical term, I learned, for using low/medium heat to barely cook the onions until they are translucent.)
Add the mushrooms to the onion, and cook until the moisture has evaporated.
Toast some pine nuts.
Crumble some feta, and grate some Parmesan.
Melt some butter.
Thaw some puff pastry, and keep between damp towels as you work.

To assemble: Brush melted butter onto a sheet of pastry, top with another sheet, butter, top with a third sheet and butter. Cut the pastry into 3-4 inch squares. Spoon a little mushroom mixture onto each square, top with a few pine nuts and a little feta. Add just a touch of Parmesan to each mound. Gather the four corners of each square into a loose “packet” to lift it into a lightly oiled mini-muffin cup. (If you don’t have these, pinch the pastry together just above the filling, and give it a slight twist, placing the packets on a cookie sheet.) Bake at 350 until the pastry is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

This goes great with salmon – grilled or poached (we cook ours in the microwave in just a bit of olive oil, with some lemon slices and freshly ground pepper).

2 c. wild rice (or part wild, part brown rice)
broth (4 c. or so, to cover – add more water if needed)
1 c. chopped dried apricots
3/4 c. dried cranberries (or dried cherries!)
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 c. chopped fresh chives
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley

Cook the rice in the broth, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Toss with all the other ingredients in a large bowl.

2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 c vegetable oil (this works just as well if you cut it down to 1 c.)
2 c grated carrots
1 8.25 oz can crushed pineapple
1 c chopped pecans (optional)