Just~One~Donna

Congo Bars Today's recipe is a standby favorite from my childhood.  Mom made these for us on a regular basis.  We would often come home from school to a freshly baked batch of these delicious congo bars. Oh, how I loved them! Congo bars are easy to make, don't require any special equipment and keep well.  This recipe makes a large batch, about 24 large bars or 48 small ones.  That makes this a great treat for a picnic, family gathering or pot luck gathering.  Do you have a bake sale to bake for?  These bars transport well and are sure to please. Congo Bars 24 large bars or 48 small bars Congo Bar Ingredient s 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening (I use unsalted butter) 2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar 3 eggs 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 cups chocolate chips Directions Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.  Melt the shortening/butter...

Banana Cupcakes with Maple Icing Do you have some bananas sitting on your counter getting overly ripe?  Are you tired of banana bread?  You may want to give these banana cupcakes a try.  This recipe makes ten to twelve cupcakes, so you'll want to double it for a large group. The maple icing is more of a thick glaze than a true frosting, but it is a yummy topping for this dessert.  You won't want to skimp on the maple syrup.  Use the best all-natural maple syrup you can find.  It will make a difference in the icing's flavor.  Add some chopped walnuts for some crunch. Banana Cupcakes with Maple Icing Print This Recipe Banana Cupcake Ingredients Makes 10-12 cupcakes 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2  large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana...

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies When you think of sweets as comfort foods, what comes to mind?  Do you have a favorite cookie, cake or brownie?  When you stop by your favorite bakery do you choose a complex sweet or do you stick with a basic favorite?  For me, a chocolate chip cookie speaks comfort, but for my husband and oldest son the favorite sweet is an oatmeal raisin cookie.  Today's oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is in honor of them and the fact that my son reminded me I haven't made an oatmeal raisin cookie in what seems like decades.  That's an exageration, of course, but it has been much too long since I made these cookies.  I usually make the always reliable Quaker Oats recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies, but today I wanted to try incorporating applesauce in my cookie. This recipe results in a domed, drop cookie with a cake-like texture, not a crisp, chewy oatmeal cookie. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Makes 40 cookies 123 calories per cookie ...

It's this time of year, as the leave fall from the trees, that I often think about just how remarkable a tree is.  In the Northeast we are blessed with a wide variety of beautiful trees and watching them change from season to season is a favorite past time. A Fall Maple   I have my favorites.  While I prefer a maple tree to an oak, I owe my pleasant, shady deck to the canopy of a stately oak.  The oak is messier than a maple tree, dropping copious strands of its long beard over my deck and lawn in late spring.  This requires daily blowing of the deck to keep it neat and tidy.  In late summer the acorns start falling.  Luckily acorns don't hurt much when you are clunked on the head with one, but once again there are daily messes to clean up.  Now it's the leaves that fall day after day, after day, after day. I love my weeping cherry tree.  It is about 30 years old and is showing its age, but for about 4 weeks in early spring it is...

Do you know where your milk and cheese come from?  Do you ever think about that?   I grew up within walking distance of a dairy farm and was familiar from an early age of the role cows play in providing our milk and cheese.   As time has gone by I've given little thought to the source of my milk and cheese.  As a result, I would answer the question, where does my milk and cheese come from with the rather short, but flip answer, the grocery store. Ocean Breeze Farm Last weekend, the Ocean Breeze Farm, the same one very near to my childhood home, hosted an open house in partnership with Cabot Cheese.   It was one of 50 farms across the Northeast and Upstate New York to open its barns to the local community.   Ocean Breeze Farm is owned by the Pancieras, and Frank Panciera, who you can see pictured on the Cabot Cheese label below, was on hand to greet his guests. Cabot Pepper Jack Cheese Label Featuring Ocean Breeze Farm ...

Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Spinach Some days I have no idea what to make for dinner. This recipe came to be on one of those days because of a package of mozzarella and basil flavored chicken sausage I had in my refrigerator that needed to be used.   I was not in the mood to spend a couple of hours cooking and I also wanted a really quick dinner.  The chicken sausage was a perfect beginning to a quick dinner. So, friends, this is a 30-minute or less meal that is perfect for any busy family's weeknight meal. It's also a great weekend meal when you have been running around doing all your weekend chores.  Whip this pasta dish together when friends stop by on the weekend.  Add a garden salad and some crusty bread and you'll take this meal over the top. Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Spinach Serves 6 Bow Tie Pasta Ingredients 1 pound basil mozzarella flavored chicken sausage, cut into chunks 1 lb package bow tie p...

Are you ready for another installment of the well-stocked pantry?  This week we're talking about essential herbs, of the dried variety, and spices.  Herbs and spices are the elements that deliver flavor to your recipes.  They are what turn the "ho hum" into the "more please" dishes.  I need herbs and spices.  You need herbs and spices.  We all need herbs and spices.  Herbs are usually the fragrant leaves of a plant while spices come from the harder parts of a plant; from the bark, seeds, roots or fruit.  Sometimes a plant provides both an herb and a spice, like cilantro. My Spice Cabinet I keep my dried herbs and spices all together in one cabinet in my kitchen island.  I do most of my food preparation on the kitchen island that is right near the stove.  This makes the location handy for the prep and in process cooking steps of recipes.  Do you keep your herbs and spices in a handy location near your stove? You'll ...

As the leaves change colors and the nights grow cooler it's the perfect time to think spring.  That's because fall the best time to prepare your Northeast garden for a bountiful show next spring and summer.   You can plant any time until the ground freezes, but it's best to give your new plantings some time to get established.   Your perennials and woody plants should be kept cool and moist until you get them in the ground.   This is the perfect time to plant bulbs for those beautiful spring flowers.  Just a little effort now will reap big rewards in a few months.  If not planting your bulbs right away, keep them in a cool location.  Remember to water those perennials and bulbs after planting if there isn’t enough rainfall to take care of it for you.   Keep watering until the ground freezes. Location, location, location…   Yes, plants care about their real estate.   Be sure to choose a location that will meet the partic...