Baked Barley and My Chinese Covered Casserole Dish

My hot plate is no more. Ever heard of slow-browned beef? I hadn't either, until my hot plate shut off 15 minutes after I started browning some stew meat. The pan and the burner were still hot, but pretty soon I figured out the heat was no longer coming and the beef was barely turning brown (though it was trying!). I gave up on the browning and continued with the recipe. Six hours later, I tried again with another pound of stew meat (this is what happens when you're making a meal for someone and preparing for a potluck too), and the hot plate did the same thing. So I gave up on it again. My landlady is now looking for a new hot plate, preferably something that works this time. :-)

In the meantime, I needed to cook another batch of barley for more barley salad. I decided the barley salad didn't need any more flavoring, and I liked it so much I wanted more of it. Since I couldn't cook the barley on the stove, I searched the net for other ways to cook barley, and I found a Food Network recipe for Baked Barley. But it needs a casserole dish covered with aluminum foil and a lid, and I didn't have anything to suit the purpose, until I searched my cabinets and came up with my Chinese Covered Casserole Dish:

 

I remembered that some of my bowls and plates are oven-safe, so I put one of each together. That's a picture of it inside the toaster oven. I can't help but think it looks Chinese. It doesn't have the foil on it yet because there was no barley inside it yet when I took the picture.

The casserole dish worked wonderfully, and the baked barley came out fine, so here's my version of the recipe. I think this is easier than cooking it on the stove. I left out the butter and salt, since I was going to add feta and other yummy things.

Baked Barley

Combine 2 cups boiling water and 1 cup pearled barley in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with lid. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and put the lid on top. Bake at 375 degrees for an hour.

Note: Make sure the lid is oven-safe before you put it in the oven.

Is that a crockpot in the bedroom?

 

Why yes, I think it is! After all, there's a potluck tomorrow, and the corn mini-muffins need to be baked in the oven, so the oven displaces the crockpot...

In other news, I discovered this morning that my stove can only brown one batch of stew meat at a time, and only as much as will fit in an 8" pan. Then it overheats and turns off for who knows how long. I think it's an hour, at least.

Dark Chocolate Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cups

I've always loved peanut butter cups, but I'm pretty sensitive to sugar and I get a headache if something is too sugary. For years I've been wanting to make dark chocolate peanut butter cups, but the filling required way too much powdered sugar to get the right consistency.

Then my mom sent me some defatted peanut flour. At first, I really didn't know what to do with it, but I did some searching online and found that you can use it to make a candy filling. It has a very similar consistency to powdered sugar, so it can replace some of the powdered sugar.

Making the filling

Start with about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter. I get the Wal-Mart brand, and it's a bit too chunky--aren't they supposed to break up the peanut halves?--so I beat it with a meat mallet first to break up the big chunks, and I added a little creamy PB to help.

When you're satisfied with your peanut butter, add a big spoonful of peanut flour. Stir. It should get pretty moldable.

Melt a scant 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and stir the butter into the peanut butter mixture. Now it's wet and sticky again.

Stir in confectioner's sugar and salt until the filling is as sugary and salty as you want it. I think I used four small spoonfuls of confectioner's sugar and plenty of shakes of the salt shaker. It does not need to be very sugary, just enough to barely taste the sugar (same for the salt).

Now add peanut flour until it's back to the moldable consistency. Here is the peanut butter filling:

 

By this point, you may also have a mess (see above). Clean up the mess, take a deep breath, and get out the chocolate.

I've found the best source of good cheap chocolate is Trader Joe's. They sell a 500 gram package (that's more than a pound) for around $4. We don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, but I stocked up the last time I was in a city that had one, so I have plenty of chocolate. If all you have are chocolate chips, compare this recipe--they melt chocolate chips with shortening. In any event, you'll need about 3/8 lb. (6 oz.) of chocolate in order to do 25 candy liner sized cups.

Lining the cups

Technically, you're supposed to temper the chocolate, but that requires a candy thermometer (which I don't have), and I'd have to get out the stove and the stove would have to go right on my workspace. If you are fortunate enough to have a normal kitchen, a Google search will tell you how to temper the chocolate. It ends up looking better, more professional. But this is The Modest Kitchen, so here's the method I used.

Before you start, cover your workspace with wax paper. Cut chocolate into small pieces and melt it in a covered bowl in the microwave. Cook it for 30 seconds on 50% power, stir, and repeat those two steps until it's mostly melted.

Using a pastry brush, paint candy liners or mini cupcake liners with chocolate (there's a picture guide at this link). Put each one upside down on the wax paper and let it harden. This may take an hour or two. If you have a normal-size fridge, they will harden more quickly in the fridge. Tempered chocolate should harden very quickly.

 

 

Assembling the cups

When they are hardened, fill each one with the peanut butter filling and flatten it down with clean fingers. Leave a little bit of room at the top. Melt your chocolate again, if necessary. Use a spoon to spoon enough chocolate on the top so that the cup is filled. Let harden again. Store in fridge. Makes 25 candy liner sized cups.

 

Now you have a bit of chocolate left, but not enough to be worth saving. Of course, you don't want to waste it, so the only solution is to eat it. This is the best part.

Tips

My big mistake was that I painted 50 candy liner sized cups (smaller than mini cupcake cups) and then discovered I only had enough filling for 25. Fortunately, I hadn't licked the bowl or the utensils from the filling, so I made another batch of the filling, using the recipe above.

Also, when you're painting the cups, you're not trying to paint a paper-thin layer. It needs to be a couple of millimeters thick. A paper-thin layer will not behave very well, but of course you can still eat it.

When you're working with melted chocolate, tape your wax paper to the counter, and use enough wax paper to really cover the counter. When your hands are covered in chocolate (yes, they will be), you can't protect the counter if the wax paper slides (which it will).

Do not let the chocolate harden on the pastry brush and expect to use it again. Oops. I was so glad to find that a spoon worked better for the second go-round with the melted chocolate.

Honestly, this was a pretty easy recipe, although it did take some time. I just put on something enjoyable to listen to and went at it.

Barley-Feta Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

 

I had some mishaps in cooking this. I burned my fingers on the oven door, burned the pecans, and then spilled them all over the carpet. Still, it really hit the spot tonight, and barley makes you feel so full! I ate it as a main dish, since it has plenty of protein, but it could serve as a side dish in a low-protein meal.

2 1/4 c. water
3/4 c. barley (I used pearled, but unpearled is more nutritious. Cooking directions are for pearled barley.)

3 oz. feta, crumbled
1/4 c. (or however much you want) dried cranberries
1/3 c. (or however much you want) pecans, chopped
2-4 green onions, chopped

1. Put water and barley in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 25 minutes until barley is tender and most of the water is absorbed. Remove pan from heat, uncover, and let cool for a couple of hours. When barley is cool, drain remaining water and place in large bowl.
2. Toast chopped pecans in a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant, stirring every minute. Watch them closely, because they burn easily.
3. Skip this step if you like your green onions raw. I don't, so I put them in the oven for a couple of minutes after I had taken the pecans out.
4. Add feta, cranberries, and green onions to the bowl of barley. Stir. Add pecans right before serving.

Note: If you think you'll have leftovers, put the nuts in a separate bowl and add them at the table. They lose their flavor when stored as part of the salad.

Further note: This salad might need a little more flavoring. I debated adding sesame oil, but my stomach was feeling queasy and I decided to keep it plain. Comment if you have any other ideas!

Pancake/Waffle Mix

I realized today that I took my mom's copy of the recipe for waffle mix, so I'm posting it here to give it back to her.

Pancake/Waffle Mix
This recipe is adapted from the More-with-Less cookbook.

2 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. buckwheat flour
1 T. salt
6 T. baking powder (that's 1/4 c. plus 2 T.)
6 T. sugar
2 c. powdered milk
1 c. wheat germ

Mix well and store in an airtight container in cupboard.

To use:
Combine in a bowl:

1 egg (beaten with fork)
1 c. water
2 T. oil
1 1/2 c. pancake mix

Cook as pancakes or waffles.

On Saving Time and Conserving Dishes

Here are some tips I've discovered to make things easier in a small kitchen without much counter space (or a dishwasher).

• If the plate isn't dirty, use it again. On days I don't cook, I often use just one bowl and one plate in a day (plus about 5 pieces of silverware).
  
  
• When I'm alone, I use plastic water bottles rather than drinking glasses. I keep four water bottles in the fridge and refill them after I drink them (replacing them every few weeks). Then I don't have to make ice and can use my shoebox freezer for other things. I also don't need to wash drinking glasses unless I have company.
  
  
• When chopping vegetables, it's really nice to have a trash bowl (so you don't have to keep opening the trash can), but I don't like to use that much counter space or wash a bowl for that. Instead, I put wax paper on the counter next to my cutting board, and I collect the scraps there. When I'm done cutting, I gather up the wax paper and put it in the trash, and the counter is clean for whatever comes next.
  
  
• I also have saved a couple of jar lids (about 5" diameter, 1" deep) from jars that I threw out. These only serve as trash bowls and don't have to be washed well.
  
  
• Use the microwave rather than the stove. Some examples:
  
  
  • Corn on the cob: Shuck corn. Wet a paper towel, squeeze out most of the water, and wrap the paper towel around the corn. Microwave on high 3 minutes for one ear. I usually microwave one ear as I'm shucking the next one.
    
    
  • Mashed potatoes: Cube potatoes and place in microwave-safe bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover. Microwave on high 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Mash.
  
  I don't think I'll ever do either of those on the stove again--the microwave is so easy!
  
  
• Use parchment paper on your cookie sheet when baking. Parchment paper is usually sold near the wax paper and aluminum foil, and you put it on the cookie sheet before you put on the cookies/biscuits/whatever. Each piece can be reused a few times. (Warning to bakers: It won't work for spritz cookies, since they need to adhere to the cookie sheet when they come out of the spritz press.)
  
  
• Cookie sheets or baking pans can also be lined with aluminum foil. This is especially good for savory things, so that the grease doesn't get baked onto your pan.
  

Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

When I was looking for a recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars, I knew it wouldn't exactly be healthy, but at least I wanted one that had some good stuff (read: fiber) in it and wasn't too sugary. I liked this recipe because it has (roughly) equal amounts of cookie dough and oats, so one day I made it in someone else's oven and discovered it had way too much sugar. The pan size it requires is too big to fit in my toaster oven, so today I modified the recipe for my 9 x 6.5" pan, cut way back on the sugar, and substituted dark chocolate chips. I was delighted with the result, so I'm posting it here.

 

Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (you can soften it in the microwave on power 1--it usually takes 30 sec to 2 min)
3/8 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (can use mix of white and wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pinch of salt (this is what happens when you halve a recipe...)
1 1/2 cups rolled ("old-fashioned") oats
6 ounces (1 cup) dark chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer on high.
2. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
4. Add flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture, beating on low or medium.
5. Stir in oats, beating on low. Last, add chocolate chips and stir them in the same way. (If the dough is too stiff, you might want to use your hands instead.) You can substitute raisins or chopped nuts for some of the chocolate chips, if you prefer.
6. Flatten cookie dough into a greased 9 x 6.5" baking dish. It's ok for there to be a few cracks in the dough, but mostly it should be flat.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden and cookies are set in the middle. If you're unsure, test with a knife (it'll probably get chocolate on it, but it shouldn't come out with any cookie dough on it).
8. Cool for 20 minutes; cut into 1-inch squares.

To use a 9 x 13" pan, follow these directions:

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (you can soften it in the microwave on power 1--it usually takes 1-2 min)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can use mix of white and wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 cups rolled ("old-fashioned") oats
12 ounces (2 cups) dark chocolate chips

Follow instructions above for mixing. Bake in a 9 x 13" pan for 30-35 minutes.