I love surprising friends
with a little gift of homemade cookies. I don’t often take the time to make
them, though. So, when I do mix up a batch, I make it a BIG batch.

My favorite cookies are any
kind with oatmeal in them. When I deliver them as little surprise gifts, I
stack them inside of an empty oatmeal box. That means I save all oatmeal boxes.
When we moved from Fargo to Bemidji six years ago, I had big boxes full
of empty oatmeal containers. Under pressure from my family, I finally let go of
the oatmeal containers and watched as they were taken to the curb for the
garbage truck to eat up.

I’ve had time to replenish
the collection.

I have cookies cooling on
the kitchen counter right now. It smells so good in here. A couple of oatmeal
boxes are standing at the ready. I’ll line the 18-ounce oatmeal boxes with
gallon-sized zip-top storage bags. One dozen cookies will stack up nicely
inside the plastic-lined container. I’ll zip up the bag and fold it to the
inside of the container, then gently place the top on the box without smooshing
the chewy cookies.

These Peanut Butter
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are an adaptation of my Monster Cookie recipe. I
keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to one week and bake some cookies up
when I want them warm and fresh. The dough can also be stored in the freezer
for a couple of months in a tightly sealed container or plastic freezer bag.
The baked cookies also freeze well.

Ooooh. Warm. Chewy.
Chocolate. Peanut butter. Oatmeal. Mmmm.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter,
  room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
  extract
• 3 cups peanut butter, creamy
  or chunky
• 2 tablespoons light corn
  syrup
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 9 cups quick-cooking rolled
  oats
• 1 (10-ounce) bag peanut
  butter and milk chocolate morserls
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate
  morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars
together in a large mixing bowl. Add baking soda, vanilla, peanut butter, light
corn syrup and eggs and mix well. Gradually add the oats and stir well until
thoroughly mixed in. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate morsels. Drop the
dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12
minutes until lightly browned. Makes 6 dozen.

• A shiny aluminum baking
  sheet will give you the best results for just about every kind of cookie. I
  love my Doughmakers cookie sheets.

Oh, lucky me. On Saturday evening I turned my kitchen over
to five men. Five men who are great cooks. They call themselves PIGS –
Preparing Incredible Gourmet Sensations. And, oh, how true that is. They live up to their name.

They had done some planning with each other before they gathered
here, so each had taken charge of a specific part of the menu.

As spouses looked on, they first prepared appetizers of
lavosh baked with a jalapeno-cheese topping along with chicken and sweet
bell peppers, another with hot Italian sausage and a third with lots of cheese.
Now that could have been a meal in itself – maybe with the salad. But these
guys who love to cook always go all out.

The grills were smoking hot out on the deck as a marinated
tri-tip roast cooked to perfection and marinated chicken breasts sizzled on the
grate.

Parboiled sweet potato spears finished cooking on the grill as they were
glazed with a honey-lime mixture. And the salad – oh, so delicious. Fresh
greens tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, olives and soft, melt-in-your-mouth homemade
cornmeal croutons made with lots of parmesan, all bathed in a flavorful
vinaigrette.

Dessert was a perfect ice cream sundae with premium vanilla
ice cream topped with fresh cherry sauce and a grilled peach half.

The guys haven’t shared their recipes with me, but I did
take some pictures I wanted to share with you. As you see in the photos, these guys not only prepare incredible gourmet sensations, they pay
careful attention to detail as they garnish their incredible gourmet sensations.

I’m sharing my recipe for lime-marinated chicken breasts
that I often slice up and use for summer fajitas, but they’re also good served
up with your favorite sides.

If you’ve never placed fresh fruit on the grill, you must
try it. It’s easy to do and it makes a perfect ending to a summer meal. Warm
grilled peaches were delicious with creamy vanilla ice cream. Why grill peaches
when you can just slice them and topple them over ice cream? Grilling
caramelizes the natural sugar of fruits which makes them sweeter and more
flavorful. It also softens their texture and allows the fruit to release more
juices. Peaches, as well as plums and nectarines are good grillers because
they’re firm enough to be placed directly on the cooking grate and sturdy
enough to remain intact when turning. Fruit is apt to pick up unwanted flavors
from the grill, so it’s very important to clean the grate thoroughly before
placing the peaches on it. The fruit will cook quickly, so keep a close watch.

Grilled peaches are not a dessert-only treat. They’re also
good alongside grilled pork, chicken or ribs.

Before grilling, wash peaches and dry them well. Cut each
peach in half and remove the pit. They can be placed on the grill at this point
and in just a few minutes they will be warm, juicy and sweet. I like to brush
each peach half with orange juice or brandy and then coat the moist peach
halves with vanilla sugar. You can find vanilla sugar in some grocery stores or
you can order it online from Penzey’s Spices.

These PIGS can cook. And not only that – they clean up when
they’re done cooking. Oh, lucky me!

Lime-Marinated Chicken Breasts

• 8 large chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon garlic salt

Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with lime juice,
pepper and garlic salt. Place in zip-top plastic bag along with any remaining
lime juice. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

Grill over hot coals, turning once, until done. Serve as is,
or slice diagonally into strips and wrap up in warm tortillas with sautéed
onions and sweet peppers.

Grilled Peaches

• 8 medium peaches
• 1 to 2 tablespoons brandy or orange juice
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• Vanilla ice cream
• Cookies for garnish

Halve the peaches and remove the pits. Preheat the grill.
Place the peaches cut side up on a large platter. Brush with half the brandy
and sprinkle with the sugar. Turn the peaches over and repeat brushing with
brandy and sprinkling with sugar. Place peaches directly over medium heat and
cook until grill marks are clearly visible and the peaches are soft, 10 to 12
minutes total. For each dessert serving, scoop premium vanilla ice cream in
dessert bowl and tuck two warm peach halves along the side. Garnish each
serving with your favorite cookie. Serves 4.

• You can make your own vanilla sugar by burying a vanilla
  bean in 2 cups of sugar in a jar. Tightly seal the jar and within a week you
  will have vanilla-scented sugar. Use it in baked goods, or sprinkle it on top
  of sugar cookies or blueberry muffins before baking.

Have you ever needed a dessert
to stick into a box-lunch? Something sweet and delicious that can be eaten with
fingers? Maybe little cookies or bars that are easy to wrap and pack? All this
plus quick to make? That’s just what I needed the other day to serve at a lunch
meeting for 12 people.

I decided to make two types
of bars, both chewy and rich. I adapted my favorite bar recipe that
includes graham cracker crumbs and sweetened condensed milk with a buttery
crust and come up with two new recipes.

Pecan Pie Squares will
remind you of those little pecan tassies that find their way onto holiday
cookie trays. These are much quicker to make, though. Rich, buttery crust holds
a filling that’s loaded with pecans and toffee bits, held together with a can
of sweetened condensed milk.

Chocolate-Coconut Squares
have a brown sugar-sweetened graham cracker crust. Coconut filling is made
chewy with a can of sweetened condensed milk. A topping of chocolate and a hint
of peanut butter make each bite seem like it has come right out of a candy bar
wrapper.

Always have a can or two of
sweetened condensed milk in your pantry. In no time at all you can create these
bars that are a little fancier than basic bar cookies yet still deliciously
simple. And simply delicious!

Pecan Pie Squares

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, room
  temperature
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened
  condensed milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (8-ounce) package toffee
  bits
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Combine flour and powdered
sugar in a medium bowl. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender until
mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture evenly into a greased 9- x
13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Combine sweetened condensed
milk, egg and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in toffee bits and pecans. Pour
mixture over hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden. Let
cool and cut into squares. Can make up to 4 dozen small squares. (I cut mine
bigger.)

Chocolate-Coconut Squares

• 1½ cups graham cracker
  crumbs (about 1 full sleeve of crackers)
• ½ cup firmly packed brown
  sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened
  condensed milk
• 2¼ cups flaked coconut
• 1 (12-ounce) package
  semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Combine graham cracker
crumbs, brown sugar, flour and butter in a medium bowl. Press mixture into a
lightly buttered 9- x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Combine sweetened condensed
milk and coconut, mixing well. Spread over hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees for
12 to 15 minutes.

Combine chocolate morsels
and peanut butter in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Stir mixture over low heat
until melted and smooth. Spread over warm coconut layer. Cool and cut into
bars. Makes up to 4 dozen small bars. (I cut mine bigger.)

If you like grilled-cheese sandwiches, you’ll probably love a panini. If you prefer a warm sandwich, a panini will be right up your alley.

I’ve noticed panini are showing up on menus in large upscale restaurants, small cafes, coffee shops and grocery store delis. These hot, pressed Italian sandwiches are a jazzed up romantic version of the grilled-cheese sandwich. Layers of thinly sliced meat, cheese and vegetables melt together between slices of heavy flavorful bread. There are special electric Panini presses that can be purchased to heat and press the sandwich. I don’t have one. I just improvise.

A good Panini begins with great bread. Foccacia or ciabatta, both Italian flat breads, are dense and flavorful and perfect for Panini sandwiches. I purchase these breads in the bakery department at my local grocery store.

A light brushing of olive oil over the cut sides of the bread prepare it for all the good stuff that will be sandwiched inside.

It’s best to use thinly sliced cooked meats and cheeses. This allows the meat to heat more quickly and the cheese to melt. The combinations of meat, cheese and vegetables can be dictated by what you have in your refrigerator and by your own imagination.

The chicken panini I made recently included breast meat from a rotisserie chicken that I picked up in the deli, sliced avocado, fire-roasted red peppers from a jar, peppery arugula, and mild provolone cheese.

Once the sandwiches were assembled, I heated up my grill pan, placed the sandwiches in the pan, and then set my heavy cast-iron pan on top of the sandwiches to press them. It worked great. After a couple of minutes on one side, I turned the sandwiches over so that both sides would have grill marks. If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, use any heavy pan and add weight by placing a heat-safe dish or even clean stones inside the pan.

The sturdy, dense bread used to make these sandwiches allows them to be prepared on an outdoor grill as well. Be sure the grates are clean and well-oiled so that the sandwiches won’t stick. On my gas grill, I put the sandwiches over the middle burner turned to low, with the two end burners on a higher heat. After just a minute on the grill with the lid down, I press the sandwiches with a spatula and hold it for a few seconds, then turn the sandwiches over and repeat the process.

If the dad you’re cooking for on Father’s Day loves a good sandwich, warm panini made with all his favorite sandwich stuffings will warm his heart.

Chicken Panini

• Ciabatta buns, 1 per person
• Thinly sliced cooked chicken breast
• Thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 1 jar fire-roasted red peppers
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• Fresh arugula
• Olive oil for brushing

Heat a grill pan or regular heavy pan on top of stove or preheat an outdoor grill.

Cut the buns in half. Brush the cut sides with olive oil. Layer chicken, cheese, peppers, avocado and arugula on bottom half of buns. Cover with the top half of the ciabatta bun and brush both top and bottom with olive oil.

Place the panini in the pan. Place heavy pan on top of panini. Heat for a couple of minutes, then turn sandwiches over and once again top with the heavy pan. Cook until cheese melts and begins to ooze out the sides of the panini. Remove the panini from the pan and cool slightly before cutting in half.

If you’re heating the sandwiches on your outdoor grill, just remember to press each side with a spatula and don’t leave them on the grill too long. They will quickly burn.

Serve and enjoy!

I made it back. Sore, but all in one piece. I’ve never eaten
so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and energy bars as I did during the
ride. Those were standard fare at each rest stop. But they got me through 150 miles of pedaling and that’s a good thing.

In my last post I mentioned that I would share the recipe
for the soba noodles. Soba noodles are a thin Japanese noodle, made of
buckwheat and wheat flours, which give them their grayish-brown color. They
cook faster than traditional Italian dried pasta and can be served cold, at
room temperature or warm. Depending on where you live, soba noodles may not be
easy to find. I purchase them at my local natural foods co-op. These days,
though, you can find anything online. Whole wheat spaghetti could be a
substitute for soba noodles in this dish.

Soba Noodle Salad is a nice complement to grilled meat or
any grilled fish or seafood. Toss in any of your favorite vegetables. Hold the
dressing until just before serving. The noodles drink it right up.

The dressing is made with tahini, an oily paste similar to
the texture of peanut butter, made from ground sesame seeds. I love the nutty
flavor.

This is an easy summer noodle salad that’s full of great
flavors. Sprinkle some sambal over the top. Find the sambal recipe and the picture of the soba noodle salad in the post of June
7^th.

Soba Noodle Salad

• 2 cups fresh green beans
• 8 ounces dry soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons warm water
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

 Trim the beans and cut diagonally into strips. Plunge the
beans into a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes or until just tender. Drain and
rinse under cold running water. Drain.

Cook the noodles in boiling water until they are tender.
This could take as little as 4 minutes. Just keep checking. Drain and rinse
under cold water, then drain again.

Combine the tahini, garlic, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame
oil, soy sauce, sugar and warm water in a screw-top jar. Shake well and season
to taste.

Combine the beans, noodles and green onions in a serving
bowl. Add dressing and toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to
6.

This will be a quick post, as I am just getting ready to leave for a weekend of biking. As in pedaling. I’ll be a participant in the Minnesota MS 150 Bike Tour. We’ll begin in Duluth on Saturday morning, putting in 75 miles, then another 75 on Sunday as we ride into the National Sports Center in Blaine. I’m asking for no wind, no rain, no humidity and perfect temperatures. Is that too much to ask for?
Anyway, before I leave I want to share a recipe that is an easy weekend meal on the grill. A marinade that is quick to mix together is poured over skewered shrimp, then sets for an hour. A spicy condiment called sambal is used for dipping as well as some mango chutney. Traditionally made with chili peppers and other ingredients,
such as sugar or coconut, sambal is often seen in the foods of Indonesia and Malaysia. I have a very simplified version. The recipe makes quite a bit, but it holds well in a jar in the refrigerator. Dip the grilled shrimp into the mango chutney, then into the sambal. I’ve discovered the sambal is good sprinkled into salads and over all grilled meats. And the shrimp with mango and sambal works magnificently as an appetizer.
I served the shrimp with soba noodles. I’ll share that recipe next week when I get back. Couscous would also be nice with the shrimp.
For now, here’s the shrimp — just in time for weekend grilling. Because the weather will be perfect all weekend long, right?

Skewered Shrimp with Coconut Sambal

• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
• 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 32 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• Mango chutney
• 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

Soak eight bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Combine the coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, lime zest, jalapeno pepper, brown sugar and garlic. Mix until the sugar dissolves.

I heard from some of you who
had read about Bon’s Lemon Cake that I wrote about in my most recent All About
Food column. The Old-Fashioned Triple Lemon Cake recipe I shared is my
jazzed-up version of Bon’s cake. Some of you, though, were anxious to get the
recipe for Bon’s original Lemon Cake.

I made the cake today. Bon
always baked it in a 9- x 13-inch pan and poured the glaze over it while it was
still warm from the oven. I decided to turn the cake into a torte, baking it in
two 9-inch pans. After tipping the cakes from the pans, I poured the lemon
glaze over them and let them cool. I put the torte together with sweetened
whipped cream and strawberries marinated in limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur,
pronounced lee-moan-chello. All the neighbors who tasted the torte gave it a
thumbs up.

So, you can make it Bon’s
way or turn it into a summer torte. Anyway you make it, it’s easy and it’s a
winner.

Lemon Torte with
Strawberries Limoncello

• 1 (18.25-ounce) package
  yellow cake mix
• 1 (3-ounce) package lemon
  jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• ¾ cup canola oil
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) melted
  butter
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 cups (1 pint) heavy
  whipping cream
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons limoncello

 Start by making Bon’s
Original Lemon Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease and flour the bottoms of two 9-inch round baking pans.

Mix cake mix, jello, boiling water and oil together
with an electric hand mixer on medium speed. Allow to cool to lukewarm before
adding eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat at medium speed
for 2 minutes.

Divide cake batter evenly
between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Reduce
heat to 300 degrees and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden
pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow
cakes to cool in pans on wire racks for 10 to 15 minutes.

While cakes are cooling,
prepare the glaze by mixing melted butter, lemon juice and powdered sugar in
medium bowl.

Turn the cakes out onto the
wire racks. Position one cake with the bottom up and one cake with the topside
up. Place wire racks holding cakes on baking sheets. Use a fork to poke many holes in the top
of the cakes, being careful not to go all the way through the cake. Pour the
glaze over the warm cakes. Cool thoroughly.

Combine strawberries and limoncello.

When ready to serve, whip
the cream with the sugar and vanilla until very thick. Position the cake layer
with the bottom side up on a cake platter. Spread half of the whipped cream
mixture over the layer on the platter. Use a slotted spoon to place half of
strawberries on top of the whipped cream. Top with remaining torte layer.
Spread remaining whipped cream over top of torte. Spoon remaining strawberries
over whipped cream. Serve immediately. Makes one 9-inch torte.

• I use superfine caster sugar
  when sweetening whipped cream. Its fine texture allows it to dissolve quickly.
  It’s also good for stirring into iced tea and sprinkling on fresh fruit. If you
  make meringue, it’s a must-have. Many grocery stores and natural food stores
  carry it.
• Placing the beaters and the
  mixing bowl in the freezer before whipping cream will help it whip up faster,
  especially in warm summer kitchens.
• Limoncello can be found in
  some liquor stores. Store the whole bottle in the freezer. It is traditional to
  serve the bright yellow sweet liqueur after dinner to sip on. It’s very
  refreshing on a hot summer evening on the deck.

There are a couple of things
that led up to this seasonal tart. Last weekend we made a trip to a farm
owned by friends who invited us to come pick rocks. I’ve wanted to add some to
outdoor planting areas in the yard. While we were there, Molly was showing me
her beautiful vegetable gardens, full of bright green sprouts and leaves poking
from the ground. At an end of one of the large gardens, there was some very
healthy rhubarb standing proud and tall. I came home with an armload of bright
rhubarb stalks.

I trimmed and washed the
long stems, wrapped them up in a white kitchen towel and tucked them into the
refrigerator with plans to make a dessert within the next couple of days.

Yesterday, when my neighbor
called to tell me she had just made her favorite rhubarb dessert and wanted to
share it with me, my own rhubarb was still waiting for a purpose in the
refrigerator. Her delicious treat only whet my appetite for more.

Today is the kind of day
that draws me into the kitchen to bake – cool, dark and rainy. Perfect.

And, so …my rhubarb wound up
in a custard-like filling atop a shortbread crust.

The crust I used is the base
for my favorite bars that have been a family favorite for years. It melts in
your mouth just like a buttery shortbread cookie.

I added cozy warmth to the
filling with some minced crystallized ginger and a bit of orange liqueur. I
always have crystallized ginger in my pantry. I often grab a chunk and eat it
like a jellybean. This ginger is made with fresh gingerroot that is peeled,
diced or chunked and most often cooked in sugar syrup, then coated with sugar.
It’s a nice addition to cookies, quick breads and sauces. It’s also excellent
in sweet and sour marinades. It can be found in many grocery stores, sometimes
in bags near the candy or each piece wrapped individually in the bulk section
of some stores..

I baked the tart in a
10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. It’s a Calphalon pan with 1½-inch
sides – a little deeper than the traditional tart pan. It can also be made in a
9- x 13-inch pan. If you bake it in a tart pan, place an aluminum-foil lined
baking sheet on the oven rack below it to catch any drips. Otherwise, you may wind
up with a smoky kitchen and a messy oven.

This tart highlights the
flavor of rhubarb with a little surprise hint of ginger in some of the
bites. Garnished with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of
cinnamon-ginger sugar it becomes an elegant dessert. You can stir up your own
flavored sugar mixture or order a bag from Mrs. Kelly’s Tea. I’ve got a few of
her flavored sugar mixtures and use them often to add a new twist to cookies,
toast and whipped cream.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have
fresh-picked rhubarb in the refrigerator year around just waiting for a
purpose?

Rhubarb-Ginger Tart

Crust:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Filling:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon, packed, minced
  crystallized ginger
• 1 teaspoon orange liqueur
• 3 cups diced rhubarb
• Whipped cream for garnish
• Cinnamon Ginger Sugar, for
  garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For crust, combine butter,
flour and powdered sugar in food processor or large bowl. Pat onto bottom and
½-inch up the sides of a lightly greased 10-inch tart pan with removable
bottom. Bake 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cool on wire rack.

For filling, combine all the
ingredients except garnishes. Mix well and spread over baked crust. Bake 30 to
35 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Top each serving with whipped cream and
sprinkle with cinnamon-ginger sugar. Makes 8 servings.