The Pajama Chef

Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars

April 5, 2013April 5, 2013 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

this post is originally from June 14, 2012

I first had the pleasure of enjoying these rich, flavorful, awesome bars at Thanksgiving last year. My sister-in-law made them (I think), and Ben and I just couldn’t stop eating them. I mean, could you??

Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars | The Pajama Chef

After we got home, I was saddened by the thought that all the Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars were gone… but then it was Christmas cookie time and Girl Scout Cookie time and more desserts came and went. Then, one fateful day… I pulled out a bag of dark chocolate chips and saw the recipe right on the side of the bag! I knew it was meant to be, and so I made a batch of Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars. They are salty and sweet… absolutely perfect for chocolate cravings!

These layered bar cookies begin with a basic buttery crust, then are topped with a layer of ooey gooey dark chocolate goodness, and covered with more buttery crumbs and more dark chocolate chips. If you want, you can even add nuts to the topping–I didn’t, because I don’t really like nuts with chocolate, but if you do… go right ahead! This simple dessert looks impressive, but you don’t have to tell anyone that the recipe came from the side of a bag of chocolate chips and they come together in no time at all. I know these are a treat we’ll be making for years to come, and I hope you will give them a try too!

Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars [from Very Best Baking]
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Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt <— I usually leave salt out of recipes, but this is an integral part of this one!
1 2/3 cups (10 ounce package) dark chocolate chips, divided
1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Add butter to a mixer bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually add in flour, sugar, and salt, beat until crumbly. Press 2 cups mixture into bottom of prepared pan to form the crust. Set remaining crumb mixture aside.

Bake crust for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

In a small saucepan set over low heat, combine 1 cup dark chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Stir continually until chocolate is melted, then add vanilla extract. Pour over crust.

Top with remaining dark chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan until completely cool, then cut into bars.

Time: 50 minutes [15 minutes active].

Yield: 30 bars.

Pasta, Recipes, Sides

Neely’s Lemon Pasta Salad

April 3, 2013April 5, 2013 Sarah

So this pasta salad. I’ve made it twice already–on Saturday with my mom for dinner, then again on Monday night so I could enjoy it for lunch all week long. Recipe repeats aren’t my style so this is how you know that it’s pretty darn incredible. It’s basically spring in a bowl. YUM! Those Neelys sure know what they’re doing–I hardly changed a thing! 🙂

It’s a lovely combination of light, fresh veggies–asparagus, tomatoes, and peas–mixed with a lemony mustard dressed pasta and a punch of feta cheese.

I seriously can’t get enough of this salad, and suspect I’ll be making it weekly for the rest of asparagus season. Even Ben, who isn’t such an asparagus lover, thinks this pasta salad is pretty fabulous thanks to the bright flavors in the dressing and the satisfying crunch of the veggies. I can definitely see adding some shrimp or grilled chicken to make for a more filling meal. However, that’s completely not necessary–this is a great vegetarian dish or side dish. Perfect for a BBQ or a family dinner, like with these sloppy joes. Just a warning though–it’s addicting, so be prepared for the deliciousness!

Neely’s Lemon Pasta Salad [from The Neelys]
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Ingredients:

12 ounces whole wheat rotini
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. When there are 3 minutes left of cook time, add the asparagus to let it blanche until slightly tender. Drain and rinse pasta and asparagus, then remove asparagus to a cutting board.

Cut off ends of asparagus, then slice into bite-sized pieces.

In a small jar, combine mustard, garlic, lemon juice, oil, and dill. Cover and shake well.

In a large bowl, combine pasta and asparagus, then add tomatoes, peas, and feta. Pour dressing over and toss to coat. Season with pepper as desired.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Linked with: Weekend Potluck.

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

April 1, 2013March 31, 2013 Sarah

Week of April 1

Monday: Easter leftovers! ham & mashed potatoes… mmm!
Tuesday: Apple Cheddar Soup with Bacon
Wednesday: Korean Black Beans & Rice [didn’t make last week, or the week before]
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: pork chops
Saturday: Mexican Cornbread Pot Pie – but with carnitas not chicken [didn’t make last week]
Sunday: appetizers & dessert at church 🙂

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Baked Pizza Pasta

March 29, 2013March 29, 2013 Sarah

So, when I made this awesome Baked Pizza Pasta on Sunday, this was my view outside:

So, so gross. I don’t like this second winter thing. But it certainly was a great backdrop for this comfy, cozy baked pasta dish, don’t ya think? And even now, when the forecast for today is in the 50s, I’d still eat this. It just might even be my lunch!

I know there are a million recipes out there for pizza pastas, but since I really think it’s the sauce that makes a pizza, I decided to concentrate on the sauce and let the rest come to me. Instead of using a bottled spaghetti sauce, I whipped up a quick and easy pantry pasta sauce out of canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and load of herbs and seasonings. Feel free to add and subtract from my choices as you see fit–this is very adaptable. I’ve made many homemade pasta and pizza sauces, and find that we like using dried herbs instead of fresh here, but again, do what suits you. Then, I tossed in some hot Italian sausage, salty pepperoni [Ben’s fav!], some bell peppers [that I LOVE!], and a little onion. Add in curly rotini pasta and lots of mozzarella cheese, and you have yourself one heck of a pasta dinner! Very adaptable, very forgiving, very delicious.

We’ve been eating this all week long, so I can testify to the fact that it heats up beautifully and even tastes better the next [and the next next next next] day. Yum-o! Next time I make this, I might increase the amount of sauce [or use a little less pasta], so keep that in mind if you wanna make this saucier, but really, we thought this was perfect as is. Fresh and flavorful like pizza, just in a more comfort food friendly form. Enjoy!

P.S. You have my permission to serve this at Easter dinner. I totally think that would be great. 🙂

Baked Pizza Pasta [TPC original]
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Ingredients:

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon dried onion
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound rotini
8 ounces hot Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
4 ounces pepperoni [reserve 5-10 slices for topping]
1 cup diced bell peppers [I used red, yellow, and orange]
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded [reserve about 2 ounces for topping]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then begin by bringing a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta.

In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, and oil with all dried herbs and seasonings. Stir sauce occasionally and heat thoroughly.

Meanwhile, begin browning the sausage in a small skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When sausage is fully cooked, remove to a plate and use a paper towel to blot up some of the grease from the pan. Add onions to the hot skillet and cook over medium-low heat about 7 minutes or until soft.

When pasta water is boiling, add rotini and cook to al dente. Drain and return to pan, then add sauce, sausage, onion, pepperoni [minus reserved pepperoni], peppers, and about 6 ounces shredded cheese. Stir together then transfer to a 9×13 baking dish. Top with reserved cheese and pepperoni.

Bake for 20 minutes or until hot.

Time: 50 minutes.

Yield: 10-12 servings.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Breakfast, Granola, Recipes

Cinnamon Applesauce Granola

March 27, 2013March 26, 2013 Sarah

There’s nothing better than a good granola. I love having some around on a regular basis as topping for yogurt or to enjoy as a quick snack. Truthfully, half the time I make granola I don’t even bother to photograph and share it here because I think it’s not good enough. Not crunchy enough. Missing those chunks. Too plain. Blah, blah, blah.

In fact, I’ve made several batches of this basic granola without sharing it. But recently as I was eating it I just decided enough was enough. This granola may not be fancy–it doesn’t even have any dried fruit in it, and the walnuts were a last minute [fabulous!!] addition–but it is what we like, and so gosh darn it I’m gonna share it!! 🙂 So I ran outside after I got home, photographed the granola, and am sharing the recipe the very next day. Who am I??!

Well, truthfully, I don’t know, but what I do know is this: I love this granola! It is perfect and pretty much incapable of being screwed up. It’s fairly lowfat and is just sweet enough for my tastes, which means it’s healthy, right? 🙂 The use of the applesauce not only keeps the fat down while still allowing for a crunchy texture, but it also adds a subtle apple flavor. Paired with its classic cinnamon counterpart, this is one flavorful granola! Add in a couple kinds of nuts and some chewy coconut and you won’t even miss the extra sugar or dried fruit [though you can certainly add either if that’s your thing]. I’ve pretty much decided that this is now my go-to granola. It’s crunchy, flavorful, and interesting–and as long as you refrain from stirring too much, those much loved chunks of granola remain after baking. Winner in my book. I know it will be in yours too!

Cinnamon Applesauce Granola [adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake]
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Ingredients:

3/4 cup natural, no sugar added applesauce
6 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

In a small saucepan set over low, combine applesauce, brown sugar, honey, and oil. Stir together until sugar melts and mixture is warm. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, toss together oats, walnuts, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon. Gradually pour applesauce mixture over oats, stirring to fully coat. Transfer mixture onto prepared baking sheet, then press down firmly with the back of a spatula.

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice. [If granola starts to burn or get too dark, especially after 30 minutes, cover loosely with foil].

Time: 60 minutes.

Yield: 6 cups.