Friday, April 22, 2011

Chocolate Chip Blondies

I love to take my basic recipes and be able to make something yummy with what I have on hand!  I will talk myself out of cooking every single time if I have to make  trip to the store.  The other night I really wanted something yummy.  I didn't have a whole lot of chocolate chips.  I had white sugar but I had just made these Sugar Cookie Bars - Frosted the week prior and I wanted to make something a little different.  I decided to replace half of the sugar in this recipe with packed brown sugar and added a few chocolate chips.  These Chocolate Chip Blondies are definitely a recipe I will make often in the future.  Even my husband commented that they were PARTICULARLY good and he's not a big "sweet" person (although he is very sweet :) ).

Chocolate Chip Blondies 

(These would be great for potluck - could also double this recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan (a longer baking time would apply).



  • 1/2 cup room temp (soft) margarine (melted is fine)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or vanilla or peanut butter chips would be YUMMY also)
In a medium sized bowl cream together the margarine, the brown sugar and the white sugar. Stir it until it is smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in the salt, baking powder and flour. Blend it all up until it makes a nice smooth dough.  Stir in the chocolate / vanilla chips. Spread into a sprayed (prepared) 8 x 8 baking pan. Bake in a completely PREHEATED oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the cookie starts to brown at the edges.


Remove from oven to cool completely.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Fresh Breakfast - Homemade Yogurt Parfaits



Last night we had leftovers for supper (leftover BBQ chicken).  So that meant I had a little time to make some granola.  I LOVE those yogurt parfaits you get at McDonalds.  I especially loved them when they gave you the BIGGER serving!  Now, I almost need to order two because one just doesn't do it for me.  But, better than buying those things, I have now mastered making them AT HOME MY WAY!


Homemade Yogurt Parfaits
  • Homemade Perfect Granola
  • Vanilla Yogurt (sometimes I make homemade yogurt, sweeten with a little sugar and add vanilla) but other times I prefer Yoplait regular (not fat free) vanilla yogurt.  Its JUST LIKE the yogurt in the partfaits at McDonalds
  • Fresh Strawberries
  • Frozen blueberries (I bought all they had on the clearance rack ($.99 each) in fresh produce and put them in a big bag in my freezer)


Find yourself a pretty bowl.  I got these cute bright green bowls at my favorite thrift store (called Savvy Seconds) for $1.00/4.  Dump your yogurt in the bowl.  Top with some sliced strawberries and a handful of frozen blueberries (or fresh, I just like the blueberries frozen), and then a scoop of that delicious Homemade Perfect Granola.

This is a perfect way to make something at home that you would normally eat "out".  Its fresh, its cheap, and it has no hidden ingredients.  Oh!  And the granola isn't so hard that you risk chipping a tooth!  :)

Enjoy!