Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars - made with oil

I haven't tried these but I will soon

From The Best Ever Cookie Collection

Simple Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe for a Small Batch

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Grease a 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat together the oil and sugar with a wooden spoon until well combined.
5. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
6. Add the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until well combined.
7. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using).
8. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (avoiding chocolate pieces as they will be melty).
9. Cool on wire rack.
10. Cut into desired size bars.
11. Store the cookie bars in the pan covered with foil or plastic wrap or remove them from the pan and place them in an airtight container. These chocolate chip cookie bars freeze well too.

This recipe for Simple Chocolate Chip Bars makes about 12 cookie bars.

Dark Chocolate Cake - using oil and cocoa powder

Butter is expensive in Ghana, and good cooking chocolate is non-existent - so a delicious rich chocolate cake like this that uses oil and cocoa is perfect.

From Allrecipes.com

I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a loaf pan.

Dark Chocolate Cake II

Rated: Submitted By: Kellygurll Photo By: megumi Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 12

"The absolute best, richest, and easiest one-bowl chocolate cake recipe ever! It's great topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting!"

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs 1 cup cold brewed coffee (I used water and vanilla extract) 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vinegar (oops - forgot the vinegar and it was still good)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
2.	In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, milk, oil and vinegar. Mix until smooth; the batter will be thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Grown up Hot Chocolate

(secret ingredient - but this cocoa is good without it)

I've discovered a newer, darker way to make hot chocolate here in Ghana.

We have wonderful cocoa powder so I don't like to mess with it too much. That means - much less milk (and our milk is yucky boxed here anyway).

Fill a cup about 2/3 full of water. Heat in microwave until very hot.

Stir in 2 or 3 tsp of good flavored cocoa powder (please not Hershey)

Add a tsp or 2 of a good quality sweetened cocoa mix if you like - I use starbucks

Stir with small whisk

Add a little milk to fill your cup (to taste)

Drink, if you dare - or add sugar first - to taste

We've also been adding something you can only find in Ghana - Dawadawa powder. It does for cocoa what soy sauce does for rice - deepens the flavor (umami taste)

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But chocolate is wonderful any way any time any place

My original hot chocolate recipe is here

BBQ Sauce

I've had this recipe forever - and love it.

BBQ Sauce

1 med onion

1 T shortening

1 cup catsup

1 cup water

2 Tbs vinegar

1 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 ¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp red hot pepper

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp celery seed

Saute onion, add rest, simmer 20 mins

Sweet Pickled Radishes

I had three big white radishes and didn't know what to do with them. So I went searching for recipes and tried this. Delicious!

Sweet Pickled Daikon Radish

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Yield:1 quart
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 pound daikon radish
1/4 cup kosher salt

Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat add the vinegar, water, sugar, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Meanwhile, peel the daikon radish and slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. (If your daikon is very large, slice the rounds into semicircles.) Place in a colander with salt and mix well. Place the colander over a bowl and let drain for 1 hour. Rinse the salt off with a couple of changes of water and dry the daikon well. Put into a sterilized glass jar. Pour the cooled brine through a coffee filter (or a cheesecloth lined strainer) into the jar to cover the radish slices. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep for about 2 weeks.

Microwave Bread and Butter Pickles

Quick and Easy Bread and Butter Pickles from allrecipes.com .

I made these today and they were great.

Microwave Bread and Butter Pickles

Rated: Submitted By: Linda Photo By: Mmillet15 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 24

"Who knew the microwave was a pickles best friend? Cucumbers, onions and spices become crisp and delicious in minutes!"

INGREDIENTS:

1 large cucumber, sliced 1 teaspoon salt 1 onion, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a medium microwave safe bowl, mix cucumber, salt, onion, mustard seeds, white sugar, distilled white vinegar, celery seed and turmeric.
2.	Microwave on high 7 to 8 minutes, stirring twice, until cucumbers are tender and onion is translucent.
3.	Transfer to sterile containers. Seal and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Easy and Chocolatey Cocoa Hot Fudge Sauce

It's not easy to find good tasting chocolate here in Ghana. Cocoa beans are grown and processed here produced but the local chocolate bars are very chalky tasting - maybe because of the heat so they won't melt? I don't know. But the cocoa powder tastes great and is inexpensive. So here's a good recipe for cocoa powder based chocolate sauce from foodess.com

A few tips: I use a 4 cup glass measuring cup for cooking this. It allows boiling without boiling over. The first time you heat it up - it will boil high and dissolve the sugar in 1 1/2 or 2 minutes. After adding the butter and cooking again, the fudge sauce will boil high for about a minute. Stir every 30 seconds or so and don't quite heating. By the second minute the sauce settles down lower and just boils and thickens. I think if you skip this step the sauce will be thin. I boil mine for 3 full minutes and stir often. You can add some squares of chocolate along with the vanilla if you want richer flavor. You can also try adding flavorings. I put orange peel in with the sugar in my last batch. Child flakes would be fun.

Be sure to use good tasting cocoa powder.

Of course the best ever chocolate sauce is pure melted top quality dark chocolate with some milk or cream stirred in. It will seize and thicken at first, but keep adding milk and stirring. Leftovers taste just like the center of a truffle.

Cocoa Hot Fudge Sauce

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, cocoa and cream. Cook on high 2-3 minutes, until sugar dissolves and mixture boils.

2. Stir in butter and cook on high 2-4 minutes more, watching closely and stirring every 30 seconds or so, until mixture thickens. Stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt.