Coconut Blondies

I had a telephone call from my daughter away at college the other day. She is working part-time in the dining hall. She heard they were serving Blondies and was eagerly anticipating the meal. She was disappointed that they weren’t the same ones Mom made. So she called me for the recipe. I looked it up in my computer recipe file and noticed that I collected this one in 1999. It was originally from Gourmet, March 1992. I emailed the file to her.

I used to make these quite a bit, especially for pot-lucks. They are quite a favorite. I often made a double batch. Two 13 x 9 inch pans fit nicely in the oven. Sometimes, I use some butterscotch chips. Funny, I never noticed that I was supposed toast the coconut. I never did that.

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly coat a 13x 9 inch baking pan with canola oil spray.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

In a small bowl whisk together salt, baking powder and flour.

Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat the batter until it is just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and the coconut.

Spread the batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and crumbs stick to a toothpick stuck in the center.

Let the mixture cool completely in the pan on a rack, then, cut it into squares. (4 x 8)

Yield: 32

Original recipe from: Gourmet | March 1992

Red Cabbage Chili

Serves 10 – 12

I had a good crop of red cabbage in the garden this year and had to start getting creative. There’s only so much pink slaw we can eat. I was thinking of something chili-like with meat, tomatoes and beans, but red cabbage does sweet and sour so well. This was really tasty. I want another bowl now! And it’s low fat!

1 – 1 1/2 lb. lean ground meat (beef, pork, poultry, venison)
1 lg. onion, diced 3/4”
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 cup water

1 cup red wine

1 cup ketchup

4 lbs. red cabbage heads

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits with juice
1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) black turtle beans, drained

Heat 6 quart kettle hot and dry. Remove from heat. Lightly coat with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat while preparing meats and vegetables.

Brown meat with onion, garlic, salt and pepper, stirring frequently to break up the meat in small chunks. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato paste.

Stir in water, wine, ketchup and juice from pineapple.

Cut each cabbage into quarters and core. Slice each quarter lengthwise into two to three wedges. Cut wedges crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces. Add to kettle and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in drained pineapple and beans. Bring back to boil stirring occasionally. Turn heat to a very low simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.

Serve with a big dollop of non-fat sour cream on top and a dark rye or pumpernickel bread on the side.