Honey Bars

I couldn't stop myself from making these the other day. I tried, but I couldn't.
(You'll have to scroll down a little when you get there to see the recipe.)
And what the author says is totally true. When you first taste them, they're kind of ho-hum, but after you've eaten one you want to eat the entire pan. Go ahead and make a double batch, so that they fit in a large cookie sheet. :-) (And so that no one notices when you eat another one)

Just 2 tips:
*don't use olive oil. I was trying to be all healthy, and the taste really came through. Not so good in bars. There's no redeeming qualities about them anyway, so just enjoy them.
*underbake them. I just crossed the line of being slightly "too done" and the side that was darker was dry and crumbly. The side that was lighter was ooooohhh, good.

Spinach Chicken Pasta

Okay, this is going to taste familiar to you. It's just another twist on the combination of chicken, pasta, spinach, and tomatoes. But it's easy and good.

Saute 2 onions and 2 (or more) cloves of minced garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil.
Add 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into approx. 1" cubes or larger.

When chicken is almost done, add:
1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
basil, oregano, thyme and chili pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Let simmer until sauce is reduced a bit. It will still be somewhat watery, but just serve lots of garlic bread for soaking it up.
Serve over spaghetti or pasta of your choice.

Olive Damper – from Jenny B. in Uganda

Serves 8

2 cups (250 g) self-rising flour

1 tsp salt

1 oz (30g) butter, chopped

½ cup (50 g) shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup (60 g) sliced, pitted black olives

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

½ cup (125 ml) milk

¼ cup (60 ml) water

1 Tbsp milk, extra

2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese, extra

Preheat oven to 415*F (210*C).

Brush a baking tray with melted butter or oil, and sprinkle lightly with flour.

Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl. Add chopped butter, and mix into flour with fingertips until the mixture is fine and crumbly.

Add cheese, olives and rosemary and stir.

Combine milk and water; add to dry ingredients. Mix to a soft dough with a flat-bladed knife.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly until smooth.

Shape into a ball, and flatten out to a 3/4” (2cm) thick round.

Place dough on prepared baking tray. Using a large knife, score dough deeply into 8 wedges.

Brush with extra milk and sprinkle with extra cheese.

Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.

These are delicious, but I’ve never made them. Jenny told me that she found a substitute online for self-rising flour and they turned out fine. (I think it’s flour, baking powder and salt, but I don’t know the proportions.)