One of the first sweets you see in any food pantry bag is a box of brownies. This seems to be the thriftiest way to incorporate a bit of indulgence when someone is donating.  After all, brownie mix can be had for about a $1 a box.  And, what family doesn't need a bit of dessert despite a flimsy budget?

After awhile, kids may start getting a bit tired of this old adage.  Here I am to the rescue shedding new light on the old boxed stand by.  Give this one a try. Most staples can be found around your house.  If you don't have sliced almonds, any nut will do.

3/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 package fudge brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg

TOPPING:
1 package (11-1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips, melted
3/4 cup finely sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla; gradually add flour to creamed mixture, mixing well.

Press dough onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake 15-19 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine brownie mix, water, oil and egg until blended.

Spread brownie batter over hot crust. Bake 15-19 minutes longer or until center is set.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot bars. Then spread melted chocolate over bars; sprinkle with almonds. Let stand until set. Cut into bars.

Tis the time of year when Bravo supermarkets host enormous pork sales. You can get a whole pork roast for as little as 89 cents a pound. That's a lot of meat for future meals and sandwiches.  

At this time of year, I pick up 2-3 roasts and fill my freezer for the upcoming months.  These make delectable Sunday meals or fit-for-a-crowd pleasers.  

This recipe is an oldie but favorite.  You'll have wisps of delightful pork fragrance throughout your house as this cooks.  

3 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each dried basil, thyme and rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole pork roast (6 to 9 pounds)
8 medium carrots, halved lengthwise
2 medium onions, quartered


In a small bowl, mix oil, garlic and seasonings; rub over roast. Arrange carrots and onions on the bottom of a 13x9-in. baking pan. Place roast over vegetables, fat side up.

Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 475°. Roast 20 minutes.

Reduce oven setting to 375°. Roast 6-8 hours longer or until a thermometer reads 145° and vegetables are tender. Remove roast from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before slicing.

I made these this weekend with very pleasant results.  These are among the most buttery, decadent bars I've ever created.  In fact, they were reminiscent of the mounds candy bar filing.

Do freeze some of these as they pop out of the oven.  You won't have many left the following day.  There is something about that buttery, gooey center that keeps you coming back for more!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted



FILLING:
3 large eggs
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flaked coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with parchment paper, letting ends extend up sides.

In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar and salt; stir in 1 cup melted butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 325°.
​
In a large bowl, whisk the first seven filling ingredients until blended; stir in 3 cups coconut. Pour over crust; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Bake 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Lifting with parchment paper, remove from pan. Cut into bars. 

How about serving a bit of history this Valentine's Day? A whig or wig is a wedge shaped cake.  It was once well known for a kind of bun or small cake made with fine flour.  This ancient English bread was changed on our shores becoming round.  The English had already embellished the bun with spices, seeds, or dried fruit.     

The colonial citizens often powedered their hair or wore wigs.  Professional hairdressers fashioned towering headdresses for the the elegant ladies.  Elaborate powdered hairstyles took hours to concoct, so women often let one "dressing" last a month or so.  A "wig pick" was necessary to dig for head lice, fleas, and other vermin living in your hair. Believe it or not, there was a special wire cage that was worn at night to keep mice and rats out.            

2 cups milk
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
flour
1 packet of yeast
1/3 c. warm water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt.

Scald milk and add butter, sugar, salt.  When cooled to slightly warm, add yeast that has been dissolved in warm water.  Beat eggs until light and add them to the milk and spices. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough.

Knead well and set to rise overnight in a covered bowl.  In the morning roll out on a floured board to 3/4 inch thickness in a round shape.  Let rise in warm place for two hours.

Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes or until brown.  

All the rage today is gluten free.  Yet, it's a little known fact that we here in the America's had no wheat for years when the pioneers came.  

In fact, Christopher Columbus on his second voyage brought wheat, but it did not flourish. Finally, in 1620, Plymouth Colony's Bartholomew Gosnold planted grain on Cuttyhunk Island, near Martha's Vineyard which took many years to mature.

In 1796 Amelia Simmons had given several ways of using "Indian meal" in her American cookbook.  Here's an original recipe.

1 cup cooked grits
2 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups cornmeal

Mix first four ingredients.  Stir in cornmeal. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter onto greased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.