sunday summary

Preston and I had a really much needed, relaxing weekend. Friday night we ate at one of our new favorite restaurants in Oklahoma City. If you're ever in the city, eat at RePUBlic Gastropub. They have a great menu with lots of different things to chose from. Preston likes the Tuna tartare and I have to say their burgers are some of the best. (They have pretzel buns, how can they not be the best?!) They also have a great beer selection and tvs EVERYWHERE!

We normally attempt to watch movies on Friday nights but pass out pretty early. This week we popped in "Shutter Island". I'm so proud of myself; I was awake for 75% of the movie! Including the end! I had to read wikipedia to put all the pieces together but I really liked the movie. I should've seen the surprise end coming, but it was good.

Saturday we drove to Dallas for a friend's wedding.

Yay 2006.

Brynn looked beautiful and it was a fun celebration! It's always fun to get all dressed up and see old friends.

The only picture from the night.

Today I planned our next two weeks of meals!! We normally plan out our meals for the week but I hate going to the store, and we have a few small vacations coming up so I wanted to make sure I wasn't having to run to the store on a weeknight. (Nothing is worse.) I hope to share some recipes and meals we have this week. So check back for yummy recipes! I'm attempting a Rachel Ray veal recipe one night. I'll let you know how it goes. I have mixed feelings about RR and her cook book has scared me for years. (Too many ingredients + too many instructions = too much work) I'm just cooking the veal part of her "Veal Chops with Balsalmic Pan Sauce and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Pears, and Gorgonzola".

Today I did whip up these yummy raspberry bars from Smitten Kitchen. Um, YUM. Despite the long instructions, these were fairly simple. I'm actually looking forward to waking up Monday morning to these delicious treats.

image

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

These aren’t, as the recipe notes warn, actually “crumb” bars, with the streuselly topping you might see on crumbles or coffee cakes. Instead, they’re more like a raspberry sandwich cookie, yet less sweet than a typical dessert, and more earnest somehow.

I think you could easily swap the raspberries with blackberries.

For the crust and crumb:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the raspberry filling:

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. (Note: The book suggests you reserve one cup only. My gut told me that was too little, and I upped it. I wanted to make sure the top of the raspberries were mostly covered, at least for packing purposes, and was glad I had changed it.) Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hans or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.

Make the raspberry filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars: Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Check back throughout the week for our meal recipes!