Baltimore Small Tales: A place to read about hopes, thoughts, dreams, tragedies, and triumphs.

I had never heard of chocolate chip pie until I went on my honeymoon. When I had my first bite, I was in chocolate heaven. The best part is that pie is not too sweet, but sweet enough to do the trick.

For weeks, I thought about making this pie. What better reason than when showing my new neighbors around the house.

I looked around for recipes, and found one on a blog called, "No Food Left Behind."

It was really easy to make. It almost seemed too easy. I hadn't crushed the walnuts as much as I thought I should have, so I thought that would be the catch -- I always seem to have a downfall. But it didn't matter.  The pie was a huge hit.

Here's how to make it.

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 6 oz (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 9-inch unbaked pie shell

What you need to do:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add flour and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in granulated sugar and butter. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 1 hour.

Thank you, Karen from Indian Head, South Carolina! I will be making the pie again soon!

I have so much to write about the wedding and honeymoon. There are many blog posts in my mind.

But before I start divulging details about all that, I had to post the recipe for EatingWell's Portobello "Philly Cheese Steak" vegetarian sandwich. When traffic was bad on 83 north coming home, I thought, yet again, I wouldn't get to making this sandwich before Allan left for work this evening. In the end, I wasn't able to finish by the the time he had to leave. But it doesn't matter because I think the leftovers will be just as good as hot off the stove.

Here's why it's good: There are a lot of dueling flavors going on here, but none of them are too overpowering. The end product is a tasty meal! Also, it's very easy to make into a vegan dish. Just change out the cheese ingredient below with a vegan substitute.


What You'll Need

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed (see Tip), sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 ounces thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone cheese
• 4 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted

What You'll Need to Do

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth and soy sauce; bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables, cover and let stand until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.

My favorite thing about this dish is that it's not bad for you! Here are the nutrition facts from Eating Well's website:

Per serving: 268 calories; 10 g fat ( 4 g sat , 4 g mono ); 15 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrates; 13 g protein; 7 g fiber; 561 mg sodium; 704 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (140% daily value), Selenium (49% dv), Vitamin A (30% dv), Calcium (25% dv), Potassium (20% dv), Magnesium (16% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 2

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat

Another cool thing about this dish is that most of the ingredients will last for a long time, so in a way this is also very affordable.

Bon Appetit!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to do yoga with some friends. Afterward, we will enjoy homemade vegan treats, which makes the whole experience even better.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to bring this time. The group tries to eat healthy.

But I kept thinking about making vegan brownies. Brownies are my FAVORITE dessert, but I've never made them vegan. So earlier today, I found a recipe on My Vegan Planet that I thought was worth checking out.

The result: gooey, rich chocolate heaven.

Here's how. First, you need to gather:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Then you have to:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

It's so easy! Thank you, Jade of My Vegan Planet!