School Lunch

Improving school lunches is a heated topic from coast to coast. My journalist daughter wrote about it extensively from the East End of Long Island, NY and I am inundated by it at the K-8 in Agoura Hills, CA, where I work as the school office manager. It's such a controversy... but does it have to be? I am as much in  favor of school cafeterias serving healthier, wholesome lunches as any Wellness Committee parent. I am also sympathetic to parents who desire options for their children with dietary restrictions. Chocolate milk vs. non-fat milk. Trans-fats. Corn syrup. Processed ingredients. Governmental bureaucracy. All this can be solved by bringing a lunch (trash-free, I might add) from home. My daughters brought fresh and wholesome lunches prepared at home to school every day and avoided the perils of the vending-machine. Yes, I would like to see all school cafeterias, public and private, serve organic fruits and vegetables from student-tended gardens, non-processed proteins, whole-grains, and natural beverages, especially for the children who rely on free- and reduced-cost lunch programs. But, until that day comes, there is an obvious choice. It starts at home.

There... that's the end of my rant!

DBA Brownies

It's been quite a while since I prepared these hearty oatmeal brownies. Their original name is

Supremes" and the recipe is from the Maida Heatter cookie cookbook. I renamed them DBA Brownies when I was contracted by a Los Angeles production company with the initials "D", "B" and "A" to cater lunch for their location shoots. The cast and crew loved these brownies so much that they requested them all the time. Now, many years later, my daughter, who has fond memories of the baked-in chocolate filling flowing through islands of oatmeal pastry, has asked me to add the recipe to my blog so she can bake them up for her improv team. I think I may do the same, but for my team at school!

Without further ado, DBA Brownies!

DBA BROWNIES

32 or 48 large bars

2 1/2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 pound. unsalted butter

1 t instant coffee (optional; I like using Medaglio D'Oro)

1 t vanilla extract

2 C brown sugar

2 eggs

3 C old-fashioned or quick-cooking oatmeal (do not use "instant")

7 ounces walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 15 1/2 X 10 1/2 X 1-inch jelly roll pan.

Cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the coffee powder, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Beat until well-blended. Add the eggs and beat well. On low speed, add one cup of flour with the baking soda and salt until blended. Then gradually add the rest of the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary. Mix in one cup of the walnut pieces.

Remove and reserve two cups of the dough. Place the remainder by spoonfuls over the bottom of the jelly roll pan. With moistened fingers, press all over to create an even, smooth layer. Set aside and prepare the following filling:

Chocolate filling:

1 fourteen-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels

2 T butter

Pinch of salt

1 t vanilla extract

Place the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate morsels, butter, and salt in the top of a double-boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the warm chocolate over the bottom oatmeal layer in the jelly roll pan and spread evenly. Place the reserved oatmeal mixture by small spoonfuls over the chocolate, letting the chocolate show through between the spoonfuls. Do not spread smooth. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the walnuts.

Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Reverse the pan from front to back after about fifteen minutes to insure even browning. Cool completely in the pan until the cake reaches room temperature.

To cut the brownies: Cut around the sides to release the cake. Then cut the panful into eighths and with a wide metal spatula transfer the sections to a cutting board. Cut each eighth into four or six bars. If the brownies are soft and do not cut neatly, chill the sections on waxed paper on a tray or cookie sheet until cool enough to cut neatly.