Baking on a HOT Day

A friend recently started a cooking blog...

(I look forward to trying her grandmother's secret meatball recipe... when the weather cools off a bit...We are currently experiencing a HEAT WAVE.)

Occasionally I also post recipes on this blog - but it can be harder than it looks!

Let me give an example... Yesterday I had an idea... Why not share an easy recipe - ideal for HOT SUMMER WEATHER, those days I don't want to heat up the house?! I had come across a microwave recipe my daughter used to make.














These EASY squares use only three ingredients (four if you add vanilla, which I often don't) and they are baked in the microwave!














I assembled the ingredients... which can be mixed and baked in the same glass or pyrex pan!

I followed the instructions almost to a T... (I didn't bother melting the margarine - it was soft already - and I omitted the vanilla...)

But I apparently chose the WRONG PAN!

They burned!!














Why?

The reason.....?














(I chose a microwave browning pan that heats up like a frying pan... It got too hot in the center! The whole thing smelled like burning popcorn!)

In all fairness, those that survived the scorching tasted really good!

Here's the recipe - if you want to try.














Microwave Oatmeal Squares from The Lighthearted Cookbook by Anne Lindsay, p. 193. (Makes 25 squares - approximately 70 calories or 1 Weight Watcher point each.)

• 1/2 cup margarine (melt on high in microwave for 40 seconds to soften if necessary)
• Add 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
  
• Add 2 cups rolled oats

• 
  

How to make squares:

• Mix well. Press firmly down with the back of a spoon to flatten.
• Cook on high for 4-5 minutes.
• Cool before cutting into 25 squares.
  

(Note: when the recipe suggests that crumbs can be used as ice cream or yogurt topping, you can be pretty sure it will be crumbly!)