Crumble or Bar - that is the question

Recently a friend treated us with chocolate chip crumbles and they were VERY good. Of course I ventured out on the net to find a recipe.

There was one saying:
Chocolate Chip Crumble Bar (> see here)

It even showed a photo of a square and it looked exactly like the one we ate. So far, so good.
The girl's recipe showed the following ingredients list:

2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup for the topping, 1 cup for the batter)
1 egg
1 cup milk (I used fat free)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Way too much fluid, I thought. That could definitely NOT be a CRUMBLE.
True enough, when I tried, the batter turned out very soupy, so much that I added another cup of flour before pouring the mass into a pan.
The result was cake-like, though very tasty.
When I went back to her site, I found out that the girl had made the same experience: Soft texture, not a crumble.
It didn't say where she know she got the recipe from?
I should have red the text first...*-(
A bar it was. Not what I was looking for, NOT a CRUMBLE.

Next I did what I SHOULD have done in the first place, I went and asked my friend for her recipe: (see below)

NOW we were talking CRUMBLES ! 

Ingredients:

1 cup ( 2 sticks ) unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup walnuts, chopped fine

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Blend together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour in a bowl. ( a pasty blender works well). The mixture will be crumbly.

Stir in the chopped walnuts and chips. Pour into an ungreased 9''x9'' pan, and press it firmly into place, using the bottom of a glass or metal cup.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a 350° F oven until brown.
Cut, while still warm, into 24 - 30 squares. A pizza wheel or very sharp knife works best.

These squares are very rich and very good!

That's what we had this afternoon with coffee.

1 square ca 100 calories

Pickled Baby Corn and Nature's Work

I guessed right, the corn this year is not gonna get big and ripe in time. The best thing to do is to harvest the tender baby corn and pickle them like cucumber. My father did that, I remember, and they turned out very good. 

The smallest corn with the still soft core are best. Boil them for about 10 minutes in a brine made of water,  vinegar, sugar and herbs.
I used the leftover brine of an empty jar of "bread and butter chips".

 Within a couple of weeks they will be delicious.

This way nothing goes to waste!

When we walked the beach today I was amazed how it got changed from last year.
Sand is gone at one place and has piled up at another.
A collage shows the difference. The photos on the right are taken last year, the ones to the left are taken today.