We have a winner!
Congratulations to lataevea entrant #45! She won the National Geographic Field Guide to the Water’s Edge. I’ve emailed her and will get that out to you ASAP.
Thanks to everyone who entered!
The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever!!
At work we have food days every so often and this past Wednesday we had one for Administrative Assistants Day – because ours is awesome!! School would not run without her. Anyway, I decided to make a Hummingbird Cake. Unfortunately I took it out too early and it caved. You know what I mean. So I decided I would also make cookies. I found these cookies on food.com. It just calls for peanut butter, sugar and an egg. I thought it needed something other than plain white sugar. Plus I can’t imagine a peanut cookie without … brown sugar of course!
Start with…
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
I put all the ingredients in a bowl
I then used a fork and mixed it all together. I kept wondering if this was going to work.
Finally I took a small amount, rolled it into a ball and then rolled it in additional white sugar. I cooked it at 350 for about 12 minutes. And guess what? It worked!
They are little soft when they first come out so be sure to let them cool. Of course if one does break …
… then you have to eat it. I know, it’s a shame. I got 22 cookies out of the recipe. Took it to work and brought home an empty container! Always a good sign. They are definitely sweet and go great with a glass a milk.
If you try them, let me know how they turned out for you. hope you like them too!
NG Field Guide to the Water’s Edge Giveaway
I love to travel! I love the beach! When I was a child, we moved to Mallorca, Spain, an island in the Mediterranean . We lived on the beach and I fell in love with it! I love the water and walking along the beach exploring the plant and animal life. If I could live anywhere, it would be somewhere tropical on the beach. So when I came across the National Geographic book Field Guide to the Water’s Edge I couldn’t resist it. Printed in May 2012, it covers everything you could possibly want to know about beaches, rivers, and shorelines. It provides information about plants and animals you might find along rivers, lakes, ponds, and oceans. And since it’s National Geographic, the photos are fantastic!
Plus it has a list of the All Time Top 20 Beaches in the United States, the 10 Top Rivers, and the 5 Top Great Lakes places to visit. If you love the water, this is a must have book!
The contest is open to U.S and Canada residents only. Winner will be chosen at random Monday April 29. To enter click on the picture of the book!
Win me!
New Dishtowel
I have finished another dish towel. I used the Double Bump Dish Cloth pattern found on Ravelry. It was a nice easy knit and something I was able to do while I sat in meetings all last weekend.
Dish cloths are a great way to try new stitches and they are useful! I decided I would knit until I used all of the yarn and this is what I came up with…
My Double Bump Dishcloth
Since it was a dishcloth for me (and to be used) I didn’t block it. It measures 14″ x 8″ – hard to tell in the picture, isn’t it! And this is terrible but I don’t know if this is Peaches and Cream or Sugar ‘n Cream yarn but I do know that it is one or the other. I’ve had this yarn forever and lost the label a long time ago. From the feel of the yarn, I would say it was Peaches and Cream.
I have already started the next dish cloth. It’s called the Raindrop Dishcloth. The circle at the bottom of the dishcloth is made by making several new stitches from one stitch. That might sound complicated but it’s really fairly simple and I can knit while watching TV. I’m knitting it in Lily Sugar ‘n Cream bright navy, I think. Again I’ve lost the label but I’m fairly sure that is what it is. I’ll post a pic when it’s done but below is the pic from the pattern. I don’t think it’ll look as nice in the navy as it does in the light colors but it should still be pretty.
Raindrop Dishcloth
Cold Weather Cookin’
After 17″ of snow the last couple of days, I decided to make chili! I have a go to recipe I use which would not win any Chili cook off competitions but I like it. The original recipe comes from a Better Homes and Garden cookbook my mom gave me back in the 80′s. I love that cookbook! I don’t really follow the recipe anymore, I just throw the stuff together. Below is basically what I do. I will tell you that I usually add more chili powder than what I have listed. The original recipe calls for 2 tsp. but who would put only 2 tsps. in chili!?!
My Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Olive oil I use a WW oil sprayer
- 1 green pepper chopped (I didn’t have a green pepper so I left it out)
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz can red kidney beans drained
- 1 tbsp chili powder more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Indian Snack Mix – aka Spicy Chex Mix
When I was in college, too many years ago, I knew a woman from India. She was a student and was living with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle was a professor at Oklahoma State. I never had him, he was a math professor and I was not a math person at all! I took college algebra and that was it. As a teacher, stats was required but I found a class that met the requirement but was not a complete stats course. It was much easier and my brain did not explode as it may have if I had to take stats.
But I digress. I started this post to tell you about the India Snack Mix recipe I got from my Indian friend. Her aunt created the recipe based on a recipe from India but it used product she could find in the U.S. such as corn chex. It is soooooo good and I make it for my classes during Discover Languages Month in February. The kids always love it and ask for the recipe. It does have one ingredient, hing, that I have never included because I haven’t found it in the small town stores I shop. However, with Internet shopping, I can buy it online. I’ll have to do that.
If you try it, let me know if you liked it (or not).
The picture is one that someone took and posted on my recipe on Food.com.
Chex Mix with a kick!
Indian Snack Mix
INGREDIENTS
2 cups Corn Chex
2 cups shredded wheat cereal, crushed
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 (12 ounce) package chow mein noodles
1 tablespoon red pepper powder or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon hing (Can be found in international grocery stores or omit)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
12 ounces Spanish peanuts
3/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped onion, added to each serving
1/2 cup lemon juice, added to each serving
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, mix cereals together. Do not mix in noodles.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry mustard seeds and cumin seeds well.
- Add noodles and heat for approximately 2 minutes.
- Add other spices and mix well. Mix in peanuts. Add two handfuls of the cereal mix and mix well. Add oil mix to remaining cereal mix in bowl and stir well.
- Place in baking dish and cook in 250 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes.
- Serve in individual bowls. For each serving, stir in 1 tablespoon chopped onions and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, more or less to taste.
- You can also add more red pepper if you like foods that are EXTREMELY hot. Serve with something cold to drink.
Read more at: http://indian.food.com/recipe/indian-snack-mix-30490?oc=linkback
Goals for 2013
Goals for 2013
Oh my gosh! Where did 2012 go! I swear it was just Jan. 1, 2012 a little while ago. Time just seems to fly and I don’t seem to get anything done. So since we are here with a new year, I went back and looked at the goals I wrote for 2012. I hate to say it but I didn’t compete all of them. Actually I forgot I wrote them down at all so I suppose I didn’t do too bad.! Below are the goals and how well (or not so well) I did: Continue reading →
Weight Watchers Fruit Cake
My dad loves fruit cake and is a Weight Watchers lifetime member. I found this recipe on the WW site and thought I’d make it for him! I linked the page on WW. There are a couple of other recipes on the page that would be good.
Makes 16 servings
PointsPlus™ value 4 | per serving
What did the fruit cake ever do to deserve such ridicule? Here’s a version we’ve never seen anyone turn down—moist, light, full of dried fruit, perfect for breakfast or with a cup of coffee mid-afternoon.
Ingredients
- 1 serving nonstick cooking spray
- 3 Tbsp walnut oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 Tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped dried raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apple
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup chopped dried pitted dates
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup cake flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F. Spray a nonstick 1-quart loaf pan with nonstick spray and set it aside.
- Whisk the walnut oil, melted butter, molasses, vanilla, and egg white in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Mix the cranberries, raisins, apple, orange peel, dates, and 2 Tbsp flour in a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cake flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, allspice, and salt. Stir into the dried fruit mixture. Then stir in the walnut oil mixture until a loose batter forms. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading it to the sides.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on the rack. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to store at room temperature.
Floralee
I’m starting a KAL in August and am ready! It’s Floralee and is by Sharon of She Knits. The link to the KAL is: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/she-knits-pattern-chat/2198112/1-25. I’ve completed a couple of her KALs and love her patterns. It uses 420 yds. of fingering weight yarn. I have chosen and received my yarn! It’s Madeline Tosh LIght in Briar which is a purple tonal yarn. Isn’t it gorgeous!?!
The pattern is a shawl/scarf. I’m really looking forward to finding out what it looks like. Now I just have to wait until August 1st to get the first clue! 
Tetris Cake
My son-in-law wanted a Tetris cake for his 30th birthday. I tried but I didn’t succeed very well. It’s something that could be a Cake Wreck post but I image my son-in-law won’t care. Oh and that’s one of my nieces in the pic. She likes the cake.
