I'm a firm believer that one should cook by feel, rather than by precise measurements. Although this may be borne more of a desire to not have to wash more dishes afterwards, I do find that it can be exciting when you don't know just exactly how a new dish is going to turn out. Although, I will provide the caveat that it can be very frustrating when things do not, in fact, work out. That in mind, my sweet tooth was on the rage last night, but I decided I didn't want (read: need) heavy cookies dripping with butter and sugar. So, instead I decided to do a mash up of the traditional monster cookie meets granola bar, and the results were surprisingly tasty! Here's what I did.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine:
~1c of rolled oats (I used the quick cook kind)
~2/3 cup of dry milk powder
~2/3 cup of peanut butter
a drizzle of vanilla (don't go overboard here)
a good helping of honey (you will likely add more later)
a good-sized handful of dried fruit (I used craisins)
...and some chocolate chips for good measure :)
Stir ingredients together until well mixed. At this point it will probably be too dry to stick together, so add milk slowly until you get the consistency of typical cookie dough (i.e. it will form balls that don't easily fall apart). You can also add more honey if you desire.
Form round balls about 1 inch in diameter, place on greased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Cook at 375 F for about 6-7 minutes, or until just barely golden on top. Be careful, they seem to burn fast after about 8 minutes.
After pulling them out, you can add more honey (if you like them sweet like me) - this also helps keep them from being too dry and brittle.
And voila! Cookies in under a half hour using ingredients you probably have lying around. Of course, feel free to go crazy and add or remove ingredients as you see fit. As always, please share your successes!As I've started cooking for myself, I've discovered that food has provided me with a great creative outlet. While an understanding of fundamental cooking principles is key, once beyond that point, there is total freedom to explore and create to your heart's content. To that end, I have posted some of my most successful recipes. Amounts are not exact, as to allow you to adjust according to your personal preferences. As always, be bold, have fun and please share your culinary discoveries!
*******************************************************************
(Fresh basil from the garden - made spaghetti with basil/tomato sauce for dinner tonight)
Total time: ~20 minutes
ingredients:
- thin spaghetti (sometimes called angel-hair pasta)
- olive oil
- 1/2 a red onion, chopped
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- mushrooms, rinsed and chopped
- ~1 Tbsp capers, well rinsed
- juice from one lemon
- Cook spaghetti according to package instructions
- pour some olive oil into a large frying pan or wok
- add onions and saute for a couple of minutes
- when onions start to soften, add chickpeas, mushrooms, and capers and saute for another 5-7 minutes
- finish with a generous amount of lime juice and remove from heat
- to serve, place spaghetti in a bowl (or on a plate), and top with chickpea/lemon mixture
Black Bananas
Bananas don't keep very long, and as such, I often find it hard to eat a whole bunch before they turn black. Luckily, it is a piece of cake to preserve their life and reincarnate them at some later date. After they turn black and mushy (we are not talking rotten, just past when you would actually want to eat them). Wrap them in foil (or leave them bare) and throw them in the freezer. As with most frozen items, they will keep indefinitely and may be thawed out and turned into any number of delicious baked goods such as banana nut bread.
Squash "Stew"
In honor of the unofficial start of fall, here's an amazing (if I do say so myself) new recipe I just whipped up last night.
Serves: 4 hungry people
Prep time: ~30-40 min
Ingredients:
- farfalle (bowtie) noodles - about 3 servings
- 1 lb. pork sausage (I used hot)
- 1 small butternut squash
- 1 zucchini
- ~1-2 cups chicken broth (I use powdered stock to save on packaging)
- thyme
- rosemary
- oregano
- basil
- salt and pepper
Instructions:
- In a large skillet, brown the sausage. If necessary, drain excess fat.
- Cut up squash and zucchini into small pieces (the smaller you cut them, the faster they will cook).
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- Add squash to browned sausage and add enough chicken broth so that all of the ingredients are at least touching water (you don't have to drown them though).
- Season with rest of ingredients, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until butternut squash is soft.
- Serve over noodles. Delicious!
No comments:
Post a Comment