Garlic Scapes/Fronds/Flowers/Tops – which-a-ma-cal-its…

We’ve been so buried in buying the house, packing, cleaning, attempting to rent our current house, working…oh yeah, and raising two kiddos under two (can’t say that for much longer – eek!) that there hasn’t been much cooking going on in the house.  Bummer, since it is one of my favorite things to do.

So yesterday, despite the mayhem that currently is life, I took some time out to create.

We like to grow our own garlic.  Seeing as fresh garlic is pretty darn cheap at the grocery store, this may seem silly.  But growing garlic is darn easy, we love to put it in almost everything, and nothing beats knowing you’ve grown, by yourself, that fantastic flavor underwriting every taste in your nightly meal.

When I say growing it is easy, I mean it can’t possibly get any easier.  Put it in the ground in October (in Michigan at least), and in the spring it will grow….and when the stalks start to turn brown, pull ‘em up, and like magic you will have those wonderful pungent bulbs, just waiting to be braided and used throughout the year.  The only trick is, when the guys send up their flowering shoots, to cut ‘em off.  The plant at that point is putting energy into reproducing, rather than growing it’s bulb, and since the bulb is what we’re after, we have to discourage plant sex.

In previous years, we just chucked the flowering stem into the compost pile – what a waste!  I now know that the “Garlic Scapes” (as a recent google search returned – also known as the garlic frond, flower, top, curls, blossoms…) are one of the tastiest parts of the plant, and an excellent by-product of good gardening practices.

More google searching led me to believe that I should do what everyone highly recommends with the scapes, and make pesto.  Yeah!  I love pesto, and just about any excuse to use my food processor (and being that I wouldn’t let my husband pack it up, I needed to prove to him that I would indeed need it in the next week). 

(These are the flower buds and stalks leftover after I chopped everything up – I didn’t use any of the scapes that were slightly stiff because I wanted them to process smoothly)

A few recipes recommended using walnuts instead of pine nuts to cut saturated fat.  Walnuts are very good for you – high in omega 3′s.  One problem – I hate them.  Despise them.  You could make the most fantastic, gooey, amazing chocolate brownie (a huge weakness of mine!), using a single walnut in the entire batter, offer it to me warm from the oven, and with one taste I would know there was an intruder in the batter and turn the desert away.  But in the spirit being daring and experimenting with a new recipe (and given that the pine nuts were $3.50 for a small bag that held less than 2 tablespoons at my local natural food store!), I sprung for some raw walnuts and went to town.

I also had a zucchini that needed to be used up.  I treat zucchini like the vegetable equivalent of a “free day” – they can go in any direction!  Sweet, savory, raw, sautéed, broiled, grilled…they seem to work in just about anything.  Since they are so neutral, I decided to throw in some zucchini to up the nutrition even more.

Into the food processor:

(for some reason I added the zucchini after I took the picture?)

1 cup garlic scapes, chopped into 1/2 – 1 inch pieces, tops removed

1/2 cup walnuts

3/4 cup zucchini, chopped

Process till smooth.  Drizzle in:

2 T good olive oil

2 pinches sea salt

Process till smoother.  Taste.  You may want another pinch of salt.

Sprinkle with black pepper if you wish!

I didn’t add pepper because I despise the stuff (I know, how boring of me) or parmesan cheese because we didn’t have any – I’m sure it would have made the stuff even tastier.

The verdict?  Very tasty.  Garlicy, but not overpowering like the pungent bulbs.  I can eat if for lunch and not worry about monster breath.  And…not even a slight taste of walnuts.  Not even walnut essence.  I am guessing this is because it was processed within an inch of it’s life, and because I used raw walnuts (do walnuts, like other nuts, get a more intense flavor after roasting?  Maybe I would like them raw??!)

Austin, our little garlic fiend, LOVED IT!  One of my favorite things is when he digs into something healthy and voluntarily states “It’s good.”  I’ll take compliments about my cooking from his little mouth over a culinary pat on the back from Julie Childs any day!

What did I do with the pesto, you ask?  A few things.  For our dinner, I made a roux (equal parts melted butter and flour in a fry pan, whisk till combined, add milk slowly till you have a thick paste), added the pesto to make a thick sauce, and then sautéed fish (cod in this case) in the sauce till cooked through.  Served it mixed with cottage cheese and Kashi Pilaf, topped with fresh tomatoes.

For my lunches, I’ve had it cold – leftover kashi pilaf, cottage cheese, and veggies – like I said, tasty, but without the garlic-breath demon hanging around!

 And there you have it, a culinary masterpiece that has been in the making since last October.  (if you don’t have your own garlic plants, rumor has it you can find the scapes at your local farmers market.  They seem to run around $1 a pound, which I think it kind of steep – so next year just plant your own garlic, mmmkay?)

A Creative Rut

I have had the pleasure of helping to judge a youth writing competition this week for work.  We instructed 3rd – 8th grade students in the area to write a 300-500 word story titled “The Lost Dragon of White Lake,” and right now I am so impressed with the creativity of the entries!  I don’t remember a time when I let my imagination run so wild, and it has been refreshing to jump inside a s head for a bit and enjoy the ride.  The stories have been so interesting that I have had a hard time writing in my own blog for fear of sounding…boring?  and predictable?  My life is anything but predictable right now.  But then again…as a parent, you can pretty much guarantee that at some stage you will be cleaning poop out of the tub (Thursday night), cleaning projective vomit off one of your only clean shirts that fits and looks decent (this morning), drinking too much coffee (every morning), heating up leftover leftovers for dinner (Thursday), and attempting to balance the needs of your husband (attention NOW) with the needs of your kiddos (attention RIGHT NOW) and your need for sleep.

The summary of this is that right now I’m trying not to fall into a rut, where life is predictable chaotic.   I’m missing those days when imagination was all that was needed for a good time, when my worries and stresses didn’t stifle my ability to enjoy the moment, and when I too could have written a kick-ass entry in the “Lost Dragon of White Lake” competition.  So perhaps I’ll try:

……..

Hmm, well, that didn’t go so well.  Maybe Dragons just aren’t my thing.

This meal was my thing.  And Austin’s – a great way to get a wee one to eat fish!

Cod in a Ginger Cream Sauce

1.5 T butter (the real stuff!)

1.5 T flour*

1 cup milk*

2 cloves garlic, crushed*

1 T fresh grated ginger*

2  fillets Cod (I’m guessing they were 5-6 ounces each?)

salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in a large fry pan.  Using a whisk, mix in flour till a paste forms.  Sloooooowwwwwly add milk, whisking constantly, till well combined.  Add garlic and ginger and mix well.  Turn heat to medium-low, and add fish fillets.  Cover and cook, turning once, till fish is flakey and cooked through.

*all measurements approximate and can be adjusted to your taste/desired creamy consistancy.  I don’t like to dirty measuring cups.

This served Lyndon, Austin, and I, with enough leftovers for Austin’s lunch the next day.

This was darn easy, but incredibly tasty.  We served it with bok choy that was sauted in garlic, ginger, and homemade pepper jelly, over some kashi pilaf.  Yum!

Hummus, Sweet Hummus

I go through hummus phases.  I love it, I’m sick of it, I only like it with fancy flavors or add/ins, only without tahini…our relationship is ever changing.  But I’ve never had “dessert” hummus – till today.  Oh my goodness, this stuff is amazing!  It is based off a recipe by mama pea, and I recommend you go make it right now.  Seriously. Yum.

Cinnamon Raisin Hummus

1 cup chickpeas

2 T natural peanut butter

2 T raisins

4 dates

1 t cinnamon

1/2 T honey

1 T ground flaxseeds (optional)

pinch sea salt

splash of water

Throw it all in your food processor, adding enough water to get desired consistency.

Austin loved this stuff – he loves to “dip,” and it was incentive enough for him to eat all his carrots.  and pears.  and apples. This hummus is magic – it works with veggies – and fruit – and on sandwiches…

This stuff was probably the highlight of my day yesterday.  Austin is in this phase (please god be a phase) – I think some refer to it as the “terrible two’s” (a few months early?)- where he is throwing tantrums constantly. The past few days have been filled with screaming, whining, tears, and impressive body flailing.  I think perhaps he still doesn’t feel 100% after last week’s strep throat incident, and we had a really busy day on Saturday that probably wore the little guy out.  Sunday and Monday were miserable for us all, but the hummus provided a smiley face in our afternoon.

My toddler has Dreads

Austin has been giving himself dreads lately:

He has always been fond of playing with hair, particularly when he is tired.  But this past week, he has taken his hair twirling to a whole new level:

It has been constant, and is resulting in knots and curlyl-q’s along the back left-side of his head (strangely, he only twirls with his left hand.).  Adorable, but perhaps it is time for a hair cut?

“Danish” pancakes to twirl your hair over:

I swear these taste like a cream cheese danish – and they are a more protein-packed version of your traditional pancake.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 small, ripe banana

1 t vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

pinch salt

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t cinnamon

butter – for greasing griddle

Throw the oats in a food processor, whir till ground. Add banana and cottage cheese, and whir till smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients (‘cept butter) and whir till combined

Heat a skillet (I strongly suggest a non-stick surface – otherwise, be very generous with the butter) to medium and melt a dab of butter.  Pour in batter (you choose the size, but spread as thin as you can) and let cook till bubbles come up, in the center of the cake – and pop.  Don’t try to flip too soon, you’ll have a mess.  Let cook thoroughly on the other side as well.

(not done yet – bubbles haven’t popped)

(done – bubbles have popped!)

Serve with raspberry jam.  You can try other, more traditional toppings (I experimented with peanut butter, honey, and applesauce, but the jam was by far the best).  Makes 3-4 largish pancakes.

My pancake experiment – 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 jam

Did that really happen?

That was what I had to ask myself when I woke up this morning to the hungry grunts of little Wesley.  I rolled over, and the clock said…well, an ungodly hour, but it was very close to 5 a.m.  In my sleepy haze, I did the math – 5.5 hours since I last fed the little guy. WAIT!  NEARLY 6 HOURS OF UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP! AND HE ISN’T EVEN A MONTH OLD YET!!! Austin didn’t hit that milestone til…10 ? 11 months?  longer?  And didn’t officially “sleep through the night” till 13 months. 13 long, sleep deprived, hazy months.  I vaguely remember them, kind of like I vaguely remember my college weekends, or months ski instructing in Australia.  Same haziness, different reasons.

5.5 hours.  That is a full night’s sleep to many, and an eternity to any mother of a newborn.

Not only that, but after nursing and getting him back to sleep (which, admittedly, took a while), I didn’t get woke again, by either kiddo, till nearly 8 a.m.  That is a solid night’s sleep in any new mom’s books!

I’m crossing my fingers that I am not jinxing this, that Wes isn’t just dangling the “sleep” carrot in front of me only to cruelly take it away.   But he has been a much better sleeper than Austin from the start, and I am banking on this continuing.  Please.

Perhaps it was the wonderful dinner we pulled together last night that set us up for sleeping success:

Cheater Meat Pies with Potato-Parsnip Mash

Lyndon loves a meat pie.  I’ve never been the biggest fan – mostly because I don’t love pastry crust (something I’m thankful for) or brown gravy (ewww….) but these things are a staple of the Australian diet, available at every “servo” (gas station) and corner shop. Lucky for me, he also likes a version made without the brown gravy, and a tomato-based sauce instead.  Making these into pies is time consuming, and in my books, unnecessary unless you need to sell them in a tidy little package.  They taste the same “deconstructed” and are infinitely easier to make.

Cheater Meat Pies

1 onion, chopped

1 T Olive Oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 can crushed tomatoes

pinch sea salt

1 T tomato paste

2 T Worcestershire Sauce

1 T Brown Sugar

1 1/2 cups frozen pea/carrot mix (or just peas, or just carrots, or fresh carrots…you get the point)

1 Sheet Puff Pastry

Preheat oven to 400.  Brown onion in oil till softened.  Add beef and cook till browned.  Add undrained canned tomatoes, salt, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar, stir till combined and let simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors.  Add frozen veggies and cook 5 more minutes, till warmed through.  If the mixture seems dry, add up to 1/2 cup beef stock.

In the meantime, cut up puff pastry into 6 squarish rectangle guys. Bake till browned and puffy.

Austin ate this plain with his mash.  Lyndon added heaps of hot sauce.  I added a good dose of horseradish because it sounded good – and it was!

Potato Parsnip Mash

I heart parsnips.  They are wonderful, and really spruce up your traditional mash.

4 small-medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 4 chunks

4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks (we leave peels on)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

splash milk

sea salt

Boil potatoes and parsnips till tender. Drain and mash, mix in milk and cottage cheese (option, but so tasty), add salt to tasty.

Serve potatoes with a scoop of meat pie, topped with a square of puff pastry.  We included a side of peas to get in another serving of veggies.

SO TASTY, FAST, and EASY!

Austin Feed Goats

We made a family trip this Saturday to Lewis Farm Markets.  I had been there before, but never with one of the kids – and thus had never ventured out into the advertised petting zoo/adventure area.  WOW!  That place is incredible!  We had a blast – and the entire experience cost us under $5 – including two pounds of asparagus and a green pepper.

The place is set up with a cute little farm store/market that has fresh produce and packaged “specialty” items like blueberry syrup and peach salsa.  They also sell ready-to-eat food like bbq’s and ice cream…but the real focus is the petting zoo.  Once you’ve done your obligatory wander through the store, you get to an impressive farm area stocked with goats, donkeys, cows, pony’s, peacocks, bunnies, an alpaca, zebra, and a wallaby.  There was the token barn cat, and then an adventure area with a giant “pillow” for kids to bounce on (it looked like a blast!), “go-carts” that were really bicycles (complete with a race track – the kids were going at it!), a small “train” pulled by a tractor, and a creepy slide that I made Lyndon take Austin down.

For a quarter, you get a handful of food to feed the animals.  $0.50 kept Austin busy for a good 20 minutes, tentatively (at first) feeding the goats and eventually getting brave enough to feed the zebra (he has big teeth!) and the pony.  He was so cute offering the animals their little pellets, and the experience obviously had an impact on him – all day Sunday and this morning he has been walking around saying “Austin feed goats.  Zebra.  Austin pet bunnies.  Bunny drinking water.  Austin ride pony.  Goats bye-bye….”  (He didn’t ride a pony, not sure where that is coming from…but the rest of it sums up our experience pretty well!)

I had no idea that we had such a cool place nearby – if you have a petting zoo in your area, take your toddler – they will love it!

Wes slept through the whole experience, but I’m sure he was culturally enriched and enjoyed it vicariously through me.

Feeding animals works up quite an appetite – and since it was a nice day, Lyndon volunteered to do grillage – and was I ever treated to a fantastic meal:

Grilled Steak Sammies with Parsnip Fries and Spring Greens

Ok, so Lyndon grilled the steak and fries – but I did all the prep, so here is the inside scoop:

Steak Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1 T olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, crushes

1 t ground ginger

1 t chili powder

Mix it all up, and pour on steaks (we had 4 palm-sized sirloins)- marinade up to 4 hours.

Parsnip Fries:

Cut parsnips into “sticks”, toss with olive oil and garlic salt.  If you haven’t tried parsnips, DO IT!  They are incredible.  If you like carrots and sweet potatoes, these will be up your alley.

Spring Greens:

Dressing: 1 T olive oil, 1/2 T apple cider vinegar, 1/2 T honey, sprinkle sea salt

Mix with 5 cups mixed spring greens – I used spinach, lettuce, and mustard greens I got at the farmers market

To cook:

Lyndon says you grill the steaks on high heat for “6 minutes on the first side, 4 on the second” for medium rare.  They were perfect!

We also grilled the parsnip fries till tender, and some chopped green pepper and onion (also tossed in olive oil and garlic salt) till charred.

Assemble into sammies, topping sliced steak with a bit of cheese and melt.  I put horseradish on my bun to kick things up a notch.

All in all, a perfect meal!

A Successful Fail

I love to eat things in “bar” form. Growing up, eating “individually packaged” items was always a treat – something you definitely didn’t do at home (because, duh, individually packaged things are more expensive than those purchased in bulk and thus are for when you are traveling) and purchased only very occasionally. Thus, opening the silver wrapping of a granola bar always seemed special and indulgent.

Now that I purchase the groceries, I understand this mentality – bars are pricey!  Granola bars are really only rolled oats bound by a sugar of sorts, and the protein bars are CRAZY expensive…so why not make my own?

I’ve experimented with homemade bars with some success, but they were always a little too soft and chewy for my liking, and fell apart easily.  So I decided to try baking the bars – just a little bit – with hopes of a crunchier texture and a bit more “connectivity,” so to speak.

Austin wanted to help – he is a huge help in the kitchen.  (?)  His “help” only cost me about 7 spoons and a good scrubbing of sticky oats from the floor, not to mention a wasted lunch because he was full from “sampling”…but I’m sure his touch of love helped the process:

Wes was excited by our efforts:

(pumped for granola…)

Unfortunately, what I was hoping would be the perfect granola bar tuned into, at best, granola crumbles.  They pieces crumbled if you looked at them sideways, and there was not a prayer of being cut into anything recognizable as a bar.  But…they tasted fantastic!  Kind of crunchy and airy at the same time, these almost reminded me of a marshmellow, in a weird (but excellent!) way.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Crackles

You can modify the flavors and add-ins to your liking – use almond (or anyother nut) butter, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds of your choice.  But I found this combo excellent.  I could taste the peanut butter without it being overwhelming, and the choc chips took on that slightly melty taste you get when they have been baked.  I sprinkled this on yogurt, had a smal bowl as cereal, and ate it plain – like it was my job.  Mmm!

1 3/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown rice cereal

1/4 cup flax

2 T water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut (you could used sweetened, and then probably omit the stevia)

1 T coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 t vanilla

sprinkle stevia (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.  In a small bowl, mix the flax and water, let sit.

Combine oats, rice cereal, choc chips, raisins, and coconut in a large bowl.  In a small saucepan over low heat, melt coconut oil, then mix in honey, peanut butter, and vanilla till smooth.  Mix PB/honey and flax mixtures in to dry ingredients till combined.  Spread onto a cookie sheet (sprayed with nonstick spray, or covered in a silicon baking mat) and bake, checking often, for 10-12 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned.  Let cool, then break into chunks and enjoy!

It took me 30 years to get right back where I started? or…Happy Birthday to Me!

So today, I officially leave my 20′s behind, and enter the world of being in my 30′s.  And all I can think is, HOW IN THE HECK AM I 30 YEARS OLD?  I mean, a 30 year-old is a grown-up, someone who has life figured out, right?  They know what they want to be when they grow up, don’t they?  And they have a vision for their future, are actively contributing to a retirement fund, and perhaps are on the career path to get to the job of their dreams?  Hmmm…

I crack up when I think about my past 30 years – all the bizarre things I’ve done that I never thought would happen to me.  I’ve traveled to Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Whales with a dance group (hilarious if you know me and my classic coordination, or lack thereof), got a degree from the University of Michigan in Resource Ecology and Management, which I promptly used to 1. Teach Skiing, and 2. Direct an Art Education non-profit, worked and lived in Colorado, Maine, and Australia, married an Aussie and had two amazing little boys…and moved back to my home town.  I now live approximately 3.5 miles from where I grew up, and am positioned to have my kids attend the exact same school that myself, my mom, and my grandparents attended.  If you had asked me 3 years ago if that was possible, I would have laughed – really hard – at you.  But right now, it is perfect.

My boys get to see their grandparents nearly every day, and have the benefits of playing on a farm – which I will maintain makes everyone a better person.  We have the support of a small town behind us in raising our kids.  Our jobs allow us the flexibility to be the perfect balance between “breadwinner” and “parent.”

Any regrets?  Nah, life isn’t worth it.  I often wish there was more time in the day and more money in the bank, but ultimately, life is good, and chances are I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be at 30.

As my high school principal said to us as we graduated – “Here’s to the best years of your life…so far.”  Oh how right he was – it truly does keep getting better!

Celebratory Birthday Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite foods – me and everyone else on the planet.  We often make it at home, but have struggled to find the perfect crust.  Bland crust really ruins the pizza experience…but last night, I struck pizza crust gold.  This stuff was awesome!  Probably because, for once I threw caution to the wind and didn’t attempt to make it healthier by substituting ingredients, reducing the amount of oil (which, really is minimal), or using whole wheat flour.  And talk about easy. ..

Pizza Dough (the only trick – you need to start this a few hours before you plan to eat…or you can make this on a weekend and pre-back the crust, freeze, and haul them out for a weeknight easy dinner.  I have one in the freezer right now!)

1/2 T olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/2 T sugar

1/2 T sea salt, plus more for brushing

1 packet (about 1/2 T) active dry yeast

1 cup warm (about 115 Degrees) water

2 cups unbleached flour

Mix oil, sugar, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and let sit till foamy, 10-12 minutes.  Add in flour and knead till a smooth dough forms, 8-10 minutes (or, turn your stand mixer on medium and let it do all the work).

Cut dough ball in half, form into a ball, and place on two floured baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place till tripled in size, 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 475.  Form dough into a roughly 10-inch circle (mine was more rectangle.), and brush with a olive oil/sea salt mixture, liberally on the crusts.  (I probably used 1 T oil and 1/2 t salt).  Pre-bake the crusts till slightly browned on the bottom and firm, 10 minutes.

Top with topping of your choice!

This would have been great as a traditional pizza (my favorite is roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple..) but I wasn’t feeling traditional.

Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Pizza

1 can artichokes, quartered

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 t olive oil

1/2 t salt

parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

pesto – optional

Turn your oven to broil.  Toss artichokes and tomatoes with olive oil and salt, and broil for 5-7 minutes, stirring often, till blackened slightly.  Preheat oven to 450.

Brush pesto (if you’re using it) on pizza crust (we went 1/2 and half).  Top with tomatoes and artichokes, and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melty and you can’t wait to eat it any more.

Serve with wine

A side note – pesto in a jar is expensive, and growing basil is cheap. In September, when my Basil plants are huge and a frost is looming, I harvest it all, make giant batches of pesto (minus the parmesan cheese – I don’t know how it would freeze with the cheese) and freeze in ice-cube trays.  Then I transfer to plastic baggies and when I want a pesto hit, I just defrost one of my cubes and go to town – adding the parmesan if I remember.  It doesn’t look great – it kind of oxidizes and turns a bit brown, but it tastes great, I promise.

(don’t judge by looks, I swear it tasted good…)

I-need-a-baked-goodie Banana Bread

My computer is acting up horribly (argh!) so this will be short.  Plus, my sister is coming to visit us (lets be real, to visit Wes) from Colorado tonight, and the weekends of Katie visits are always GOGOGO, so I NEED to get a nap in so that I can keep up.

Think she’ll like him?

I have been craving baked goodies since I’ve had Wes – not sure if it is the sleep deprivation, hunger from nursing, or just holdover from being pregnant and feeling like I deserved a baked goodie every day, but cookies, cakes, and pies have been calling my name – loudly.  Today, I listened….the cookies I made the other day were certainly healthy, but tasted “healthy”, and weren’t scratching my “baked goodie” itch, so to speak.  So…a slightly healthy banana bread came into being – that I slathered in REAL BUTTER as soon as I got it out of the oven.  Moderation, my friends….

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

1/3 cup applesauce

3 1/2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed (probably 1 3/4 cup worth)

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar (would have used honey, but I was out – used it all up in those darn healthy cookies)

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1/4 cup buttermilk (could use regular milk, or just hot water – or even omit (especially if you use honey) – this recipe was pretty moist!)

Preheat oven to 325.  Mix ingredients together, in order…till combined.  Pour into greased bread tin ( you could also make into muffins and bake for a lot less time, but then you have built in portion control and I wasn’t into this today).  Bake for 60-70 minutes.  Since your oven is going to be on for so long, do what I did, and kill a few more birds with that stone- roast your veggies for dinner (in this case, sweet potato, zucchini, green beans, and carrots) at the same time.  That way, you can eat a bunch of veggies BEFORE digging into the banana bread, and perhaps you won’t eat the whole loaf   This doesn’t taste “healthy” unlike most of my other baked goodies.  You could add chocolate chips or walnuts if you wish, but don’t you dare bring me a loaf with walnuts in it – ewww.  I’ll gladly sample a choc chip loaf if you’re in the mood to bake..

P. S. Carrots roasted till slightly browned (tossed in a dab of olive oil and salt) are FABULOUS – and I bet if you call them

“carrot fries” and serve them with ketchup the kiddies will chow down…

Boys and their Toys

Tonight we took the boys over to the farm so that Lyndon could start cleaning up an old playhouse that has been sitting around in the woods for….oh…twenty or so years, with the hopes that we can transform it into a suitable playhouse for Austin.  The “bones” of the house are in pretty good shape – it is basically a box built with plywood – but it is full of exposed nails (?) and the paint is peeling and chipping, and the roof is full of termites…in short, it needs some work.

In an effort to keep Austin away from the exposed rusty nails, I put Austin on the four-wheeler in front of me, snuggled Wesley up against me, and took the boys for a ride around the farm. I didn’t realize till I started driving that the four-wheeler was attached to the roller – apparently my dad had been on mole duty – and so our ride included that handy piece of equipment.  Before you call CPS, I can assure you Austin wasn’t going anywhere – I had my knees squeezed securely around him, and Wesley was snuggled in tight.

We finished up in time for Lyndon to pull the playhouse, now on a trailer attached to the gator, off to the barn to be power washed.  The whole family jumped on the gator for another ride…

In the meantime, my parent got home from their miscellaneous meetings.  Austin is a “granna’s” boy, and immediately attached himself to my mom…and then begged for a tractor ride.  She was fresh out of the shower, still in her robe…but the boy is too cute to say “no” to and next think I know Austin is getting a tractor ride from Granna, in her robe.

Honestly, can you think of a more perfect evening for a little boy?  Austin even got half an oatmeal cookie when we loaded him in the car to head home.

Full-of-Goodness Oatmeal Cookies

(note – these are healthy – and they “taste” healthy.  Perfect for hungry toddlers, hardworking daddy’s, and breastfeeding mamas…but really more of a nutritious energy bar than a “cookie” in the tasty sense of the word)

1 cup quick oats

1 cup whole wheat pasty flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup chocolate chips (or chopped nut of choice)

1/4 cup raisins (or other dried fruit of choice)

1 t salt

1 1/2 t vanilla

3 T peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup flax seed

1/2 cup honey

3 T canola oil

1 egg (optional – I needed more liquid, so I went with the egg…you could just add enough water to form a dough)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix oats, flour, baking powder, coconut, choc chips, raisins, and salt till combined.  In a separate bowl, mix flax, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Add oil and egg, and mix till combined.  Mix wet ingredients in with the dry till just combined (if mixture seems dry, add a bit of water to form a dough). Drop spoonfuls and flatten lightly on a cookie sheet either lined with parchment or sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.  Bake for 11-12 minutes, until lightly browned on bottom. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

My computer screen has gone completely blank 4 times now in the process of writing this post, so I think I will take it as a sign to call it a night.