Recipe: Breakfast cookies

I made these cookies a few weeks ago for my son’s birthday party and they were a huge hit with everyone there, no one could believe how (relatively) healthy they were.  I modified it a little more for using at breakfast time.  This is a much better option than conventional granola bars!  These of course would be yummy for snacks, packing in a lunch, etc.

Preheat your oven to 375 F.

• 1/2 c butter (softened)
• 1/2 c peanut butter
• 3/4 c honey
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
• 2 c oats
• 1 cup (or more) of add ins of your choice.  I used 1/2 c mini chocolate chips and 1/2 c dried berry mix (cranberries, blueberries and cherries).  You could also add nuts.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, honey, baking powder, baking soda, eggs and vanilla until combined well.  Beat in the flour.  Add the oats and the mix-ins with a spatula.  Drop the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.  Yields roughly 3 dozen cookies.

These cookies don’t spread as they bake, so if you like them more “cookie” shaped and not like a ball, just use a spoon to flatten before cooking.

Plumbing Win

So, we have a really slow drain in our bathtub. We’re always trying out liquid plumber, trying to snake it on our own, or really gross, shoving our fingers down there trying to pull stuff out.

So, I searched natural methods yesterday and tried this out, and it worked amazingly!

Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain
Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain

It will bubble up and break down what’s in there

After 15-30 minutes, pour 3-4 cups of boiling water down the drain.

Clean!!!

This worked so much better than the conventional methods and costs less than a dollar.

Okay, here’s a quick one. My bread recipe!

My house smells awesome.  I’ve got stew in the crock pot (just cut up red potatoes with their skin, carrots, onion soup mix and the best stew meat ever, purchased from a local farm!).

And my bread that I haven’t made in a year is in the oven.

To make 2 loaves:
Take a large bowl and put in 2 cups very warm water, 2 packs of yeast and 1/4 cup of honey.  Stir up well, then add 3 cups of bread flour and mix.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes until big and bubbly.Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then add 1/2 T salt, and 1/4 c honey and mix well.  Pour on top of dough and add 2 cups of whole wheat flour.  Mix a little in the bowl and then dump onto the counter.  Knead well and add more whole wheat flour as needed until a good consistency.  Err on the side of less flour the first time making, it will rise better and taste fluffier…I added too much this time since it’s been so long, whoops!

Split into two loaves and roll & shape it into loaves the length of your pan (I use regular loaf pans, not bread ones).  Place in greased pans and let sit in a warm place with a towel over them until they’ve risen an inch above the rim of your pan.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

When you pull it out of the oven, coat the top portions of the loaf with butter (this gives it an awesome crust!) and let cool for a few minutes.  Devour with butter, or if putting it up for making sandwiches, let cool out of the pan for 30 minutes.  It should fit well in those large, gallon sized zip lock bags.  It stays good for 5-7 days.