Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Made with Honey and Whole Wheat)

I got this recipe from my Mom (I'm not sure if she made it up or got it from somewhere else). I tweaked it a little. For having no sugar or white flour, I'd say they're pretty good. Actually, I'd say they were yummy even if they had sugar!

In bosch mixer combine:

2 Sticks Butter
3/4 C. Honey

Beat for approx. 8 minutes.

2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix approx. 2 minutes.

1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Sweet Spice Blend (I bought it at Shar's Kitchen)

Mix just until combined.

3 C. Old Fashioned Oats (not quick oats)
1 1/2 C. Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 C. Raisins

Mix shortly again. Plop by small spoon fulls onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Veggie Snackin'

I made this veggie platter up yesterday afternoon thinking that it would probably last us for at least a couple of days. WRONG! It's almost all gone... and I blame Tate. He's definitely a VEGGIE LOVER.

No Sugar-Carob Cake Recipe

{Adapted from Grandpa Snyder's Carob Cake recipe}

Servings:8

1 Cup Water
6 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chunky Peanut Butter
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 Cup Honey
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Chatfield's Carob Powder
1 1/3 Cups All Purpose Flour

Combine wet ingredients in Bosch mixer. Add dry ingredients and combine until mixed (30-40 seconds). Pour into greased 8"x8" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with sugar free ice cream.

I Love Jasmine Rice

And I can't stop wanting it for dinner every night (I've already made it 4 times in the past week).

Uh Oh! I'm totally reminding myself of Grandpa Jack... He used to eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with his fish, garlic, onions, liver, and other smelly foods.

I'm not a fan of liver, but I love fish, garlic, and onions (although I don't eat them daily)! Tate has the same taste buds (or taste bugs as he calls them) as me. Bryan prefers hamburgers and steak, but he eats whatever I cook for him including Jasmine Rice.

Sopes

If you've never had SOPES before, than you're missing out big time... They are very similar to PUPUSAS (made with masa and fried in oil). The biggest difference between sopes and pupusas are that the toppings-beans, cheese, meat is on the outside versus the inside.

I don't have a recipe, but if you want to make them just mix up some masa, salt to taste, and a few teaspoons water (if needed) to form a pattie. Fry in hot oil and top with whatever toppings you like. I usually stick with black beans, cotija cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.
Obviously this isn't the healthiest meal in the world, but it is divine so I make it every now and again!

Carob Cake

I've been EXPERIMENTING with carob powder lately... For those of you who aren't familiar with carob-it can be used as a subsitute for chocolate. Growing up, My Mom used it all the time. She made carob brownies and hot carob drink.
After church today, Bryan and Tate were eating their chocolate chip cookies and I was jealous... So I made some carob cake for me:) It turned out super good. The recipe I had called for sugar, so I just used honey instead. I also added a couple tablespoons of Peanut Butter to the frosting which made it extra yummy in my opinion.

Day 184-Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

These pancakes will fool you. Yes, they are made out of 100% WHOLE WHEAT, but they are just as light as can be and GOOD-really good!!! You can get the recipe (that I posted a while ago) HERE.

*Something awesome about this recipe is that you don't have to have a wheat grinder to make them. All you need is a good working blender, and you just stick the kernels in whole...

Day 161-Marshmallow Balloon Balls

If you've never eaten a BALLOON BALL then you are definitely missing out! My Mom makes these every year at Christmas Time to give to her neighbors. I had it planned to make them to sell at the Benefit Auction but didn't have enough time to make them. Since I already had the ingredients, I figured that I mine as well make them anyways. Do you want the recipe? If it looks familiar, it is. Honestly it's the exact same dough recipe that I use for my dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients for Dough:

3 C. Milk
1 C. Potato Flakes
1 Tbsp. Salt
3/4 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter
4 Eggs
7-8 C. Flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. Yeast

Instructions:

Scald Milk, Melt Butter. Place potato flakes, salt, sugar, milk and butter in mixer.

Stir briefly and bring mixture to a lukewarm temperature.

Add eggs, yeast, and flour 1 Cup at a time, mixing well between additions. Mix until dough pulls away from the side.

Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover lightly with saran wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Smash dough down, and form balls for rolls.

Some More Ingredients:

1 Bag Marshmallows

4 Cups Granulated Sugar

4 Tbsp. Cinnamon

4 Sticks of Melted Butter

More Instructions:

Combine Sugar and Cinnamon. Dunk marshmallows in melted butter and then completely cover in Cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place covered marshmallow inside of dough balls and close them up by pinching the bottom and twisting it shut.

Next dunk dough ball (with marshmallow inside) into melted butter and then immediately into the cinnamon sugar.

Continue the same procedure until all the marshmallows and dough are used up.

Place dough balls (with marshmallows inside) onto greased cookie sheet. Don't bake more than 12 per cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 19-22 minutes. Remove from oven and dump them upside down on waxed paper.

*When you bake them, the marshmallow melts inside leaving the roll hollow. Sorry the recipe is sort of hard to follow. I promise that they aren't hard to make, it's just hard to write down how to make them.

Day 105-Spinach Smoothies

Am I the only one who's never known that spinach in smoothies is tasteless and a great way to get in your greens? I had a spinach smoothie at my Mom's house recently and it was so good I've been craving it ever since. So yesterday, I went to the store and got some fresh fruits and a whole bunch of spinach. I mixed it all together with some fruit juice. Ahhhh, it was so good!!! I made it again this afternoon. I can tell you right now-I'm going to be making this on a regular basis.

Day 33-Ground Hog Cupcakes

Today was Ground Hogs Day! To celebrate we ate all three meals on the Ground. It was a ton of fun and something that I want to do every year. We also made these cute little cupcakes and Tate delivered them to a few friends.

Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Seeds, and Pumpkin Atole (All in One Day)

Yesterday was shopping day. We went to the usual place-Superstition Ranch Market. While there, Tate spotted them... The Pumpkins. "Mom, Mom, Mom, I want Pumpkin Bread!", he shouted. "Please let's buy a pumpkin so we can make pumpkin bread". (I've never made pumpkin bread before so I have no idea where he's even heard of it.)

"Um, Okay. This should be a fun new thing to try, I thought." So, we bought it.

First thing this morning... "Mom, Mom, let's make pumpkin bread now". Okay, we'll make it, but first we are going to go tour the dairy, remember? "Alright, but then let's make it when we get home". Sounds good.

The dairy was a ton of fun, but not enough to distract Tate from wanting to make the Pumpkin Bread. So, on the way home it started again, "Let's make Pumpkin Bread now!"

So, we did...

I found a recipe HERE and it actually turned out REALLY REALLY GOOD! After making the bread, we still had a ton of Pumpkin left over so we made some pies and Pumpkin Atole. For those of you who have never heard of Pumpkin Atole before-you have got to try this drink. It is seriously to die for... I made it multiple times throughout October and November last year, and I've been waiting and waiting for pumpkin season ever since. So, HERE is the recipe for that.

I still have 2 1/2 containers left of Pumpkin Puree (Whatever it's called). I think that I'll be making more of everything tomorrow.

The PERFECT end to a Fast Sunday

I made a Pizookie (giant warm chocolate chip cookie baked in a pie pan with a ton of ice cream on top) last night, and we all sat around eating it until we couldn't eat any more. I figure that sometimes it's okay to splurge and have something really yummy!

And, no we didn't eat it all. I think that we only got half way through.

Yummy Fish Tacos

It feels like FOREVER since I've blogged last, and it's been a very long time since I've shared a recipe, so here is one of my favorite recipes, well I actually have a lot of favorites. But, this is really good I promise. Hopefully the recipe makes sense/it's way easier demonstrating than attempting to write it down, but here goes...

Ingredients:

Tilapia Fillets (or any boneless white fish meat)

Green Cabbage

Purple Onion

Limes

Cucumber

Mayonnaise

Flour

Egg

Mustard

Serrano Peppers (Optional)

Salt/Pepper

Vegetable Oil

Corn Tortillas (I like the mission-white tortillas)

Instructions:

Wash & dry fish, chop into thin long strips then set aside. (For our family of three, I use about 3 fillets). Prepare toppings by chopping cabbage, and by dicing red onion,cucumber and optional Serrano peppers into small pieces. ( I usually prepare approximately 1 cup cabbage, 3 rounds red onion, and 1/2 of pealed cucumber. I find that it's easier to place them in separate containers rather than mixing together). Add plenty of freshly squeezed lime to diced onion and season the onion with salt. (About 1 lime per 3 rounds of onion is what I use). In small bowl, prepare mayonnaise sauce by mixing a small amount of mayonnaise and lime together. (I use about 4 heaping Tbsp. of mayonnaise per lime). Set mayonnaise sauce aside. In yet another bowl, mix flour, egg yoke, mustard, salt,pepper and lime juice. (I use approximately 1 cup flour, 1 tsp. salt, sprinkle of pepper, 2 egg yokes, a few squirts of mustard, and 1/2 of lime juice. Add enough water until the batter looks like a pancake consistency. Cover fish strips in flour and then coat them in the mustard sauce. Next, you will need to deep fry the fish, so you have a deep frier than use that, if not heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook the fish for about 3 minutes per side. (Don't put too many fish in at a time or they will turn out greasy). As you're cooking the fish, heat corn tortillas in another pan until they are harder, but not too hard. Cover them as they come out to keep them warm. (I usually set up an assembly line to make the rest of the tacos). Spread a small amount of mayonnaise sauce on warm corn tortilla. Next add fish, cabbage, cucumbers, red onion, and Serrano peppers. Add desired salt and squeezed lime. Roll taco up and serve immediately.

If you have any questions about this recipe, please feel free to email me onesmartchicken@gmail.com

I turned the comments off on my blog because I was feeling guilty for never commenting on anyone else's blogs. I know that I'm probably just paranoid.

Cucumbers to Pickles & Peaches to Fruit Rollups

Oh how I LOVE the simple life of making my own REAL FOOD! Yesterday was quite the day... My Mom & I made a gazillion pickles out of fresh cucumbers.

As soon as we finished up, my Aunt called and asked if we wanted some peaches off of her trees.
Tate had a grand time picking his "VERY OWN" peaches for fruit rollups.
The fruit rollups finished drying this morning, and they taste superb!

Zucchini Overload

I LOVE this time of year when zucchini's grow in abundance. My favorite thing to do with fresh zucchinis is to make zucchini bread! When I was a teenager, my sister and I used to make it to sell to people-Oh the memories! Here is the delicious recipe that I love so much...

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

6 Beaten Eggs
1 ½ C. Oil
4 tsp. Vanilla
3 ½ C. Sugar
6 C. Flour
2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Soda
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
12 Tbsp. Cinnamon
4 C. Grated Zucchini
1 C. Nuts (Optional)

Instructions:

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar with mixer. Combine flour, salt, soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add zucchini to egg mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients mixing thoroughly but do not beat with mixer. Blend in nuts. Bake for 50 minutes at 350. Makes 4 loaves. (For disposable mini tins-bake for 38 minutes)

Sweetness De-Craver

Here is a recipe that I got from a friend on how to get you UN-ADDICTED to sugar. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing. I have to admit that I haven't tried it yet, but she swears it works. So, I'm going to the store ASAP to buy the ingredients. Let me know if you try it and if it works for you.

Mix in blender:

1/4 C. Sesame Seeds

1 C. Water

2-3 Dates

Sprinkle of Sea Salt

It sounds completely nasty tasting, but if it works then I just might be able to fulfill my goal of losing 10 pounds. Yeah!

Doing What we LIKE to do...

Is there ANYTHING BETTER than Homemade Bread with Homemade Grape Jelly on Top? I don't think so, and apparently Bryan and Tate agree with me.

We go through BREAD so fast at out house it's incredible. Between the three of us... We eat approximately 3-4 loafs a week. So that means that Tate & I get to bake bread just about every week and a half. WE LOVE IT THOUGH!

Tate's getting really good at kneading and forming the loafs. I usually give him his own "little dough" so that he can make it with me. He seriously has the technique down!

Here is my recipe:

Delicious Whole Wheat Bread

(Adapted by me/From SHAR'S Kitchen & Bosch)

Ingredients:

6 C. Warm Water, Approx. 115 Degrees
2 Tbsp. Salt
1/3 C. Vital Wheat Gluten

2/3 C. Canola Oil

2/3 C. Honey

3 Tbsp. Dough Enhancer

3 Tbsp. SAF Instant Yeast

11 C. Hard White Wheat Kernels

Preparation:
Grind hard white wheat kernels in mill.

Directions:
Place water, salt, oil, honey, dough enhancer, vital wheat gluten, yeast, and 8 cups of freshly ground flour in bosch mixer. Use the momentary switch (m) to mix well. Turn the machine to speed 1 and continue to add wheat flour only until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. When you can see the sides pull clean as well as the dough coming clean from the bottom of the bowl you know you have enough flour.
*I almost always use ALL of the whole wheat that I ground
Knead on speed 1 for 10 minutes. If you feel your dough is too dry, simply add a few tablespoons of water to moisten. (always pulling the sides clean) if dough starts sticking simply add a little white flour to take up the moisture.
Oil your hands, remove dough from mixer onto a slightly oiled counter, divide your dough into 4-5 large loaves depending on your pan size. Shape loaves, and place in a well greased or sprayed (pam) pan, never use oil. Cover with a dry paper towel and let rise until dough has risen double or approx. 2 inches above the rim of the pan. This will take from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the room temperature.Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool on cooking racks before putting into bread bags. The bread can be frozen up to 30 days without freezer burn.

Shar's Kitchen & Bosch in Mesa, offers FREE bread making classes.
Click HERE for a schedule.

Making Tortillas

I've had a few people ask me lately for my TORTILLA RECIPE. So, here it is... Page #40 of my SOON TO BE FINISHED recipe book. Enjoy!!!

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Oh and just for your information, I got my tortilla press HERE along with the dough relaxer.

Something Out Of Nothing

This is what I make when I've put off going to the store for too long, and there is hardly anything edible left in the house.

The only required ingredients are:

2 Cups Flour
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Water

Oil for Frying

All you have to do to make this is; mix the dry ingredients, add water, roll out and cut in pieces, fry in hot oil.

(My favorite thing about this recipe is that no rising is involved-so it only takes like 5 minutes TOTAL)

To make it a little healthier and more of a meal, spread a few refried beans on top, add a little cheese, lettuce, and "Lousiana Hot Sauce".

Then for dessert, try one with honey and powdered sugar on top.

Joys of Baking

Yesterday was Baking Day!

1 Pizza

43 Chocolate Chip Cookies
14 Tortillas
5 Loafs of Bread
Oh the joys of being a Wife and Mother and the COOK of the family!