Oatmeal Cookies

I have always preferred a "pure" oatmeal cookie to one including raisins...or even chocolate chips. I love the texture of the oats combined with the spice of the cinnamon. De double licious. I have just one "plain" oatmeal cookie recipe so I wanted to try a new one--especially since I think the recipe I have used for years and years is a little too heavy on the margarine. I came across this recipe at Simply Recipes and new I had to try it. When the name "Grandma" is used in the title of a recipe it almost always a positive indication of greatness.

I loved the result! Perfect amount of cinnamon. Perfect combination of softness and chewiness and crispness. Kevin gave them an 8 out of 10 and described them as "fabulous." His favorite oatmeal cookie though was the thicker variety: Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Cookies (Oh, and apparently this means I actually have two "plain" oatmeal cookie recipes. Sorry for pretty much lying before.) I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

3 cups oat (use Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned. NOT instant.)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Cream shortening and sugars, add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and mix well. Add raisins (if using) and nuts. Add oats last.

Spoon out by rounded tablespoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Harvest Soup

I found this recipe on Stephanie's famous blog--A Year of Slow Cooking. If you ever need ideas for what or how to cook in your crockpot, you must check this site out. She has just recently published a slow cooking cookbook--way to go, Stephanie! Anyways, I was searching for (wonderful) ways to utilize the massive amount of fresh produce in my fridge. (Hint: I have found the produce stays uber fresh if you keep it in Snapware or other sealable storage containers. I'm talking weeks here, people. Which is awesome, since it's just the two of us, and I hate to see good food go to waste.) The most recent recipe on her blog was just perfect. It was delicious. And nutritious. And super easy. You must try it! However, you must have a love of zucchini and yellow squash and tomatoes and white beans and onions. Otherwise you will be sadly disappointed. :) I just had leftovers for lunch together and it's even tastier than the first time around!

(I cut Stephanie's recipe in half and made a few other alterations to better suite our needs...and I still have 2 bowls leftover!)

Ingredients

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or broth)

1/2 cup pasta sauce (prego works well)

1/2 cup water (or a little more...to just cover the veggies.)

2 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/3 cup dry white beans

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low 8-10 hours or until beans have reached tenderness. If you don't have 8-10 hours before your dinner, do what I did--cook the beans stovetop* and add to the crockpot. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese--delish!

*rinse beans and place in a 2-3 qt. pot. Cover with water and bring to a rolling boil. Uncover and continue boiling for 2 minutes. Turn down to low and simmer (covered) for 1-2 hours--until tender. You may need to add additional water once boiling has taken place. Water should continue to cover the beans throughout cooking.

Spicy Homemade Salsa

This is an incredible use of your garden tomatoes! I found this salsa recipe over at Annie's Eats and as I've mentioned before, she never fails me. :) I had all the ingredients on hand--though I did substitute a few items (like lemon juice for the lime juice). You'll want to be very very careful about adding in the jalapenos. I love spicy foods and I only incorporated the 2 that were called for, but man alive is our salsa every spicy. There's many people I know who could definitely not be able to handle the heat. If that's you, just lower the amount of jalapeno added or eliminate altogether. For the rest of us, bring on the heat!

I loved getting to use my food processor for this recipe and I loved all the ingredients used. I enjoy a chunky salsa but also a more processed salsa such as this. It's perfect, people, it really is. P.S. The 3 containers of salsa shown in the picture is two full batches.

Ingredients:

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, halved

5-6 large vine-ripened tomatoes (OR 2 tomatoes and one 28oz. can diced tomatoes)

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or apple cider--what I used)

1 tbsp. cumin

1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (I didn't add this)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

juice of one lime (or 2 splashes of lemon juice)

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Banana Bread

I'm not sure I'll ever stop trying new banana bread recipes. I just love almost every results and each of them is slightly unique. Therefore I cannot stop. So if you have a favorite banana bread recipe please please share it with me! I would LOVE to try it!

I whipped the up the other evening with my abundance of $0.19/pound bananas and had just written the measurements down on a scrap piece of paper. Thus, until this very moment, I have been at a complete loss as to the origins of this recipe. You see, I'm a little tiny bit addicted to food blogs and checked at least 8 blogs (some with multiple b.bread recipes) before deciding on one. This lovely recipe comes to us from a fantastic blog: Simply Recipes. I absolutely love everything about Elise's blog--her organization, the family input, the photographs and of course the glorious recipes themselves.

In any case, this recipe was used to make 6 mini loaves to be eaten by my darling husband at a later date. (I'm a big fan of freezers.) They turned out moist and delicious!

Ingredients

3-4 banana, ripe, mashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup (or less) sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan (or mini loaf pans or muffins tins). Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.