Food for Thought

“Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up wrinkles the soul. ”

Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964);

American general and field marshal

Thanks, Values.com for this quote.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bars

We're making things with chocolate again....although I stipulate that this recipe actually has some redeeming qualities to go along with all those calories.

This recipe actually had an earlier version that was good, but rather pedestrian. As you can see above, they were rather flat and uninspired. They tasted good, but I wouldn't make them again.

My new version is much heartier. Both were made in a 13 X 9 pan. The difference is that this recipe had twice the flour and oatmeal. Hence the greater density. The other difference, which I think really added to the bar's texture is the use of whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The whole wheat pairs very nicely with the sturdy oatmeal, as well as the addition of butterscotch chips mixed in with the chocolate chips. And finally, there's peanut butter, which makes everything taste better.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups peanut butter

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups oatmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

8 oz cup chocolate chips

8 oz cup butterscotch chips



1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together sugar and butter, beat until fluffy

2. Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, continue beating

3. Beat in peanut butter

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, and baking soda. Slowly incorporate flour mixture into wet ingredients.

5. Add chips. Scoop mixture into lightly greased 13 X 9 pan. Optional: sprinkle a few grains of sea salt over top of mixture before placing in oven.

6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Let cool before cutting into bars.

Mac and Cheese Inspired by Country Living Magazine

Last year I went through some sort of compulsive subscription frenzy brought on by Amazon's $5 magazine sale at Christmas and ordered about a dozen other magazines, all of which I've since let expire. This year, I'm just keeping the core.

My favorite magazines are: Southern Living, Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, and Oprah (of course).  These are my tried and true, been subscribing to them for a hundred years and will still be subscribing to them one hundred years from today.  (Thanks to sister-in-law Kathy for sponsoring my Better Homes and Garden subscription for the past two years).

As I flip through these magazines each month, I generally find inspiration for a new dish that I want to try. This month it was Country Living's Macaroni and Gruyere Cheese. Would you believe that I've never made mac and cheese before? I know. Strange.

Here's my version of it, in which I changed up some ingredients to use what I had on hand, as well as the amount, to suit a two person household.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta shells
• 1 1/2 cups grated aged cheddar and gruyere cheeses
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• breadcrumbs to sprinkle
• pepper, garlic powder to taste

Begin by boiling the pasta. In this case I used whole wheat shells. They're cute and healthy.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups half and half. That's right. Not milk, we're going for the rich stuff.

After you've drained the pasta toss it with about half of your shredded cheese.

In a small bowl, combine the half and half, two egg yolks, and two tablespoons of melted butter. Add freshly ground pepper and garlic powder according to your taste. Freshly grated nutmeg would also be wonderful.

Pour the mixture into the pasta shells and cheese and mix together. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs.

Bake at 325 F for 30 minutes covered with foil, then top with half cup of remaining shredded cheese and bake for another 20 minutes uncovered.

And voila. I promise you, this recipe is easy to assemble and tastes so incredibly better than anything you will get out of a box.

The variations on mac and cheese are endless, so you can literally use anything you've got in the pantry and fridge to create wonderful comfort food.

Cheers!

Our Book Cover Finalists are Here!

Window Cover

White Flower Cover

Black Flower Cover

I love them all, but only one can be chosen.

Which best captures your interest as a reader?

Which best conveys a World War II story about two Hungarian sisters trying to save their abandoned niece from the Nazis?

Help Me Choose a New Cover for My Novel

I have completely revised my first novel, MRS. TUESDAY'S DEPARTURE. Turns out that was the easy part. I've spent the last few days tormenting my friends and family trying to decide on a new cover for the book which will be coming out as an ebook and in paperback.

Now I'm appealing to you.

Which is your favorite?

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

No. 5

No. 6

No. 7

No. 8

And just in case you're one of those sticklers who actually want to know what the book is about before deciding...here's a brief synopsis:

Faith is the evidence of things not seen...

Hungary's fragile alliance with Germany kept Natalie and her family out of harm's way for most of the war, but as the Führer's desperation grows during the waning years of the conflict, so does the threat to anyone in its path. Natalie's sister, Ilona, married a Jewish man, putting both her and her young daughter, Mila, in peril. Natalie is hiding all of them, including her schizophrenic twin, Anna, under her roof, and now, as the streets of Budapest thrum with the pounding boots of Nazi soldiers, they are all at risk.

It is time to run.

Then Ilona and her husband betray them by taking the only two tickets to safety for themselves, abandoning Natalie to shelter Anna and Mila from the encroaching horror alone. As the danger seeps ever nearer to her door, Natalie is forced to reach down into the core of her faith to believe in what she must and save what she can, no matter what the sacrifice.

An inspirational story of faith and family, strength and weakness, and the ultimate victory of love over hate, Mrs. Tuesday’s Departure shows the power faith has to light even the most imposing darkness.

So, which is it going to be???

Please leave a comment below and let me know your favorite.

I can't wait to see the results!

The Infamous Neiman Marcus $250 Chocolate Chip Cookie: My Version

The week before Christmas I was reading Jane Green’s wonderful novel, Promises to Keep. At the end of each chapter she provided a recipe that was relevant to the story. One recipe was a copy of the infamous Neiman Marcus ‘$250 cookie’, which we all know by now is an urban legend that is actually several decades old and has traveled as far as South Africa in its origins.

That said, what intrigued me about the recipe was the use of ground oatmeal with the regular flour. I was also stunned by the enormous size of the batter the recipe would produce, given that it called for a total of nine cups of ground oatmeal/flour to a relatively lower proportion of butter in the traditional Tollhouse recipe.

Since I wanted to send cookies to friends and family for Christmas, I decided to give the recipe a try with some tweaks on my part. My changes are the addition of the three different types of chocolate for the chips, a teaspoon more vanilla than the original recipe, and the use of sea salt.

Urban legend or not…these are some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. I believe the addition of the ground oatmeal adds a lovely fulsome texture and nuttiness to the cookies that is not found in a flour only cookie. It’s similar to the effect you get with the use of whole wheat flour.

Give them a try…..and be prepared to share with the neighbors. I ended up with 80 generously sized cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter 


4 cups flour 


2 tsp. baking soda 


2 cups granulated sugar 


2 cups brown sugar 


5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender or food processor to a fine powder) 


3 X 12 oz bags of chocolate chips (one each milk chocolate chips,semi-sweet chunks, dark chocolate chips) 


1 tsp. sea salt


4 eggs


2 tsp. baking powder 


3 cups chopped nuts (your choice, I like walnuts) 


1 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

1.    Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla.
2.  . Sift or mix with a fork flour and ground oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
3.    Combine flour mixture with butter mixture. Fold in chips and nuts.
4.   Roll batter into balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
5.   Bake at 375 for 10 – 12 minutes.
6. .  Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

On this first day of 2012, I resolve to do and be better than I did in 2011 with the intention that I will progress closer to being the person I was created to be.

Please take a moment to watch this video. It not only makes me incredibly happy, it reminds me that we are capable of so much more than we ever imagined. If we'll only get out there and try.

God bless you and keep you throughout the coming year. May all your resolutions be fulfilled.