Granola Cookies

Hi There,
Today I made these granola cookies that Brad loves.  I began making them a few years back when I was trying to help Brad control his sugar intake.  Now I'm not saying these are sugar free, but they sure are better than the bowl of ice cream that Brad was used to having every night!!
I think these are great for kids too.  Please let me know if you try them and what your family thinks of them.  Don't be afraid to mix up the ingredients.  Once you have the basic method down, you can make this your own by adding whatever your family likes.

Granola Cookies
1 egg white
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar - I use Splenda brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup nuts - any kind
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and then cover it with parchment paper leaving some hanging over the edges so you can use the paper to lift the cookies off the sheet after they cool.  Spray the top of the parchment lightly with spray.

In a bowl, add the egg white.  Beat it with a beater until it's frothy.  It doesn't need to peak.  Add the peanut butter, brown sugar and honey.  Add the melted butter, oats, nuts and chocolate chips.  Mix everything together until well blended.

Wet your hands and put the mixture onto the parchment paper.  With your wet hands, spread the mixture to a layer about 1/2 thick.  Bake for about 15 minutes until edges are lightly browned. 

Let the granola cookies cool completely, for about one hour.  Then cut them in squares. 

Enjoy!!!!
Love,
Beth

Tomatoes, tomatoes!!!

Hi There,

When I was a kid, September not only meant school starting but it meant all the ladies in my family gathering in my grandmother's back yard to can the veggies that were grown over the summer.  I used to hate doing this.  It was a lot of work and so very time consuming!!  To this day, I still don't enjoy the thought of canning, but I sure do enjoy summer vegetables in the cold winter months.  So, I've learned to freeze a lot of stuff that I use often, mostly tomatoes and corn. 

Brad and I took a ride to upstate New York last weekend.  We went to an area that has lots of farm stands where we got some great deals.  I bought a crate of tomatoes and a few dozen corn.  So I spent one day last week up to my elbows in tomatoes!  I took pictures of the process and I'll explain as I go along.  This process is simple and it's such a great way to have farm stand freshness during a snow storm!!

This is the crate of juicy, red tomatoes I bought. 

 

I put a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.  Then I put an X in the bottom of each tomato. 

 I drop the tomatoes into the pot of boiling water and let it sit for about a minute or two.  You will see the skin start to peel.  

This is after tomato has been placed in boiling water for a moment or two.

Put all the tomatoes in a bowl and let them cool completely.  Next I peel off the skin, core them, squeeze out the juice and seeds and place in a plastic bag. 

Here are my tomatoes all set for the freezer.  Very easy process and they will be yummy in a few months. 

 

 

I use these tomatoes for sauce, soups, I stuff them, pizza, etc.  Anything you would use a can of tomatoes for, try using these.  Nothing beats the flavor of a locally grown tomato!!!!

 

Enjoy!!!

Love,

Beth