Breakfast Cookie Recipe

Yes! I did NOT find it...lol...but I wracked my brain for about 3 hrs until I finally remembered. I only had to ask Tabby for a little help (she's my little Irish sous chef :-) So from my heart to yours...here is one of my favorite recipes:

Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast Cookies*
(*this recipe makes ALLOT of cookies. About 36-40 palm sized cookies. Feel free to halve it. It works just as well)

Preheat oven to 375

In first bowl combine

1c. Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1c. Honey
4 RIPE Mashed Bananas
1/2 c. Dark Molasses
1 Stick of butter or margarine (softened)
2 Eggs
2Tbs. Cinnamon
1Tbs. Allspice
1 Tbs. Nutmeg

Mix on low until completely incorporated.

In second bowl combine

8 C. Quick Cooking Oats
5C. Unbleached Flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Stir to combine.

Add 1 pkg. Semi Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips to dry ingredients (I used Ghiradelli...yummmm)

Hand mix by 2 cupfuls at a time the dry into the wet. 

Fold in 2 c. of your favorite diced dried fruit**. (I use a mix of pineapple, mango and shaved coconut) Batter will be thick and sticky when ready.

I use a 1/3 c. measure for my cookies. Scoop, form into thick patty's and place about 1 1/2" apart on *lined cookie sheet. These cook for 15-17 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. You could definitely do smaller cookies and less time. But even with a 1/4c. measure they still take 12-15. They are dense. They are awesome still warm but really good about 24 hrs later when they have rested. You can also pop them in the microwave on a paper towel for 20 seconds. They can be frozen in freezer bags for, up to, 3 weeks.

*I always line my cookie sheets with parchment but I grease them lightly as well.
**Bubba Does not like any kind of fruit in the cookies so we just omit that part and they taste fine.

I actually just found this recipe...lol It looks pretty good though and has stevia instead of the honey and molasses. If you're watching sugar and gluten this might be a good recipe for you :-)

individual baked oatmeal cups

Baking bread with Boyo

How I love baking bread. I used to do it all the time when my oldest 3 were my small ones and my small ones were not but a hidden twinkle in God's eye. When those dreams started becoming realities...well, I just stopped doing it. Between being pregnant and changing diapers, chasing toddlers and trying to keep up with everything else, home made bread just seemed something I didn't NEED to be spending my time on.

I have learned throughout all of the changes over the last year that what I "need" isn't always as cut and dried as I once thought it was. I have learned (with much help from both God and Big daddy) that, I am valuable on a different level than I ever even considered before. I have learned that, as a human being, it is ok for me to do things for others that don't require sacrifice on my part; things that I enjoy even. I have learned that it is not selfish to do something just because it makes me happy to do it. That's a HUGE difference in my mindset. ALOT of walls had to be broken down in my psyche to get that one little lesson through to my heart.

Thank God He doesn't give up on tough cases!!

That being said, I love to cook and bake. Bread especially gives me a kind of satisfaction when it is done that I don't get from anything else. I don't know if it just that I am doing something for my family that provides more than just enjoyment, but actual sustenance. I don't even know if it is that deep. It may just be that it's fun  :) Regardless, I love making bread.

Over the past 2 weeks I have had the awesome opportunity to help my eldest daughter, via FaceBook and text messaging, perfect her own bread making adventures. She did the work, I only provided pointers from experience, but it felt so good to do so. Anything that connects me to her feels good. Anything we can share with us being so far apart blesses my heart in a huge way. 

I have also had the opportunity to actually teach my oldest son how to make bread. It was fun! He is fun in general, but doing this, seeing his appreciation for the work that goes into it and the joy on his face when the dough rose double like it was meant to, when the loaves went into the oven and when he finally got to look at the finished product cooling on the table...it was indescribable :) I loved it, He loved it. And after 6 fresh loaves and a dozen rolls (which we had with some ham and bean soup for lunch) everyone is still ecstatic about his newly developed skill!

This is his first loaf of sweet potato bread. Yay Boyo!!

Rolls with soup, bread with dinner, toast with pumpkin spice cream cheese...it's been a wonderful experience to share this heartfelt satisfaction with my kids. I'm planning on making bread a regular thing in my life again this year. I have some recipes of my own that I want to hone and perfect.

When the 8th Square opens, whenever that dream comes true, I am sure bread will be a big part of our unique and eclectic menu.

Big Daddy said I need to invent a way to mass produce with the same quality...no thanks. I will stick to family and friends.

Manic Monday Memories

Many of my good memories about my family, and specifically my Mother, revolve around a meal of some sort. I think it is largely because the women in my family are well known for their gifts of hospitality. My Mother was no exception and because of this, in spite of my turbulent upbringing, I have good memories of dinner :)

My earliest memory of my mothers cooking was way back in Marlborough Mass.

She was a fabulous cook and I learned early on to appreciate a pretty wide variety of veggies, unlike most of my contemporaries (I was 4 :). I remember hanging by the door to the kitchen as she checked on the savory smelling meals nestled in our orange oven.

 I wasn't allowed in the kitchen until after the meal was served. Much like an artist doesn't want any comments on an unfinished masterpiece, my Mother couldn't abide comments on an unfinished meal.

Mom worked at the Sheraton Tara, a beautiful hotel done in a castle theme.

She got along with everyone and always found favor with her co-workers. The chef's there were teaching her, a little at a time, how to make things. The first of her experiments was Chicken cordon blue. The juicy white meat wrapped around the creamy Swiss cheese and smokey ham.....omgeee! My mouth waters just remembering. I remember burning my tongue more than once on the steamy filling, not able to wait until it cooled.

She made it a few times in a short period. She was probably practising. The best part about my memory of this dish is the smile on her face when she saw that i loved it. mom didn't smile often at home. She had led a very rough life. When I tasted the Chicken Cordon Blue for the first time, and my face showed how much I liked it, I saw such pleasure, such pride shine in her beautiful brown eyes.

No, my mother is not Ina Garten..lol Just some humor.  She does have the same mannerisms as my mom though; the way she does things, the way she talks...They are so similar in fact that Big Daddy (who never got along with mom while she was alive) can't watch the Barefoot Countessa at all :) It's one of my favorite shows!

This is actually my mother...many years ago. Anyway....It's a good memory. :). I wish I could share her recipes with you, but I don't have a one, she either didn't write any of them down, or they were just lost with everything else when she passed away. That is a whole nother topic...ug.

 This is my substitution...the closest rendition to what I remember from my childhood....found at

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1826,135186-245193,00.html

SIMPLE CHICKEN CORDON BLUE

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1826,135186-245193,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast 4 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese 4 thin sliced smoked ham 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 egg; beaten 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 cup whipping cream Pound chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on each breast. Roll up each breast using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Dredge each in flour, shake off excess, then in egg and finally in bread crumbs. Place seam side down in baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each piece of chicken. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine broth and whipping cream; season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano). Simmer on low stirring until thickened; Pour over chicken. Submitted by: Miss Melissa

All of the recipes I post here will be on my own menu. I will update you on how my own family enjoyed the meal. Please share with me if you have had the dish, if you liked it or didn't, any special things you do to make it "yours" or any memories that go along with your special meals, I would love to read them :)