journey of life

1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour

Layer the ingredients in the order given into a wide-mouth 1-quart canning jar. Pack each layer in place before adding the next ingredient.

Attach a gift tag with the mixing and baking directions.

Chocolate Chip Bars
Makes 24 bars

1 jar chocolate chip bar mix
3/4 cup of butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, eggs and vanilla. Add the Chocolate Chip Bar Mix and stir until the mixture is well blended. Spread batter into a lightly greased or sprayed 9 x 12 inch pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into 2-inch squares.

3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of raisins
2 cups of old-fashioned oats
1 cup of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Layer the ingredients in the order given into a wide-mouth 1-quart canning jar. Pack each layer in place before adding the next ingredient.

Attach a gift tag with the mixing and baking directions.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars
Makes 24 bars

1 jar Oatmeal Raisin Bar Mix
3/4 cup of butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, eggs and vanilla. Add the Oatmeal Raisin Bar Mix and stir until the mixture is well blended. Spread batter into a lightly greased or sprayed 9 x 12 inch pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into 2-inch squares.

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of chopped nuts
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Layer the ingredients in the order given into a wide-mouth 1-quart canning jar. Pack each layer in place before adding the next ingredient.

Attach a gift tag with the mixing and baking directions.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
Makes 24 bars

1 jar Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bar Mix
3/4 cup of butter or margarine, softened
4 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and eggs. Add the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bar Mix and stir until the mixture is well blended. Spread batter into a lightly greased or sprayed 9 x 12 inch pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into 2-inch squares.

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup of butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of all-purpose flour
12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place sugar, brown sugar, margarine, eggs and vanilla in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to speed 4 and beat about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.

Turn to Stir Speed. Gradually add baking soda, salt and flour to sugar mixture and mix about 2 minutes. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Turn to Stir Speed and add chocolate chips, mixing about 15 seconds.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375° F for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.

Recipe courtesy of KitchenAid Stand Mixer Instruction and Recipe Book.

Ask and you shall receive. I’m posting recipes from the party. Lib Wilhelm’s Cheese Slaw, Jamaican Rice and Peas, Coleslaw, Jerk Seasoning, Sour Cream Pound Cake and Cream Cheese Pound Cake are all available.

2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a small bowl, stir together the dried onion, thyme, allspice, ground black pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt. Coat meat lightly with oil, then rub seasoning onto meat.

finely chopped or shredded cabbage
shredded carrots (optional)
finely chopped or shredded onions (optional)
mayonnaise (I prefer Hellman’s, my grandmother uses Miracle Whip, but use whatever mayonnaise you have on hand)
salt and pepper
celery seed
apple cider vinegar

I am guilty. I’m like my grandmother. I make food without recipes, and this is one. My cole slaw never comes out the same and the ingredients vary greatly, but it always has cabbage, mayonnaise, celery seed, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Sometimes you have really mild cabbage, sometimes it’s very strong, and it all depends on how much liquid the cabbage releases…and how I feel that day…so there is no real recipe for this. Sorry guys. If I get around to it I will concoct some sort of directions to follow.

1 1/2 cups of dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/2 cup of coconut milk
3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, FINELY chopped (I wear gloves when chopping. These little guys are HOT!)
3 sprigs fresh thyme (dried works fine)
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place beans and garlic in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When the beans are tender, stir in the coconut milk, green onions, Scotch bonnet, and thyme, and increase the heat to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with sliced green onions.

Recipe courtesy of Sara Charbonneau. The original recipe came from chef Bobby Flay’s show, Hot off the Grill on the Food Network. Sara uses black beans instead of red kidney beans, which I’m sure would work just as well.

Notes: This is a surprisingly easy dish to make. I made it for our 6th Anniversary party and it was a huge hit, although I made way too much! It wasn’t too spicy (which I was a little worried about) and is extremely affordable to put together. I’d say you can make two batches for under $5, easily. I’ve frozen a ton of leftovers, so I will let you know what it tastes like after being frozen and reheated.

The past week has been hard, but we are surviving. We’ve had a phenomenal outpouring of support from our friends and family. Although we haven’t gotten around to personally thank each and every one of you (and you know who you are!) for the phone calls, ecards, cards and emails, it has meant a lot to us.

So, as we look forward to autumn, we are making the best of the last days of summer. Simple joys in life can brighten up your day, even in the scorching hot sun, including:

peaches and squash from the Farmer’s Market
Nana’s green beans
fresh tomatoes, potatoes, corn on the cob and cucumbers
Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat beer (available at Costco!)
iced tea and lemonade
a new chest freezer (and a stacked washer and dryer!)
The Dairy Godmother
charcoal grilling
Barbara Kingsolver books
magazines
homemade sewn gifts from Gwen (that I had tucked away, thinking I wouldn’t need for a while…)
Williams and Sonoma gift cards (burning a hole in my pocket, Phyllis!)