Great Grandma Paulsen's Peanut Butter Cookies

I recently got a note from my niece Cindy, reminding me about great grandma's favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. I'm so glad that she did, because I had forgotten about it and now I'm posting it. With only four ingredients, it couldn't be easier. Our kids liked to make great grandma's cookies when they were younger and I'm glad that I can pass this recipe on to her great-great-grandkids and beyond.

Mix together:                      

1 cup Peanut Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Egg

Dip a fork in water to make the criss-cross on the cookies and put them in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Thanks, Cindy!

Enjoy!

Things are Changing Around Here!

Sometimes changes are good. Sometime changes are bad. Sometimes changes are happy. Sometimes changes are sad. Sometimes changes are big. Sometimes changes are small. Sometimes changes are exciting. Sometimes changes are scary. Sometimes changes are overwhelming, especially when they include all of the above! That what's happening in our family right now. 

Our family roots are leading us north. After over 15 years away, our daughter and her family and my dear hubby and I with our two doggies will be moving away from Southern California and heading back to the Pacific Northwest! We are very sad to leave our SoCal family and friends and we will miss them all very much. At least these days we can stay connected between facebook and Skype.

Our home has been on the market for the past two weeks, so it has been "staged" for the five open houses that our Realtor has held. That also means that the house needs to stay in it's perfectly "staged" condition 24/7 for the times when our Realtor calls and says he has a cash buyer that wants to see our home in an hour! That happened this week. Believe me, that takes a lot of work! I don't want anything to get messed up or dirty because I don't enjoy cleaning constantly. Therefore, we have been eating only what can be thrown on the BBQ or warm up in the microwave and we are taking baths in the pool. Hey, it's hard to keep a glass shower spotlessly clean, dry and shiny 24/7, and the pool is 88 degrees! That's almost "bath water" temperature, isn't it? Think of all the water we would be saving if we were actually doing that!

I think you know where this is going. I don't have much free time right now and won't for the next three weeks. Between keeping the house spotless and packing for the move, I'm afraid that I won't be BBQing much of anything that you would be interested in reading about, but I will blog as often as I feel inspired and have the energy to type. I expect that there will be a few mishaps, hi-jinx and adventures in moving during the next three weeks that I won't be able to keep to myself. 

In the meantime, do you know of anyone who is looking to relocate to SoCal?

Blog Surfing

Herb Stuffed Red Peppers from Taste of Home that is cooked in the microwave. Here is another recipe for Pineapple and Mango Salsa. It's plum season, so here is a recipe for Streusel Topped Plum Muffins. They say that Raspberry Crumb Coffee Cake is the new food obsession. Here is the recipe for you to try for yourself and see if you agree.

Food.com previously known as RecipeZaar has a recipe for a Tomato and Avocado Salad. They are also featuring grilled seafood for summer meals.

Slash/food has information on the newest apple. It's a beauty! Check it out here.

Check out this kitchen of the future that looks like a box when it is closed. It's really cool! You will find it here. I found it at Treehugger.

Tablespoon has some really good looking Fruity Popsicles that would taste really good on a hot summer day! Here is a recipe for Plum Galette can be found here. I was so happy to find these recipes for kale. It is such a misunderstood green, but so good when used well!

Are you a Grape-Nuts lover? Here is a knock off version you can make yourself.  These are called Graham Nuts and I found them on CHOW.

I'm putting this here for safe keeping. When things settle down around here, I plan to try this Macaroon Granola recipe from Tasty Kitchen. They say that raspberry crumb coffee cake is the new obsession.


This grilled portobello burger with onion jam looks great and easy. From the Foodnetwork.


Do you have a problem with fruit flies this time of year? Many people have suggestions on how to get rid of them. From the Epi-Log on Epicurious.

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream - hold the Cream

This is a very quick and easy frozen treat that you can whip up without an ice cream maker. I found the original recipe on Tasty Kitchen, but I don't seem to follow recipes that well. I like to put my own spin on a recipe that will make it, for me, even better. I know, it's a bad habit.

This recipe is completely dairy-free. You need three sliced frozen bananas, two tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1-2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter, a splash of vanilla and between 1/4 to 1/3 cups of almond milk. You put them all in the blender and push the blend button! 

Once you push the button, you will think that it isn't going to work! But don't worry, it will! It will stall out, so be careful not to burn out the motor on your blender. Keep repositioning the bananas with a spatula. Eventually it will all come together. Add a little more almond milk to help it blend better.

Eventually, it will look something like this: Very creamy!

This is messy because I had already taken some of it out to put in the freezer.

The thing about bananas, when they are frozen they become very creamy which makes a great base for pseudo ice cream! It does melt very fast so if you aren't going to have some right away, I would put it right into the freezer while it still has some form to it. The mixture below was put right into the freezer and then taken out about 20 minutes later for it's picture.

 This is the finished low sugar, low fat, non-dairy treat!

Enjoy! 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister-in-law, Dee! 

I hope that you have a wonderful day!

I'm Back ... with Coco-Nutty Granola

Yes, I'm back, but I'm thinking that I need to keep dear hubby on as a regular. Thanks to all of you that sent encouragement his way through Facebook or email. I needed the break due to lots of changes happening and an extremely busy schedule. (which I will share with you in the not to distant future.) 

We have been out of granola for a while now so I bought some at Sprouts which was OK, but less than satisfying. Here is my thing about most granola you buy at the store; it is way too sweet. I'm talking unnecessarily sweet! It is often in large hard clumps that are hard to bite through. What do they use to make it this way? My biggest thing is the color, they are usually pale. How do you bake something to a crunchy texture that is so pale? Or rather, what chemicals are used that let this happen? without any color? This makes me question how it was baked. We like our granola darker but there is nothing like fresh made!

I have been trying to clean out the cupboards and freezer around here lately; toss, give away or use. I wanted to make a granola that took ingredients out of the cupboard without a trip to the store. I was able to do that by changing a few ingredients and replacing them with things that I had. The thing about granola is that there aren't strict rules. Have fun. Try something and if it doesn't work, don't make it again.

I'm calling this batch Coco-Nutty Granola.

These are the ingredients that I used

I mixed all of the dry ingredients together in the large bowl

I mixed the liquid ingredients in this small saucepan

I poured the liquid over the oat mixture and put it in the oven

I set the timer for 12 minutes and took it out and stirred it. Now somehow when I reset the timer, I accidentally turned off the oven, so it ended up taking longer than it should have. You would think that I would have questioned the heat when I had taken it out to stir the second time, but no, I didn't. I just happened to notice it on the third stirring. Yes, I was multitasking and not paying enough attention.

The reason for stirring the granola is that the mixture browns around the edges first. When I stir mine, I take a large spatula and push everything toward the center. 

I then go underneath the pile with the spatula and bring the granola up and out to the edges. I then smooth it all down and put it back in the oven. There is sometimes spillage, so wait until after you are finished to clean the counters, floors, etc. I know that I'm the only one that spills. You will be able to do it without spilling a drop!

The granola cooling on the range

I realize that the bag of dried cherries is in the ingredient picture, but the cherries are not in the picture above. I have started leaving the add-ins out until needed for a individual serving. The dried fruits do have some moisture in them and I think that is what makes the granola loose it's crunch too soon.



Enjoy!

Saturday Night Cooking for Coni

The break is nearing an end...dear hubby continues his ramblings...

Coni is such an outstanding cook (and baker), that after 37 years of marriage, I have learned to be a good assistant in the kitchen. I can help cut up vegetables and clean up the dishes, but once in a while I will get to prepare a meal for Coni. Even though I was a cook for 6 years in the Army, cooking at home is not the same. So...I keep it simple and usually stick with my tried and true meals...omelets, hash browns and toast for breakfast, turkey sandwiches for lunch and steaks and potatoes for dinner. That's about the extent of my repertoire.


So, after our enjoyable afternoon drive around the Palos Verdes Peninsula on Saturday afternoon, a swim together in the pool, I offered to fix Coni a Saturday evening meal. Earlier in the day, we had gone to Sprouts (a local fresh/organic market) and selected some (USDA Choice) Filet Mignon steaks (Choice or Prime are always worth paying a little more -- the better taste and tenderness are always noticeable), some red potatoes, broccoli and a great selection of fresh fruits. So, it seemed obvious...Steak, potatoes and a vegetable...I can do that!


I always try to get the meat out on a plate and seasoned before I am ready to grill it. Getting it closer to room temperature (but not sitting out so long that it can spoil) helps it cook more evenly and gives you a better finish.

Seasoned Filet Mignon, resting and getting to room temperature

This time I varied from my regular seasoning (Sea salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic) and used a new product that Coni has had good success with, in place of the salt. I sprinkled the meat on both sides with fresh ground pepper and garlic powder, and then I added the new seasoning salt. It is called: J & D's Bacon Salt. It is made by a Seattle, Washington company and "...is a zero fat, zero calorie, vegetarian and kosher seasoning that makes everything taste like bacon." If you like the taste of bacon, you will enjoy trying out this product.

While the meat was resting, I washed, dried and sliced the red potatoes (about 1/4" slices) and did my best to make Coni's Beach Potatoes recipe. Keeping the bacon theme going, I added crumbled bacon on the top of the potatoes for a little extra kick.

My attempt at Coni's Beach Potatoes (with bacon added)

Steamed some cleaned broccoli...

Threw the steaks on the pre-heated grill...

..and ta da...Coni has a Saturday night dinner served to her

You will have to check in with her to see how it tasted (I think the broccoli was a bit flat)...oh well...it was dinner.

Coni -- Thanks for the guest posting gig...it was fun! 

An Afternoon on the Palos Verdes Peninsula -- Part Three

Coni is still taking a break...dear hubby is on a roll...

After checking in to see that Donald Trump was OK...we continued on around the Palos Verdes Peninsula. After you pass the Trump National Golf Club, the road begins to lead away from the cliffs edges and you have to say goodbye to the beautiful ocean view.

Goodbye ocean...hello San Pedro

 Before you know it you are entering the back side of San Pedro

San Pedro is home to the Port of Los Angeles and the entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor. Built on a hillside looking down (for the most part) to the harbor, the views are mostly ships, containers, and huge cranes to move the cargo.

The view from the hills of San Pedro down to the Port of Los Angeles

We continued down the hills of San Pedro past the Ports o' Call (an area of shops and restaurants that is fun to visit), past the Cruise Ship Terminal and up onto the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

From a distance it looks a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge

It is an impressive bridge. When we first moved to LA, it was a toll bridge, but now it is free to cross.

High atop the bridge, you have a view of the ships in the port.

Beauty in this area is hard to find...industrial storage, cranes and containers as far as you can see -- They don't make postcards of these views!

 Containers...

 ...and more containers...that's the extent of the view

Another bridge to take us over the waterway and on to Long Beach

An attempt at beautification...blue wavy decorations along-side the LA River retaining wall

Once you transition onto the 710N, you look up to see the top of the wall that contains the the LA River. When the rains come (and they do), this river runs full, right up near the top of the wall that runs along-side the freeway.

Passing over the LA River into Long Beach

Passing over the "scenic" LA River marks the end of our Palos Verdes Peninsula drive. From there we were back on the 405 and heading for home. While out on the peninsula, it felt like we stepped out into another world for the afternoon. Scenic views, memories made and always great company...we love our afternoon drives.

Tomorrow, dear hubby will share his version of Saturday night cooking for Coni.