7 Quick Takes: Good News and Bad News

1

Good news: It's raining. Bad news: The dogs are mud balls. 

I'll be mopping several times this week or I'll be apologizing to anyone who happens to come by.

2

Good news: Most of the kids are feeling better. Bad news: They are still probably contagious, so I can't go to my Bible Study tonight unless I hire a babysitter. 

"Goodbye pocket money!"

3

Good news: Andy got the morning off. Bad news: It's on account of his having to go to the dentist after breaking a tooth on a walnut.

He's miserable. Poor guy.

4

The really good news: I have cookies! The bad news: I have cookies. 

Someone come eat them so I can be the same weight by Monday!

5

Chefs Beware!

Recipes are acts of creativity and chemistry. They are almost always written after the magic happened. Memories and reality sometimes don't combine well, so I usually only rely on published cookbooks and a few trusted and consistent sources on-line (The Food Network and Two Blessed) unless I do a thorough preview. Until yesterday, that is.

Yesterday I had some ingredients I wanted to go together and went to the Internet to find a recipe to work from. Nothing was on my usual sites, so I had to pick one that looked good. I noticed after I'd already mixed several ingredients that the oats mentioned in the title had never actually made it into the ingredient list--a sure sign I was dealing with a faulty recipe. Knowing I had either a potential disaster or a creative opportunity on my hands, from that point on, I made notes and made three versions of the recipe. Two of which are worth your time:

6

Oat and Butternut Squash Cookies (Wheat Free)

Whisk together these dry ingredients:
3 cups Pamela's Products Bread Mix
1/4 tsp xantham gum
1 cup whole oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream together these moist ingredients:
1 cup butter (or butter flavored shortening)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture until smooth, then stir in the following:
1 cup whole Craisins
1 cup cooked butternut squash, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs honey
1/4 cup chopped shelled walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the dough by heaping spoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, onto papered or greased cookie sheet.. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, turning tray halfway through, until browned evenly and until the center is slightly firm at the touch (be aware that the cookies will continue to cook during the next step). Let this cake-like cookie cool for several minutes on the tray before transferring to a cookie rack to cool.

7

Oat and Butternut Squash Coffee Cake

Whisk together these dry ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup uncooked whole oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream together these moist ingredients:
1 cup butter or shortening
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla


Blend the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture until smooth, then stir in the following:
1 cup whole Craisins
1 cup cooked butternut squash, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs honey
1/4 cup chopped shelled walnuts


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out dry. Let cake cool on rack in pan until completely cool. Turn onto a cake platter and glaze or dust with powdered sugar.

Glaze (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs water

Add or decrease water to desired thickness. Mix until smooth and drizzle onto cooled cake.

These are both wickedly delicious! Bon appetit! (French for time to buy elastic waistband pants!)





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Thanks to Jennifer Fulwiler, a fellow Texan, for hosting

7 Quick Takes Friday 

over at Conversion Diary.com