The next segment of the beginning of the end, or the beginning of the beginning...

It's a momentous occasion. The little kid who pounded on our door eleven years ago is on his first college visit. The kid's no longer little, though; they tower over us. Based on their test scores, at this school I think--hope--pray they would get a lot of scholarships if this were the choice. They will have to. God, I (try to) leave the outcome in Your capable grip.

And to think Metro said they would likely never read. HA!

I'm giggling a little as I wait for them to finish the tour and their interviews. At the beginning of the visit, I asked kiddo if they wanted me to go into the admissions office with them; they said yes. However, I also told kiddo they should come up with a "code word" they could say to me to get me to "disappear" so they could do the college meetings by themselves if they wanted. Wasn't only a few minutes after kiddo finished the paperwork that they whispered that very word; and I left them with the admissions rep for the tour.

Roots, and wings. May they both be strong, and sufficient for the journey ahead. Amen.

Tomato Herb Biscuits

I made some sundried tomatoes this week. Well, they weren't really sundried. I cut romas almost in half and opened them up like a book. Then I placed them on racks (baked good racks) on top of cookie sheets and baked them in an extremely slow oven (200 degrees) for seven or eight hours. My experience is that you should periodically check them and take out the smaller ones as they get dried but not crispy (you're aiming for raisin-like quality). Pack them in olive oil, but I would definitely refrigerate them. I just packed them in a jar and put them in the freezer for future use.

Here's a lovely use for them;

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In med bowl combine 2 1/4 c. all purpose baking mix, 1/4 cup drained and finely chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes, and 2 T chopped parsley. Stir in 2/3 cup low fat milk. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons 2 in apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool slightly on wire rack.

Flourless Nut Butter Chocolate Cookies

I have no idea where I found this one. I would suggest you use a natural nut butter for this one. Options might include peanut butter, sunflower butter, or almond butter. Usually almond butter is way too pricey, but Trader Joe's has done a good job of cutting the price substantially, and Whole Foods has had to follow suit. Five bucks a jar is still pricey, but is's not the nine to eleven bucks K-Roger insists on charging. Sometimes I swear that they buy their specialty stuff at retail and then keystone it from there. ;-)

1 c nut butter
3/4 c sugar (I'm gonna try honey as well, but I imagine I may have to tweak the amounts).
1 lg egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

sir together first five ingredients till well blended. Stir in chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or till puffed and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack five min, and then remove to wire rack. Makes 2 dozen.

Interesting Cookbook

I found this cookbook online. It is filled with recipes from native americans. Some are southwestern in nature which look interesting (haven't tried any yet). In addition, it covers use of commodity food from the government; in these times I think anyone can probably find something in here that would help us all save some bucks.

Pear Butter

(at least this is how I did it)
About six pounds of pears; peeled, cored, and sliced on my apple peeler (the softer ones had to be done by hand)
Three big cooking apples from my friend Teresa the veggie grower--completely optional of course)--peeled, cored, sliced.
I cooked the above till soft in my crockpot, and then used the stick blender to make a nice smooth pear sauce, although I guess you could probably leave it chunky.

Then I added about a half cup or so of demerera cane sugar, and part of a bottle of organic agave syrup I had left over--maybe half a cup. I guess you could sweeten it a lot more than that if desired.

Then I threw in some allspice and ground cloves to taste--watch it on the cloves! ;-) I grated some nutmeg and tossed it in there. The I cooked it in the crock pot with the lid ajar so as to cook out some of the moisture. When thicker, I canned in hot sterilized jars using the water bath method--at least ten min for half pints. I do a longer time for pints. Let cool and listen to the lids pop. :-D