Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup softened margarine
• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix ingredients and roll into balls. Flatten slightly and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

*I baked these for 8 minutes so they were a nice soft cookie. A nice change from chocolate chip.

Cake Mix Cookies

Easiest cookies ever.

1 cake mix (any flavor)
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (any flavor)

Stir contents until smooth. Add chips. If mixture becomes too sticky add a bit of water or milk. Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes at 350.

There are lots of variations you can make with this recipe. I usually do a chocolate cake mix with chocolate chips, which is my brothers absolute favorite cookie. This time around I used a cherry chip cake mix and white chocolate chips. My taste tester (my four year old, Dillon) gave this combination the thumbs up. :) Although I found them so be pretty sweet.

This is also a great recipe to use when you're out of a few key ingredients (margarine, flour, sugar,etc) and you need to whip up something quick for company that's on the way or for the kids lunches.

Debbie's Vegan Minestrone

I found this recipe last year in the Winnipeg free press. My goodness is it ever great. I make it for myself for lunch and now for Caden (8 mths + for babies due to garlic and onions), my husband is not a soup guy at all :), I eat some, then freeze the rest in lunch size containers, freezes really well, then I simmer it on the stove to thaw.

The only modifications I make are; I don't usually have Cilantro on hand and the soup still taste ok without it. Also, I don't always have zucchini on hand, so I throw in 1 or 2 yellow flesh potatoes (they hold their shape really well in soup compared to red).

Here goes...

Olive oil
half an onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced small
4-5 medium carrots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 small unpeeled zucchini, diced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
7 cups water
19 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
pepper and sea salt to taste
1 tsp dried cilantro (or generous handful chopped fresh cilantro)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried oregano
approx 3/4 inch bundle of whole wheat spaghetti, broken in thirds

Wilt onions, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaves in hot oil. Stir in zucchini. Add tomatoes, water, beans and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Add more water if needed. Bring back to a slow boil and add spaghetti. Cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes

(I serve with shredded parmesan on top.)
Yummy, Enjoy!!

Homemade Nutritional Supplement

Although I'm not one to push the pills when it comes to nutrition, nutritional supplementation can often help in boosting the immune system when someone's ill and an appetite is non-existent. However, the price of Boost or Pediasure may make you even more ill to your stomach.

Here's an easy, make-it-at-home-and-save-some-cash recipe, nutritionally designed for kids aged 1-4, but still great for those up to age 11. For those older than 11, follow the modifications in brackets.

• 2 cups whole milk (if preparing for adults: use partially skimmed or skim milk)
  
• 1 hard-boiled egg, cooled and shelled (for adults: use 2 eggs and be sure to blend well)
  
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 orange
• 2 children's chewable multi-nutrient tablet. Check to ensure the tablet contains minerals (such as iron, calcium, etc.), and not just vitamins. (Use 3 tablets for adults)
  
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste preference
• 1-2 tablespoons Nestle chocolate milk mix, depending on taste preference
  
• pinch of salt

1. Place milk and hard-boiled egg in blender, blend on highest speed until egg is liquefied.
2. While the above is blending, place chewable vitamin tablets in a ziplock plastic bag and crush to a fine powder with a rolling pin or bottom of a glass.
   
3. When egg is liquefied, add banana and orange to blender contents. Blend until smooth.
   
4. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove orange seeds and banana-ness that didn't liquefy (this step is only necessary if the consumer has 'texture issues', which, really, many people have when they are feeling ill)
   
5. Pour mixture back in blender, add powdered multi-nutrient, sugar, flavor, and salt. Blend on slowest setting (to avoid kicking up the power and having it stick to the blender walls instead of being in your shake.)
   
6. Serve chilled. Recipe yields 4 servings*
   

* Each serving containing at least 50% (depending on composition of multi-nutrient, which, in Canada, have pretty standardized compositions, and age of the consumer) of recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals, plus 6 grams of protein, and a near 185 calories: A fantastic kick for the immune system and boost for the body when nutritional intake is low.

** Enjoy up to two servings a day.

Although I haven't yet priced out the recipe using Canadian values, in Ecuador it costs only 25% what Pediasure does on a per-serving basis.

Penne Pasta Salad

Penne Pasta Salad

• 1 package (16 oz) penne or medium tube pasta



• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes



• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper



• 1/4 cup chopped green onions



• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained



• 1 bottle (8 oz) Italian salad dressing



• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper



• 1/4 teaspoon each dill weed, garlic salt, and lemon-pepper seasoning

Cook pasta according to package direction. Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, green pepper, onions and olives. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; add to vegetables. Combine the salad dressing and seasonings; pour over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Fruit Pizza II

Although there's already another fruit pizza recipe on here, I thought I'd post one I tried this last weekend. Love this dessert.

Fruit Pizza

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup cold butter
• one package cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• various fruit

Glaze

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice

In large bowl, mix flour and icing sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 12 inch pizza pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool.

In small mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over crust. Arrange various fruit on top. I used strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, bananas, saskatoons and mandarin orange slices.

For glaze combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pineapple juice and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Cool slightly. Drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate until chilled.

*I added a bit of whipped topping to the cream cheese mixture, to make it a more spreadable consistency.

Basic Rhubarb Crisp

12 stalks of rhubarb cut into thin slices, place these in bottom of 9 x 13 pan

next: Mix together till crumbly and pour over rhubarb
2 cups quick oats
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup soft margarine

Bake at 350 for 40 -50 min. till golden brown & bubbly. A quick easy last min. dessert to whip up. Serve with ice cream, cool whip or whipping cream. This dessert one can also cut into half and spread into 8" pan, just watch baking time a bit more closely. Frozen rhubarb also works great.