It's been too long...

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything here on my blog....way too long...I have a couple drafts I started working on over the summer that I just never got around to publishing...maybe I better do that...maybe after Shabbat....

Ahhhh....Shabbat!! I love Shabbat!! Looking forward to fellowshipping with my wonderful (even if rather small :) ) group of Believers in the morning! Debi's chili ought to be pretty good. Gotta love chili on a cold day. :)

Spent the last couple days working on my various web-admin projects for Spirit of Praise and Heartland Sukkot. Got the event created on facebook for the Passover Seder being hosted by Heartland Sukkot. Also updated the Heartland Sukkot blog (http://heartlandsukkot.blogspot.com) with all the Passover information. Created a new blog site for Spirit of Praise, as well (http://spiritofpraisefellowship.blogspot.com) with a nice google calendar updated with our weekly fellowship times/locations. :)

Cloth Dipe Giveaway

Visit the GreeN MaM-a JaM-a blog for a giveaway of an ai2 dipe from Red Barn Cloth Diapers. Giveaway ends August 19th.

http://green-mama-jama.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-barn-cloth-diapers-ai2-review.html?spref=fb

Wheat Thins

Yield about 60 crackers

1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 Tbsp stevia
1/2 tsp salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 tsp paprika
4 Tbsp butter, cold
1/4 cup water (plus more, if necessary)
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. In bowl, mix together flour, stevia, salt, & paprika.
2. Using a regular cheese grater,grate butter into flour mixture (or cut in with pastry cutter).
3. Immediately toss butter in flour mixture to coat, breaking up pieces a bit more as you go.
4. Mix together water & vanilla. Pour over flour mixture & mix until evenly moistened & the dough comes together but is not sticky. (Add more water if necessary.)
5. Divide mixture in half & form into balls.
6. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough as thinly as possible (or desired).
7. Cut into squares & place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
8. Bake @ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until browned & crisp.
9. Cool completely & store in air-tight container or bag @ room temperature.

Lemon Cookies

Yield 3 dozen cookies

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup stevia
2 tsp lemon zest
12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) butter, chilled & diced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In blender, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, & stevia to blend.
2. Pulse in zest, & then cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Whisk together lemon juice, egg yolk, & vanilla. Then pour into flour mixture with motor running, just until dough forms.
4. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface & knead just until dough comes together. Shape into 9 or 10 inch log, wrap in plastic, & chill at least 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
6. Lightly oil baking sheet. Remove dough from plastic wrap & slice into rounds about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Place on prepared baking sheet & bake until slightly browned, about 12-14 minutes.

Ginger Snaps

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 egg white
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ginger
2 Tbsp stevia
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup stevia or raw sugar
3 Tbsp molasses

1. Combine flour, 1/2 tsp ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, & salt in small mixing bowl. Stir until evenly mixed.
2. In medium bowl, use whisk to cream butter & stevia/sugar until light & fluffy. Stir in egg white, 1 Tbsp ginger & molasses.
3. Add flour mix to butter/sugar mix, using wooden spoon to just until all dry ingredients absorbed into dough. Chill dough @ least 1 hr (or overnight).
4. Preheat ovent to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease to baking sheets.
5. Roll dough (walnut sized pieces) in 2 Tbsp stevia. Bake 10 minutes.

Whole Wheat Sugar-free Snickerdoodles

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup stevia
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt

Roll cookies in 2 tsp cinnamon & 3 Tbsp stevia

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Combine cinnamon & 3 Tbsp stevia in small bowl & set aside.
3. Sift together flour, bs, cream of tartar, & salt. Then set aside.
4. In large bowl, beat stevia with softened butter for 2 minutes. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined.
5. Roll into 1.5 inch balls & roll in cinnamon mixture.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool 2 minutes before removing from baking sheets.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon *
1/2 tsp nutmeg *

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oil
1 Tbsp molasses
1 egg (beaten with 1 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla

Extras:
1 cup chocolate chips* or
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit) or
1/2 cup raisins & 1/2 cup walnuts

* When using chocolate chips, I omit the cinnamon and nutmeg. The first time I made this recipe, I decided to substitute chocolate chips for the raisins and still used the cinnamon and nutmeg. The flavors just didn't fit quite right together.

1. In large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.
2. In medium bowl, mix all wet ingredients together. Hint: when measuring honey, spray measuring cup with oil or cooking spray. Honey won't stick. (For this recipe, I just measure the oil first since it is equal amounts of honey and oil. Then dab a bit of oil in the Tbsp before measuring the molasses.)
3. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Add "extra ingredients" and mix. If mix seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn't binding together, add an egg white.
4. Cool the mix 20 minutes in the fridge.
5. Preheat oven to 335 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop by tsps on baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes.