Showing posts with label cuisine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cuisine. Show all posts

Try These Cookies

I've been tweaking this cookie recipe for a couple months now.
It's low(er) calorie...and YUMMY! :)
Try it.

1/2 c. butter, softened (1 stick)
1/3 c. applesauce (This replaces the usual 2nd stick of butter)
2/3 c. Splenda (instead of sugar...Splenda=0 calories)
2/3 c. brown sugar packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. instant oatmeal
About 1/3 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

When I make them from my relatively high altitude home, the cookies turn out big and soft. It might be different if you're closer to sea level.

I usually spoon the cookies out so that I get about 22 cookies per batch (kind of big).

I did the calculations, and figured that if I made the cookies with 2 sticks of butter and real sugar, each cookie would be about 205 calories. But, with the applesauce and Splenda substitutes, each cookie is about 140 calories.

Plus, they truly taste better the low-calorie way. That makes these cookies THE BEST!!

Let me know what you think..

Manipulation

First, it is true, my silverware is not a matching set. I couldn't tell you where each piece came from originally...but I'd be lucky to find 3 pieces that match.

That's not the story. :)

I was making some yummy banana cake yesterday. Well, it's actually a banana bread recipe, but I don't have a bread pan (I'm sharing all my shameful kitchen secrets with you tonight.), so I use an 8x8 glass pan...and call it cake! Anyway, my boys, as always, wanted to help. They joined me just as I was about to stir in the 2 eggs.

I had Fork #1 in the bowl, ready to stir.
The boys like to have their very own forks when they help, so my oldest went over to the drawer, and got out Fork #2. He brought it to the counter where I was stationed, and he said, "Mama, you want this fork? It's really big!"

I said, "No, thanks...I already have this fork," as I touched the fork in the bowl (Fork #1). It was then that I realized what was going on. My boy likes the very biggest fork or the very biggest spoon (for cereal perhaps). And, when he realized I had the only clean "biggest" fork, he decided to manipulate it out of my possession, by trying to convince me that his fork (Fork #2) was SO big!

He prefers the biggest one, and he's learned that he can't take things away from people. :) I've seen him use this same manipulation tactic on his younger brother. There's a toy that he wants, so he finds a different one, and tries to convince the more naive lad that the second toy holds much more appeal. He usually succeeds, and peacefully obtains the toy of his choice.

He's sly.
And, with a face like this...I think it's going to get him pretty far in life. :)

My Christmas Diet