Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares
makes 9 squares
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add peanut butter and sugar and mix on high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Add in flour, oats, salt and baking soda, mixing on medium speed. The dough will look crumbly and you want the peanut butter mix to be broken up into clumps. Add milk with the mixer on low speed, and mix until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Make sure dough is completely combined, and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place it in the middle of an 8×8 baking dish, pressing it to fit. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until set and golden on top. Let cool completely, then cut into 9 squares.

Golden Grilled Chicken Thighs with Fresh Peaches

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
salt and black pepper
Marinade:

In  a food processor add:

1/4 cup peach nectar (apricot nectar works, too) OR

6 T apricot preserves
4 T snipped fresh mint
1 T olive oil
1 T sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
8 medium apricots, halved and pitted
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp salt

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a bowl combine half of the nectar, 2 T of the preserves, half of the mint, 1 T olive oil, vinegar, curry, and garlic. Pour over chicken. Seal bag; turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

2. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. For a charcoal grill, grill chicken on rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (180 degrees), turning once halfway through grilling. Add apricots to grill, cut sides down, the last 5 minutes of grilling and grill until lightly browned and softened. (For a gass grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place chicken on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above.)

3. For sauce, in a bowl combine remaining apricot nectar, preserves, mint, green onions, 3 T of the pistachios, mustard, 1 tsp olive oil, mustard seeds, and salt. To serve, drizzle chicken and apricots with sauce and sprinkle with remaining pistachios.

Makes: 4-6 servings

Yummy Blueberry Muffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

1/3 cup milk 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. LIZZIE'S NOTES: These make good basic muffins. I will experiment with different fruits and berries next time, and also will try using different flours like spelt and whole wheat to make them more nutritional.