My tax prep is behind me and I can officially express, "Good riddens until your return visit next year!" To celebrate this annual milestone, Dick and I always eat lunch out. We especially enjoy a swiss steak dinner at our nearby Reececliff's Restaurant. The tender Swiss steak and mashed potatoes, smothered in a tomato gravy, is served once each week. I can never remember which day this special is offered. Today was it! Although we frequently finish our meal off with a homemade slice of pie, we were filled to the brim. So, upon our arrival back home, I mixed up this quick snack to satisfy our craving for a little sweetness. I received this Martha Stewart "Cookie of the Day" recipe in my email inbox today that was originally published in the April 2007 issue of Everyday Food... high fiber, complimentary flavors, nice crunch, and very addictive!
I scooped a handful into each of these cheerful snow cone cups with holders from Target.
Peanut Butter Granola
1/3 1/4 cup honey
¼ cup natural peanut butter (I sometimes use almond butter.)
2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tsp olive oil
1 cup crisp rice cereal (I use Nature’s Path Smart Bran Cereal.)
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (I use Seitenbacher Musli #21. Bob's Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli is a good choice also.)
¼ c dried fruit like raisins, dates, and apricots (Since the musli has dried fruit in it, I just added 2 tbsp dried cranberries.)
If not using Seitenbacher Musli, you might want to add a variety of nuts and seeds like cashews, almonds, and raw hulled sunflower seeds. In a small saucepan, heat honey, peanut butter, and oil (or butter). Stir until loosened, 1 to 2 minutes. (Melt just until mixture is easy to stir. If you overcook, the end product will be dry.) Remove from heat; stir in cereal, oatmeal (or musli), and dried fruit. Drop mixture by tablespoon into mini cupcake or candy liners... or just spread the mixture on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes… or just dig in. It’s seriously too good to fuss. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week. Don’t bother. It’s not going to last long enough to require refrigeration. Note: This recipe makes 24 balls, however my version doesn’t clump together in balls because of reduced honey and substitution of oil instead of butter.
Seitenbacher Musli can be ordered online. Shipping is $5.00 no matter the quantity ordered and the service is speedy. I order 12 packages at a time because, in addition to this granola recipe, I toss a handful into cookie dough to increase the nutritional value and crunch factor. There are many varieties. #21 happens to be a favorite of mine. It contains organic everything... rolled oats, barley flakes, raisins, cashew kernels, almonds, dates, apricots, sunflower kernels, flax seeds, and sesame seeds with no preservatives, colors, or artificial flavors. By substituting Seitenbacher's Musli for oatmeal and Nature's Path Smart Bran with Psyllium & Oatbran for crisp rice cereal (i.e., Rice Krsipies) in this granola recipe, it drastically pumped up the fiber and flavor. I highly recommend these recipe substitutions.
April 7, 2009
Today's mileage: 0 (I was too busy celebrating my tax prep completion.)
Total mileage for April: 25.25 miles (Same as yesterday.)
Bible reading? Yes