Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe originated at a blog that no longer exists. But I thank Tammy of Tammy's Recipes for this tasty cookie.

Her instructions in their entirety follow. I will add my personal notes at the bottom of the post.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies 

Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour (or whole wheat flour)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 cups (total) chocolate chips, nuts, or sunflower seeds, optional

Instructions:

1. Combine flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and oats. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, eggs, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix, using hands if needed. Add any optional ingredients and drop by teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheets, or, roll dough into balls and press lightly.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cookies are done. Remove from oven, wait 5 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to cool.

Additional Notes:

This recipe was given to me from my friend Sheri.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Tammy's Review:

These cookies are soft, almost cake-y, and very tasty! I like mine with chocolate chips. ;) They're good without any of the optional ingredients, also. This is a great, easy healthy cookie recipe! These don't last long at our house. :D My rating: 10/10

Rebecca's notes:

My favorite way to make these cookies is with all fresh ground whole wheat flour and honey in place of the molasses. But they are also delicious with all einkorn flour and including the molasses. We never include the optional add-ins, but feel free to experiment. Enjoy!

Elderberry plant, beautiful, bountiful and full of benefits.

While the whole plant offers a variety of uses the berries are the part most frequently used. There are so many ways to enjoy elderberries. The most common is in a delicious syrup. I started using this recipe many years ago, with the addition of 1/4 of rosehips for extra vitamin C. It is safe as a daily supplement, or in acute situations multiple times per day.

It can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Once you strain your liquid you can brew the plant matter a second time with up to a quart of water. The resulting tea is not quite as medicinal as the first brew but it's every bit as tasty.

A fun way to use the syrup or the tea is to turn them into gummy candies. The syrup will have a stronger, sweeter flavor but in either case you start with one cup of liquid and 2 tablespoons of gelatin. Heat them gently to about 145* and put into your favorite molds. Let them cool at room temperature for the perfect gummy candy texture. They will keep at room temperature about 7-10 days, or several weeks in the refrigerator (supposedly, ours have never made it that long before we eat them all).

You can also use this same ratio with other sweet liquids to make gummy candy. We've done apple juice and hibiscus tea. The possibilities are nearly endless. Another reminder of, "let thy food by thy medicine." The word of God tells us, "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine." It is interesting that you can find an abundance of elderberry plants growing happily along riverbanks in the summers of South Carolina, with the beautiful berries ripening in early fall.

New level unlocked, gyros at home

My husband and I both enjoy the challenge and reward that comes from recreating restaurant food at home. This time it was gyros. I made the meat and the tzatziki sauce from scratch and served in on store bought pitas, with red onion, lettuce and feta cheese. Using the viral cooking method from Instagram for the meat we were able to have a meal tastier than takeout, which is always the goal, #betterathome.

I followed Jessica's instructions on adding the garlic and onion to the food processor before adding the meat (beef only this time) and the spices. I questioned the seasoning blend at first the but taste was just right.

1 large onion

2-3 cloves garlic

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound grass-fed ground beef

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

The recipe can easily be scaled up or down. Divide each pound of meat into 4-5 pieces. Roll each piece between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it up. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let the meat cool a little before unrolling.

The sauce also came together easily in the food processor after straining liquid from the cucumbers.

1 large cucumber, unpeeled

2 cups plain full-fat Greek yogurt

2 large garlic cloves, minced, or more to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced

¾ teaspoon salt

To assemble, add tzatziki to each pita, layer on the meat, top with red onion, lettuce and feta. Tomatoes, optional.