Better-for-You Peanut Butter Cookies

Lately, I have been looking for recipes that are healthy and that my kids will eat.   This one fits the criteria. (Actually, I might not have mentioned the healthy part to the boys). So easy and delicious.  You really should just double the recipe from the start.  My boys finished off the first one in about an hour!



Better-for-You Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar


Heat oven to 325 F.  Mix ingredients until well blended.  The dough is very soft so chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.  This makes it easier to work with.  Roll into 1-inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Flatten with fork.  Bake 15 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.  This is very important.  If you take them off the pan too soon they fall apart - guess how I know this!

I added chocolate chips but they would also be good with nuts, coconut, raisins, cranberies, skor bar etc.

My Grandmothers would have loved this recipe!

Orange Saskatoon Muffins- So Good and Healthy too!

Orange Saskatoon Muffins

1 ½ cup all purpose flour ( I use 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
¼ cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 whole naval orange
1 egg
½ cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen saskatoons  (Could also use cranberries or blueberries)



In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut off ends of orange, then cut into quarters, without peeling. Remove seeds. In a food processor or blender process orange include peel, egg, milk and oil until blended. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Gently stir in fruit. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven 350º for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Try and eat just one I dare you!

The Family Dinner

The family cookbook is done.  It was alot of work but worth it.  I wrapped it in linen t-towels and gave it to family for a Christmas gift. Even the teenage boys!  Perhaps not their favourite but they liked it and will love it as they get older. 

The cover picture is of me and my sister.  We are sitting at a table and chair set that our dad made for us.  What fun it was to have Tea Parties! 

The book has over 40 pages of family favourites and the binder is big enough so that we can add to it as we try new ones.  I am looking forward to sharing with you some of my favouite recipes in the coming year.

Standing in the Garden

Recently, I was the driver for a Garden tour.  We drove 500 km that day and saw some fabulous gardens. I'm not much of a gardener but I love to look at them. This picture of me as a child standing in Grandma's garden inspires me to spend less time working and a little more time smelling the roses.

51 Ways to a Man's Heart

Hilda Beever was my Grandmother.  She taught me many things, one of which was how to cook.  She was one of those cooks who didn't measure and everything turned out.  I have to measure.  Grandma was a kind generous woman who loved to spend time with her family.  When she cooked a dinner she made sure each of us had our favourite dish on the table.

One of this year's projects is to create a family cookbook.  Including all of Grandma's specialites.  Recently I received many of her cookbooks and they are great fun to go through. 

My favourite is one she used in the 40's when she got married.  It was called 51 Ways to a Man's Heart.  Dedicated to wives whose husbands appreciate good food and to all women who like to please their men.   Grandpa loved those recipes!   Maybe I should give them a try. 

In the mean time my goal is to have the family cookbook finished in time for Christmas and to sew aprons to go with it.  Thanks Grandma for the legacy of the importance of family dinners, good food and special memories.

Bleeding Hearts

When I was little visiting my Grandmother Westwood we would walk in her garden. It was full of interesting and brightly coloured flowers. She would tell me stories about the plants.

My favourite was the legend of the Bleeding Heart.
Long ago there lived a noble prince who tried in vain to win the heart of a very beautiful princess. The prince had brought the princess wonderful gifts from his travels far and wide. Yet she had taken no notice of him. One day the prince returned from a long journey with very special gifts to surely win the love of the princess. First he presented her with two magical pink bunnies. Peel off the two outer petals and set them on their sides to display two little pink bunnies.


The princess only sighed and barely looked at the little bunnies. The hopeful prince had one more gift saved for last - he presented a pair of beautiful enchanted earrings. Remove the two long white petals and hold them next to your ears.

Again, the princess hardly noticed the prince's gift. Now the poor prince was utterly heartbroken. He could try no more to win the heart of the princess. He rose up, pulled a dagger from his sheath and stabbed himself in the heart. Remaining in the flower is a heart shape with the stamen, appearing as a dark green line down the center. Hold the heart up, carefully remove the dagger-like line, and plunge the dagger through the heart.

The princess was overcome by the dedication of the dying prince and his unending love for her. She realized too late that she loved him also. "Alas," she cried out. "I have done wrong, my own heart is broken also. I shall bleed for my prince forever more!" And her heart bleeds to this very day.

The Bleeding Heart was the first perennial I planted in my garden and now, I tell the same stories to my children.

The 5 Year Quilts

After 5 years they are finally finished! In 2005 I decided I would make Eye Spy Quilts for my two sons. Thinking that it may take me a while I chose realistic looking animal prints.

It was great fun exploring fabric stores where ever my travels took me to look for just the rignt animal print. Funny, the non sewers in the car didn't feel the same way.

There were a few set backs along the way. I made curtains out of my main solid colour for my sons room not realizing it was the quilt fabric. So the green quilt has two slightly different solid greens. I miss calculated how many squares I needed and the two quilts are not quite the same size even thought that was my original plan. Math has never been a strength for me!

Once the tops and back were complete I very wisely had them quiltd by someone who has a quilting machine. I didn't want it to take another 5 years. The boys would be in university!

My sons like to curl up in them and if I do say myself they turned out beautifully.

My grandmother would be proud.