Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Yield: about 18 muffins

Ingredients:
1½ cups wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. applesauce
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together with a fork to blend.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, banana, peanut butter and milk until smooth.  Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated and fully blended.  Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread peanut butter on muffins for topping. Garnish with sliced bananas if desired.

A Father’s Love

As this big day will come and come go, I believe there are a few things you should know.

From the time I was little until now,
I can recall so many memories that make me say “wow”!

I was such a lucky kid to have a dad like you.
I am lucky still today, to have the relationship that we do.

You were always there for me when I needed you the most.
You sure make a daughter feel the need to boast!

Now, I have not always been the perfect daughter but I have tried my best…
To be a daughter you can be proud of, even after I left “the nest”.

You and mom showed me what love should be.
And I have followed in your footsteps, finding “the one” for me.

Everything I am and everything I will be is merely a reflection of what was instilled by you in me.

Thank you for all your encouraging words, your discipline and for the example you have set. You are truly one of the most charismatic men I have ever met.

You have laid out a foundation for our family to follow in all the years ahead.
We are sure to carry on the legacy of love following the life you have thus far lead.

Happy 50th birthday, dad, and we wish for many, many more.
Let’s make this a good year, no wait, a good decade, just like all the ones before.

By Ashley
February 2012

 

Corn, Pepper & Mushroom Soup

This is similar to the corn and cheese chowder recipe with a few additions. I have been making this weekly this Winter. It is easy, delicious and actually pretty healthy.

Serving size: 4

Ingredients

Tbsp butter

Bell pepper (I like to use red or green to add color)

Fresh mushrooms

Corn (frozen or can)

1/4 cup wheat flour

1 can chicken broth

2 cups milk

2 tomatoes

Shredded cheese

Tortilla chips

Directions

Place butter in pot with heat set around medium/medium-high. Chop bell peppers and add to pan. Chop mushrooms and add to pan. Cook peppers and mushrooms while stirring to prevent burning. Add in corn and heat through.  Sprinkle flour on top and stir. Add chicken broth and let thicken for a couple of minutes. Add milk and stir together well. Turn down heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Throw in a couple of diced up tomatoes. Add some salt and pepper for flavoring. Turn off heat and spoon into bowls quickly. Add some shredded cheese to the top. Serve with tortilla chips.

Save the leftovers (if there are any) and eat for lunch the next day.

Deer Season is Here. Bye, Bye, Husband.

Well, it’s that time again. Deer season. In my life, deer season means that we will be spending every weekend at my parents so that my husband can go hunting. My parents will no doubt enjoy this! Being a hunter’s wife is kind of like being a coach’s wife in that for 2-3 months, you know that your husband will be absent on Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday and Sunday early mornings. I have learned to accept it, just as coach’s wives must do. I feel for the coach’s wives who must endure this for much longer than 2-3 months. In many cases, it is more like 6-8 months of the year! Bless you.

I go with the hubby sometimes and sit in the deer stand. He gets aggervated with me though, just as my brother used to, for reading a book and being loud when turning the pages. This year, problem solved! I got a Kindle so there will be no more loud page turning. This should make him happy. 😉 However, I am not good at being still and quiet for 3 hours. A little ADD kicks in and I feel like I need to move or stretch or whisper. Needless to say, I’m not the best hunting partner. It is really neat to watch nature as you sit in a deerstand. You get to see coyotes, squirrels, raccoons, and heck, maybe even a deer if you’re lucky! Usually it is a bunch of doe grazing in the field but sometimes there will be a buck in the mix. That’s when the “buck fever” kicks in. 😉 It is also very cold on November-December mornings and let me tell you, the cold is not for me. I am convinced that no amount of clothes can keep you warm when you are sitting in a tree with no movement for 3 hours. I would rather run a 5k in a blizzard (which I have done) than sit in a tree freezing and not being able to move.

I have used deer season as a way to spend more time with my family and hang out with my parents. I also get things done which I do not get to work on during other times of the year. Ialso like to cook breakfast and supper for my Bronson and his dad (when he hunts with him) so that it is ready when they get back from hunting. It makes them think they are at deer camp without having to freeze in a tent at night.

I’m lucky because since Bronson hunts at my parents, I still get to spend time with him each weeekend. I see him on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and he still gets to go to church on Sunday mornings since he is usually done by 10 a.m. My favorite part of his deer hunting has to be…..the deer jerky he makes after getting some meat! I think that alone is worth all of his time spent in the stand. Good luck to my hubby, little brother and all the other hunters out there! Oh yeah, and to the wives of those hunters.