Stuffed Sweet Potato

Have you ever "waited patiently" for something in your life?

wait (verb) Stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.
patient (adjective) Able to wait without becoming annoyed or anxious.

In some circumstances it can be unhealthy for us to delay action until a particular thing happens. And please raise your hand if while you wait for something or someone you do not become annoyed or anxious. Oh boy! That discussion deserves its own blog post.

Perhaps, it would be healthier for us to "hope" and to "hope patiently".
hope noun-a desire or expectation for a certain thing to happen

So I admit it, I am looking forward to, waiting and hoping for the arrival of spring, warmer temperatures, my garden to produce, and my grass to turn green. However, in no way will I delay any action until then. To do that would be to miss the last little bit of winter with its colorful sunrises, crisp chill in the air, and comforting warm foods.

Stuffed Sweet Potato
(serves 2 as a meal)
2 large sweet potatoes
1 or 2 chicken breast, cooked
1/2 green bell pepper (onions or any other color bell pepper)
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse your sweet potatoes. Use a fork to prick a couple holes around the potato. Place them on a baking sheet and roast for about 40-50 minutes. They are done when you can put a fork in them and their is a sweet syrup dripping from them. While the potatoes are roasting, add olive oil to a small pot on medium heat. Add bell peppers (or onions) and saute for a few minutes. Add black beans and cumin and simmer on low. When potatoes are done roasting, slice them down the middle, add butter, top with black beans, chicken, and sour cream.

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

The back story of this cookie as I remember it, is that my mother and my aunts acquired this recipe from a member of their La Leche group back in the mid to late 70's. The cookies were packed with oats and wheat germ and other healthy things (never mind the sugar and the butter) that helped keep one "regular".

And so we ate them.
And we ate them a lot.
And we ate a lot of them.
And sometimes we even called them breakfast. 

Myself and all 345 cousins (slight exaggeration but not much) of mine enjoyed every bite after a marathon game of Marco Polo in the pool or after a hard day of crawfishing out of the ditch using bologna as bait.

These cookies are my favorite. They are a part of my past and they will be a part of my future. They are soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside. They are not overly sweet and they taste even better the next day. The recipe has been altered over the years but this is the version I am sharing.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes 24 cookies)
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
9 ounces dark chocolate chips
3/4 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients with a mixer and then gradually mix in dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

I like to freeze them in individual cookies so I can bake them a few at a time. Scoop out individual cookies and put them on a baking sheet in the freezer for a couple hours. Remove them and place in a container for storage. Add a few minutes to the bake time when you pull them from the freezer.

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Broccoli Salad

It's time to come clean about a couple things:
I frequently try to spell broccoli with two l's and one c and have to "google" it. Every. Time.
I made this dish in November and I am posting it in February.

Now I didn't have to admit these things but I did. Because I am honest. And because the mini Christmas tree in the background of the picture may have given me away. And because someone from my family may have ratted me out that I made this dish for Thanksgiving.

Regardless, the broccoli salad is a hardy winter salad that can be made ahead of time and is also good leftover. This salad is made a number of ways and using varying amounts of sugar and mayo but the below recipe is how I generally like my broccoli salad (less sugar and mayo).

Broccoli Salad
Serves 6-8 as a side dish
1/2 cup almonds, toasted at 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes
8 cups of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp vinegar (white vinegar or red wine vinegar)
1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste

Combine broccoli, almonds, red onion and dried cranberries. Add sugar, salt, vinegar and mayo. Taste and add more salt and mayo to your preference. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until serving.

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Fruit Salad

Do you have a simple plate that you make frequently without even thinking about it?
A recipe that most of your entire extended family (which is a million people) have made.
A recipe in which the act of preparing it brings a flood of memories.

For me, that simple plate is no more or no less than fruit salad.
The most basic fruit salad you can imagine without jello and without added sugar.

 

This fruit salad is great by itself, on top of cottage cheese, mixed with yogurt, or piled high on waffles. You can use whatever fruit you have on hand.  If your fruit bowl is full and no one has touched it in a while take some time and make this fruit salad and watch it disappear.

Fruit Salad
(this is a small version that serves 2 for about a week)
2 cups fresh strawberries (or frozen defrosted)
2 apples
3 oranges
1/2 cup pecans

Cut fruit into bite sized pieces, add nuts, toss and refrigerate. All of the fruit juices will meld together on their own. No sugar needed.

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