Nutella Goodie Cookies

How do you make "Nut Goodie Cookies", or as some people call them, "No Bake Cookies", even better? You add some Nutella!

Because we like them warm and straight out of the pan, I started with the recipe from Shugary Sweets, and quartered the recipe, slightly reducing the sugar.

Update:  In fact, the recipe from Shugary Sweets was exactly the same as a recipe from my childhood called, "Nut Goodie Cookies", except half of the peanut butter was replaced with Nutella.

The recipe brought back old memories as a child making this treat over the stove and enjoying them immediately afterward. I still love them to this day, only they can be a little too sweet, which is the reason I cut back on the amount of sugar.

I had already published this page with the title of "Nutella No Bake Cookies"; however, after reminiscing, I decided to update the title as "Nutella Goodie Cookies", which is more to my liking.

Recipe below.

Nutella Goodie Cookies

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 T. cocoa
• 2 T. milk
• 2 T. butter
• 1 T.  peanut butter
• 1 T.  Nutella
• 1/4 t. vanilla
• 3/4 c. quick oats

Over medium heat, bring sugar, cocoa, milk and butter to a boil. Shut burner off and add peanut butter, Nutella and vanilla. Stir until butters are melted throughout. Stir in oats until coated. Dig in!

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Nutella Stuffed Cookie Bars

Got a sweet tooth? Try my Nutella Stuffed Bars! I used the stuffed cookie recipe from Good Morning Cali, only I made them much easier.

Mix up the cookie dough and spread half into a 9"x9" square baking pan.

Spread a layer of Nutella on top of the cookie dough. Then drop the remaining cookie dough onto the layer of Nutella.

Evenly spread the cookie dough over the layer of Nutella.

Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Dish yourself up a slice. Yeah!

Nutella Stuffed Cookie Bars

• 8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened
• ½ c. + 2 T. sugar
• ⅓ c. brown sugar, packed
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1½ c. flour + 1-2 T.
• ½ t. baking soda
• ¼ t. cornstarch
• ¼ t. salt
• ¾ c. miniature chocolate chips
• 1 c. Nutella

Thoroughly mix all ingredients, except the Nutella, adding the chocolate chips last. Spread half the cookie dough into a 9"x9" greased square baking pan. Spread Nutella over layer of cookie dough. Spread remaining cookie dough over Nutella, creating a sandwich. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Dehydrating Peaches in My Excalibur!

Question: What do you do with almost half a crate of peaches and you're all peached out?

Answer: You pull out your new Excalibur dehydrator!

Yes, I invested in this wonderful dehydrator because I found my old Oster dehydrator didn't have the capacity for my large produce amounts. Besides that, I don't want to run the oven on hot summer days.

Remember when I wrote my post on Drying Kale and Spinach? It was a very humid and hot day and I had to use the oven in order to get the job done. So not only does the Excalibur help me so that I don't have to use the oven, it also cuts my drying time in half as normally I would run the smaller Oster dehydrator for two days versus running my new, larger Excalibur for only one day.

Keisha also found that drying her kale chips in the Excalibur has much better results than using the old Oster dehydrator. My post on Drying Bell Peppers, will be easier using my Excalibur which has more room and better air flow.

Another reason I purchased the Excalibur, is that I am hoping to start making my own crackers. This way I can control what goes in them, eliminating unhealthy preservatives.

If you are interested in investing in an Excalibur dehydrator, please click on my affiliated link. Your purchase will help me earn a small percentage to help support my blog, and you won't pay any more, and will receive free shipping along with other specials. It's a win-win for both of us and your support is greatly appreciated.

To begin with, my precious peaches looked great on the outside ...

... but once you cut into them, they were half spoiled.

I honestly felt we would finish the two crates of Elberta peaches before they'd spoil; however, even after we consumed almost a dozen peaches a day, there were still nearly half a crate of peaches left.

I even tried a peach crisp, altering the recipe to make it healthier. Basically I cut the sugar in half and only used a portion of butter. The results were unimpressive. Note to self: Using less sugar is fine, but next time don't skimp on the butter.

Rather than making another failed attempt, I went ahead and peeled and sliced what I could salvage and ended up with enough sliced peaches to fill three racks of the Excalibur dehydrator.

I set the temperature to 135 degrees and the timer for 12 hours.

I planned to turn the racks around about halfway through the drying cycle.

The following photo is my peach slices after only 2-1/2 hours of drying time in the Excalibur.

I only wish I had done this a week ago when most of the fruit was still good, but we honestly thought we'd be able to consume them all before it came to that point.

And here are the results:

Honestly, Peter and Keisha didn't eat too many of the peaches. Until they were dehydrated! Now they can't keep their hands off!

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Copycat Cosmic Brownies

Ever wish you hadn't tried something not because it tasted nasty, but because it tasted so fantastic? My kids (once again!) got me hooked on something I shouldn't be having ~ Casey's General Store brownies! Yum! They have just the right amount of fudgeyness to them, along with a chocolate frosting.

This morning we stopped for breakfast pizza and Keisha decided to pick up a brownie for later. I didn't realize that "later" was for much later, after supper. She didn't want to let me have any ~ the little stinker!

So, I decided to make some fudgey brownies of my own. Turns out the batter was so good that Keisha gave her brownie up in exchange for some of the batter! So not only did I get her brownie, but I also got to have some of my homemade brownies.

For these brownies, I copied the ingredients from the copycat recipe from Baking Beauty; however, I followed the directions from our Brownie-Cookie Bar recipe. I also halved the frosting and put it on only half of the brownies since we have mixed tastes in this house. And, because I didn't have any M&Ms, I left them off. I'm okay with that!

Copycat Cosmic Brownies

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. butter (1-1/2 sticks)
• 1 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 2 T. milk
• 1 T. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. flour

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the sugars and cocoa. Continue to heat until the sugars are somewhat dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the milk and vanilla.
3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.
4. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
5. Stir in the flour.
6. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9"x13" pan.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 38 minutes. DO NOT PREHEAT.

And the results? The brownies were great! So great that they can do without the frosting. Definitely a keeper.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Three Homemade GF Protein Bars

Remember the Landi Raemi DIY GF Protein Bars I previously blogged on (pictured above)? Turns out I am only able to occasionally have oatmeal. So I needed to come up with another bar without the oatmeal in the bars.

I spent a Saturday morning trying three different combinations from many different recipes and the following are my results. Even though I really wanted the flaxseed in my protein bars, I found that my favorite was #3 with the chia seeds.

Because the process of making these bars is basically the same as my first protein bar, I didn't take any new photos for this blog.

To make your bars gluten free, use gluten free protein powder.

1. Wing-It Protein Bar

2 c. pecans, soaked and dried
2 T. coconut oil, melted
1/2 c. chocolate flavored protein powder
1/2 c. ground flaxseed
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatine

2. Quest Wannabe Protein Bar

1/4 c. natural peanut butter
1/2 c. chocolate peanut butter flavored protein powder
5 T. honey
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
1/4 c. coconut flour
1 T. coconut oil

3. Chia Seed Delight Protein Bar

1/2 c. nut butter (see note below)
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1 T. honey
2 T. coconut oil
1 t. vanilla
2 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatine
1/2 c. vanilla flavored protein powder
1 T. chia seeds

Measure out dry ingredients and place in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Measure and add liquid ingredients to dry mixture. Thoroughly mix until all dry ingredients are coated and dough-like. Cut a piece of wax paper and place on cookie sheet. Spread dough onto waxed paper until 1/4" thick. Cut into bars. Freeze to harden enough to coat with chocolate.

Chocolate Coating:

3-1/2 to 4 oz. dark chocolate bar
1 T. coconut oil

Measure and place chocolate and coconut oil into a double boiler. Heat until melted, stirring regularly. Dip bars one at a time into melted chocolate, turning to coat both sides. Return bars to wax paper. Place bars in refrigerator until set. Keep refrigerated.

Note:  1-1/2 c. almond flour + 4 T. coconut oil for almond butter = 1/2 c. nut butter.
To make almond butter from almond flour, I followed the directions from My Gutsy. Note: I had to use double the coconut oil (4 T.) to get it to a butter consistency. This is fine since I love coconut oil.





Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Chocolate Covered Popcorn, Pecan & Cranberries

Looking for a healthier chocolate snack? Try this recipe using a dark cacao coating. Easy enough to make.

Pop up the popcorn ...

Throw in some dried cranberries and pecans that have already been soaked and dried, and toss altogether.

Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler and pour over the popcorn mixture to coat. Toss lightly until everything is coated.

Chocolate Covered Popcorn, Pecan & Cranberries

1/2 c. popcorn kernels, popped
1/2 to 1 c. soaked and dried pecans, broken in half
1 c. dried cranberries

For Chocolate Coating:
One 3.5 to 4 oz. bar of 65 to 85% dark cacao (I used a 3.5 ounce, 72% dark cacao Godiva bar.)
1 T. coconut oil

Place popped popcorn, pecans and cranberries in a large bowl and toss together. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler and drizzle over the popcorn mixture. Lightly toss with a wooden spoon or spatula until popcorn mixture is coated. Cover and place in freezer until chocolate coating is set, about an hour. Enjoy!




Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Memorial Day Flags

In Memoriam: This picture was taken at Canby Central Park during the 2013 Hat Daze celebration. I still remember crouching down to get this photo shot. Whenever I look at this display of flags, I am overwhelmed with pride for the military that are serving our country. The flags are displayed every Memorial Day in memory of our fallen soldiers and it is a beautiful display.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

6 Reasons Not To Paint Oak Cupboards

Have you ever wanted to update your kitchen without spending a lot of money?

When we redid our kitchen, I really wanted to replace all our cabinets; however, our budget screamed, "No!" I strongly considered the idea of painting them. Painted cabinets were the new style and our cabinets were outdated with plank-style board fronts and cottage-style porcelain handles.

(The next two photos were taken by our daughter Keisha ten years ago, back in 2006, when she created a booklet titled, "Tour of Our Home." Oh! the memories!!)

I confess that I absolutely hated the lazy susan corner cabinets and wanted them gone! Besides the outdated door fronts, a few of the bottom cupboards were in need of serious repair while the upper cabinets were all in excellent condition. It seemed silly to replace cabinets that were still good.

For these reasons, and because we also needed to add a cabinet to replace the dishwasher (see 10 Reasons We Never Replaced Our Dishwasher), it seemed like the only solution to get that fresh new look and make the new cabinets match the old cabinets, was to add a fresh coat of paint. Problem solved, right?

Wrong. My husband did not want to paint the cabinets or have anyone else paint them either. While he worked on the walls and floor, he also worked on convincing me to leave the oak cabinets unpainted. Here are a few of his points:

1. He spent a lot of time refinishing the cupboards and he'd have done all that work for nothing. (He refinished them several years ago, see two old photos above. Never mind the fact that we've enjoyed them for years.)
2. If you want to do a really good job, it's a lot of work repainting cupboards. And if you don't do a really good job, they'll look like badly painted cupboards. (This is very true and I did not want them to look like a bad paint job.)
3. Painted cupboards are a fad and the wood look will eventually come back in style. You'll be stuck with outdated cabinets once again, because they will already have paint on them. It's easier to add the paint than to remove it. (Another very good point.)
4. In the olden days, people wanted the wood look, especially oak cabinets, because it was considered a sign of wealth to have them. (Well that makes cents. I mean sense.)
5. Just wash them good and add some new hardware and it'll spruce them up! (I'm liking the idea of not painting more and more.)
6. And my personal favorite: If you want them painted, you'll have to paint them yourself! (Wait, was that a challenge?! He already had me convinced!)

In the end, a very good friend suggested first cleaning the cabinets with Liquid Gold before deciding anything. She stated how another friend would only use Liquid Gold on her cabinets and they always looked like new. I decided to give it a try since I had nothing to lose. I purchased a bottle of Scott's Liquid Gold Wood Wash Concentrate.

We all teamed up one Saturday evening to remove the hardware and scrub the wooden door fronts clean. We couldn't believe the difference the Liquid Gold made; it was just the ticket the cabinets needed to remove the grit and grime showing the beauty of the woodgrain once again. (Thanks for the suggestion, Sharon!)

Our double kitchen sink had a small bowl on the left side and a large bowl on the right side. I absolutely loved it and insisted on keeping it. Unfortunately, the sink base was water damaged and in order to replace it, we would have to special order at premium prices because of its odd size. Since our cabinet door fronts were obsolete, and in order for them all to match, we decided to keep all the cabinets. My husband did a great job repairing the sink base.

We added two small cabinets where the dishwasher originally sat, and stained and varnished them to match the other cupboards. The fun part was adding all new hardware. I'll be the first to admit I have expensive taste. We had to special order the door handles, but they go so well with the drawer handles we picked out, and brought it altogether.

After everything was put back into place, I am very thankful my husband talked me out of painting the cabinets.

They truly are beautiful and I am loving my new kitchen!

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Landi Raemi's DIY GF Protein Bars

Finally!! I came up with a protein power bar that I can make myself and feel good about eating!

After trying a Yummy Snack protein bar and not being able to find them locally, I searched the internet for a similar protein bar recipe containing ground flaxseed. No luck. I pinned dozens of protein bar recipes on Pinterest, and not one of the ones I found so far contained any ground flaxseed. So disappointing.

Then I happened upon Bodybuilding with a DIY protein bar recipe where you use the flour of choice. Voila! Following is my results.

Normally I would have just used ground flaxseed, but several months ago a secret angel placed these two bags of Linwoods mixed ground flaxseed (pictured below) on my desk at work. (To this day I still do not know who this person is, but a huge "thank you" goes out to them!) I used the remainder of the bags on this recipe since there wasn't much left.

Measure out one cup of ground flaxseed into a medium sized bowl. Then grind one cup of gluten free oatmeal into a coarse flour with a food processor. Next, measure and add one cup of protein powder, your choice, in with the flaxseed and oatmeal. I used a mix of these two pictured below.

Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together.

Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add the liquid ingredients. I used six tablespoons each of coconut milk and chocolate almond milk. Then mix into a dough.

Cut a piece of waxed paper and place on a cookie sheet. Spread the dough mixture onto the waxed paper until it is 1/4" thick. Slice into bars.

Melt about three to three-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate in a double boiler with one tablespoon of coconut oil.

Pictured below is another item I found to use up. My daughter bought this chocolate bar while in college; however, I am unable to find it locally. So for future recipes, I will use another dark chocolate bar.

Dip the bars, one at a time, into the melted chocolate to coat.

Turn the bars over to cover both sides.

Return the coated bars to the waxed paper and refrigerate until set.

These bars can be left out for a time before eating, but I would keep them refrigerated since they contain flaxseed. 

 I am very pleased with the results of these bars.

Nummy! Get into my tummy!

Landi Raemi's DIY GF Protein Bars

1 c. ground flaxseed

1 c. GF oatmeal, ground into coarse flour

1/2 c. chocolate protein powder

1/2 c. vanilla protein powder

6 T. chocolate almond milk

6 T. coconut milk

Measure out dry ingredients and place in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Measure and add milk to dry mixture. Thoroughly mix until all dry ingredients are coated and dough-like. Cut a piece of wax paper and place on cookie sheet. Spread dough onto waxed paper until 1/4" thick. Cut into bars. Freeze to harden enough to coat with chocolate.

Chocolate Coating:

3-1/2 oz. dark chocolate bar
1 T. coconut oil

Measure and place chocolate and coconut oil into a double boiler. Heat until melted, stirring regularly. Dip bars one at a time into melted chocolate, turning to coat both sides. Return bars to wax paper. Place bars in refrigerator until set. Keep refrigerated.


Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Gluten Free Dry Shampoo

My daughter Keisha was buying expensive dry shampoo and wasn't happy with the results she was getting from the aerosol can, so she did some research on the powdered version. The reviews were good for the powdered versions, but she was unable to find them for sale; therefore, she decided to find a recipe to make it on her own.

She looked at several different recipes on Pinterest and realized that most were just winging it so she decided to wing it herself. For dark hair, she found that the basic recipe consisted of one tablespoon of cocoa, one tablespoon of cornstarch, and one tablespoon of flour.

With that in mind, I suggested making a gluten free dry shampoo since whatever you put on your skin is absorbed into your body. Remember my new phrase from my post, Homemade Deodorant? We aren't totally free of gluten around here, but we make an effort to remove it when and where we can. The less gluten, the better.

This recipe is so easy, Keisha has made it several times. And because the recipe is free of any chemicals, I also began using it on my hair. Along with the wonderful smell of cocoa, I really like the effect on my hair. Simple to make. Simple to use.

Measure out one tablespoon of cocoa in a small bowl.

Measure out one tablespoon of cornstarch and add to cocoa.

Measure out one-half tablespoon of millet and add to cocoa and cornstarch.

Measure out one-half tablespoon of sorghum and add to cocoa, cornstarch and millet.

Thoroughly mix them all together.

Mix until the mixture turns brown. If your hair is dark brown you may want to use a dark chocolate cacao powder.

Pop a lid on the container and it's ready to use.

To use, dab a large makeup brush into the powder and tap the excess off, then apply to underside of hair strands by the roots.

Gluten Free Dry Shampoo

• 1 T. cocoa
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1/2 T. millet flour
• 1/2 T. sorghum flour

Mix altogether and store in covered jar until using. Apply by using a large makeup brush. Dab the brush into the powder and tap off excess. Brush onto hair.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!