1/2-2/3 cup bacon or other drippings, lard, or vegetable shortening, or 1/2 cup vegetable oil (recycled is fine)
3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking power
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup bird seed or blackflower sunflower seeds
Preheat the oven to 350. Melt the fat or oil in a skillet and use some to grease a 9x13 inch square pan. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the oil/fat with the liquid; stir into dry ingredients just to moisten. Add bird seed or sunflower seeds. Put into pan and bake 40-50 minutes, or until corn bread is moderately browned and starts to pull away from pan sides. Let cool in pans.
I usually cut to fit in a suet holder, wrap it, and freeze it. I put it out frozen as it seems to keep the blue jays entertained. They go through about 1 holder a day, and really seem to enjoy it, to the point if they run out, they sit out there and scream until I refill! Enjoy :=)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.
I usually cut them to resemble an actual granola bar...so I get about 24-27 of them. You may have to play with your amounts a little...I found if I upped the butter, honey, oats and sugar by a 1/4 more it made enough to fill the pan better. I grease the pan with real butter and put a plastic baggie on my had and scoop the dough out and press it into the pan...that's the easiest way I could find to get it in the pan! And...I only use 1 cup of choc. chips...it's plenty! Also, you can use either quick oats or old fashioned...but the old fashion kind make a heartier, firmer bar...just my opinion! Enjoy...you won't be able to eat just one and if you use real butter, and real vanilla extract, they will be artificial free!! Which we need since my youngest is sensitive to artificials~but that will be another post for another day! Enjoy and you won't be able to eat only one...trust me!
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.
I usually cut them to resemble an actual granola bar...so I get about 24-27 of them. You may have to play with your amounts a little...I found if I upped the butter, honey, oats and sugar by a 1/4 more it made enough to fill the pan better. I grease the pan with real butter and put a plastic baggie on my had and scoop the dough out and press it into the pan...that's the easiest way I could find to get it in the pan! And...I only use 1 cup of choc. chips...it's plenty! Also, you can use either quick oats or old fashioned...but the old fashion kind make a heartier, firmer bar...just my opinion! Enjoy...you won't be able to eat just one and if you use real butter, and real vanilla extract, they will be artificial free!! Which we need since my youngest is sensitive to artificials~but that will be another post for another day! Enjoy and you won't be able to eat only one...trust me!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Miss Maude
I am recently unemployed and I'm really having a hard time with it. I had been working 30 hours a week as a Personal Support Specialist (doesn't it sound professional?). I had one client, (Miss) Maude, who was 90. We share the same birthday, and we figured out that she turned 57 the day I was born...pretty amazing! I worked with Maude for a little under 2 years, and became quite close with her. We had some great laughs, and we went on many crazy adventures, and we never left her apartment.
When I started working with Maude, she walked with a walker, and pretty much just needed help with bathing, dressing herself, and with meal preparation. We went for walks around the 'loop' of her little community, talked with the other tenants, which was always pretty comical! Miss Maude had a hard time hearing, as well as most everyone else we met along the way, so if you can imagine 2 elderly people who can't hear trying to have a conversation, you'll understand! I did a lot of yelling for both parties! Miss Maude also liked to play cards, but couldn't see very well. We would try to play, but I always knew what cards she was holding, so it didn't seem very challenging for me. She also had memory problems, and couldn't really remember much. She would ask what day it was; what the weather was like; who I was...etc. Everyday. So, you may ask, what I did all day with a 90 year old woman who couldn't hear, see, or remember who I was? I had some of the best days of my life, that's what I did! Miss Maude became a very special person to me, as well as her daughter, Linda who lived with her, because Maude couldn't be left alone.
Miss Maude loved kisses and hugs, and she loved to laugh and joke around! She loved the wildlife that used to come eat out back. And she LOVED food! Hot dogs and ice cream were some of her favorites, and anything sweet of course! So we hugged and kissed, laughed and ate~a lot~more than a lot~too much.
Father's Day weekend, Maude went to the hospital to get some fluids as she was dehydrated. The doctor there pretty much told the family that there was nothing anyone could do to help her, and sent her home. On Father's Day we all said goodbye, thinking that it would be very soon that Miss Maude would pass on.
Well, she had other plans, you see. She wasn't ready to pass on, as I'm sure she heard the doctor say. Although she didn't get out of bed, she managed to fight to live for 2 more months. On August 16, 2009, Maude passed away.
I was upset, and I am still upset. I don't sleep well anymore; I keep having nightmares of people being lost, or my husband being mad at me, or my kids being in danger. My whole life as I knew it for almost 2 years ceases to exist. I don't like not working, I don't like not having any money, and I don't like not knowing what the hell is going on.
I start officially waitressing next Tuesday. I might make 1/2 the money I was, but at least it's something. I also put in an application to be a substitute teacher, and from what I hear, it pays well. So, I'm thinking we should be OK. It's still just hard.
When I started working with Maude, she walked with a walker, and pretty much just needed help with bathing, dressing herself, and with meal preparation. We went for walks around the 'loop' of her little community, talked with the other tenants, which was always pretty comical! Miss Maude had a hard time hearing, as well as most everyone else we met along the way, so if you can imagine 2 elderly people who can't hear trying to have a conversation, you'll understand! I did a lot of yelling for both parties! Miss Maude also liked to play cards, but couldn't see very well. We would try to play, but I always knew what cards she was holding, so it didn't seem very challenging for me. She also had memory problems, and couldn't really remember much. She would ask what day it was; what the weather was like; who I was...etc. Everyday. So, you may ask, what I did all day with a 90 year old woman who couldn't hear, see, or remember who I was? I had some of the best days of my life, that's what I did! Miss Maude became a very special person to me, as well as her daughter, Linda who lived with her, because Maude couldn't be left alone.
Miss Maude loved kisses and hugs, and she loved to laugh and joke around! She loved the wildlife that used to come eat out back. And she LOVED food! Hot dogs and ice cream were some of her favorites, and anything sweet of course! So we hugged and kissed, laughed and ate~a lot~more than a lot~too much.
Father's Day weekend, Maude went to the hospital to get some fluids as she was dehydrated. The doctor there pretty much told the family that there was nothing anyone could do to help her, and sent her home. On Father's Day we all said goodbye, thinking that it would be very soon that Miss Maude would pass on.
Well, she had other plans, you see. She wasn't ready to pass on, as I'm sure she heard the doctor say. Although she didn't get out of bed, she managed to fight to live for 2 more months. On August 16, 2009, Maude passed away.
I was upset, and I am still upset. I don't sleep well anymore; I keep having nightmares of people being lost, or my husband being mad at me, or my kids being in danger. My whole life as I knew it for almost 2 years ceases to exist. I don't like not working, I don't like not having any money, and I don't like not knowing what the hell is going on.
I start officially waitressing next Tuesday. I might make 1/2 the money I was, but at least it's something. I also put in an application to be a substitute teacher, and from what I hear, it pays well. So, I'm thinking we should be OK. It's still just hard.
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