A happy but wishful thought . . .

Future: That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured.

Ambrose Bierce

Oatmeal Muffins with Options . . .

Like most families, mine will go for the sweets before anything else. Instead of constant nagging, I try to keep some reasonable snacks on hand that hold a nutrient value besides tasting good. These fit the bill and they are happily consumed without question.

Oatmeal Muffins with Options

1 cup regular oatmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Grated zest of one orange
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir to just mix together evenly. Scoop into either greased muffin tins or line the tins with cupcake papers. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are nicely browned.

Ideas . . .

Substitute apples for the cranberries.

Use half raisins and half chopped apples for an apple pie sort of taste.

Mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with enough fresh orange juice to make a thin icing and brush
the muffins soon after the exit the oven.

Substitute chopped, mixed dried fruit for the cranberries called for in the recipe.

Sunday Dinner at the ready . . .

This is a favorite way to present a good Sunday dinner without spending hours in the kitchen. It's like having your relaxing Sunday and eating, too!

Easy Beef Stroganoff

Approximately 1 1/2 pound of beef sliced into thin strips
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms
6 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
4 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Brown the beef in this and then remove meat to a platter. Now add the mushroom, garlic, and onion to the skillet and cook until tender and slightly brown, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and cook a minute longer. Add the beef broth and cook until well combined. Add the mustard and the browned beef and cook until meat is done and sauce thickens.

Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the sour cream and more salt and pepper, if necessary. This is great over the traditionally used egg noodles or with rice. A steamed vegetable of your choosing nicely finished of the menu.

Thinking back . . .

I was browsing through my on-line pictures this morning and thinking back on my recent trip with my teenage son. He was a near-perfect travel mate in that he was up for any adventure and willing to get up at the earliest hour if it meant we were heading out to see a new place. He decided the first day of the trip that he would order something new from the menu and try new things. He also turned out to have an amazing sense or natural direction so he led most of our excursions on our own. It took us a few days to get our bearings in Munich, Germany but were soon able to navigate the streets to and from our hotel without too much trouble. The first couple of days, however, we saw a lot of unplanned parts of the city due to a less-than-adequate map and a few wrong turns on our part. In fact, when we went on a day trip outside the city, we often saw how far our wanderings had actually gotten us before we found 'home' again!

One, drizzly day, my son was positively inspired. We had gotten some snacks at the department store and he suggested we purchase a couple of umbrellas in case the rain got worse. We then took off to explore, each assuming the other one was leading the trip that morning. We walked and walked, the rain started pouring but we were happily protected by our new umbrellas. Suddenly, we glance over and there is a river to the left of us! We walk a lot further and there is a bridge crossing the river. I stop our travels and ask my son if he knew where we were at this point. He looked at me and said, "I thought you were mapping things out for this walk!"

I suggested we cross the newly-found bridge but my son intelligently stated that since we didn't cross one in the first place, we would probably end up really, really lost if we did so now. We sighed and retraced our steps. With my son in charge, his nose for direction took over and an hour later we were back in familiar territory. From then on, we decided to make sure we knew who was leading and who was following.

It's kind of like how many people live in that they don't make a conscious decision on who they want/should follow and when they should be the leader. Explains a lot about the state of the world today. There is a definite lack of direction and no one is checking the credentials of the leaders.