Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 4 dozen

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 7 ounces dried apricots, preferably California, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oatmeal, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs, and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture gradually, beating until just combined. Stir in chocolate and apricots. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
2. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges but still soft in the center, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 1 week.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Apricots and White Chocolate - Martha Stewart Recipes

Cut Plant Food

2 gallons water, 2 cups corn syrup, 4 tbsp vinegar, 4 tbsp liquid bleach into a liquid dispenser. Use a tbsp or 2 in arrangement.

Source lost.

Mr Broome's Leftover Lentil Bacon Leek Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 shallots
• 3 carrots
• rosemary, thyme (fresh to taste)
• 3 leeks
• 2 slices bacon
• cooked puy lentils (1 cup dry)
• chicken stock (to cover- around 2 cups)
• salt/ pepper to taste
• dash truffle oil
• swig of sherry
• pinch nutmeg

Chop and fry bacon till crispy.

Add well chopped shallots, herbs and carrots. Cook till translucent.

Splash in sherry.

Add leeks. Cook for few minutes.

Add cooked lentils, truffle oil and chicken stock.

Add salt and pepper.

Simmer till soft.

Cool and puree. Add nutmeg and pepper to taste.

Fry pumpkin seeds in olive oil. Toss with coarse sea salt and garnish soup.

Serve with plain scones and butter.

Buttermilk Scone Recipe (Apricot and Lemon)

Combine dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tbsp sugar (half for plain)
• 1 tsp BS
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter (keep very cold- in fridge until needed)

Add 1/2 cup apricots and 2 tsp lemon rind grated

(do not add if plain)

1 egg beat with 1/2 cup buttermilk (kept in fridge till used)

stir into flour mixture to make soft dough (added a little buttermilk cuz too dry)

lightly floured surface- kneed 10 times

3/4 inch think rolled

cut into wedges

ungreased baking sheet

glaze them (used little bit of leftover egg white in shells)

400 degrees 10-12 minutes

Spring is Arriving: Garden To Do's

1. Dolomite lime the grass (end of February)
2. Add compost.
3. Compost to veg garden, then lime 2 weeks later.
4. Cut back plants and grasses.
5. Weed.
6. Start seedlings.
7. Geranium cuttings.
8. Lift and divide perennials.
9. Feed hydrangea with manure.
10. Divide snow drops after bloom.
11. Start veg under cold frame- salad, leeks, radishes, shallots.
12. Rake out moss, aerate grass, add new soil, and reseed.
13. Remove grass in main front garden. Create path. Add plants.
14. Transplant from full backyard areas.
15. Find out if we can transplant from very front garden: peonies, japanese anemonies, irises.
16. Raise very front garden height with rocks, add soil and replant with grasses? boxwood?
17. Picket fence and new railing.
18. mid March- peas, spinach, salads, strawberry plants.
19. Sew and prune herbs.
20. Look into primroses for dappled shade.

Healthy Sleep and a Healthy Bed

You should not be able to see your hand after the lights are turned off.

Source lost.

Sarah's Bread Recipe (her words)

Some of you I know are interested in bread, and some of you I thinkmight be interested in bread. At the very least, I'm sure you all eat bread, and that's a start.

The real wonder bread is happening in my kitchen.

I've had it with bread...the unscheduled trips to the store because we're out of it, the bags in the garbage when we're done with yet another loaf, the expense of buying it organic. I'm done. Mother Earth News saved me with the best bread recipe ever, and I'm proud to say it's been almost two months since we last bought a loaf of bread.

(insert me patting myself on the back)

I've modified the original recipe a bit. And it's the easiest thing EVER. Really, with this recipe, there's no excuse.

• Heat water to about 115-120º (you'll want to invest in a candy thermometer for this)

• in a big bowl, add 3C warmed water to 1.5 tbsp yeast, 1.5 tbsp sea salt and .5-1 tbsp of sugar (just enough to activate the yeast)

• cover with a towel and let sit until there's a nice pouf of yeast formed...about an hour or so.

• mix in 6.5 cups of the flour of your choice. I also add a healthy dollop of honey. It helps the bread to rise and makes it EXTRA YUMMY! Stir the watery yeasty pouf together with the flour and honey until it's JUST mixed. This should take all of about 2 minutes.

• DO NOT KNEAD!! (that's my favorite part)

• flatten it out a bit in the bowl if needs be (just pat with the back of the spoon) and let sit with a towel over it for at least 2 hours.

• Preheat oven to 450º, with a baking tray (we have one that has a hollow core to hold air inside, and it works well) or if you have one, a pizza/baking stone INSIDE the oven so that your dough goes onto it hot. Also be sure you have some kind of a shallow(ish) tray on the very bottom rack. Something like the pan that catches the turkey drippings. I don't know what you call those.

• spread some cornmeal on a cutting board. Next, uncover your dough and sprinkle some flour on it. Cut it into quarters. Then flour your hands and make some loaves!! I don't care too much about the shape of my loaves, so I just kind of fold the corners under as I pick a quarter up out of the bowl. Whatever works for you. Plonk it down on your cornmealed cutting board, and slice a few shallow slats along the tops of them to give them room to expand.

loaves pre-baking

• When your oven is hot, open it up and slide the loaves off the board and onto the tray. Then take a cup of HOT water and dump it into the bottom tray and close the door as fast as you can to trap the steam. I'd suggest using an oven mitt for this to avoid a nasty steam burn like the one I got a few weeks ago.

• bake for 25 minutes

loaves post-baking, pre-eating

I do mine two loaves at a time, but only because that's all my baking tray can accommodate. Otherwise I'd do all four at once. Once they've cooled, I normally freeze two.

February Tips from Martha

1) Sharpen and oil all garden cutting tools, have machines (mover, edger and weed trimmer) professionally serviced.

2) Clean the dryer vent- disconnect and remove will with a dryer vent brush or the crevice tool on your vacuum.

3) Soak bath toys for 10 min in 1 part hot water, 1 part white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap. Then rinse in warm water, let dry. Keep in well ventilated areas in mesh bag.

4) Great snack for a cat: sardine fillet. Cat food should be 100% meat if possible.

Laundry Tips

1) Coffee, tea and wine stains- pour boiling water over it until it disappears.

2) Grease- paste of granulated sugar and water. Rub into stain. Let set. Wash. Dry in Sun

3) Line drying saves 50c per load of a dryer.

4) Add 1.2 cup of borax after detergent to make clothes extra clean.

5) Add BS at same time to wash water at same time to soften and freshen clothes.

6) Run a normal cycle with 1 cup vinegar 1x per month to remove mildew and mold.

7) Leave washer door open so it dries properly.

8) Consider hot cycle for white cotton and linen.

9) Stain- pat on bleach free stain remover- pour boiling water on, wash again.

10) Hang dry bed linens when possible or tumble dry low.

11) Soak silk only 20 min, wool and cashmere longer, swim suits all night.

12) Do not run under water to rinse, fill and and refill with cool water till suds are gone.

13) Press out water and roll delicates in towel, then lay out on dry towel.

14) Iron blouse or pants with clean dish towel on top, use steam setting (use distilled water).

15) Spot clean with small amount of delicate detergent then blot with clean corner.

16) Sort into white, light colours, dark colours.

17) Wash as much as possible inside out to maintain colour.

18) Use salt or corn starch to lift greasy stains.

19) Wash washing machine on hot with cup of white vinegar once a month.

20) Wash anything with perspiration stains within 48 hours.

21) Air dry sweaters, work out wear, silk, intimates on rack.

22) Fasten hooks etc on intimates before washing.

Delicates:

23) Hand washing is best done at warm to the touch temperature.

24) Don't oversoak- 5 minutes for most, 2-3 for delicates.

25) Very small amount of delicate detergent needed per basin- 1 tsp per gallon.

26) Add warm water, then detergent and swirl with hand.

27) Put in lightest garment and twirl in circular motion- 2 to 5 min.

28) Fold garment to side, drain basin, gently press against side.

29) Refill and repeat till suds are gone.

30) Don't rinse under running water.

31) Lay on light coloured towel, smooth out wrinkles, roll and press down.

32) Repeat with dry towel if necessary.

33) Please on drying rack.

34) Simply "Dry Clean" labels usually okay to hand wash- spot check first.

35) Beat duvets or blankets to expel dust.

36) Pop pillows and stuffed animals into plastic bag and freezer to kill dust mites.

37) Crumble 203 tennis sized balls of aluminum foil and place in dryer to combat static.

38) 1/2 cup vinegar to rinse cycle.

29) Cup of baking soda to wash (Easy Green Living suggests 1/2 cup)

Simple washing powder (note: still using regular powder as many people have a hard time with home made):

8 cups BS

6 cups Borax

4 cups grated castile or glycerin soap flakes

1.5 tbsp laver, lemon or grapefruit essential oil (wisked in after others combined)

-use 1/8 cup per load, makes 1/2 yr's worth for family of 4

Pre-wash stain spray:

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup BS

3 cups water

-stir, spray just before washing (do test spot first)

Bleach/ brightener substitute:

1 cup hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup lemon juice

12 cups water

-add 2 cups per load

Oxygen Bleach Stain Spray

-combine 3 tbsp oxygen bleach (not chlorine bleach) and 2 cups room temperature water

-swish and swirl in spray bottle with lid off till dissolved (don't shake)

-spray generously and leave on for min 15 minutes then wash

Some tips from Easy Green Living. Rest of sources unknown (please contact if you think you were the original source).