Granola Bars

I love the taste of oats and raisins eaten together but store-bought granola bars are always too sweet. This is it!! A wholesome, simple, delicious, and crumbly granola bar. Perfect for breakfast, dessert or snacks. I bake mine in a square Pyrex 8" by 8" pan.

Mix 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup corn oil, and a couple of teaspoons of real vanilla extract, with a whisk. Then add a few cups of rolled oats (use old-fashioned oats, not quick oats). Add about a half-cup of whole wheat flour, and a dash of water to lightly moisten the whole thing. Add sprinkles of salt to taste, and some raisins. Then press into a greased pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Next time I will measure the oats, flour, and water!

Enjoy!

Sally Sampson

Cookbook author Sally Sampson has published another fabulous cookbook! It's called the 100 Calorie Snack Cookbook. Check it out! It's full of ingenious ideas.

Chocolate Cake

I made this cake last night. The original recipe for my chocolate cake was cut off of a box of cocoa 20 years ago but I've adapted it over the years. The pumpkin is something I tried last night for the first time because we had some leftover in the fridge, and I love how it came out!

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup corn oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (or more)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cups of cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips
dash of cinnamon + ginger (optional)

Beat the sugar oil and eggs with a whisk add vanilla and pumpkin and mix in all the dry ingredients. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. I baked mine in a greased and preheated cast iron Bundt pan. Let cool for 15 minutes before turning it onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Your home will smell so good when you bake this cake. It is very good and a gorgeous orange color. I bake it in my pre-greased cast iron Bundt pan. This pan is nearly 20 years old and it's finally perfectly seasoned! This cake is basically a gigantic muffin!

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat the eggs and oil together with a whisk, then add the vanilla and pumpkin. In separate bowl mix dry ingredients, then mix all ingredients together in a big bowl by hand or with a mixer.
Pour into the pre-greased, pan and bake for an hour!

2 eggs
3/4 cup of corn oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 cups of canned pumpkin*
3 cups of whole wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries or a mixture of both! (optional)
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
sprinkles of ground cardamom, allspice, and cloves

*This is an adaptable recipe. You can use applesauce in place of pumpkin puree or mashed bananas or even blueberries! You can add walnuts or sunflower seeds too. The batter should be the consistency of thick mud! If the batter is too dry add a splash of orange juice. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. Insert a broom straw! It's done when it comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy with hot tea or coffee!

Survival

If I could teach a class to teens on the verge of living on their own it would be called survival cooking! We'd make rice, beans, bread, yogurt, and other delights. It's great to know how to feed yourself and it's really fun too!

Time

Time is the secret ingredient in most delicious foods!

An olive won't ripen any quicker,
however much you mess around with it.
-Tuscan proverb