Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Oh. My. Goodness.

The Bachelorette is a nail biter tonight friends.

I can honestly say I have no idea who she's going to pick. I know who she should pick though.

Sean. He's dreamy. He spells his name wrong but his blue eyes forgive that. 

Plus, have you seen him without his shirt off? Yeah, exactly.

Perhaps she shouldn't pick him...hmm...

I shouldn't be admitting how into this stupid show I get. 

Muffins.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Adapted from BakingBites.com

Ingredients:

3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 med.)
6 tbsp peanut butter (pref. creamy)
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed banana, peanut butter and buttermilk until very smooth, making sure all egg has been well-incorporated. Pour into flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain.
Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tin, filling each just about up to the top.
Bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Light Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

It is not easy to find a healthy/lighter dessert that doesn't taste healthy or light.

But when you do it is bliss...pure bliss.

You mean I don't have to feel an intense wave of guilt and vivid visualization of me literally killing myself at the gym with every bite? Sign me up!

This is one of those desserts. It is creamy and delicious much like your average "full-fatted" (yeah, I make up words) cheesecake but it harbors much less guilt.

Go on, do you're little happy dance. I have one too. No shame, no shame at all.

Light Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
From Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

non stick cooking spray
1/2 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp light butter, softened
8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
2 large egg whites
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry jam

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.

Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter with a fork until evenly moistened. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.

Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, and flour. Do not over beat. Pour over graham cracker crust.

Stir jam until smooth. Drop by small spoonfuls over surface of filling. Using a knife, swirl jam gently through filling to create marble effect.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature. Chill a few hours in the refrigerator.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

I'm alive!!

Well, kinda. If you consider being the most busy you have ever been in your life "alive" then yes, I qualify.

It has been a long time since I have posted. Too long I'm afraid. Along with my usual class and work schedule I have recently started an "internship"-type gig where I do real-life signing with real-life people!

I know, crazy right?! You spend all this time learning sign language and practicing these mock situations with your fellow peers who pretend to be deaf for so long that you kind of forget that the whole reason you are even in the program is to interpret for living and breathing deaf people!

It has been something else. Let me tell yah. I have been tirelessly adjusting to the new craziness that is my life that my lovely little hobby that is Dame Good Eats has been neglected.

I must say, I have missed the excuse to be creepy and take pictures of everything I eat and make...I also miss the excuse to try to come up with the most outlandish kind of dishes in the hopes that maybe, just maybe they will be successful.

I kinda miss you all :(

I have set a goal for myself this quarter to allow myself more "me" time and more time to enjoy the things I like to do with my "free" time. Well, I no longer have this "free" time (I think it's a myth) but I decided I need to make some...even if just a teensy bit...I miss reading novels, cooking and blogging about my obsession with food.

We shall see how this transpires eh?

I have like 10 billion recipes from months ago just patiently waiting for me to post them. So stay tuned!

Ps...did anyone eat themselves into a 2-day food coma on Super Bowl Sunday because there were too many different types of dip and dip is one thing that forces you to throw all other cares out the window? No?...yeah me neither :/

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
From Beantownbaker.com

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) strawberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

Where in the heck is time going?!

I'm having a hard time finding time to blog. Let alone breath. But I'm hanging in there...barely.

My birthday came and went. I find that tends to happen as you get older. This has been a year of growth for me. I have learned a lot about myself and about the people in my life.

I have found that I so often spend time worrying about the people letting me down instead of appreciating the people there rubbing my back as I am crying over the people who disappoint me. I have an amazing select few in my life who make up for all of those who don't really care. Gosh, I'm lucky.

I've also found that I tend to confuse positivity with having high expectations. I strive to be a positive and optimistic person, but sometimes in doing that I set these high, sometimes unreachable expectations which only lead to disappointment. It's easy to forget to appreciate things for what they are, and accept people for who they are and what they offer you, rather than what they didn't. I will spend my 24th year here remembering that for sure.

I'm going into this year a more positive, open, understanding and thankful person. I have all the wonderful people in my life, or who were once in my life to thank for that...and all the moments I have that remind me of these things, and the many MANY other things I need to keep in the back of my mind at all times.

This is a rather serious post eh?

On a less serious note, I carved pumpkins for the first time in forever on my birthday. I have announced many times how much I love lazy sundays and my birthday was just that. I appreciate the simple things in life...and thankfully my birthday represented that.

I spent my birthday with someone who showed up at my door with Coldstone Birthday Cake Remix, took me to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins and carve "awesome" faces on them...by "awesome" I mean slightly embarrassing but still humorous as they looked like a couple of 6-year-olds did them (this is ironic as we are a couple of old folk), then we had a very fancy candlelit dinner on my coffee table and devoured Taco Bell...yep, per my request. My birthday ended with an intense game of Cribbage...and I won. Perfect day :)

None of that has anything to do with Thai food...or chicken...or pineapple...or even stir fry. But here it is. It's yummy. And I am OBSESSED with Gina's Skinny Recipes. Literally.Ob.Sessed.

Thai Chicken and Pineaplle Stir Fry
Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 cups cubed assorted colors bell peppers (1/2-inch cubes)
1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup chili sauce
cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornstarch; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers,onion chili pepper if using and pineapple;stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp.

Add soy and chili sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from skillet.

Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add chicken; stir fry5 minutes or until cooked through.Return bell pepper mixture to skillet; stir fry until well blended.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown rice or plain.

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Clusters

I turn 24 in 5 days.

I can't say I am particularly excited about it. 24 doesn't seem all that eventful, and I kind of like the number 23...and 24 is really close to 25 which is 5 years away from 30...

Gross.

Yeah, these next 5 days can go slow if they want.

I'm cool with that.

I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and family watching some sketch comedy and enjoying a night of dancing and girlie drinks...I'm okay with that...but that's about it.

I made these little treats when I didn't feel like baking...and knew I would indeed devour more chocolate than I needed so I wanted something "light"-ish.

These are good if you're trying to get a quick and somewhat guiltless sweets fix...but they aren't a no-bake cookie thats for sure...

Mmm...no-bakes...maybe I'll make an entire batch of those for myself for my birthday.

Yep, done.

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Clusters
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the top pan. Remove the double boiler from the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate. Remove the top pan with the chocolate in it, gently wipe the bottom of it and set it aside for a moment. Replace the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water. Put the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water. This will keep the chocolate at the right temperature while you make the clusters.

Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

Strawberry Peach Crumble

I am literally giggling like a little school girl.

Fall is coming!

The past two days have been a glimpse of fall weather...there's been a slight chill and some leaves are starting to fall.

Fall makes me happy.

I love the weather, it's football season, pumpkin pie, my birthday, sleeping with my windows open...the list? It never ends.

This is my absolute favorite time of year.

I want to curl up with a book in my coziest clothes with pumpkin candles lit and the fall breeze coming in through the window.

Heaven.

Did I mention the pumpkin spice latte is back?! I am due for a walk across the park to the old bookstore across the street from Starbucks where I can buy a new book and indulge in some pumpkin deliciousness...

I want to jump in a pile of leaves! Anyone?

I guess fall makes me a little excited...or ADD...whatever. I'm happy. :)

This dessert is a great one to make for the end of summer. If you can find peaches and strawberries still in season go snatch them up! The strawberries and peaches scream summer while the oats, and cinnamon and the crunchy crumble make you long for fall.

It's perfect.

Strawberry Peach Crumble
From Foodnetwork.com


Ingredients:

Butter, for pan
Filling:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 large lemon)
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 pound medium strawberries, halved
1 1/2 pounds yellow or white peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Topping:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup old fashioned style oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:

Serving suggestion: whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or gelato

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and arrowroot until smooth. Add the strawberries, peaches and brown sugar. Gently toss until the fruit is coated. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pan.

For the topping: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pulse until mixed. Add the butter. Pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Sprinkle the mixture over the filling and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the top is light golden. Cool the crumble for 5 minutes.

Spoon the warm crumble into bowls and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream

Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola

I'm baaaack!!

Well sorta...it is reaching the end of the quarter aka super-stressful-crazy-busy-time.

My vacation=lovely. For 4 days I ate, drank and floated on a lake with some of my favorite people. We literally ate every 20 minutes and burned I'm guessing 0 calories.

But thats what vacation is for. Getting fat. And not caring about it.

Of course now this week its all about fruits, vegetables and a lot of time at the gym. But it's worth it.

Am I right or am I right?

If anyone actually consistently reads this silly blog then you have probably discovered I like to make up granola. It's easy and fun. And I love greek yogurt so it works for me.

I dont know where I got the idea for this, but it came to me and I tried it. It's not too "jelly-y" (yeah, I make up words). I personally like my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with extra peanut butter. But to each their own...play around with this recipe to your liking.

I'm allowing it :)

Peanut Buter and Jelly Granola
Dame Good

Ingredients:

5 1/4 cups oats
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar-free jelly
2 tablespoons canola ol
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons flax seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat peanut butter in microwave for 30 secons. Stir and heat again for 15 seconds.

Combine oats, peanuts, wheat germ and flax seeds in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine peanut butter canola oil and honey. Mix well. Stir in the jelly just a tad (don't overstir, you want the peanut butter and jelly to be somewhat separate).

Place the granola on a sprayed baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan and stir the granola, rotate the pan and bake again for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I did something fun last night.

The kind of fun that calls for heels and good perfume. Shawn and I had a date night...on a sunday...we're wild like that.

Last tuesday was his birthday. My old man turned 25. We both love comedy and enjoy the raunchy and dirty humor that is of Daniel Tosh on Tosh.0.

Thankfully I discovered he was coming to Columbus so I eagerly snatched up a couple tickets and surprised him with it while we were watching Tosh.0.

It was hiiiiilarious.

I love to laugh. After eating, laughing might be my favorite thing. Lucky for me I have my own personal little clown.

Of course the half bottle of sweet red wine that I enjoyed over our homemade steak dinner helped.

But really, it was so so funny. I am not sure what kind of person it makes me to enjoy his humor. It is so wrong on so many levels but if I had room to roll on the floor I would have.

No joke.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

From Cookinglight.com

Ingredients:

Bread:
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray

Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Peach Yogurt Pie

I found a cool website.

I don't know that I have told anyone this but I am certain that if the idea of "past life" exists that I was a 50's housewife.

Truly.

I thoroughly enjoy cleaning and baking. Yep, I said cleaning.

So this website....it is a recipe database full of vintage recipes found in old housewife magazines and old hand-writen recipe note cards! Neat right?!

Only con? It appears that it is no longer being updated BUT there are plently of charming recipes that you can imagine your grandma making in her floral apron with her vintage kitchen-aid appliances. ::sigh::

Let's face it...nobodys anything taste better than Grandmas...and Grandmas is always the most simplistic and straight-forward version. These days (and yes I am oh so guilty) people want to throw hundreds of ingredients and layers and components in their food and the simple classic flavors are often lost.

Do I feel that is wrong? Absolutely not...I do it all the time. But sometimes you need that simple pie or that 5 ingredient cookie recipe.

Simple. Delightful. Classic.

This is one of the recipes I couldn't resist. There is nothing like a juicy peach in the summer and a pie that requires a ready-made crust.

I just wanted to put on my brightest apron and whip this bad boy up. And that is exactly what I did. Though I wasn't as well put-together as a traditional 50's housewife. I was in my pajamas that I had been in for 36 hours and hadn't pulled a comb through my hair in 35...

Like I said...PAST life.

Peach Yogurt Pie
From recipecurio.com

Ingredients:

1 package (3 oz.) JELL-O Brand Peach Flavor Gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
2 cartons (6 oz. each) low fat Peach Yogurt
2 cups thawed fat-free Whipped Topping
1 cup finely chopped fresh peaches
1 reduced-fat Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Directions:

Dissolve gelatin completely in boiling water. Chill until slightly thickened. Using wire whisk, blend in yogurt. Fold in whipped topping and peaches. Spoon into crust. Chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Greek Yogurt Lemon Mousse

It's hot outside.

Like really REALLY hot. The kind of heat that makes it hard to keep your eyes open because the heat is literally burning your eyeballs. You know? Like when you are squinting so hard it hurts?

That kinda hot.

I want to complain...and I guess I kinda just did...but I must remind myself I live in Ohio where extreme weather is expected. And I was kinda maybe just recently whining about the cold and the snow.

I suppose I am hard to please when it comes to weather.

If I'm looking at this scorching heat in a "glass half full" kinda way then I guess it offers up a great excuse to desperately chase after the ice cream man, or induldge in some ice-cream in mountain-sized portions, or even eat that 7th popsicle (you know the kind that comes in a plastic bag) even though the edges have cut open the sides of your mouth.

There's the silver lining I suppose.

You could go a healthy route though. I find this here mousse to be extremely refreshing and bonus! It's guilt-free. It's made with greek yogurt and fresh lemon and is perfectly light and fluffy.

You hot? Make this...

Greek Yogurt Lemon Mousse

From kitchenmonki.com

Ingredients:

1 cup Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
3 tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1⁄4 cup Water
1 envelope Unflavored Gelatin, about 2 1/2 teaspoons
2⁄3 cup Egg White, from 4-5 eggs
pinch Salt
3⁄4 cup Sugar

Directions:

Combine yogurt, zest, juice, and extract in a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

To a separate small bowl, add water. Sprinkle gelatin on top and set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water. Boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, to the bowl of a stand mixer, add egg whites, salt, and sugar, stirring gently to combine. Once water is boiling, carefully lower stand mixer bowl into saucepan. Whisk gently until sugar is dissolved and eggs are near-scalding to the touch. Remove bowl from pan.

Scrape gelatin into egg mixture and whisk quickly and thoroughly to combine.

Secure bowl to your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip egg mixture at medium-high speed until the outside of the bowl is totally cool to the touch. (This took me about 8 minutes.) Once this occurs, add yogurt mixture. Continue whipping a few more seconds, until it's all combined.

Divide mixture among serving vessels and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Serve cold. My suggestion? Serve with fresh berries...yum!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal

Does anyone else unconsciously panic and reach for the remote whenever you hear Sarah Mclachlan come from the tv?

I can't handle the crying puppies and shaking kittens.

I'm the type of person who cried during the "Lion King" and was totally moved after I watched "Homeward Bound". I can handle when people get shot in movies (though I wouldn't say I find it pleasant) but if a puppy even so much as looks sad, I lose it.

Those animal rights commercials are torture.

That was my side note for the day.

I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend. The 4th of July always reminds me of the summers I would spend in Minnesota with my family lighting off fireworks and having water balloon fights. There was always a cook-out going on with endless amounts of barbeque goodness.

Good times...

This recipe has no relation to the 4th of July whatsoever. I don't really have a good recipe that I've made recently that really fits so this will have to do.

Whenever I am out of bananas, and I want my peanut butter oatmeal, I throw some jelly in the mix. Strawberry jelly to be exact. Yep, that's how I roll...strawberry jelly all the way my friends.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats (quick-cooking)
1/4 teaspoon splenda with fiber
1 teaspoon wheat germ
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar-free jelly
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Combine the oats, splenda, wheat germ, milk, water, peanut butter and nuts (optional) in a microwave-safe bowl.

Stir and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir again. Microwave again for an additional 30 seconds-1 minute (until it reaches desired consistency). Remove and stir in jelly. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Granola

Does anybody else find post-it notes to be one of the best inventions ever? Yes, it's something so simple...sticky little pieces of paper...but I use them ALL the time...

I wish I had thought of those...

I wish I had thought of many things actually...like Facebook, or groupon...or peanut butter. I swear I cannot get enough peanut butter. As a kid I would sit in front of the boob tube watching "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" marathons while spooning an entire jar of Jiff in my face.

Crunchy or creamy? Creamy for sure...More peanut butter or jelly? Peanut butter...duh! Should peanut butter and banana's get married? YES!

I already posted one of my favorite breakfasts that I eat nearly every morning...my peanut butter banana oatmeal...this stuff is what gets me out of bed...I was inspired to make a granola with the same flavors. Its delicious, and healthy and has lots of protein...woot woot!

I have noticed that along with post-it notes I use a lot of "dot dot dots" you know...those?

Peanut Butter Banana Granola
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
5 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons canola oil
pinch of salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F

Heat peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds on high. Stir, then microwave again for 20 more seconds to melt the peanut butter, making it easier to stir. Mash  banana with a fork. Combine peanut butter, banana, vanilla, honey and oil in a medium bowl and mix well.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, peanuts, brown sugar and salt. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Divide the granola in 2 and spread evenly on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the trays, stir and rotate and bake again for an additional 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, turn the oven off and remove the trays again and stir the granola, breaking up the chunks. After 5 minutes put the trays back in the oven (that should be turned off) to allow the granola to sit in the oven and finish baking for 15 more minutes.

After 15 minutes remove the trays and allow granola to cool. Store in airtight containers.

Strawberry Waffles

It has been a little while since my last post...shame on me. I assure you all though that this doesn't mean I haven't been doing my thing in the kitchen...in fact I have something baking in the oven this second.

I've just been busy...very very busy. Sure that is the most widely used and heard excuse in the book. But it's true I tell you.

It's the last week of class until "summer vacation" which for me is like 18 days that will feel like 18 hours. We all know what the last week of class is like....having no motivation and really struggling to tie up all the loose ends to make sure you pass and move on to the next torturous quarter.

I love college but school and I don't get along. If college could be college without classes I would stay forever. Honestly...well sans "the freshman 15" that is. That wasn't too fun. Am I right or am I right? Boys, you don't know what I'm talking about so scoff away...

Speaking of gaining weight...last year I did a post on my hometowns annual strawberry festival. It is one of my most favorite times of the year and guess what?! It's this weekend. I am heading home in a couple hours and thought I would squeeze in a little time to nurture Dame Good Eats. I'm going to Troy in a pair of skinny jeans and coming back to Columbus in stretchy pants. Just you wait and see...

I would take pictures but to have such a thing documented would be rather embarrassing.

In honor of the strawberry festival I would like to post this recipe I found too interesting to leave alone. I had some extra strawberries from the strawberry tiramisu I made and was looking for something different to do with them...If there is an excuse to use Shawn's waffle maker I'm grabbing a hold of it and holding on tight.

Strawberry waffles....yeah...I know...I too was all "waaaaaah?!" (for those of you who have a pug and know what the questionable/confused head tilt is, that is what I did).

They're tasty...different...but tasty fo sho. Strawberry waffles+fresh strawberries+whipped cream+syrup=done and done.

Now wish me and my arteries good luck this weekend. Please and thank you!

Strawberry Waffles
From food.com

Serves 3

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 teaspoons sugar substitute (Splenda)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced strawberry
1/4 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons natural applesauce or 2 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Directions:

Combine flours, flax seed, Splenda, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl with a whisk. Form a well in the center in preparation of wet ingredients.

Into a blender, place strawberries, milk, applesauce (or yogurt), vanilla and egg and puree until smooth.

Add the wet strawberry mixture to the dry flour mixture and whisk just until all is moistened. Do not overmix.

Spoon about 1/2 cup batter onto preheated waffle iron that's been coated with cooking spray. Cook until done and crispy.

Serve hot with toppings of your choice: sugar-free syrup, Cool Whip Free and extra sliced strawberries.