Sylvia's Scenario

Now that summer is coming to a close, all our guests have departed and our celebrations are winding down,  I decided to get back to my healthy eating kick again.  So, wouldn't you know it that I got a craving for chocolate chip cookies.  But I solved that problem real fast by making these "healthy" chocolate chip cookies.  This is a Hannah Freese, RD recipe so, of course, it's a healthy one.  It's one of those no-cook type of cookie that tastes like a cross between a granola bar and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  It immediately satisfied my chcolate chip cookie craving and I made them in about 15 minutes.  They are made with oatmeal, pecans, hemp seeds, peanut butter, milk of your choice, and dark chocolate chips.  I had all the ingredients in my kitchen since I started following her eating plan five years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long.  It was September 2020 when I joined her 12-week program to fix my broken metabolism. ...

You are probably wondering why I am posting a recipe for Chex Party Mix.  Anybody can get the recipe off the box of any Chex cereal, right?  That' s what we did for years.  I use to make this during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays when the kids were little and everyone loved it.  But that was before you could buy it pre-made in a bag in all stores like a bag of potato chips. When Bruce was shopping at Costco last month,  he said he almost grabbed a bag of Chex Party Mix for our Thanksgiving guests.  But then when he was in the cereal aisle,  he saw you could buy all three Chex cereals together (he always buys his Cheerios and Grapenuts at Costco) and decided it would be fun to make it homemade again.  So, he came home with the three Chex cereals and made it from scratch. We had several bowls of it out for Thanksgiving, all of which got completely eaten and people even commented how good it was.  I admit I ate my share, as well and it was ...

Here is a super easy recipe for your Super Bowl Sunday enjoyment.  Since we are not having our Super Bowl party  this year, we can still eat in a festive manner.  Pandemics do not stop me from eating well!  In fact, I'm eating better.  I started following  The Freese Method  during the pandemic and feel so much better thanks to Hannah Freese, RD.  This recipe falls right into the plan so why not? I eat a lot of nuts following The Freese Method and a lot of dark chocolate...since sugar is off the menu.  (The plan allows dark chocolate that is >70% cocao which is easy for me to eat and totally satisfies my sugar craving.)  There are a lot of spiced nut recipes but I think this recipe has just the right amount of spiciness.  My sister has been serving these nuts at family gatherings for at least 20 years and I am finally posting it. She doesn't even remember where she got the recipe!  I buy the nuts from Trader Joe's and even t...

Tonight, we made homemade corn tortillas in honor of Cinco de Mayo and they were delicious! I don't think I can buy packaged tortillas anymore and they were so easy to make. All you do is add masa harina (a dry corn flour) together with water, flatten into round shapes and cook on the griddle! Makes 16 -5" tortillas or will serve 5 people with 1 pound of ground beef for tacos. 2 cups masa harina 1-1/2 cups water 1. In a large bowl, combine the masa harina with the water and stir until moistened. 2. Carefully roll out the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap to about 8" long and then divided it into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, transfer to a large plate and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  3. Heat a griddle until very hot. Line a tortilla press with plastic wrap on the top and bottom. 4. Using a tortilla press, a skillet or a rolling pin, flatten the tortilla to a 5-inch round. 5. Peel off the plastic and set the tor...

If you have a child off at college, this a good little snack to send them for a treat instead of the usual cookies - not that they don't enjoy cookies but just to give them a little variety since we all ate our share of cookies last month! This is a fun recipe. If you just want to make them for yourself, these are good to compliment all that soup you're making this month. (January is National Soup Month, by the way…) Or make them as a snack while watching the endless football on TV.    Makes 12 pretzels 1 package dry yeast (about 2-1/4 tsp.) 1-1/2 tsp. sugar 1 cup warm water (100 - 110 degrees) 3-1/4 cups flour, divided 1 tsp. salt cooking spray 2 Tbsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cornmeal 1 tsp. water 1 large egg 2 tsp. kosher salt 1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes. 2. Sift together 3 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt. Add to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured su...

Have you carved out your Jack-o-lanterns yet?  Well, don't throw away those pumpkin seeds.  They are a delicious and nutritious treat.  This part of Halloween was always as much fun as carving pumpkins when my kids were little - saving those precious seeds, setting them aside and then preparing them to eat! Munching on them after they're toasted is a true fall experience.  Do miss out. 1.  Wash the seeds and remove the strings to the best of your ability.   2.  Soak the seeds overnight in salted water (1-1/2 tsp. salt per 2/3 cup of water)   3.  Place the seeds on a cookie sheet  and toast in the oven at 300 degree for 45 minutes or until  golden.   These are always a fall favorite food to have around.  I've seen recipes using soy sauce or worcestershire sauce but I just like them with a little plain salt by soaking overnight.  You get a true pumpkin seed taste this way.   Save the s...