John's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Doug and I had a visit from our soon-to-be-newest member of the family.

Can't wait for it to be official.

John and our niece, Lyndie, are getting married.

And it will be in October!

 John graciously brought some chocolate chip cookies he made.

They were wonderful, so he jotted down the recipe for me to share

and make!

We ate them so fast that this was the only picture I got,

and I am quite sure that I had to grab this out of someone's hand before they ate it.

They were golden brown and crisp, but not too dry.

And they are healthy... made with Honey.

I will translate this recipe.

• 1-1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 stick butter, (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Cream honey, sugar, and butter together.

Mix in drys.

Add chocolate chips.

Bake 18-20 minutes @ 300 degrees.

 One of the best CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ever!

 John enjoying the fruits of his labor.

10 Health Benefits of Honey

http://www.realfoodforlife.com/health-benefits-of-honey/

 I will be sure to make Doug and I  a batch of these cookies with this

raw honey John gave to us.

Honey Facts

⦁ There are over 25,000 species of bees worldwide. 

⦁ An adult worker bee's lifespan is about 45 days during summer months. 

⦁ A typical Bee colony consists of 30,000 to 60,000 bees. 

⦁ Male bees are called "Drones" and they do not have stingers, their only purpose is to mate with the queen bee. 

⦁ A queen bee can sting multiple times without dying. 

⦁ 99% of the bee colony is made up of female bees known as worker bees. 

⦁ The average honey bee's wings flap over 183 times per second. 

⦁ Bees have an excellent sense of smell which allows them to find their hive. 

⦁ Honey Bees actually dance when they return to the hive to tell the other bees where the flowers are. 

⦁ Honey is the ONLY food source produced by an insect that humans eat. 

⦁ Worker honey bees transform the floral nectar the gather into honey by adding enzymes to the nectar and reducing the moisture.

Honey

 Love Birds!

Can't wait for the big day!

Wild Rice & Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

Wild Rice & Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

I prepared this dish for my family one weekend.

They are cutting out more meats and dairy and processed foods from their diets.

So, I came up with this recipe for stuffed bell peppers

with wild rice.

I purchased this wild rice when Doug and I recently went to Minnesota to see

my sister.

 Wild rice is gluten free, high in protein, and low in fat,

just wholesome and healthy goodness.

Always rinse wild rice thoroughly in cold water before cooking it.

One cup uncooked wild rice yields 3 to 4 cups cooked wild rice. 

Bring 6 cups chicken stock to a boil.

 Add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1 cup wild rice. 

Bring everything back to a boil before reducing the heat to maintain a low boil. 

Cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes.

Finely chop an onion,

 mince 3 cloves of garlic, 

and slice 6-12 ozs. of mushrooms.

Saute in a skillet and add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries.

For added flavor we added 1 Tbsp. Cranberry-Pear

White Balsamic Vinegar.

Add the cooked wild rice to the sauteed vegetables.

Prepare the bell peppers by washing,

 cutting a thin slice from stem end,

 then hollowing them out, removing the seeds and membranes.

Next, stuff the wild mushroom mixture into each one and put the tops back on.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until the peppers are tender.

Enjoy!