Joy in the Kitchen!

I am posting this to avoid being a total liar. I told a friend that my recipe for Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies was on my blog.  I sat down to find it, and I can't find it ANYWHERE!   That blog post must be in the happy place in my mind with so many other things I "think" I've done....   like sending the check for our water taxes, or turning the stove off of high before I leave the house.  ;) We LOVE these cookies!  My sister, Peggy, used to make these and they're so easy and tasty, I'm sure she has no idea how often we've used that recipe she shared with us over 20 years ago.  One thing I love about them, is that in the summer, they don't heat up the house like baking a batch of regular cookies would.  They are also a healthier sort of cookie than many...  peanut butter gives them protein, oats add all sorts healthy things - hefty amounts of iron, protein, and a little calcium, not to mention a good serving of fiber!  Really, the more I think about

What to do with a few LARGE handfuls of fresh green beans?  We love this easy way to prepare them.  I especially love that I don't need to snap them.  I just snip the ends!  We like them fairly tender, probably to the point that some feel they're overcooked.  :)   Check them every few minutes to see if they're at the point YOU like them.  If you LOVE garlic, go ahead and throw in a few more cloves.   Mmmmmm! Garlic Green Beans A couple of good handfuls of fresh green beans a few tablespoonfuls of olive oil 2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced salt & pepper  Heat oil in large skillet.  Add garlic and saute' just a minute to flavor the oil.  Add green beans and cook over medium-medium high heat stirring occasionally to keep garlic and beans from burning.   If you'd like the beans to be very tender, put a lid on your pan & they'll soften up faster.  After about 10 minutes, test to see if the beans are done to your liking.  If not - continue cooking unt

This week, along with my usual Bountiful Basket of fruits & veggies, I ordered a Mexican specialty pack.  What a fun bunch of new (to me) items to cook with!  We had jalapeno's, green chilis, limes, cilantro, garlic, tomatillos, avocados, green onions, and a couple of yellow onion.  There are several of those items I've never used.  A quick search online revealed MANY recipes to consider!  This is the one I found that looked the most interesting and that I had all the ingredients on hand.   The directions were easy to follow and I only made a few adjustments to the original recipe.  It turned out delicious!!!   We served ours with Spanish Rice and warmed corn tortilla's. My changes:   I used only 1/2 a jalapeno, added 2 green chilies, which I roasted but did not take the skin off of, only about 1/3 of the cilantro.   I also put mine in a crockpot.  Then an hour before dinner, I ladled off most of the liquid, put it in a pan & boiled it for about 10 minutes to r