Thursday Morning Muffins.

I just looked at the date of my last post and almost fell out of my chair.  APRIL 29TH? And now it is the middle of JUNE? What has happened?  I guess when I look back, quite a bit has happened.  Let me tell you.
I finished up my master's degree. No, I'm not done with school yet, nor am I am school psychologist, I have two more years of school left...but I'm making progress.
I started working as a barista at a local coffee shop; I am enjoying learning about the art of making coffee and sometimes wonder why I don't work as a barista full time. Don't worry Mom, I'm not quitting school.
I watched T run a PR in the Madison Half Marathon (1:14:39) and couldn't have been more excited for him.
I canoed down the black river and survived an encounter with a water snake.
I completed one of my summer courses, one more to go.
I competed in my first triathlon of the season last weekend and was thrilled to race with some good friends.
So, here we are,in the middle of June.  I guess it is time for a post.

This morning started off with a 4.5 mile run in the sunshine and my legs actually felt great, which was surprising, as I have been struggling to get into a good running rhythm lately.  After my run,  C came over and we made muffins.  You all know how I feel about muffins- if you don't, read THIS POST and you will soon know how picky I am about my muffins.  Thank goodness C is a true friend and wasn't upset with the recipe I picked.  I was thrilled that it contained whole grains, flax, fruit, veggies, was low fat and low sugar, however, of course I had to make some changes to make this recipe even better. Oh, I must not forget the BEST PART of these muffins.   I was able to use some of the homemade whole wheat flour that a dear friend Rae made and gave me as a gift.  I have the best friends ever.

Homemade whole wheat flour from Rae

We whipped these up while catching up over a warm cup of coffee.  Let's just say I am really enjoying this week off in between my summer classes....and look forward to having the remainder of my summers off as a school psychologist.


Healthy Apple Cinnamon Wheat Bran Muffins (adapted from kneadtocook.com)

3/4 c unbleached, all purpose flour
3/4 c of whole wheat flour
3/4 c of flaxseed meal
3/4 c of wheat bran
3/4 c of brown sugar
2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2.5 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c of almond milk (you can use low or non fat milk as well)
2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 c of Non Fat apple cinnamon flavored Chobani  Greek Yogurt
2  c of shredded carrots
1 shredded apple
1/2 c of chopped walnuts 

Crumble Topping:
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP oats
1/2 TBSP cold butter
Mix together using a pastry cutter or a fork to get a crumbly mixture

Preheat oven to 350.  Line your muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the flours, wheat bran, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices and brown sugar.   Then add eggs, milk, vanilla and Chobani.   Add the carrots, apples and walnuts, stirring just until combine.   Scoop the mixture into your muffin pans, 3/4 of the way filled and top with crumble mixture. Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular sized muffins.  Insert toothpick and if it comes out clean, they’re done.  If not, bake for an additional 2-3 minutes and repeat the toothpick test.  Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then serve.  

Autumn

I love autumn and the wonderful things that accompany it: wearing my boots that have been tucked away for 6 months, drinking warm tea after a chilly bike ride home from class, my annual trip to the apple orchard to pick honey crisp apples, buying locally grown squash at the farmers market, crisp golden leaves on the trees and the excuse to make all things pumpkin related in the kitchen. Maybe I shouldn't tell you I have already managed to make pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin mousse, pumpkin creme brulee, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin lattes, and this weekend I'm making pumpkin frozen yogurt? I might turn into a pumpkin soon, my skin isn't turning orange, yet...
Not only do I  have a slight obsession with pumpkins, I also love all things apple. This morning I found a great recipe for applepie oatmeal on Pintrest (more on this new obsession later) and decided to try a new spin on my daily oatmeal routine.  As I was cooking this oatmeal, I decided to write this post on apples and provide you with not ONE but TWO apple recipes.  As I type this, the rays of the autumn sun are beaming through my window and the golden leaves of the maple tree in my yard are blowing gently in the breeze.  In a few weeks, it will be cold and snowy, so I'm soaking it all in now.

Recipe #1
Apple Pie Oatmeal:
Ingredients:

1 apple, cored and chopped (skins on)
1 cup water
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Topping: maple syrup, brown sugar or splash of milk

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Then add the oats, apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (I ground my own nutmeg that I purchased fresh from the CoOp, oh yessss.) Adjust the heat to low and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and add whatever  you desire to the top- I like a splash of milk and some brown sugar. 

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Now for recipe #2: applesauce.  I made this way back in September with my Mama but plan to make another batch this week.  Kelly brought home a gigantic bag of apples from a friend's apple tree and it didn't take us long to come to a group consensus to make applesauce.  It was still warm outside, we peeled and sliced apples on the screen porch while the sun set.  I hope there are many more evenings similar to this in my future. 

I should preface this recipe by saying I do not eat store-bought applesauce...I only like to eat it when it is made to my liking: no added sugar and TONS of cinnamon.  Call me picky, I don't mind.  
And now that I am about to type this "recipe," I am realizing it really isn't a recipe.  It is so very simple, just like the oatmeal above.  Sometimes, simple is best.

Applesauce

Ingredients

Apples (everyone has their own preference as to what variety they like)

Water

Cinnamon

Cloves

Directions
Simply peel and slice as many apples as you desire, I usually use 8-10. (When my Mom and I made it last time, we used at least 20 apples but we made a large batch) Add apples and spices to a large saucepan, along with a bit a water (I usually start with 1/4 cup).  Cook apples on medium high until the apples start to become soft.  Turn heat to low and let apples simmer until it is the consistency of applesauce (you may have to add more water while the sauce is simmering).  Once apples have cooked down, remove from the heat and allow enough cooling time before refrigerating. Of course, I always enjoy a bowl of applesauce fresh off the stove, while its still warm.

red,white & blue.

I usually get a few laughs when I tell people that I am living in the dorms this summer.  The laughs are then followed by a question that goes something like this "...but didn't you graduate in May?"  Indeed I did.  I am serving as an AmeriCorps team member this summer and work as a resident and teaching assistant (not to mention mentor-momof36kids-firstaidperson-ruleenforcer-tutor-16yearoldlovelifecounselor-jackofalltrades-superwoman) and therefore haven't be able to spend very much time in the kitchen.  My lunches (and dinners for that matter) often consist of the same old iceberg lettuce topped with whatever I can get my hands on at the cafeteria and let's be honest, I have no desire to write about that and I can only guess you would not want to read about it either.  I am going home this weekend and while there, I promise to make something blog worthy.
 I did have a few days off of work over the 4th of July and was asked to cook breakfast (with the help of my good friend J) for 10 of my friends while we were up north.  The 4th of July is my favorite holiday, so naturally I wanted to make something festive!  The two of us teamed up and decided to whip up homemade blueberry buttermilk pancakes, topped with strawberries and whipped cream.  Hello RED WHITE AND BLUE!  The pancakes were a major hit.  After breakfast I got to thinking about griddle cakes and I realized many people do not make pancakes from scratch anymore...they are made out of a box.  Don't get me wrong, everyone relies on a box mix at some point in their life, however, I believe everyone should have one go-to homemade pancake recipe in their collection.   Here is a perfect pancake recipe that is simple, delicious and can be specialized by adding berries, nuts or chocolate.  Not everything made in the kitchen has to have multiple pages of directions or ingredients that are near impossible to find.

Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 Tbs oil
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tps salt
1 1/2-2cups flour (I used 2 to get the correct consistency)

Directions: Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl and dry ingredients in a separate large bowl.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just combined.  A few lumps in the pancake batter is normal!  Using a 1/3 c. measuring cup, place batter on heated griddle.  Add berries, nuts or chocolate chips to each pancake.  (I have found that adding the berries etc to the cakes once they are on the griddle works out well.  When I mix in the berries or chips to the batter, they all sink to the bottom.)  Enjoy!

fresh blueberries

My attempt at a flag pancake

Red, white and blue buttermilk pancakes!

And it goes like this.

Remember me telling you about the killer omelettes my dad made for me on weekend mornings when I was growing up?  Well, my Mother also had a tradition of making something on weekends: scones and a pot of coffee.  I think each culinary choice accurately depicts their personalities.  Scones make for a lovely morning-they are so delicate and remind me of both my Mother and my time abroad in Europe.  I could not ask for much more. My mom's scones are one of her signature creations and whenever I make scones, I simply follow her recipe (adjusting the choice of dried fruit, nuts or chocolate is encouraged).  The result is a warm, crumbly-but-never-dried-out, four inch piece of heaven that emerges from the oven in the form of a scone.  If I were to make any recipe other than the traditional one, I would almost feel as if I were betraying  someone or something. I usually love experimenting and trying new recipes, but I have remained loyal to the same scone recipe. And then something changed.
Last weekend, I stepped out of my little scone box and tried something new! Can you believe it?  We need to get something straight. This was not because I was tired of my Mom's recipe or because I had made a bad batch.The truth is, someone put in a request for a particular flavor of scones: cherry with an orange glaze.  I did not want to try to modify my mom's recipe, because, in my book that would have been major recipe betrayal, and we wouldn't want that.  I searched high and low for a new recipe that still fell somewhere along the lines of healthy.  I ended up making cranberry orange scones, not quite cherry-orange, but close enough, right?  In addition to trying this new recipe, I did something else very odd.  I baked the scones in the evening so they would be fresh on Monday morning for the special delivery.  The orange zest filled my kitchen with a delightfully fresh scent and left me yearning for summer.  I did not have any orange juice on hand, so I simply made my own, using fresh oranges and my citrus reamer. Although this batch of scones wasn't for me...I would be lying if I said I didn't sample one.  The scones had a slightly different texture than my mom's, but were scrumptious.  I have already added the recipe to my collection.

Cranberry Orange Scones (Taste of Home)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 10 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

• GLAZE (optional):
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 7 teaspoons sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, orange juice, cream and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
On a floured surface, gently knead 6-8 times. Pat dough into an 8-in. circle. Cut into 10 wedges. Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack.
Combine glaze ingredients if desired; drizzle over scones.

*When I made the glaze, I used more orange juice and only a few table spoons of sugar.  The scones are already sweet, so I didn't top the scones with glaze.  I put it in a bowl so the consumer could add it if desired.  It kept in the fridge for a few days.

More Muffin Madness

I should start this post out with a few updates on my life, as many new things have evolved in the past few days.  First and foremost, I have officially been accepted to graduate school and will be attending the University of Wisconsin La Crosse for the next 3 years to obtain my Education Specialist degree in School Psychology!  I am still in disbelief as I type those words, it hasn't really hit me yet.  UWL is one of the most rigorous and challenging programs around and I will leave the program extremely prepared for a career as a school psych.  I feel blessed to have the privilege to attend such a renowned program and work with the excellent faculty here!  Secondly, I am taking a trip out to Portland and Seattle next week for spring break. I have a pretty awesome travel companion and I know the west coast will provide us with a much needed adventure. I probably won't be posting during break- but will have plenty to say when I arrive home.  I haven't traveled anywhere since Ireland and I can't wait to "get the heck outta dodge."   Once you get the travel bug, it never really goes away... Stay tuned for pictures and stories!

Now on to what most of you came here to read about...food.
I'm sure many of you read my post about muffins back in December; if you didn't and you want some background on my take on muffins- read it.  I had been on a bit of a muffin hiatus for the past few weeks.  I'm not sure if this was due to a lack of time to bake or if deep down  I know when I make a batch of muffins, they disappear too quickly for my own good.  I decided to end the lack of muffins in my life and made a batch of classic banana chocolate chip muffins.  These were devoured by myself and my friends, so quickly that I made a second batch of muffins a few days later, only they were pumpkin cranberry the second time around.  Oh wait.  They were supposed to be pumpkin cranberry, but as usual, I didn't exactly follow the recipe and made them into pumpkin-apple-pecan-cranberry.  Despite my ability to follow a recipe, these were equally delicious as the banana chocolate chip muffins and didn't last long.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins-fresh out of the oven

Banana Muffins (From our family recipe box)

3-4 bananas, mashed

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cup flour

Optional ingredients: mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc…

1. Mix mashed bananas, sugar, egg and oil together in a medium bowl. 
2. In a separate large bowl, mix together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.  
3.Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until moistened, being careful not to overstir!   
4. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

5. Let cool for a few minutes before removing muffins from tins. Continue to cool muffins on a wire rack.

Low Fat Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins (Adapted from the Gundersen Lutheran Heart Health Cookbook)

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cake flour

1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ¾ cup pumpkin (1- 15 oz. can)

½ cup apple sauce

1 cup cranberries

***Note- I used 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup diced apple n place of the 1 cup of cranberries.  I also added 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients.  In separate bowl, mix pumpkin, applesauce, eggs.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold in cranberries.  Pour into greased muffin tins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.

Back on Track with Granola

Yesterday marked the end of the "holiday season" in my family.  We spent the weekend in Lake Geneva celebrating with the Straus side of the family.  It was a fun filled weekend that began with a lovely 5 hour car ride through freezing rain and fog, followed by a wild New Year's Eve celebration with my grandparents, Mother, and Kelly.  We popped open the champagne at ten o'clock in our pj's while watching the Philharmonic Orchestra perform on Public Television. We were all in bed by eleven.  Let me tell you, it was a raging party. 
On Saturday we had our belated Christmas get together, filled with Christmas games, brandy slush (mmmhhhmmmm), and yummy food.  The weekend was fun---but I am ready to get into my regular healthy eating routine and schedule back in lax.  I am relieved that the holiday 'grazing' season is over; I feel as if I have eaten my way to China and back.  To kick off the New Year on the right foot, my Mom and I made our very own homemade granola.  The granola we made today was actually our second batch; we made some last week as well.  The first time around, we used gluten-free rolled oats so my sister could enjoy it. The recipe also called for three eggs whites.  Today's recipe did not have any eggs in it and we used regular rolled oats.  (Oats are naturally gluten free, however, many oat fields are directly next to wheat fields and oats are often processed on the same machinery as other food containing gluten. If you have a gluten intolerance like my sister does, you must purchase oats marked 'gluten free' which are simply guaranteed to be grown and processed away from any gluten sources.  These oats happen to cost 4 times as much as regular oats, so if you don't have to buy gluten free---don't).  Granola recipes are fun to play around with; once you find a basic recipe for a starting point, you can customize it by adding your favorite nuts, dried fruit, spices, and seeds.  I love to eat this granola on Greek yogurt but it is also great by itself for a snack.  Store-bought granola often has added sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup as well as partially hydrogenated oil. These recipes have neither!  Both of the recipes we tried contain ground flax seed, a form of plant derived omega 3 fatty acids, which has a long list of health benefits.  Your kitchen will smell absolutely wonderful while the granola is baking in the oven, an added bonus to making your own granola!
Here are the two recipes we used:

Martha Stewart's Granola from Whole Living:
6 cups old fashioned oats (rolled oats, not quick oats)
1 1/4 cups nuts, such as almonds, pecans, cashews or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup seeds, such as sunflower or pumpkin
1/3 cup flax seed meal or wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sweetener, such as honey, agave, syrup or molasses (we used a combination of honey and syrup)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dried fruit, such as cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots, fits, dates, etc

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Combine oats, nuts, seeds, flax and cinnamon in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and the salt until frothy.  Whisk in the sweetener and the oil.  Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the oats are evenly coated.  Spread evenly on parchment covered baking sheets.  Bake for 20 minutes and stir with a spatula.  Continue to cook until golden brown, about 10 more minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet and add dried fruit.
**We added the dried fruit as well as raw unsweetened coconut flakes prior to baking and liked the results.  We ended up baking this granola for almost 40 minutes; the key is to watch it closely so it doesn't get over done!

Great Granola (Recipe 2) from Penzeys Spice Company:
Mix 1-2 tsp China Cinnamon with 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal, 1/4  cup wheat germ or flax seed, 1/3 cup honey and 2 TBS olive oil.  Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 cup dried fruit.  Stir and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring once. Store in an airtight container.
**We doubled this recipe, 3 cups of granola wouldn't last too long at our house :)
  We also used half honey and half syrup and only baked it for 24 minutes, stirring at the 12 minute mark.

After a side by side comparison of the two granola recipes, I have to say that I like the first one better.  The difference is very subtle. I think the eggs whites help the cinnamon and sweeteners infuse flavor onto the oats and create an overall more flavorful granola.  My Mother, on the other hand, does not think there is a bit of difference between the two recipes and made me do a blind taste test.  The first round of the taste test, I was tricked!  My Mom gave me two samples from the same batch. I was able to identify that it was from the first batch due to the great flavor.  We were laughing so hard that I didn't partake in round two of her games...in conclusion--they are both great recipes but I will make Martha Stewart's again next time!

Muffin Mayhem.

I have to admit, I am a real sucker for a good muffin.  I am also very picky about the muffins I like and the muffins that I chose to eat.  I think there is mass confusion in the baking industry these days, 'muffins' have turned into an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.  I cannot stand eating a muffin from a gas station or a grocery store because all you can taste in these muffins is the insane amount of sugar in these calorie packed "breakfast"  items.  If you are going to eat an Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chocolate chip muffin, (with a whopping 13 grams of fat and the first ingredient on the nutrition label is sugar)  why don't you just get a nice big slice of chocolate cake instead?  It's probably a healthier choice.  There is no difference between muffins and cake when you buy them pre made from the store, it is merely a sneaky way of making people feel a bit better about what they are eating for breakfast (not to mention adding on mass to American's muffin tops, more on that later).
Can you tell that I get a bit worked up about muffins? To me, a muffin should be healthy enough to be eaten for breakfast with a cup of coffee or enjoyed for an afternoon snack.   If I want cake---I will eat cake.  Trust me.  But sometimes all I want is a muffin, a real muffin.  A good muffin usually features a flavor or fruit such as blueberries or bananas and I like adding whole wheat flour and bran to start my day off with whole grains.  Adding these unprocessed flours also give muffins some nice flavor and a dense, hearty texture.
I made these spiced apple butter muffins two weeks ago and they quickly won my affection.  They are the perfect density and have a rich flavor.  They were so good that I am going to make them again tonight.  I told you, I like muffins.

Spiced Apple Butter Muffins (eatingwell.com)
 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unprocessed wheat bran, or oat bran
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup spiced apple butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 cup finely diced peeled apple

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 12 standard 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray. Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.
2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in bran.
3. Whisk egg, milk, apple butter, brown sugar, oil and molasses in a large bowl until blended. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Drain the raisins; add them and the diced apple to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (the cups will be very full).
4. Bake the muffins until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Breakfast Club.

The tradition began four years ago when my friends and I were freshmen in college.  My mom would make breakfast and my six best friends and I would pile into the dining room in our pajamas.  We would sit around the table enjoying waffles, scones and coffee while we caught up on each others lives back at college.  This event usually lasted way past the breakfast hour, and the same thing happened today. My mom and I made scones and prepared fruit and yogurt parfaits and my 22 year old friends all came out to our house in their pj's.  And at noon, we were all still sitting in the dinning room, discussing future plans, jobs, crazy Friday nights, drinking coffee and nibbling on scones.  And of course, while we are talking, my Mom still shouts from the laundry room "Laura, I can tell I'm not supposed to hear what you are talking about right now, it just got really quiet out there."  Ha ha, sorry for what you had to overhear this morning Mom.  Anyways, the scones were a hit and quickly disappeared.  What a great morning...

Ready for the oven....

Perfection!

Even Frances had a good time this morning!

Go Bananas

When I returned home from Ireland this past summer I had two main goals: to study for the GRE and to perfect my banana bread. I found myself frustrated with many banana bread recipes because they are not really bread with all of the sugar, oil, and butter, they are more like cake. And, well, if I wanted cake, I would make cake.  I wanted bread.
I took a recipe that I really liked flavor wise and worked to modify it.  I think that I finally have a good recipe down. Don't let some of the non traditional banana bread ingredients freak you out. I made it about once a week for my dad this summer and he claimed that I could start selling it. HA. One day, I woke up and found a glass mixing bowl and the measure cups out on the counter with a note from him saying "if you need something to do, you know you could always make some more of that bread of yours..." Oh Dad, anything for you. I made the bread on Saturday---but if you want some dad, you'll have to drive to lax!
Laura's Banana Bread:
4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter (I use even less)
3/4 cup sugar (I do half of it white, half brown)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats (I just use Quaker quick oats)
1 large carrot finely shredded
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Mix melted butter into bananas. Mix in the egg, sugar, vanilla, carrot, craisins, and chocolate chips. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt on the top and slowly mix. Add the flour and oats last. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for an hour.

While I was at the Y this morning, I realized how much music helps me get through my day. Life would be real boring without music. Here's my song of the week.