Granookies

Okay, really weird name, I know. You can laugh all you want. My husband and I came up with it late last night as we were eating the granookies for a late-night snack.

Basically a granookie is half chewy granola bar, half cookie. Make sense now? The granookie was spawned after I began making a cookie recipe I had found, realized I didn't have half the right ingredients, and so created something unique and definitely yummy.

The nice thing about these is, they're very adaptable (that's starting to become a theme for me, I think  . . . . what can I say? I like versatility in cooking!). You could totally add a little of this and leave out a little of that and have your own unique granookie.

I just like saying that word. Granookie. Granookie, granookie, granookie.

Ahem. Moving on . . . .

Another nice feature about these? They're completely gluten free! That's right, 100% no gluten. That means they're healthy. Very healthy. Packed full of protein, fiber, and  . . . yumminess! What's not to love?

Disclaimer: because they are so healthy, they are not super sweet . . . there's no added sugar. If you like things a little sweeter, try adding 1/2 cup or so of some honey or raw sugar. That should help make them even more delicious. Since I was making these as a snack, we wanted them to be a little healthier, so I left the sweetener out. Again, totally adaptable to what you'd like. :)

Okay, okay, enough about granookies! Here's the recipe:

Granookies

Makes about 2 dozen

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or plain applesauce

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda 

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

3 cups oats

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped dates 

Mix the bananas and yogurt in a stand up blender for a minute or two, until well combined. Next add the peanut butter, again until just combined. Add in the egg, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves, and blend well. Then add one at a time the oats, chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, and dates, each mixing in until just combined. 

Scoop out rounded spoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until they are started to golden on top. Let cool, and enjoy. 

(I kept mine in the fridge so they would last longer, not that that helped, since we ate them so quickly! They are probably perfectly fine left out too)

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

We tried creating a recipe recently. I love buttermilk pancakes, but I also like to use more whole wheat than white flour. I thought perhaps we could come up with something yummy by combining the two. Here's the recipe I came up with. We really liked them a lot!

Sometimes whole wheat pancakes are grainy, so it depends on the flour you use. I've been using the Prairie Gold Whole Wheat Flour, and I really like it. It's ground super fine, so it not too heavy, but still gives that nice, hearty whole wheat taste. I purchase mine at Walmart or Hyvee most often, but I'm sure it's pretty widely available. But anyway, here's the recipe.

WHOLE WHEAT BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Makes about 6 smaller pancakes (which are pretty filling. Fed my husband, me, and our always-hungry toddler perfectly)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk (often I don't have buttermilk, so I make it. For 3/4 cup, use about 2/3 cup milk, and make up the difference with some apple cider vinegar. Measurements don't have to be terribly exact).

Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat (it  really just depends on what you're using. I usually use my cast iron skillet on a gas stove, which needs to be low-medium heat. You might have to experiment a little if you haven't done pancakes before). Once hot, spray or butter the pan/griddle so the cakes won't stick.

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the egg and the buttermilk and mix in thoroughly until you have a nice batter. It shouldn't be too thick (like cake batter). It should be about the consistency of pudding, more or less. You can add more buttermilk if you like your pancakes a little thinner, too. These were nice and fluffy. This is what my batter looked like:

Using a deep spoon or a measuring cup, make a little circle of batter in the middle of your pan (or several on a griddle). I think I did mine about 1/3 cup, more or less, but that's completely up to you.

Cook the cake until the sides look golden and the middle is bubbly, about 2 minutes.

 Use a spatula and flip the cake over, and cook the other side for about a minute more. If the other side is golden like the top, it's probably just right. Continue doing this until all the cakes are cooked (or you can probably store the rest of the batter in the fridge for a couple of days. It will probably need to be covered well, and stirred well when you go to use it again).

Finally, use some butter and pure maple syrup (or whatever you love on your pancakes), and ENJOY!

DIY Farmhouse Coat Rack

So my hubby and I have been working on a project the last week or so. I've been wanting to make a coat rack for our front porch. Something rustic and "farmhousey", but sturdy with lots of room for coats and hats. I had seen pictures on Pinterest of "peg" coat racks, and I really liked the look.

The design we came up with was so easy, and cost us under $3.50 to make. Here's a picture of the finished rack. Neat, huh?

The materials we used were:

1 sturdy pallet board
a wooden dowel about 1 inch in diameter (I think we used pine, but it wouldn't matter much)
2 cups day old (or older, just basically leftover) coffee
2 cups white vinegar
1 steel wool pad
wood glue
wood screws
a drill
a 1 inch paddle bit

We started with cutting the dowel. (I didn't know I was going to do a tutorial until last minute, so sorry, lots of skipped pictures . . . ) Josh cut 6 pegs about 3 inches long, and then cut one end of each diagonally so that they would angle upwards.

I then took them and soaked them overnight in the coffee and vinegar with the steel wool floating in it. I got this idea from this blog, where they brushed the mixture onto the wood. I wanted a really dark stain, since my pallet board was dark, and I wanted the dowel pieces to look a little more aged, so I soaked them. You could totally skip this process, though, and paint or stain a different way. Tons of options there. They really turned out great!

After soaking all night, I placed the dowels on paper towels and let them dry out for the day.

Once they were ready I placed them on the board where I wanted them and traced around them with a pencil.

Josh took the board to the garage and used the paddle bit to make a little indention for each dowel to sit in. Then a dot of glue in each, and he put a screw into the back of each through the board.

And that was about it! He hung it up for me on the porch, and I just love it! Rustic, sturdy, "farmhousey", plenty of room, all of that! I can't wait for colder weather so we can actually use it a bit more. For now it will have to be content holding Josh's ball caps. :)

Creamy Vegetable Chowder

So, here's a good recipe for a cold day. This is one of my husband's favorites. It's just a good, hearty veggie chowder that my sister and I came up with one chilly day when we were messing around in the kitchen. I suppose it could be made without the milk too, and it would be just a hearty veggie soup. Experiment, anyone?

Creamy Vegetable Chowder

(Serves approx 6-8)

4 cups water

3 stalks of celery, chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped

 4 potatoes, chopped (I like to leave the skins on, to make it a little heartier. And I usually judge about 1 potato per person, or two smaller ones)

2 cans of corn (or about 12 oz of frozen corn)

1 large onion, chopped

1/8 cup lemon juice

2 cups milk

1/4 cup white flour

1 tsp crushed red pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

Chop all of the veggies into small pieces. (I was missing the onions this particular time. Not the same.)

Cook the water, celery, carrots, potatoes, onions, and corn in the crock pot on high heat until vegetables are soft, about 3-4 hours. Turn the heat to low.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour into the milk. Slowly pour this mixture into the soup, whisking until fully incorporated. Do not let it boil. Add the lemon juice*, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the flour's starchy flavor is cooked out. (This means you have to keep sampling your soup . . . darn.) The soup will be slightly spicy. 

*I add the lemon because i gives the vegetables a nice "pop."

I like to serve this with homemade rolls. I will try to post my recipe for those soon! Enjoy! 

Sweetness

So, I just have to say,  my hubby is AMAZING!

He went to the store for something, and came back with this little tub of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, all for me. Just because he loves me. And let me tell you, it is GOOD.

Why wouldn't it be? The only ingredients in it are cream, skim milk, strawberries, sugar, and egg yolks. That's pretty much pure goodness there.

So yeah. I am happy. Because I love ice cream. And I love my husband too. :)

Meet the Family!

As a proper start to this blog, I suppose we should start with introductions.

My name is Laura, and I am an incredibly happy woman. :)

I am a Christian, and I serve an amazing God (well, the only God, actually, to say it correctly). I was saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone over 10 years ago now,  and I'm trying to live my life following in the footsteps of Jesus. I'm so thankful for my church, Christ Fellowship of Kansas City, in helping me to stay close to Christ as I journey through this life. And of course, I am striving to become a great student of God's Word, which more than anything gives me the strength to be who God calls me to be.

 I have an awesome husband named Josh whom I love very much. We celebrate our first anniversary next week! It has been an awesome year together, and I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives. And I'm also so thankful for him as he continues to be the leader of our home that God has created him to be.

I have a one-month-old daughter named Molly who has my complete adoration. I can't stop looking at her and feeling her little hands and feet and trying with all of my crazy silly faces to make her smile . . . just a little smile. She's rocking my world right now, that's for sure.

I am pretty much in love with food. I'll admit it. I could eat all day long. Not a good habit, I know. But I love to experiment in the kitchen. I also play piano and sing, love to read and write, enjoy nature and the great outdoors, love DIY projects and crafts, crochet and dabble in knitting, enjoy a good cup of tea with a spot of milk and honey, loved gardening (especially herbs and flowers), and love spending time with my family.

I love so many things about life! I think that's why I called this blog "My Joyous Heart" because my heart really is full of joy. God has blessed me with this joy, and I want to share it with whomever I can. If you are blessed at all by anything you read or see here, I hope you will thank God for it. It is through Him that I live and breathe and do anything that I do.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are encouraged today! :)


Laura