Thanks for all the kitchen compliments! Obviously I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it’s an important area for me to enjoy!
When I got home from work yesterday, I checked the mail to find a “Welcome Home” card from our new neighbors. The neighbors whose door I was ringing Tuesday morning when I got locked out. What a saint.
I was already thinking of making “thank you baked goods” after my plea to use her phone, and the card put the pep in my step to head to the kitchen and whip up some neighborly love (in the form of baked goods).
What sweet neighbors 🙂
I popped open my recipe binder and I saw this recipe. 1) Yum! 2) Had all the ingredients. SOLD!
Ew, old cookie sheet!
Apple Cranberry Breakfast Cookies from Weight Watchers
1/4 cup no-salt soft margarine 50/50 Smart Balance Butter Blend, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large egg(s)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cup whole-grain wheat whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup uncooked quick oats
1/2 cup dried apple(s), chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 serving butter-flavor cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine margarine and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs and beat for 30 seconds; add applesauce and beat just to mix.
In another bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda; add to mixer and beat to form batter. Add oats, apples, cranberries and walnuts; combine by hand.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are lightly browned and firm, about 13 to 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Move to wire rack and cool completely. Yields 24 large cookies.
Nutrition Information (per cookie): 107 calories; 2.8 g. fat; 20 g. cholesterol; 63 mg. sodium; 18.8 g. carbohydrate; 1.7 g. fiber; 1.2 g. protein
Result: These were good! Really good! I should be back on my neighbor’s good graces after these! Mr. Prevention even said he would eat these for breakfast! I think they’re more of a cookie than a breakfast item because of the sugar content, but any breakfast is better than no breakfast! Plus, they’re really, really good! 😉
Lily wanted to confirm that, as well. What a BEGGAR!!
And we lucked out on that risotto I wanted to try…deeeeeeeeeelicious!
Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Mascarpone slightly adapted from Cooking Light
1/2 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 1 ounce)
1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth
Cooking spray
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
3/4 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Combine 1 1/2 2 cups boiling water and mushrooms; let stand 10 minutes or until soft. Drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve 1 1/4 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid; chop mushrooms.
Bring reserved soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).
Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Add mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano and mascarpone cheeses, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir gently just until cheeses melt. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings (1 cup each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 198 calories; 6.1 g. fat; 15 mg. cholesterol; 449 mg. sodium; 27 g. carbohydrate; 1.2 g. fiber; 8.9 g. protein
Result: Wow-za. Delicious! Absolutely wonderful! Using the wine, beef broth, and mushroom water reserve to hydrate the Arborio makes this dish very rich. Add the mascarpone and it’s heavenly. Mr. Prevention gave this dish a huge thumbs up, as well! I’m glad 😀
I was busy in the kitchen yesterday, and I still managed to get in a run and 7 hours of work. I could get used to working just 30 hours a week 😉
Question: Are you still enjoying summer, or are you ready for the fall (and football!)??
Be well,
That’s so great that you have wonderful neighbors! The meal looks great. 30 hour weeks would be nice 🙂
I am SO ready for Fall and football. I don’t like the heat, so I can’t wait!
I’m sure she really appreciated those! I love when neighbors are friendly. Ours are all very closed off.
Aw, that’s so sweet of them! I have moved every year since 2004 and so I’ve kind of given up getting to know my neighbors. But I would love to have people as nice as that living next door.
You are lucky to have such great neighbors!
I am definitely ready for fall… football and cooler weather sounds amazing!
Nice work on the cookies! I find baked goods are so useful for such things- I’ve also made cookies for “thanks for fixing my car” and “thanks for not calling the cops every time we have afterbars” during college… 🙂
I’m sort of ready for fall. I’m not wishing summer to leave just yet, but I will definitely welcome fall. Winter, however, is a different story- stay away!
What a nice thing for your neightbor to do…and for you to do for her! Who doesn’t love getting a plate full of freshly baked cookies as a thank you?!
I am looking forward to fall…I can’t wait for this baby to arrive!
OMG that risotto looks amazing! Definitely a dish to make on a cool fall day =) I love meeting and doing nice things for neighbors! Every neighbor we ever had growing up (we moved a lot) became like family. I hope they like your cookies!
Yum, those cookies look really good! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I’m sure your neighbor will enjoy!
I’m trying to savor the last few weeks of summer while I can. I love fall though 🙂
Not looking forward to football, that’s for sure. It feels like all the men in my life disappear for 5 months.
At least football season is the shortest and my husband doesn’t watch CFL too (only NFL) so that helps.
I’m still in enjoying summer baby!! It’s actually summer until like September 21st and everyone forgets that! When we were planning out “fall wedding” for september 19th last year — we had to keep reminding ourselves it was actually summer heheh. Summer all the way for another month in the Healthy Heddleston Household 🙂
Glad you are getting all moved in .. really sweet about your neighbor!
I am very much enjoying summer because it is back to work at the middle/high school in 2 weeks, and my sister will be here in 1 week.
The cookies look great, so I really hope they enjoy them. I know they will.
Aww what nice neighbors! Yes, I’m totally ready for Fall-this summer has been way too hot!
I am so ready for football season! We have a countdown started at our house…my husband tells me every day how many days there are until kick-off and asks what I am making for snacks for the first game! 🙂
Those cookies look fantastic!
Im loving the summer (when it shows its face), but I love fall too so I wont be too disappointed when summer leaves us. It is nice to know I’ll be able to run with the dog again when it cools down too. I worry too much to take her with me in the heat, and so I havent been running much lately. I’ll be happy to get back to it!
I’m still loving summer but am SO excited for football season to start!
those cookies look awesome! Another recipe of yours I’ll have to try! I just blogged about 2 recipes that I made from your blog this week…hope you don’t mind that I tagged you in the post!
How sweet of your neighbor!! And how sweet of YOU to make such yummy and healthy cookies in return!! It is so important to have a good relationship with your neighbors… though I should take my own advice… we barely know ours after 2 years!! 🙁
Our neighborhood has become the same way. We recently have had new neighbors move in and it is nice that they are all so friendly. Last year we did a Halloween Block Party. It was so much fun.
Breakfast cookies are always a favorite in my household. If only I liked to bake.
That was really, really sweet of your neighbors! And equally sweet of you to make the cookies! They look delicious and healthy cookies for breakfast has me sold! 😉
I’ve been in a serious baking mood lately. Last night I made oatmeal cookies and today I made chocolate zucchini muffins 🙂
I don’t know my neighbors. Maybe I should make them cookies.
I’m still okay with summer. Maybe temps in the 80s instead of 90s would be okay though.
I love thank you cooked food. It’s the way to show your feeling and show off your skills. I will make make candies for my husband’s office this weekend as a return gifts on Yaseen birthday.
Wow, the risotto looks so amazing. I love every bit of it. I need to try this out soon.
We live in India, so it’s monsoon season here. It is very nice and fresh having rain shower down everyday. But I am ready for winter so we can go picnic, do bbq or hiking 🙂
Yummy cookies and risotto…
What sweet neighbors you have, but what a sweet neighbor YOU are, too! Will you be MY neighbor? (We kinda are….I’m just next door in Indiana). 😉
I am DEFinitely ready for fall and football! And the food. Chili, pumpkin, soups and stews, need I go on?? I am so ready! But I will miss the fruit….
I just made this for dinner. Delish! Thanks for sharing.
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I’m so glad you liked it! I can’t wait to make it again!