December, Lunch, Leaks.

For some reason, it seemed a long time coming, to me November appeared to take forever. The incredible thing this year is – no snow. We got a sprinkle at the end of last week and that’s it although in the UK they have quite a bit of the white stuff right now and our granddaughter got the day off school because of it. She is delighted of course, she loves snow. She probably enjoyed the day off too.

Today we are going to Elora, which is about half an hour from here, to have lunch with a friend at her sister’s restaurant. Cork is the name of the restaurant and www.eloracork.com is their website. It looks pretty good and I will, of course, let you know what we thought and what we ate.

Our heating seems to have been fixed. The electrician had to be called in. Something about a blown transformer – not guilty, we haven’t been messing about with it at all.

I don’t really understand the whole business with Wikileaks, but the Americans are not too happy about everything that has been leaked (it is said there is more to come). Makes me wonder, who leaked the information in the first place. The business about who calls who what is not that serious as no doubt other countries do the same things, but a lot of the other information which has been leaked is somewhat more damaging.

Having stated I don’t make cookies, I couldn’t resist this recipe which looks yummy. I probably won’t make them, in fact, if I want chocolate chip cookies our local supermarket, Zehrs, sells a wonderful brand which I can eat by the dozen. Not quite the same of course, but I am not supposed to eat ‘em anyway!!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: © EatingWell Magazine

about 45 cookies

Here's a new take on an American classic. Tahini (sesame paste) makes the cookies sophisticated for adults and lower in saturated fat, while brown sugar and chocolate keeps them ever so delicious for the whole family.

Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.
INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tahini (see Ingredient note)

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2/3 cup granulated sugar or 1/3 cup

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Ingredient Note: Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Look for it in natural-foods stores and some supermarkets.

DIRECTIONS

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat tahini and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended into a paste. Add granulated sugar (or Splenda) and brown sugar; continue beating until well combined-the mixture will still be a little grainy. Beat in egg, then egg white, then vanilla. Stir in the oat mixture with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

With damp hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the batter into a ball, place it on a prepared baking sheet and flatten it until squat, but don't let the sides crack. Continue with the remaining batter, spacing the flattened balls 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pans cool for a few minutes before baking another batch.

Have a great day