Recipes to share!

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
~ Virginia Woolf

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
5 cups finely blended oatmeal*
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped in blender or food processor
24 ounces (4 cups) chocolate chips
3 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add oatmeal, flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in chopped chocolate, chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by ice cream scoop onto greased cookies sheets and bake for 12-16 minutes until cookies have just begun to brown on bottoms. Makes 3-4 dozen big, fat, luscious cookies.

*Grind oatmeal in a blender and then measure out to 2 1/2 cups, or use oat flour)

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flout
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
2/3 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together sugar and oil, add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl combine flours, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry mixture and water alternately to egg mixture until combined. Beat in pumpkin and nuts. Pour batter in two greased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
~ Henry James