Spring Is Coming – Maybe?

The weather recently has actually been pretty nice, especially for February. I secretly think Mother Nature is doing her best to soften us up for the next bit of nastiness we all know is coming. But when it's been as nice as this, it's easy to lie to ourselves and allow hope to grow that spring is closer than the calendar says.

I'm among those who has allowed herself to believe that gardening weather is returning. So much lying to myself! Last week when we went into Markles (drain cleaner was needed for my kitchen sink), I saw they had a small display of garden seeds set up. I've been ignoring the copious amounts of seed catalogs arriving in the mailbox, as well as the daily emails offering free shipping and/or discounted prices.

Anyway, I succumbed to the impulse to purchase some vegetable seeds. This impulse was spurred on by the memory of missing out on my favorite varieties of both corn and carrots. Now I have a small sack of seeds to keep track of until probably May. I do have a small space in my closet set aside for gardening supplies, such as seeds, gloves, and the waist belt I use to hold both the house and cell phone. The pockets also hold seed packets very nicely. (Most of my gardening supplies are out in the unheated shipping container, but the seeds won't be exposed to the freezing weather.)

Since my garden is still under a blanket of snow, I'm concentrating my free time on other hobbies, notably rock painting, crocheting, and cooking. I made the following recipe last week. It's not as great as others I've used while avoiding wheat flour and real sugar, but it's good enough to make again. I am jazzing it up by topping my servings with a dollop of nut butter and a sprinkling of sugar-free chocolate baking wafers I bought at WinCo Foods in Billings.

Baked Brownie Oatmeal

2 C coconut milk

1/2 C maple syrup

1/3 C peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 C oatmeal

1/4 C cocoa

1 Tbl flaxseed meal

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

1/3 C dark chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°. Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper. Stir together the milk, syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix in the oatmeal, cocoa, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chips. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely. Store airtight in the fridge.

The recipe also says you can use a mixture of peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips. My chocolate chips melted away during the baking, so next time I'm going to sprinkle them on top of the pan halfway through the baking time. Then I won't need or want to add those sugar-free baking wafers.

For a healthier dessert, try this next one. It is simple to make and really tastes great. Use tart baking apples. I've used Granny Smiths, Opals, McIntosh, Fujis, and Galas, whatever I've had on hand. I buy whichever kind is on special. I keep thinking I'm going to try it with walnuts instead of pecans, but haven't yet done that. My sister gave me a package of Missouri pecans from a farm near her for Christmas, so I'm using those.

Butter Pecan Apples

3 apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

2 Tbl butter

2Tbl cold butter

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C pecans

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

In a medium skillet, melt 2 Tbl butter over medium heat, until foamy. Add the apple slices and sauté until they're golden brown. Pour into a baking dish. Meanwhile, pulse the cold butter, nuts, and spices until crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge.

The recipe doesn't specify what size pan to use. I've baked these in a deep pie plate, an 8" 8" pan, and most recently in a 9"x13" glass dish. I do spray whatever pan I'm using with no-stick spray. All have turned out just fine.