Too Much Good Cooking

If you look closely at the Compadre and me you would notice that I really do like to cook. And that I’ve been doing more of it at home since retiring from my full time cooking job. I’ve got a bookcase of cookbooks, a box of magazine clippings and a large folder on my computer of recipes to try. And it’s been so much fun to try them. The Compadre read an article in one of his news magazines about what not to get your wife for a gift – written by a woman. Her top thing that a husband shouldn’t get his wife was – get this – a Kitchen Aid mixer! Ha, ha, ha, ha! He knows me well to know that the absolute best gift he could get me – and I don’t really need it – would be the new 6 qt. kitchen aid mixer. Better than diamonds – well almost. When we remodeled our kitchen we made sure that the distance between the countertop and the upper cupboards was enough to fit one. But my old 5 qt. mixer is still gamely mixing along and I can’t justify replacing it. It’s made countless loaves of bread, batches of stiff cookie dough, and everything else I can throw at it. I sound like an advertisement don’t I. I really do like my mixer! I saved up money to buy it, by taking care of a friend’s daughter for her while she worked, back in the days when I was a stay at home mom with a very limited budget. I’ve never regretted that purchase.

So anyway, last week I made The Pioneer Woman’s Apricot Oatmeal Bars twice – they were that good. I had two pot luck type of activities to bring them to so I just had to make them - I had to, I tell you. One of the ways I “improved” on her recipe is that I mixed it in the kitchen aid. Why mix by hand when the mixer will do it for you so much more easily and better too! It does work to do it by hand but you have to wait for the butter to really soften or you’ll be working very hard! I also used peach preserves instead of apricot but that is minor. You could use any kind of jam, jelly or preserves you wanted. I happened to have peach on hand. I’m sorry but this is the only picture I took. They went fast, they were so good. Easy to make too.