almond champange

Happy 2010 folks!!

Last night was different than any other NYE celebrations I have experienced in the past, but it was totally fun! Before heading south, Isaac and I made some Chewy Oatmeal Spice Cookies to bring to our host.

They turned out to be so moist and chewy- we all loved them! They were inspired by this healthy cookie recipe, but I made a few changes (for instance the addition of raisins and old fashioned oats rather than instant). My version is posted below.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
1 cup unbleached flour, white
1 teaspoon tangerine peel, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon applesauce
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spray several baking sheets with vegetable oil spray and put aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, orange peel, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with the mixer set on medium speed, beat together oil, applesauce, brown sugar, eggs whites and vanilla until fluffy and smooth. Slowly beat in the oat mixture. Lightly stir in raisins.
Using a spoon, form cookie dough into 2 1/2-inch rounds and space about 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8–10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on rack.

Nutritional Facts

(without the raisins)

Calories: 113, Total Fat: 4g Protein: 2g Carbohydrate: 18g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 67mg

After we met up with our friend at his place on the Poquoson peninsula we walked next door to his family’s shin-dig. There were plenty of drinks and food to go around:

I took advantage of the fully stocked bar and made myself a Black Russian, a sweet cocktail of Kahula and vodka. I sipped on it for a while as we played pool, darts, and cards.

Later in the evening, I partook in a mini glass of Wilson Creek Almond Champagne as the ball dropped! I’d never had almond champagne before – the almond flavor was very apparent but not overwhelming. It was tasty, but the mini glass was the perfect amount as it’s sweetness would be too much to have a huge glass of it.

We ended up hanging out at the party for a couple more hours and then calling it a night and walking back to our friend place to crash.

This morning I woke up and posted up right next to this baby.

Being cold natured, I’m drawn to any sort of heating devices and wood stoves are simply the best. They’re pretty to watch and they put off a ton of heat. Plus we had a wood stove in my house growing up so there’s a bit of a nostalgic factor there as well.

I had a few almonds from the nut bowl while waiting for brunch to be ready.

I forgot how much I like cracking nuts. It’s fun and they taste so fresh.

While the boys ate cheesy eggs, sausage links, bacon, and biscuits I had an apple, a banana, and a packet of Kashi Truly Vanilla Instant Oats. I always come prepared with my own snacks and breakfast items because you never know when you might need them- especially if wind up on a farm.

We hit the road back home and upon arriving I whipped up a kale omelet.

The omelet is easy peasy. I sauteed a bit red onion, green pepper, kale, sea salt, and ground pepper together in a skillet until the kale became wilted and then transfered the mixture to a plate. In the same skillet I cooked up a mixture of 1 egg and 1 egg white, added the greens to one side of the omelet, and folded it over.