This is one of the easiest shortbread cookies to make. After experimenting with this recipe it became one of our favorites. You can play with the presentation of these cookies. If you like chocolate you can dunk the tips, (once they’re cooled), in melted dark semi sweet chocolate, and again into walnut chunks. These little gems supposedly last in the freezer for six months (This has never been tested at my house, we’re lucky if we get them to last until the company comes because they have an evaporating syndrome).

Ingredients:

·          1 1/2 cup butter,

·          1 cup sugar,

·          2 to 2 1/2 cups flour,            

·          1/2 teaspoon salt,

·          1/2 cup ground walnuts,

·          1/2 small chopped walnuts

·          about 1/3 cup Icing sugar for rolling

Methodology:

Mix together all ingredients in large bowl with a mixer. (Except icing sugar) Drop by a teaspoon and shape into crescent moons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 12-15 minutes. They should not be brown. Roll in sugar while still warm. ( if dough is a bit tough add a spoon of sour cream…)

Cookie dough can also be piped using an extra-large open spiral tip (use the x-large cookie tip only because of the chunky nuts) If you want to pipe the cookies and don’t have the x-large tip exchange the chopped nuts for ground walnuts. For a change replace the walnuts with Hazelnuts (filberts) or almonds.

 1 1/2 pounds of good dried spaghetti noodles (100% semolina)
Veggie substitute for 1 1/2 pounds of hamburger(optional)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 extra large jar spaghetti sauce (your favorite)
2 cups water
Vegan parmesan-like topping
Dice, slice or chop all ingredients in whatever way appeals to you. Buy them diced or sliced if you can. Make it easy on yourself. Heat a large saute pan on medium heat. Add olive oil. Add fennel, black pepper, garlic powder, celery and onion. Saute until onion is softened and fennel is aromatic.
You’ll need a five-quart or larger crock pot. Break spaghetti in half, unless it will fit in your cooker whole. Put half the jar of spaghetti sauce in the crock pot, then add the other ingredients. Top with the rest of the sauce. Stir ingredients gently to mix.
Add water to spaghetti sauce jar, then shake to remove the last of the sauce. Pour into crock pot. Turn crock pot to high and cover. Stir every hour, making a point to keep the noodles from sticking to each other. Serve when hot and thoroughly cooked, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

You can also use canned tomatoes and a bit of tomato paste to replace the jarred sauce. In that case, double the seasonings (well, don’t double the fennel), and you’ll probably want to add some salt, although I don’t. You can substitute other veggies if you don’t like the ones I’ve named. Corn would add to the protein, but then it wouldn’t be as pseudo-Italian. And that one I probably wouldn’t serve to Mario or Martha. Well, I might, I just wouldn’t call it Spaghetti. Actually, you could use whatever noodle shape you want and call it anything you like.
That’s it, next time I’m using rotini and I’m adding corn. I love corn. Diced red and green bell peppers would be good, too. In fact maybe I’ll use the frozen corn that already has peppers in it. See? You can vary this infinitely according to what you like and have on hand. It can’t help but be delicious.
If you must, you can use browned hamburger instead of meat substitute, but then it won’t be vegetarian. You can also use genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano, Peccorino Romano, Asiago, or any other cheese to top the dish, but then, of course, it won’t be vegan.

Ok, well, maybe not a delicacy, but certainly delicate. And sought after, because I am a very frugal mama.

I’m not quite sure why I have issue with spending .69 cents per pound (CDN) considering the trouble it takes to get them to cottage country, Ontario. But, I NEVER buy banana’s “fresh”. Because it’s inevidible that there will be a ten pound bag of nasty looking bananas on the markdown rack for .99c at the big grocery store. Or in a basket for .19c a pound at the mom and pop down town. (and that shop knows me so well, that they’ve been known to just GIVE me the spotted and blackened skinned bananas.)

So, they are such a big find for us because I am the queen of banana bread. At any given time, there are at least one or two banana bags in my freezer.

What, you didn’t know you could freeze them? Oh yeah…I like to put them into a grocery bag, but it’s not necessary. When you want them, take them out of the freezer and cut off the tops. Let them thaw for a bit, then squeeze the “guts” out of the skins, like a tube. (It looks REALLY horrible, but it still does the job, and without having to mash them.)

I digress. Which is typical. Use this in your favourite banana bread recipe, or use them in banana milk shakes. Or try this Peanut Butter Banana muffin recipe.

3 Bananas,
1/4 cup oil,
1/2cup sugar,
pinch of salt,
1 beaten egg,
1 tsp vanilla,
1 1/2 cup flour,
1 tsp baking soda,
1 tsp baking powder,
1/2 cup peanut butter.

Add oil to the bananas, sugar and salt. Mix well, then add egg, vanilla and fold in peanut butter. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda over the mixture, mixing only enough to moisten flour. Drop by spoonfuls into a greased muffin tin for 12 muffins. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.