Rogers Yums!

I like stew.  But sometimes I wish it had more variety.  Every bite tastes the same as the one before it.  Even if it's a really good stew, it feels like it could always be a bit better. We were making stew in our Instant Pot a few days ago.  Since we're always cooking for a crowd, we were using a lot of ingredients.  It didn't take long to realize that I didn't save enough room in the pot for the potatoes.  Fortunately, I'm married to a genius!  Aubrey had the idea of roasting the potatoes. After she cut up the potatoes, I tossed them with some olive oil and salt.  Then they went into a 450 degree oven until they were lightly browned.  We served the stew on top of the potatoes, and the result was fantastic!  There was a lot more variation in the flavor and texture of each bite.  The result was much more interesting, and far more enjoyable, than traditional stew.

After several experiments, I now have a very good whole grain cookie recipe.  Why bother putting whole grains in cookies?  If you're looking for nutritional benefits, desserts aren't the right place for that!  This recipe came about as a way to use the ingredients I had at hand, which included whole wheat flour.  Instead of trying to disguise the whole wheat, I decided to embrace it and add complimentary flavors.  The result is a soft chewy cookie that tastes a bit like toffee with chocolate. Recipe 1 stick (½ cup) butter About 90 grams (a bit under ½ cup) vegetable shortening (see instructions below) 165 grams (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar 165 grams (¾ cup) brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons orange juice 300 grams (2 ½ cups) finely ground whole wheat flour 80 grams (1 cup) old fashioned rolled oats 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 450 grams (2 ⅔ cups) semi-sweet choc...