June Cleaver Without the Heels

Readers, there is a blog on the interweb that is even more fantastic than mine. It is called Heavenly Homemakers, and I think it is the blog equivalent of my soulmate. This lady posts recipes for things that seem complicated or difficult or at least impressive to make from scratch, and they are almost always healthy. She emphasizes whole food ingredients like honey and whole wheat, and teaches how to make staples like homemade peanut butter and homemade yogurt. (Bonus: she is even funnier than I am!) And guess what. Although these sound like the sorts of things that make you think, "That is for women who wear long dresses and aprons and spend all day up to their elbows in flour," (because that was totally my first reaction, too), it is EASY to make this stuff!

Example: Homemade peanut butter.

Recipe: Place peanuts in food processor. Push the button until it looks like peanut butter. No seriously, that's it. Unless you want to stir in some honey. (Full disclosure: I ordered a food processor on Amazon about fifteen seconds after reading this "recipe". Not only because I could make homemade peanut butter with it, but also because I loathe chopping things and figured it was about time to make the investment.)

Example 2: Homemade yogurt.

Recipe: Place 3/4 cup plain yogurt into a glass jar with 1 quart milk. Shake. Place in a cooler full of hot water and leave for seven hours. Try not to forget that it's there. (I added that last part.) Add vanilla, honey, fruit, etc. if you want flavor.


So guess what I undertook today? I was perusing her dessert recipes (where did you think I would start, seriously?) I saw the Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie recipe and thought, oh, too bad I don't have any chocolate chips! Turns out, the Heavenly Homemaker has a fix for that, too. Homemade chocolate chips! Which I made immediately, and while they were chilling, I decided to make Mudballs instead of the peanut butter cookies. This is my new (healthy!!) alternative to whipping up no-bakes when we are craving dessert. Mudballs contain peanut butter, honey, wheat germ, oats, and (homemade) chocolate chips. And sesame seeds or any type of seeds, but I am not really a seed kind of girl and didn't have any on hand.

Here's how things turned out: (If you compare photos, mine turned out runnier than hers. I am not sure why but they hardened nicely in the fridge and are dang tasty.)


So please, continue with your day and be sure to feel terribly impressed with me. Because I took all of eight minutes to make chocolate chips (plus the two hours they spent in the refrigerator not requiring my attention) and a full ten minutes to make Mudballs.

As soon as I obtain some glass quart jars, I fully intend to make yogurt. It is one of our weekly splurges because it is delish and we only eat the all-natural stuff. So if I can make it at home out of our cheap, farm fresh raw milk, I consider that a homemaking WIN. And then the other ladies at church will be totally justified in their envious murmurings because I am such a kitchen prodigy.

Hopefully there is a blog out there that can help me with humility, too...