"The Hunger Games"

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.

Just finished this book and LOVED it! You might think I'm a little crazy (and morbid) when you read what the book is about, but it is a VERY addicting story. Besides, I've read about vampires, werewolves and the "Host", so what can i say? :)

Yay!

I don't know about you, but I have had the hardest time finding a nutritious breakfast that our girls LOVE, (and that's easy and fast, too!) but I think I've found it! Make sure and note the changes I made at the end of the recipe, they're subtle but still keep the integrity of the recipe.

1 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup oat flour

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heat waffle iron. In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, oat flour, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine beaten eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and fold together with a rubber scraper, being sure to not overmix.Lightly spray hot waffle iron with non-stick spray. Add about 1/2 cup waffle batter. Cook until crisp on the edges. Serve with pure maple syrup, powdered sugar and butter. Makes about 6 waffles.

Rookie's Notes: If you don't keep oat flour in your pantry, you can make your own. Just add rolled oats (quick cooking or regular) to the bowl of a food processor and give it a whirl. If you don't have a food processor, my condolences. You REALLY should look into getting one. The possibilities are endless. Click here to see the one I have and love.When freezing the waffles, let them cool before you put them in a plastic bag.

Heather's Notes: I do not keep oat flour in my pantry, nor do I have a food processor, so I just used white flour. Not to say that I don't think it would be good, just didn't have the tools to get it done, but want to try them that way, too! Also, a friend of mine taught me this trick when it comes to buttermilk~you can make your own! Just take regular milk and add a tbsp. of white vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes. Done!

"Redhill aWard Winning Chili"

"Redhill aWard"-Winning Chili

{Makes 8 servings}

1½ lbs. ground beef

2 large onions,diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, diced

½ lb. chorizo sausage, casings removed and meat separated

1Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

Green onions and cilantro for garnish

Cook the ground beef, onions, garlic and bell pepper in a 5 qt. Saucepan over medium heat, until beef is browned. Drain and set aside. Brown chorizo sausage and then add the drained meat mixture. Stir in remainder of ingredients, except green onions and cilantro. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered until desired consistency. We served the chili with chips and sour cream.

**Ok, I did make some changes with this recipe, here they are: First of all, I have no idea what chorizo sausage, so I just used regular 'ole sausage. And the other thing was, after all the ingredients are combined, I added 2 cups of water.