How did our grandparents survive working all day in the heat to do their canning and cooking on hot days?   Today, I decided to try some new recipes from Michael Klunker’s BlogSpot.   I started with soaking black beans overnight.    This was to have the beans ready to make Michael’s copy of Panera’s bean soup, which of course I forgot to photograph.

While the beans were cooking, I decided to try another recipe I saw – where one uses a very ripe banana per cup of oats to make quick cookies.  So I tried them with just raisins added.   They were fine for a breakfast cookie, but what about a dessert cookie.

I made another batch of them with chocolate chips and vanilla.   They are a good, not overly sweet cookie.   One could use granola as a base with the banana, or one could add seeds, nuts, whatever suits the fancy.   So now there are cookies in the freezer and ready for breakfast tomorrow morning.  If you want to try these.  Bake 35o degrees for 15 minutes.

Next on the list was Michael’s Pierogies.   I’ve been wanting to try them for a while, so why not pick a nice hot day  (we do not have air conditioning)    I made the McDougall sour cream recipe which Michael used in the mashed potatoes, then after cooking the potatoes, mashed them and also made the potato gravy recipe.

After lunch (of bean soup), I made the pierogie dough. which has a couple dough rest spots.  They were then rolled out and cut.

Here they are, stuffed with mashed potato and closed.   They are resting in the freezer for an hour and then I will go bag them.   They were so labor intensive, tomorrow, I will take out only enough for one meal and the rest will be for special meals.

It has been one hot, kitchen day.   I am going to bag the Pierogies and sit down and read.