It’s time for our Annual DSDC Picnic/ DSP Day!

Babysitting Swap

Many of you have expressed a need for childcare services. Since there are many parents with this need in the agency, there is also a great opportunity for those parents to help each other. There are things as large as a co-op or as small as a few co-workers swapping the care of children with each other. If you are interested in leading an interest group to help meet the needs of employees, please send me (Cheryl Waters) a message PHS.

Your responsibility would be to see how many people have the need for childcare and to schedule a meeting for all of those who are interested. I will supply you with information such as ground rules and other expectations.

Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup unsalted natural creamy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped pitted dates (6 ounces whole dates)

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine peanuts and oats in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 25 times to create a coarse meal. Add cocoa and salt, and pulse a few more times to combine. Put pumpkin purée and peanut butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until peanut butter and pumpkin are incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and dates, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture. Mix until completely combined, forming dense dough. Scoop up tablespoons of dough and roll them into balls. Arrange on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Press down on the balls with the back of a fork first in one direction and then in the other to form a checkerboard design on each cookie. Bake until cookies are firm and dried, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Place cooled cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature up to 4 days or refrigerate up to 1 week.

Nutritional Info: 

Per Serving: Serving size: 2 cookies, 120 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 30mg sodium, 12g carbohydrates, (2 g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 4g protein.

I Meant Well

I’ll never feed a hungry mouth with bread I meant to bake.

I’ll never cheer a lonely heart with a call I meant to make.

A shut-in saw the mailman come and lies awake tonight.

Hurt because she didn’t get the card I meant to write.

The little lady sitting there, too proud to bed or borrow

I meant to go by there today. I’ll try to go tomorrow.

The little child with crippled legs, he needs some of my time.

I really meant to give a day: instead, I gave a dime.

When I come face to face with God and my life down here is through,

I don’t think He will be impressed with the things I meant to do.

-submitted by Lynn Blankenship (from the Nazarene Weekly 5-29-77)