My favorite cookie

I LOVE chocolate chip cookies, correction I LOVE chocolate chip cookie dough and I'm a little selfish when it comes to sharing it with my kids.  Yada yada salmonella... I know, I know.  It was about 7 or 8 years ago when I was on the hunt for a really good cookie recipe that was soft and chewy.  I found this recipe here long ago, I tried to find it in the archives but couldn't.  But this is where I got it and wanted to give the proper cred.  Thanks Heidi!

*Note~ the measurements are doubled because I like to have a lot of cookies, so if you don't want that many just half everything.  But believe me you won't want to:)

Ingredients:

*2 C. brown sugar

*1 C. Granulated Sugar

*2 C. (2 sticks) Butter flavored Crisco sticks

*4 eggs

*2 tsp. vanilla (overkill a little)

*4 C. flour

*2 tsp. salt

*2 tsp. baking soda

*1 bag (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

*1 bag (12 oz.) milk chocolate chocolate chips

* bag of chopped walnuts (optional)

I usually get about 75 cookies out of this batch.

Combine in mixer all sugars and Crisco sticks and mix until fluffy.  Next, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until really fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Then add flour, salt and baking soda and mix until combined. Last, mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.  Scoop about 2in. balls on to baking sheet.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 11 minutes.

Cookies will seem a little doughy when you pull them out of the oven, I let them sit for about another minute or two to cook on the baking sheet and then scoop them on to a plate or cooling rack. They will be a perfect combination of warm, soft, melty, gooey and chewy.

Serve them to cute kiddos who have asked you about 50 times "When are they going to be done?!"

Let me know what you think!


Wait a sec, I think I may have found something a bit more yummy...om nom nom!

I'm totally trying this

Is this not the cutest thing ever! What kid would not want to eat this, check out Livvy Loo Who for the recipe. And A Thoughtful Place had this creative idea for a Thanksgiving kids table, this really would work for any event where kids are attending.

Check out Under the Table for more recipes like the pumpkin pie shake and other creative ideas.

Fourth of July

We had an awesome Fourth this year, it's always a lot of fun because everyone in our neighborhood set off fireworks in their front yards so it's very loud and exciting. We had a blast, the guys went to Boom City and got tons of fireworks and anything that made noise or caught on fire that they could find. It was nice and relaxing because we just set some chairs in the front yard along with some blankets on the grass and a fire pit to roast marshmallows. The weather was perfect, we had sloppy joes and baked beans as well as some to die for desserts.
This first one is Strawberry Dumplings

Ingredients:
- 4 cups strawberries, quartered
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 7.5oz. cans(10) buttermilk biscuits, separated and cut into quarters
- sugar for sprinkling
- Whipped cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof iron skillet, combine strawberries, the 1 cup sugar, and the water. Bring to boiling over medium-high heat; cook and stir about 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Arrange biscuit quarters on top of the strawberry mixture in the skillet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 18-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Next, is a simple one, S'mores
Last but not least, this one is called"Not Yo Momma's Banana Pudding" and it is my favorite.
Ingredients:
- 1 box Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies
- 4 bananas, sliced
- 2 cups milk
- 1 (5oz.) box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softenend
- 1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12oz.) frozen cool whipped topping, thawed
Directions:
Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch glass dish with the shortbread cookies. Layer sliced bananas over cookies. In a bowl, combine milk and pudding with a hand mixer. Blend until thickened. In another bowl, combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Mix cream cheese and pudding mixtures together until well blended. Pour mixture over cookies and bananas. Refrigerate before serving.

Here is a flower bucket I made out of a coffee can,spray paint and paper, mod podge, and some wire. If anyone would like the directions just let me know.

Here's a closer look




Avery on her Red Ryder

Here she is prepared for all the noise, she wore them all night!


Here's Madi being a goof ball.







This strawberry was a perfect heart shape
Thanks Erin and Stephen for the adorable outfits, they made the holiday that much more festive.

Recipes of the Week

I'm sorry for not posting recipes lately, I actually have been cooking them and taking pictures, I just haven't been posting them. So here's a few that I've done recently and Anna I'm glad you liked the chicken pillows, I did however make an error when I wrote out the recipe, but it works either way. I forgot to write that they were Pillsbury Grand Crescent Rolls, so try it that way to and see which one you like better. So here it goes, this first one is a Spaghetti bake.
Ingredients:
-1 lb. 6oz. bag of angel hair pasta(you'll only need half of the bag)
-1 lb. ground beef
-1 26oz. can of spaghetti sauce
-2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
-1 10 3/4oz. can cream of mushroom soup
-1 cup sour cream
-shredded cheese( I use cheddar, but the recipe called for Colby and Monterrey Jack cheese, so do what ever you like)

Directions:
Cook pasta to pkg. directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef until no longer pink. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Pour into bottom of 13 x 9 in. dish. Drain pasta and pour on top of sauce. Combine soup and sour cream and spread on top of pasta. Cover with cheese as much or a s little as you like(my motto is the cheesier the better). Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

This recipe is a must at your next party! People go crazy over them, I know I did when I went to my friends party and she made these. And they're so easy to make, you could make them for a quick snack for your family.
Ingredients:
-1 pkg. cream cheese
-Italian cheese blend(shredded cheese blend in an 8 oz. bag)
-1 can chunk chicken in water

Directions:
Drain water from chicken and mix all ingredients together. Spread on sliced french bread and bake @ 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

This next recipe is a ham and cheese quiche, very yummy! I served mine with homemade rolls, it's perfect to make on those cold winter nights. I got this one from a special friend back home, Sue Sunderland.
Ingredients:
-4 eggs
-1 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/8 tsp. nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 tbsp. flour
-shredded cheese
- pre made dough for crust( I use Pillsbury)
-precooked ham, cubed
Directions:
In pie shell layer ham and cheese. Mix together first five ingredients and pour over ham and cheese. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake @ 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center is fully cooked. Sometimes it has taken longer to cook, just watch it. Enjoy!

Good Morning!

I hope everyone is doing well today. I made cinnamon rolls the other day for the very first time and they turned out really well, I even surprised myself. So I thought I'd share the recipe in case anyone wanted to try them.
Ingredients for the rolls:
-2 cups cold milk
-1 package(3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
-2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
-1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
-1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted divided
-2 eggs
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-6 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup butter, eggs, sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add pudding; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into an 18-in. x 11-in. rectangle; brush with remaining butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Cut each into 16 slices. Place cut side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Cover and let rise until doubled about 30 minutes. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients for frosting(I like to double mine):
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/2 cup butter, cubed
-2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cream and butter. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Beat in confectioners sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Frost rolls. Serve warm. Yield: 32 rolls
Let me know how yours turn out, even better email me a picture.

Recipe from Sherelle Christensen

Recipe of the Week

So sorry this recipe was meant for last week! This one is a yummy crock pot recipe, I don't have a name for this one either, I just call it chicken crock pot meal. I know real original. So anyways here it goes.

Ingredients:
-4-6 chicken breasts
-6 slices Swiss cheese
-2 10.5oz. cans cream of chicken soup
-1 14oz. can of chicken broth
-1/4 cup milk
-1/2 stick melted butter
-1 pkg. stove top stuffing(chicken)
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place chicken breasts in crock pot and season with salt and pepper. Layer Swiss cheese over chicken. Mix soup, broth and milk and pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing on top, pour melted butter over stuffing. Cook on low 5-7 hours. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week

So this recipe isn't really new, we actually eat this quite a bit and all the kids like it. I don't know what the name is, we just call it "Cheesy Chicken Tortilla casserole", if you have a better name for it please pass it on.

Ingredients:
-16oz. tub of sour cream
-2 10.5oz. cans of cream of chicken soup
-2 4oz. cans diced green chiles
-1 16oz. bag of shredded cheese(I use cheddar, but you could use Colby and Monterrey jack or Mexican cheese as well)
-2 large cans of chunk chicken in water
-3-5 large tortillas

Line the bottom of a 13"x9" baking dish with squares of tortillas( I just tear them into small squares, it doesn't have to look pretty no one will see it). In a separate bowl mix the first three ingredients, spread half of the mixture on top of the tortillas. Next, drain water from can of chicken and spread evenly over mixture then cover with cheese(there's no measuring, I just sprinkle what I feel like).Then add a second layer(tortillas, mixture, chicken, cheese). Some people like to add olives to the top, it's all up to you. Bake @ 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week

Well if your like me you kind of get in a routine of cooking the same thing over and over again. So I've been trying something new every week to get a little more variety and I thought I'd post the recipes that were a hit in our house. This one is called Chicken Pillows.

Ingredients:
- 2-3 pieces of cooked chicken breasts, cubed (I used two 10oz. cans of chunk chicken in water).
- 8oz. cream cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
-2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
-Pillsbury Grands( the mixture I made there was enough to fill 16, so buy two tubes of the Grands)
-Stuffing mix (I used Stove Top Chicken)
-1 10.5oz. can of Cream of Mushroom soup
-1/2 cup milk

Combine first three ingredients. Flatten dough a little and add a spoonful of the mixture to the center. Fold over and pinch edges together(some of the mixture will squeeze out, because they're so full, that's okay). Next, dip in butter and roll in dry stuffing mix. Bake @ 325 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with mushroom sauce(combine soup and milk in saucepan over low heat until smooth and creamy), would be good too with cream of chicken or a chicken gravy. Enjoy!