Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&Ms

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I just love this recipe for chocolate chip cookies! It's what I grew up with. They're always soft and they freeze really well too. This recipe is from the good old white (because there's another yellow cover version) Bethesda Mennonite Cookbook. All the ladies in the church submit their recipes and you end up with an amazing cookbook full of home cooked goodness and traditional Mennonite foods. I believe it's out of print but you can always find a copy floating around Christmas gatherings. It's a real hot item for those group pick and swap type gift games!

The Recipe:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 4oz pkg instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Combine butter, sugars, vanilla and pudding; beat till smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Add flour and soda; then stir in chips and nuts. Drop onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. For chocolate chocolate chip cookies use chocolate instant pudding. 1 batch = approx 3 dozen.

My husband sometimes asks for 'regular' chocolate chip cookies. You know, the recipe on the back of the bag. That's what he grew up with. These have a cake-ier quality that's good but different than those. But I don't make them very often. I find them dry, crumbly and crunchy after they cool off. But I've heard that if you have a good seasoned cookie baking stone they're better. This particular time I made these cookies was for AWANA Cubbies at church and my daughter really wanted M&M cookies. Because of the possibility of allergies, I couldn't go with my monster cookie recipe so I decided to experiment. So in this doubled batch I put 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of mini M&Ms. They're just as yummy! And of course, we tested the M&Ms for quality before adding them. :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Oreos for Dessert!!

I love to browse Pinterest. Love it. I have lots of boards with tons of pins. But I don't actually have a house that is that clean or decorated that well. I don't make all those beautiful crafts or wonderful dishes. Oh well. I don't think action is actually a required part of Pinterest. So I'm rather proud of myself for trying a few things off Pinterest. I like to make desserts and needed one for flock this week. I wanted to try something new and Oreos were on sale at Super Saver. I made these Oreo Cheesecake Bars yesterday and they turned out yummy..

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars

Yield: 24 bars

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 50 min

I adore these bars from cookbook author Beth Lipton. They're quite addicting.

Ingredients:

CRUST:
1 (1 pound) package Oreo cookies
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
FILLING:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides (I spray mine with cooking spray).
2. Make the crust: Place 28 Oreos in a food processor and process until finely ground. Pour into a large bowl, add the melted butter, and stir with a flexible spatula until all crumbs are moistened. Place the cookie-crumb mixture in the lined pan and, using your fingers, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom. Bake 10 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack (leave the oven on) while you make the filling. Snap the remaining Oreos in half, put them in the food processor, and turn on and off quickly a few times, just until the cookies are roughly chopped.
3. Make the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula and beat again until uniform. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and salt. Scrape down the bowl and mix again. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. After beating in the last egg, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat one more time, to make sure the mixture is fully combined. Stir in chopped Oreos with the same spatula.
4. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the baked cookie crust, smooth the top with the spatula, and bake for 40 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center when you gently shake the pan. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. When cool, cover it with foil and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (I chill mine overnight)
5. To cut, use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and place on a large cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the cheesecake into bars, rinsing off the knife with hot water and wiping it dry between each cut. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Tips:

*These work best served on flattened out cupcake papers w/ a fork stuck on top.
Source: RecipeGirl.com (Reprinted with permission from You Made That Dessert?)


This delicious recipe brought to you by Recipe Girl            
http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/09/13/cookies-and-cream-cheesecake-bars/


I had to go through about 6 blogs that adapted this recipe from her but I think this is the original recipe. My oven took the full 50 mins but it's usually slow. And my cheesecake was a little brown on top so I drizzled chocolate syrup on top to make it pretty and a little yummier. :) Usually when I make cheesecake in my springform pan, the recipe calls for a water bath to bake in so I'm also going to try that next time.
Enjoy!

Awhile ago I tried this great recipe for pumpkin scones from Tasty Kitchen. In fact I think I may have heard of it from Heather. They're so good!

Pumpkin Scones

Added by Shugary Sweets on September 13, 2011 in Biscuits and Scones, Breads

Prep Time 15 MinutesCook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 36

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• FOR THE SCONE
• 1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
• ⅓ cups Heavy Cream
• 2 whole Eggs
• 4-¼ cups Flour
• ¾ cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Ground Ginger
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
• ¾ teaspoons Nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¾ cups Butter, Cold, Cut In Cubes
• FOR THE SUGAR GLAZE:
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• FOR THE CINNAMON GLAZE:
• 1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons Allspice
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream (may Need Up To 3 Tablespoons)

Preparation Instructions

For the scones: In a small bowl, mix the pumpkin, heavy cream and eggs with a whisk. Set aside.
In mixer bowl, using paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and spices. Add in cold butter cubes and mix until crumbly. Slowly add in pumpkin mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
Divide dough in half, and form the dough into a 12×5 inch rectangle. If it’s too sticky, using your hands, mix in enough flour so it is easier to shape.
Cut dough into triangles by making three vertical cuts (you should now have 3 rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles by making an X, I use a pizza cutter. Then make ONE horizontal cut across the center. You should have 18 triangles. (See my blog for a picture if you need a visual)
Place each triangle onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for about 13-15 minutes. Repeat with the other half of dough.
Cool on rack. Make sugar glaze by whisking the sugar with heavy cream. Using a brush, paint the tops of each scone with the glaze.
To make the cinnamon glaze, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle the glaze over all the scones. Allow to dry (about 15 minutes). Eat and enjoy!

Shellac removal

I wish someone had told me that removing my shellac manicure was going to be a challenge...
I went to the salon and enjoyed my hour of pampering. The gal told me it would last longer but didn't say how long. A friend told me 2 week. Wow! I was so excited it would last so long. I never get manicures because the polish chips off in 2 days. After about a week, I began to wonder how it was going to come off at all. This same friend said she goes to the salon to have hers soaked off. So I got online to find out what exactly I had had put on my nails.
The best step by step I read was from The Pioneer Woman. She soaked her nails in actone and had pictures showing the process. Then I read the comments which were filled with people saying actone was poison and would ruin my nails and shellac would also make my nails a mess for weeks. Uh oh. My nails are already brittle and weird, I do not need more problems! And soaking my nails in poison, especially when I'm pregnant doesn't seem smart.
So I trimmed my nails and decided I would just be growing them out. Thankfully prenatal vitamins make them grow like crazy so it shouldn't be too bad. But then the bottom started peeling and catching on everything. So I decided to do some light soaking in just regular nail polish remover. Here's what I did...

1. I used regular nail polish to soak my nails for 8-10 mins. I tried to keep out as much of my fingers as possible to avoid my skin getting too dry.
2. Then I used that metal scrappie thing to scrap the shellac off my nails. They still looked awful and had chunks of polish on them when I was done.
3. So I pulled out this nail kit I got in PA from a very convincing nail lady at the mall. First time I've ever been thankful for this! I used the handy file/buffer to buff off the remaining polish.
4. Then I used some cuticle oil and hand lotion to save my skin. I've done this step a couple more times over the following week.

I suppose they look like their normal selves now. As dry and peeling as ever. I hate my nails. I think I might get a shellac manicure again. But I won't get it while I'm pregnant and only for a special occasion. And I seriously think you should get a disclaimer or at least an informational brochure when you leave the salon!!

Pull apart Pizza

I recently tried this great recipe for Pull Apart Pizza from Six Sisters Stuff. They have great kid and family friendly recipes. As Millie grows older I am really concerned that she learn to be a good eater. My parents made us eat everything and now I love almost everything and am willing to try almost anything. I find myself give Millie the same basic food all the time. So I started recipe hunting. Millie tends to be a little apprehensive about new things.. food, shoes, swimming lessons, big slides. I knew I had to find something that had aspects of her favorite foods. She loves cheese and ketchup in particular these days. So this recipe totally jumped out at me!
I would say it turned out pretty well. Millie still isn't sure she loves it but she will eat it. I call that success. :) I did have to cook it a good 20 mins longer than called for but my oven tends to do that. And baking it longer made the outside edges really dark but otherwise the middle wasn't done. I also froze about half of it and it's re-heated well.

Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread (a.k.a. Monkey Bread)
Adapted from: Copy-Kat Recipes
Ingredients:
-3 cans refrigerated biscuits (each cans should have 10 biscuits)
-1 (24-26 oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (we love Prego Traditional)
-1 (6-8 oz) package of pepperoni
-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
-Other favorite pizza toppings: green peppers, olives, onions, cooked ham, cooked sausage, etc

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open canned biscuits and cut into quarters and place into a large bowl. Pour spaghetti sauce on top of biscuit pieces and add Italian seasoning. Mix all together. Then add about 3/4 of the pepperoni pieces (reserving 1/4 to put on top) and 1 cup of cheese and stir well. Pour the pizza pieces into a greased 9x13" baking dish (check out my cute helper! She did the stirring and the dumping into the bowl). Sprinkle remaining cheese, pepperoni, and other toppings on the top of pizza. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are fully cooked. They will be slightly firm when you press down on them.

Shellac nails

I can't believe it! On Saturday, I used my Living Social deal to get a mani and pedi. I got a shellac french mani. I never get manicures. Never. One time I went in to a salon to get a french manicure for a special occasion and they wouldn't do it. They said my nails were too short and brittle. Thanks. Just take my money people.
So I never get manicures because they chip immediately, and so it's not worth the money. But my shellac nails are still perfect. Perfect! It's been 5 days!
Yippee! I love it and totally recommend it.

Worst blogger. Ever.

I am so bad at this. It's just so hard to decide what to write about so I don't at all. I'm so aware that whatever I share is out there for anyone to see. I'm not so sure I want to share my family or my personal thoughts with everyone and their dog.
And I don't have an amazing hobby or at home business I can talk about.
I take horrible pictures too. And that seems to be important because I know I'm less likely to keep reading a blog without nice pictures.
I don't want to just link to and share other peoples projects even though I enjoy reading boots and browsing Pinterest.
And I always want to change my layout or design. There are so many cute options! So I get caught up more in that than actual posting.
When it comes down to it, I do have opinions about life. Lots of them. But I just don't think so highly of myself to think that everyone should listen to them. And maybe I'm a little afraid of mean comments too. Believing in right and wrong isn't very popular or worldly these days.

So hi. Maybe I'll post again in another 6 months. :)