National Homemade Cookie Day

Today is National Homemade Cookie Day.  I'm going to have to make some cookies with my youngest today.  She will want chocolate chip, I'm going to try and get her to agree to oatmeal chocolate chip.

Here is an old recipe that I got from my Mother-In-Law the year Hubby and I got married.  It was published in the Christmas Cookie Cookbook published by the First Baptist Church, in Amherst Nova Scotia.

Diane's Chocolate Chip Jumbles

1 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

3/4 cup White Sugar

1 egg

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup oatmeal

1 pkg chocolate chips

Nuts (if desired)

Cream together butter and sugars before adding egg, water and vanilla.  Sift together flour, soda, salt, and then add to creamed mixture.  Add oatmeal, chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop onto baking sheet.  Bake at 370F.   Yield 6-8 doz.

No baking time is given in this recipe but I have found that 8 to 12 minutes works in my oven.

It's also the first of October.  My simple goals for this month are

1. Increase my daily steps to 8000 a day by the end of the month.
2. Drink my water, 8 cups a day minimum
3. Spend 30 minutes less watching tv everyday

I'm in a daily challenge to post a picture of the cover of a favorite book on Facebook right now.  Today's book is

I read this book the first time way back when I was in junior high.  I have since read it a few more time. 

Stats from yesterday

Steps:14304

Active Minutes: 106

Stairs: 7

Water: 2

Strawberry Pizza Pie

Yesterday I took the time to make a new dessert for Jamie to take to a potluck lunch at work.  I will be making it again for us at home.  I found the recipe on one of my favourite food blogs Mommy Kitchen.

 

I think it turned out pretty good and nothing came home so his co-workers must have enjoyed it.

Of course I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly because what fun would that  be.  Actually it was because I left it to the last minute and couldn’t find any Sugar Cookie dough in the premade section.  So I substituted it with Milk Chocolate chip cookie dough and I also used Smuckers Jam instead of Strawberry Gel.

This got me to thinking that until my 3rd child was born I would not have made this using a mix.  Now I find myself often reaching for pre-made or mixes instead of starting from scratch.

But my new motto is if it tastes good and and saves time why not.

My Favourite Chocolate Chip cookies

The other day i made these cookies for the kids, next time I will need to double the recipe so that maybe they will last a little longer.  I have seen this recipe a lot lately on blogs, I wish I could remember where i came across it.  I just can’t but I have been making them for a few years now.  I think the pudding in them makes them so good.  The kids like it when I use banana or butterscotch pudding.

 

Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Drop by teaspoonful's onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Today is one of those day when all I want to do is curl up and watch tv. Unfortunately that isn't happening, maybe tonight. we are getting some bad wind, rain and a bit of snow. Just and icky day.

Mac has gone to a friends to play while the girls and I did some baking. We made a pan of brown sugar brownies and also started some molases oatmeal bread in the bread machine. I had to make a recipe up as I have never found one that we like.

Kira's Molases Oatmeal Bread

1-1/2 cups warm tap water
2 tablespoon margarine
2 tablespoons molases
3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoon instant nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup dry oatmeal
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Dump everything in breadmachine press start.

I have been working on finishing up some WIP and getting them ready for use. Here is my Spider Web Scarf.

I also finished up 2 dishcloth kitchen towel sets.

Wow it has been a while again since I last blogged. I really have to get better at this or give it up completely. Probably won't happen. Oh well bare with me if you want.

This weekend is Mac's Hockey Teams first fundraiser, we are having a bottle drive after the practice tomorrow morning. So today I'm baking some treats for the kids to enjoy. I have made some Graham Cracker Squares and some chocolate cupcakes (used a mix this time).

Graham Cracker Squares

Whole Graham Crackers

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Line the bottom of a 9X13 pan with whole graham crackers. Mix brown sugar, milk, egg and butter in pot and heat on stove until bubbly, remove from heat and add coconut and crumbs, sp[read over crackers top with another layer of whole crackers cool and ice with chocolate frosting.

Melissa helped me clean up isn't she cute.

She is now taking a bath to clean up.

Today is starting out to be a long day. I'm sic I was up almost all night. The kids are eating their breakfast and getting ready for school and day care. Jamie is going to work to finish up some final things and then will be home. He has a job interview tomorrow and another one on Wednesday.

Our trailer sold and will close this Friday!!!! I'm so happy that we can finally stop paying for a home that we will never live in.

Yesterday was a nice day. We had Katie, Geroge and the baby in for the afternoon. Jmaie BBQed chicken tournatoes and ribs and I made some fruit and pasta salade. I also took the time to bake a cake, using a recipe that my mom gave me years ago that one of her friends use to make all the time

Sharon Smith's Sheet Cake
1 - cherry chip cake made in a 9X13 pan
1 - cherry jelo - made with 1 cup hot water only
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding
1pkg dream whip

Bake Cake. Cool. Poke holes in top of cake. Pour Jello mixed in 1 cup hot water over cake. Set aside in fridge. Make forsting using pudding and dreamwhip and only 2 cups of milk. Spread over cake. Let set at least 3 hours before serving. Keep this cake in the fridge.

The Kids really liked this cake.