Stranded in BUCKEYE...NO MORE

Friday, July 12, 2013

Great Oatmeal Cookies...

Like I said a few weeks ago there are a few things our family takes very serious...one of those things was Chocolate Cookies...

...Well, I guess I should of said we take homemade cookies seriously!

We really love cookies in this family! (if you don't believe me - look at my waistline) Not just my hubby and kids, but my parents, my brother and sisters families...MY WHOLE FAMILY! We love our cookies!

This last week Cayla, my parents, brother and his family went to MX. Now when we go to MX we take all our food (with the exception of bread and tortillas). My mom asked Cay to make Oatmeal cookies and she would make the Chocolate cookies.

One problem with making cookies for this trip...Cayla was barely getting back from UT the night before they were all leaving. So I offered to make the cookies for her.

Now to let you know how much my family loves cookies...according to Cayla and Josh the batch I made was gone the first day...THATS A LOT OF COOKIES!

Enjoy...our family loves them!

They are so soft!

Depending on the size you make them you can fit more on your cookie sheet.

As long as you don't over bake these they will stay soft and moist!

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt (be careful not to add too much, you could even add a little less if you'd like)

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp cloves

3 cups quick cooking oats

OPT: 1 cup raisins and/or 1 cup chop nuts

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by teaspoonful's on greased baking sheet. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

YUMMY!!! Enjoy a batch of nice warm cookies!

Comfort Food...Hamburger Quick Casserole

Who doesn't love COMFORT FOOD...

Well my family truly loves it! Comfort food can be anything! We have lots of family favorites that are simple, delicious and just plan yummy!

Casseroles are always a easy and good meal. And my family LOVES this recipe! My mom use to make it all the time for us as kids and we thought it was the BEST thing around. Then when I started cooking I realized that it was one of the easiest things to cook...you really can't go wrong with noodles, lots of cheese, sour cream and meat! Those are three of the staples in my opinion for comfort food!!

The other great thing about this recipe...double it and freeze on for another time!

Bring water to boil and add noodles, cook till just al-dente. Drain and set aside. While noodles are cooking chop onion. Then brown meat and onion together, season to taste. Drain and put back into pan. Next add tomato sauce and set aside.

Cream together cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese...mix well.

Take a large casserole dish and spray with pam. Take half of noodles and spread on the bottom.

Next spread cheese mixture over noodles.

Top with remaining noodles.

Then top with Hamburger mixture. Bake about 45 minutes at 350'.

1 1/2 lb ground beef (turkey works really good too) - cooked

Half of a medium onion chopped fine.

Salt and Pepper

1 - 15oz can tomato sauce

1 - 22 oz wide egg noodels - cooked

(I usually double the following because we love the thick layer of cheese. I don't use all of it because the left over mixture is WONDERFUL in omelets)

8oz cottage cheese (double to 16oz)

8oz sour cream (double to 16oz)

8oz cream cheese (double to 16oz)

If you are going to freeze make sure you cover it well, then when your ready to eat, defrost and reheat.

Broccoli and Cheese Calzones with Chef Seth

Meet Chef Seth...

While Josh has been gone this summer Seth wanted to help pick what we were having for dinner. He sat for hours going through a bunch of my cookbooks and some of our family favorite recipes!

The kid loves to cook!

For his first recipe he picked Broccoli Cheese Calzones...(my kid loves his veggies).

It was fun watching him separate his egg and to work with the dough! I really tried not to laugh but it was fun!!

Preheat oven to 450'

Steam your broccoli until tender. Let cool slightly, coarsely chop and place in a medium bowl.

Stir in garlic, ricotta, mozzarella and egg yolk; season generously with salt and pepper.

Divide the pizza dough into 4 portions and roll into an 8 inch circle. Place a quarter of broccoli mixture in center of a round and fold dough in half.

Then seal by rolling edges together toward the center and crimping.

Using a knife, cute 2 small slits in top of calzone to let steam escape. Repeat with remaining dough and broccoli mixture.

Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place calzones on the baking sheet. Brush calzones with olive oil.

Bake until golden and risen, 13 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with your favorite sauce for dipping.

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1 large clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup ricotta (you can add more if you want more cheese)

6 oz mozzarella, coarsely grated (you can add more if you want-Seth did)

1 large egg yolk

Salt and pepper

Your favorite pizza dough recipe, plus we added lots of Italian herbs to ours

1 1/2 tbs olive oil

Dinner was great that night. Plus DJ (dad) and I helped with dinner and made it a little family event. Lots of fun when working with pizza dough!

Best part of the meal...Seth cleaned up his mess!

Poor poor Seth...

Who would of thought it...

Certainly NOT ME...

BUT I do believe Seth has missed his BIG BROTHER these last few weeks!!

I never thought it possible...OR maybe he hasn't been mission his brother ~ He's just tired of hanging out with his parents!

See Josh Hasn't been home the last month and half except for a day here and a day there!

It started right after school got out ~ He went to Cayla's for a few days to help watch Eric. He came home and left for a trek for 4 days with his grandpa. Then was home one day (sort of...came home on Saturday then left Sunday), then left for a full week to scout camp with his dad. Got back, was home one day again then left to Cays again. He was home for a few days and then guess what...Back to Caylas for a week and a half.

When Josh came home Seth grabs Josh's arm and starts pulling him saying "Come on I want to show you..."

But it was short live ~ only an hour cuz off to scouts they both went! Poor Kid!!

Then when they got home there cousin Caleb was at our house for a few days. It was fun for Seth but it wasn't that one on one time he wanted with his brother. Oh well....

Then after a week with Caleb and Josh, Seth might of gotten to much time with Josh...

There was their trip to Utah with their sister, then home for a few hours and then off they went to MX with their sister, plus grandma, grandpa, Uncle Dan and Aunt Trish and Caleb.

So if he was missing his brother, between UT and MX he wont be anymore!!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies...EVER!!

My family is very serious about two things...

FAMILY and CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!!!

I mean my hubby wont eat a cookie if its not good (well unless hes trying to be polite). I think he considers him self an expert in the field of cookies! The other day I bought some cookies just to have on hand if kids friends stopped by and he took one bit and decided that those were the grosses cookies ever and I wasn't to buy them again! Well I guess he made himself clear.

So I figured I better make him something cuz he LOVES his cookies! Our family has a favorite...Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies...Probably the best and moistest cookie around!

**Get all your ingredients out to make it easier to put it all together

**Cream together butter, sugars, pudding, vanilla

**Beat in eggs, one at a time till creamy

**Gradually add flour mixture, then chips

**Place on cookie sheet in rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart

**Bake at 375' for 8 to 10 minutes

**Remove from cookie sheet and cool on rack

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUDDING COOKIES

31/3 cups unsifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 cups of butter or margarine, softened (not too much)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 package (6 serving size) jello instance pudding (vanilla, chocolate, etc)

(for regular cookies use vanilla, for peanut butter use chocolate...experiment with different flavors)

1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

3 eggs

3 or 2 cups chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugars, pudding mix, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time until creamy. Gradually add flour mixture, mix well, then stir in chips and nuts. (Batter will be stiff). Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375' for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 10 dozen.

**They really freeze well...just scoop out on a cookie sheet, freeze and then place in a container with a layer of wax paper between each layer. These ones are my Chocolate peanut butter cookies...These are AMAZING!!!

ENJOY!!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Schools out for Summer...

Can we give a BIG WHOOWHO!!!!!

Schools out for SUMMER!!!

I know - your asking what am I so excited for...I'm not the one that was in school all day?!?!?! Although that may be true - I was the one up before Josh and early morning seminary working our and cooking breakfast for him.

Oh and lets not forget running up stairs (every other day it seemed like) while cooking breakfast and re-waking Josh cuz he fell back to sleep!

Then after he leaves for seminary getting Seth up for school. Now that was a CHOIR!! The "Hurry up Seth", "Brush your teeth Seth", "Your hair is sticking up Seth", "Get your backpack ready Seth". OR the "Mom, I can't find socks," "Well if you'd put your clothes away maybe you'd have clothes."

Then after school - getting homework done in under 2 hours would be a dream come true...BUT its like pulling teeth with Seth!

Let's see..."Mom can I have a snack?" "I need to use the restroom", "I need a drink", "My pencil needs to be sharpened" or one of my favorites "I need to stretch."

Whatever his reason or excuse it drags homework that would take 30 minutes into hours! And I'm usually the one who has to sit with him...Oh and trust me I always have snack ready, pencils are sharpened, his drink is good to go, BUT somehow he drags it on!

Then Josh!! Hes pretty good about doing his homework now in a timely matter. It wasn't always that way. But his problem is getting his homework done before scouts or bed. When he stays after school, sometimes til 5 or 6, then dinner it doesn't leave much time. Then theres always the projects due with only a day or two notice - so we are up late trying to get it done.

So you ask "Why am I excited for summer?" Yes I still will be getting up early to workout but I don't need to rush getting breakfast ready and getting the boys out the door for school! Two month break with NO HOMEWORK!! No more "It's bedtime" and hearing "Oh mom I'm watching such and such, five more minutes pppplllllleeeeaaasssseeee!" Now they can stay up later...WHOOWHO!

The one down side is the real possibility of the boys driving me NUTS! The next 2 months and the depression of knowing in 2 months its ALL GOING TO START OVER!!! NNNNOOOOOOOO - SAY IT ISN'T SO!!