I've avoided baking the majority of our marriage. I'm intimidated by it. When my hubby gets desperate he just makes his own.(very delicious, I might add) But there's those odd moments of inspiration I have....and today was one of them. I was on a mission to bake a yummy cookie with nice texture, dark chocolate, and some healthy additives. Result? Take a look....
First I googled "best chocolate chip cookie recipe", then I printed it out, and followed it to the 'T' (except that I doubled it) Then I started throwing in this and that and "what if..."
So here it is:
Chocolate Chip Granola Cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
3 t. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1, 12oz. bag of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup wheat germ
Almost 2 cups combined of raw nuts: chopped almonds, chopped cashews, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and chopped pecans.
A couple squirts of flax seed oil
Optional: 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, then add the wheat germ, and set aside.
2) Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on low speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
3) Add the vanilla and eggs and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
4) On low speed, add the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chips, mixed nuts, oatmeal, raisins and flax seed oil, and mix until they are just incorporated. If using a hand mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir them in. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
5) Preheat oven to 350. Adjust racks to lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Spoon the dough using a cookie scooper 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. (makes about 60 1.5-inch round cookies)
6) Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Remove the sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment or Silpats directly onto a work surface. When cookies are set, remove them to a cooling rack. Wait at least 5 minutes before serving or 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
ENJOY!
We made laundry soap today! It's been on my list of to do's for quite a while, but Mondays always feel like a fresh start to me....so I thought why not?!!! It was so easy and it took less time than mixing up a batch of cookies!
Here's the recipe for a powdered mix that I got off of The Frugal Shopper
1 cup grated Fels Naptha soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
(I mixed in an additional 1/3 cup of baking soda)
Just grate the soap, measure, and mix everything together!
It says to only use 1-2 Tablespoons per load!
The washer just finished the second load using this stuff, so here's what I have to report:
-There's hardly any fragrance to the washed clothes. So if you like your laundry smelly, then it says to grate in a bar of soap with the smell that you like instead of the Fels Naptha. I think no smell is just fine, and I throw a sachet of lavender (they sell them at Trader Joe's or you could make your own) into the dryer and it works fine.
-Dirty rags and husband's work socks retained no odor.
-Clothes looked and felt clean; no residue.
-Low suds.
-It doesn't make up a very big batch....but if you're only using a tablespoon per load, then I suppose that it could last a while. It seems like the liquid recipes would be more cost effective, but take a bit more time to make, and it wouldn't look as nice stored in my glass jars. =) I might try that, though, if I go through this too fast.
-Very gratifying to make, and I like knowing that there's no additives or heavy perfumes.
-I'm not sure how it will handle stains, it doesn't have any enzymes to break up organic matter....but I can use other tricks for that stuff.
-They say you can't use it on baby clothes because is reduces the effectiveness of the fire retardant.
So I guess it's so far so good....so if you want to put in a request for a batch as a Christmas gift......let me know!
(P.S. Camee, thanks for your encouragement...I did it! I'm glad that you like your liquid version...you're inspiring!)
This is what I did while my kids were napping today....something utterly silly and fun. I went to www.meez.com and created a digital version of me. Now I've got to get back to real life....=)
Yep, it's a turkey carcass, and it smells soooo good. I volunteered to de-bone the turkey from our family dinner if I could take home the bones for soup. I've got two pots on at the same time. I'll strain them, and stick 'em in the fridge overnight so I can skim off the fat. It gives me secret pleasures to see the leftover gelatinous goodness still in the pot waiting to become a complete soup. You want to know the secret ingredient in my favorite stock? Leeks....they add a yummy, oniony depth that just oozes homemade. Ok, so it's not so secret, but it's a staple stock ingredient in our house.
The finished turkey soup product won't be finished until tomorrow, so until then we all have to drool and pretend that what we're really having for supper tastes as good as that soup smells!
My Family!!!! I love you all and am so blessed to have you in my life!
My friend Camee sent me this little blurb. Every time I watch this little guy laugh it puts a smile on my face. Hope this makes your day!
So it's getting cold around here. There's a towel at the base of our front door to keep the cold air from blowing in.
- I miss having the doors and windows open and hearing the birds chirping in our apple tree.
- I miss seeing my son run around in his boots in the backyard....walking in the garden, harvesting the berries or tomatoes (even the unripe ones!), pouring rocks from one flower pot to another.
- I miss hanging my laundry out on the line...looking at all the cloth diapers in a row, little onesies and sleepers, even the blankie made it out occasionally.
- I miss bringing the blanket and pillows outside to lay in the sun and read, sleep, or have a picnic.
- I miss opening my blinds to let the sun brighten up my home. I notice that in the winter I hardly open my blinds during the day, and when I do, there is hardly a change in lighting in the room!
- I miss going for late evening walks with the family and it still being quite light out.
Right now I'm shivering as I type knowing that I need to be thankful for this season too...Here's a few good reasons:
- It's candle season...I bring out the candles and try to have at least one going when my husband comes home.
- I don't have to water the indoor plants as much.
- No flies buzzing through the house.
- Pumpkin patches, birthdays, piles of leaves, family gatherings, home decorating.
- Soup. I love making soups. Especially homemade chicken soup. I could write an entire blog about my process.
- Scarves and hats come out....gives me an excuse to knit more.
Well, I've been sitting here too long in the cold...it's time to say goodnight and join my hubby who has already made the bed warm! I think I'll wear socks to bed so I don't shock him with my cold feet. =)
