Caramel Thumbprints with Chocolate Glaze (12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies)

Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner???  Last year, I saw so many of my blogging friends participating in the 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies linky.  I was thrilled to find out how to join just in time this year.  Brenda over at Meal Planning Magic is hosting this event and you can still join in the fun.

I wanted to start out my series with a gloppy, decadent cookie.  After all, the holidays are the time to serve fancy, sugary treats.  Thumbprints are one of my family's favorite cookies.  Normally, I put jam in them, but this time, I filled the little wells with caramel and topped them off with a chocolate glaze.  I also switched out regular sugar for brown sugar, giving the cookies an extra butterscotch flavor.

Caramel Thumbprints with Chocolate Glaze:
for the cookie
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
for the filling
14 caramels
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
for the glaze
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening
Cream the butter and brown sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla, mix thoroughly, scraping down the bowl.  Add the flour and mix well.  Place teaspoon sized balls of dough onto a cookie sheet.  Make an indentation with your thumb and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 8 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  Place caramels and milk in a small microwavable bowl and heat for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  (If not completely smooth, heat for another 30 seconds and stir).  Spoon 1/2 teaspoon filling into each cookie dent.  In another small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and shortening.  Stir until smooth and then spoon into a plastic bag.  Cut a tiny hole in one of the corners and pipe the glaze over the cookies in a swooshing motion.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving to set (and to cool because that filling will be quite hot).

Tastetastic Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

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***CLOSED*** Shaklee Basic H2 Sample Giveaway (5 winners)

In today's economy, saving money sometimes involves shopping in alternative places.  When Andrea from the blog Maia the Bee contacted me about trying a sample of Shaklee's Basic H2 Cleaner, I did a cost analysis before saying yes.  I wasn't going to offer something to you that didn't have a good value.  Much to my surprise, I found out that by using Shaklee's concentrated cleaner and adding your own water, you could pay just pennies for a great cleaner whose store bought equivalent would cost a couple of dollars.  Look!

(click on it to make it bigger)

Here are the facts: 

Use on any washable surface – indoors or out

• Walls, Windows and Mirrors, Counter Tops, Floors, Appliances, Stoves, Sealed Woodwork, Pots and Pans, Furniture

Clean Credentials

• Nontoxic
• Natural
• Doubly concentrated
• Biodegradable Surfactants

Directions

First, mix 2 drops into 16 oz. of water in a Get Clean Spray Bottle for cleaning windows and mirrors. Or  mix 1/4 tsp. into 16 oz. of water in a Get Clean Spray Bottle for all-purpose cleaning. 

 

Andrea sent me a sample, too.  With 5 kids, I am constantly cleaning up after messes.  I have white laminate counters and they pick up every little stain.  The H2 has been my kitchen companion this week.  I can leave the bottle out because it is a non-toxic cleaner.  It worked great on the spilled spaghetti sauce on my stove, the spilled kool-aid on my counters and the spilled "I am afraid to ask" on the floors.

Five lucky winners will receive a sample of H2 Concentrated cleaner.  

****This giveaway is open to US and Canadian addresses.

****Giveaway ends Saturday, Oct 1, 2011 at 10pm Eastern Time.

To enter: 

1. Mandatory entry: leave a comment and tell me your favorite cleaner...or whatever you want to say.

2. Extra entries: Follow Andrea's blog, Like her on Facebook, or Follow her on Twitter (3 extra chances)

3. Please make sure to leave a way that I can get in touch with you if you win (via email or blog)

For your information, you can get free membership to Shaklee's with the purchase of Vitalizer at member’s price, plus a MaiaBee Special.  However, you don't have to be a member to buy from Shaklee.  Their products just cost a bit more at a nonmember price.

fine print: I received a free sample of Shaklee H2 cleaner, but all opinions expressed in this post are mine

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Orange Rolls: Your Recipe, My Kitchen

 

I have a thing for oranges and yeast dough.  I think they are a match made in Heaven.  That little zing of zest, that soft bread.  I may just have to go out to my kitchen and bake after I write this...I am making myself hungry!

 

I have been on the lookout for the perfect orange roll.  Long ago, I mean ages and ages ago, I bookmarked this orange roll recipe  from Get Off Your Butt and Bake!  In fact, it's been so long that Jonna, the author, has a new url now.  Go here to see her new blog.  She didn't import all of her old stuff to the new blog, so you may want to visit both places.  This is definitely a great roll.  Now if I could just find an orange bread recipe I like....

Orange Rolls (taken from Get Off Your Butt and Bake!)

dough:

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten slightly

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp yeast 

1/4 cup warm water

1 tsp sugar

4 cups flour 

filling: 

6 Tbsp butter, melted

zest from 1 orange

1/2 cup sugar

glaze: 

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp room temperature butter

juice of 1 orange

Warm sour cream, orange juice and butter in the microwave until butter is almost melted.  Stir warm mixture until butter completely melts.  Add sugar, salt and eggs.  In a small bowl, combine yeast and water and let sit until bubbly.  Add yeast to sugar  mixture.  Stir in flour and knead until smooth.  Cover bowl and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).  Punch down dough, roll out on a floured surface into a large rectangle.  Spread it with 6 Tbsp butter, then the sugar and zest.  Roll up jelly-roll style and slice into rolls.  Place in greased pans, cover and let rise until double again.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before glazing (or the glaze will just slide right off the rolls).  To make the glaze, mash the butter into the powdered sugar with a spoon or beat in with a mixer.  Slowly add the orange juice until the glaze reaches the desired consistency.  Spread on rolls and EAT!

Your turn!  Feel free to grab a Your Recipe, My Kitchen button over on my right sidebar.  What did you make in your kitchen this week??

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Saturday Stories: The Value of Family Photos

I have always loved to look at old photos; especially photos from a really long time ago.  When I hold a photo that is over 100 years old and think of all the people, relatives, that held it before me, it's like we are connected. I have been able to scan many of the photos that have been passed down for generations.  The oldest are two tin-types.  We don't know for certain who they are, but the family suspects that they are my great great grandparents because the woman looks so much like my great grandmother:

 

Do you see a resemblance?  The mom was born in 1856, so the tin-type was taken most likely, in the 1870s...over 130 years ago!!

Here is one of a different great grandmother's brothers.  Look at  the plane in the background!: 

I love the hair on the boys in this photo of a great grandfather and his siblings: 

 I work really hard to foster a kinship between my children and those who are already passed on because even though they are not blood relatives of my four sons, they are the people who passed on traits and habits that shaped who my husband and I have become.    I have photos of family above the kids' computer area, so while they are waiting to download something, they can gaze up at the pictures and think. The middle collage contains all five kids when they were little.  The left collage is four generations, starting with my husband and me. 

In case you think I am favoring Princess Pat, I have another wall full of the boys' big school photos and a collage of just them.  Recently, I was contacted by EasyCanvasPrints.com to receive a free 8X10 of any photo.  I chose that picture up there in the right corner.

I have a painting of me when I was a little girl and I thought Princess Pat would enjoy having something like that when she got older.  The photo wraps around the edges giving it a fun finished look.

 

It's not quite the same as the painting, but still, the canvas print is definitely cooler than a regular photograph. Maybe in another 100 years, someone will think these pictures are just as precious as I feel about the tin-types.

Do you have old photographs from your family?  Do you have them tucked into an old shoebox or do you display them?

fine print: all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own ~ I was given a free print from easy canvas prints.

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Cake Mix Peanut Butter Chip Brownies

These soft, fudgy brownies started from a devil's food cake mix.  By increasing the oil and omitting the water, the mix baked up completely different than a regular cake. 

 

I wanted a quick dessert and didn't have a brownie mix on hand.  By throwing in a bag of peanut butter chips, I had a treat that everyone in my family loved.  We are huge peanut butter and chocolate fans.

Cake Mix Peanut Butter Chip Brownies

1 chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 package peanut butter chips

Stir the cake mix, eggs and oil together.  Add the oatmeal and chips.  Spread batter into a greased 9 X 13 pan and bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

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7 Links....Finally

Ann, from Cooking Healthy for Me, tagged me ages ago in the 7 Links game.   Since then I have felt waves of guilt every time I saw another blogger get theirs together.  Finally, unable to handle it any more, I have gotten myself organized. 

My Most Beautiful Post: Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Nutella Glaze.  Nutella.  'Nough said.

 My Most Helpful Post: Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets.  That post still gets a steady portion of hits. Did you know you could make your own?

My Most Controversial Post:  13 Challenges to having a Mentally Ill Child  Probably not what you would expect on a food blog. File it under random posts.

My Most Under-Appreciated Post: (there are a ton of these from the early days of my blog): Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  Don't peek at these if you are dieting.  They are sinful.

 

The Post about which I am the Most Proud: Maple  Pecan Breakfast Ring.   I could easily have titled this one "You've come a long way baby!"  It shows how far a yeast challenged person can go if they persevere.

The Post Whose Success Surprised Me: Home Canned Dill Relish.  Like the Oatmeal Packets, this post continues to get regular hits.  I would not have figured it to be so popular.

My Most Popular Post: Brown Sugar Pound Cake.  Despite a fail on my part when making these mini cakes, the recipe is a winner.

 

 

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Breakfast Braid: Secret Recipe Club

It's Secret Recipe Club time again for the "B" Group.  There are so many members now, that there are 4 groups starting next month!  With one group revealing each week, Amanda and her team have their hands full.  There is now a blog devoted to the Secret Recipe Club as well as twitter and facebook.  It is a regular phenomenon.

This month, I was given Amy's blog, Adventures in Marriage.  She has been blogging since 2008 and has many delicious looking recipes on her site.  I had a hard time deciding what to make.  I really wanted to try her Peruvian Roast Chicken, Apple Scones, Chocolate Caramel Cookies and Taco Pasta Toss, but it was her Sausage, Cheese and Egg Braid that finally won out.   It sounded SO good.

I used a homemade bread dough instead of the refrigerated pizza dough.  I nixed the eggs because The Engineer doesn't care for them and substituted potatoes.  I used Jimmy Dean sausage and Cheddar cheese to round out the filling.  It was hearty enough to be a dinner...so I served it for that meal.  I even made a second braid so we could snack on it later.  It was not messy at all and would have made a great portable breakfast.  I toyed with the idea of making individual braids for each person, but time and energy ran out.

Breakfast Braid (adapted, twisted and changed from This Recipe) 

(for one braid)

Dough: 

2 1/4 cup flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp yeast

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp olive oil

Filling: 

1/4 pound breakfast sausage

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp basil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 14 ounce can sliced potatoes, chopped

For dough, mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl.  Combine the water and oil and mix in.  Knead on a floured surface until the dough becomes elastic-y.  (all that can be done in a Kitchen Aid or other powerful stand mixer).  Cover bowl and let rise until doubled.   Punch down and roll out in a 18 X 13 pan (jellyroll).  While dough is rising, make filling.  Brown sausage in a skillet.  Drain.  Add seasonings and potato.  Remove from heat.  Sprinkle filling down the center of the dough.  Top with cheese.  Cut strips down both sides of the dough to within 1/2 inch of the filling.  Alternately overlap one strip from each side and tuck under the ends, sealing it so that no filling falls out.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and brush the top with melted butter or oil.  Let sit 5 minutes before slicing.

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Your Recipe, My Kitchen Blog Party

This is Secret Recipe Club, so my own recipe (a breakfast braid) will be up tomorrow morning.  Please feel free to add whatever you have been making in Your Kitchen here.

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Saturday Stories: Miss Contrary

This post is for my mom.  

When I was a little girl, I was a bit argumentative.  If Mom said, "Oh look, Kristen!  What a beautiful day!"  I'd say, "No it isn't."  If someone said red, I'd say blue.   That trait diminished with time, but never quite went away.  My husband has done his best to help me overcome that flaw. However, the best thing that could ever cure me was that I ended up with a daughter just like me.

My daughter, Princess Pat, has a very sweet nature, don't get me wrong.  She doesn't exactly argue, she just has a different idea.  When she asks someone to name one of her stuffed animals, she listens politely and then tells them the name she decided on.    If she asks what movie we'd like to watch, she ends up telling us what she has picked  Perhaps this is awful, but it can be hilarious, too.

Last weekend, she and I were riding in the car by ourselves.  It was a bright sunny day and we were having a nice time chatting.  When it got quiet, I started singing the song "You Are My Sunshine."  I cannot remember ever singing that particular song to her before.  I thought she'd enjoy it on a sunny day.  When I was finished, a sweet, happy voice piped up in the back seat singing:

I am sorry

But I have to

It's my job

to bring the rain.

I bring dark clouds

so I have to

take your sunshine away.

How does she think up these things??

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Caramel Oat No-Bake Cookies

This time of year, the weather can be so finicky.  One day it seems like fall is on its way and the next, the temperatures skyrocket.  On top of all that, school-sports-activity schedules have turned my days into a whirl.  No bake cookies come in so handy.  They whip together in no time and I don't have to heat up the house with the oven.  I have managed to amass quite a repertoire of such recipes, but there doesn't seem to be an end to the flavor and ingredient combinations.  These babies are sweet-to-the-max with brown sugar and butter and caramels boiled together. 

Caramel Oat No-Bake Cookies

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup evaporated milk (not condensed)

1 cup brown sugar

24 caramels, unwrapped

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups oatmeal

In a saucepan, combine the butter, evaporated milk and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 3 minutes.  Lower the heat and add the caramels.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Put oatmeal in a large bowl and pour caramel mixture over oats.  Stir to mix.  Scoop out ping pong sized balls and flatten them on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Put into fridge to firm up.

A Little Nosh Linky Party

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***CLOSED*** Fundamiddles Package Giveaway

The winner was #7

How would you like one more giveaway?  It seems that when it rains, it pours and lately I have been given many opportunities to share goodies with you, my readers.  Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark have put together a fun package that includes a muffin pan, muffin liners, muffin notecards, a muffin patterned hot pad and a box of new Betty Crocker Fundamiddles to make.  I received a set just like in the photo above.  We hadn't tried Fundamiddles yet and were pleasantly pleased to find that they taste very much like Twinkies.  They were gobbled up in no time flat!

The official description of Fundamiddles is this:

• Combining cake mix and filling pouch in one box, Fun da-middles cupcakes have a special creamy filling that bakes inside the cupcake.
• Available in three delicious flavors, Vanilla Cake with Creamy Chocolate Filling, Chocolate Cake with Creamy Vanilla Filling, and Vanilla Cake with Creamy Vanilla Filling, Fun da-middles cupcakes are a fun and portable treat that children can take everywhere they go!

In order for you to win one of these packages for yourself, just leave me a comment below.
This giveaway will go until Sunday, September 18 at 10pm Eastern Time.  You must have a US mailing address.

small print: this giveaway is sponsored by Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark.  All opinions, however, are mine alone.

Thursday Giveaway Hop

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Caribbean Rice and Beans

When I make regular red beans and rice, I often get groans of "not beans!"  from my older sons.  I am not sure if they are worried about the bean side-effects and the success of their social lives or if they just don't like the flavor of the dish.  So I did a little creative mixing.  I combined two recipes, added a few other ingredients, renamed the entire dish and Voila!  I had boys shoveling these beans into their mouths like there was no tomorrow.  I think I have my answer.  The ham flavored beans just don't light the kids' fires like these do.

So what's different?  First off, there is no ham, only sausage in this dish.  I used aborio rice for a creamier texture.  Then I added some unexpected herbs and spices: cinnamon, allspice and cumin.  Actually, the boys only complaint about this dish was that there was no flat bread to eat with it.  Next time, I will take the time to make a nice soft naan-like bread. 

Caribbean Rice and Beans

1 pound sausage or ground pork

2 onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp cumin

2 cups chicken broth

1 14 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)

1 cup aborio rice

salt & pepper to taste 

In a large Dutch oven, brown the sausage and drain all but 1 Tbsp fat.  Add the onions, peppers and garlic and cook until tender.  Add the herbs and spices along with the broth, beans and rice.    Bring to a boil and then cover and cook at medium low for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender.  Serve plain or with a wrap or some sort.

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Orange Muffins: Your Recipe, My Kitchen

One thing that I have noticed since moving to Florida is that I always seem to have at least one bag of oranges in my fridge now.  I haven't even checked to see if they are local fruit, but they are certainly delicious.  With two boys playing Pop Warner football, I had to buy extra for a half time snack and ended up with quite a few leftovers.  As a result, you may see a few extra orange flavored goodies posted.

I found the recipe for these muffins on Annie's Eats.  Once I saw that she had gotten the recipe from The Pastry Queen, I knew it would be good.  I have really enjoyed reading those cookbooks.  These muffins have 1/2 cup fresh orange juice in the batter and another 1/3 cup in the glaze.   With the zest in both, they are packed with orange goodness.    They made a great breakfast.

Orange Muffins (adapted from Annie's Eats)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

zest of 1 1/2 oranges

glaze: 

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

zest of 1/2 orange

Combine orange juice, oil, milk, sour cream, eggs and zest in a mixing bowl.  Throw in the dry ingredients and mix until moistened, but lumpy.  Pour into muffin liners (24) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 18-20 minutes or until done.  For the glaze, heat the orange juice in a microwavable bowl until boiling (45 seconds in mine).  Add the powdered sugar and zest.  Spoon over the muffins as soon as they come out of the oven. 

Muffin Monday
Cast Party Wednesday

Okay, gang, your turn.  Please link up anything that you made in your kitchens this week.  Be sure to link back to this post/blog!

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***CLOSED*** $40 Sam's Club Gift Card Giveaway

The winner was #28 KAS

Sam's Club has recently expanded their selection of Yoplait yogurt.  What does that mean for you?  It means an opportunity to win a $40 Sam's Club Gift Card  from My Blog Spark, Sam's Club and Yoplait, so you can buy some delicious yogurt(or not...you get to buy whatever you want with the card).  Maybe some kids' Trix yogurt?  Maybe some granola and yoplait?  Maybe something else?   How far can you stretch $40 at Sam's club?

You can check out more information about Yoplait at their website or on twitter or on facebook.

You can check out Sam's Club on their website or on twitter or on facebook, too.

So what do you have to do to have a chance to win this giveaway?  Simply leave a comment below.

MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A VALID EMAIL OR WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!  (sorry about the yelling).

Small print:
1. Giveaway will end Wednesday, Sept 14 at 10pm Eastern Time
2. Giveaway is open to addresses in the United States only (again, sorry)
3. Winner will be chosen by random.org
4. If the winner does not respond to my email/comment within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.


Even smaller print: I received a $40 giftcard from My Blog Spark, Yoplait and Sam's Club.  Any opinions expressed in this post/blog are strictly my own. Tweet

Cornbread Chicken Casserole

Walking down the flour aisle in the grocery store is a lot different in Florida compared to anywhere in the West.  I have shopped in just about every state from the Rocky Mountains west and let me tell you, nothing prepared me for the vast array of products that I have found here.  Not only are there the usual brands: Gold Medal, Pillsbury, King Arthur and generic, but there are at least another three or four independent brands, too.  And the cornmeal!  Whereas I was used to maybe one or two brands in a small portion of one shelf, here there is a six foot section from top to bottom!  Cornmeal, self-rising cornmeal, cornbread mix of all sorts and sizes.  Don't even get me started on the crumb coatings!  Shake -N-Bake is nothing compare to the abundant offerings I seen recently.  I have been like a kid in a candy store, or better stated, a baker in the flour aisle!

So, I bought a few different bags of cornmeal.  We love cornbread and corn muffins, so I knew we would have no trouble eating it.  A while ago, I made up some cornbread from a bag of self rising cornmeal.  I doubled the recipe and made two pans so we could eat the leftovers with honey.  I put them in the oven, set the timer for the amount of time the recipe called for and then I may or may not have left the house to pick up my kids from school while it was baking and I may or may not have forgotten it was in the oven.

The cornbread was a tad dry.

So I had an entire pan left that no one really wanted to eat.  Not being one to throw out food, I did a little research in my cookbooks and found a recipe that used leftover cornbread in one of my Taste of Home annuals.  This delicious casserole saved the day.  Next time, I would serve it with gravy.

Cornbread Chicken Casserole (adapted from Taste of Home)

1 8x8 pan cornbread, cut into cubes

4-6 slices bread, cut into cubes

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I used 3 hind quarters)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp rubbed sage

1 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

 1 cup shredded cheese for the top (I used string cheese ~because that was what was handy)

Combine all ingredients except the cheese.  Spread the mixture out into a grease 9X13 pan, top with the cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until heated through.  

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Homemade Clif Bars: Your Recipe, My Kitchen

There are some days when I just don't feel like cooking.  Even a foodie can have an off day.  However, the family still expects to be fed regardless of my level of enthusiasm.  They even expect dessert!  On such days, when I don't have ice cream in the freezer, I turn to no-bake desserts.  They whip together in less than five minutes and satisfy every sweet tooth in the family (and there are a lot of teeth in 7 mouths!!)

I have been eying this recipe for Homemade Clif Bars on my list of bookmarks for a long time.  I buy Clif Bars once in a while for my sons when they go camping.   A homemade, much cheaper version was just too tempting not to try. I found it back in February on This Chick Cooks.  She found a similar recipe on Enlightened Cooking.  The two versions only really differed in their source of sweet.  One used honey and brown sugar while the other used brown rice syrup.  I chose to use agave nectar.  I also switched out the rice cereal for Uncle Sam's original which is wheat flakes and flax seeds.  I used all natural peanut butter with no sugar, too.  The results were delicious, though I think I will make more peanut butter mixture up next time.  These did not hold their shape like I wanted them to.

 Homemade Clif Bars (adapted slightly from this recipe)

1 1/2 cups cereal (crispy rice or other small flaked cereal)

1 cup oatmeal (quick or rolled)

1/4 cup chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, peanuts)

1/3 cup chopped dried fruit or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin flax, raisins, cherries, dates, blueberries)

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup or other liquid sweetener)

Boil sweetener in glass bowl in the microwave, stir in nut butter until smooth.  Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and add sweetened nut butter.  Stir until well coated and then press into a greased 8X8 pan.  Let cool and then cut into bars. 

Your turn.  What's cooking this week in your kitchen?  Did you try a new recipe or make an old stand by?  Link up below and please put a link back to this blog/post in your post.  

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Saturday Stories: What the Thinker Thought

I hear the weirdest things as I drive my kids to and fro.  Most of the time they are arguing...I think it's because we are going through Puberty x 4 and there is testosterone and then some in my house.  However, sometimes they actually have conversations about cars,scientific inventions, computers, space travel, sports teams, etc.  They can be very enlightening for me.

For instance, the other day The Thinker and The Musician were discussing something that The Musician had read on Yahoo while checking his email.  *You should know that The Musician believes everything he reads on the internet and tries to back up his arguments with some mighty interesting "facts."   You should also know that the Thinker reads books.   He spends the majority of his spare time reading nonfiction; encyclopedias, WWII books, hunting manuals, etc.  He considers himself something of an expert, too.

So, all of a sudden, I hear the Thinker say, "You know, it was Harrison Ford that invented the assembly line with his cars."  I get really still at this time because I know I am about to start giggling and I want the conversation to run its full course.  The Musician, the junior in high school, answers, "Really?" (and I start wondering about our educational system).  Then the Thinker rejoins, "Yes, I just read about it,"  and the Musician accepts it as the truth.

At this point, driving 50mph, I lose it. "Bwaaaa!  Guys.  Hans Solo did NOT invent the assembly line.   It was Henry Ford"  Tears are running down my face, I am laughing so hard.  The Thinker gets a sheepish look on his face and I enjoy a rather cathartic laugh.

Sadly however, the Thinker did not learn from his mistake and when the subject came up in his school class the very next week, he proudly raised his hand and answered, "Harrison Ford" yet again.  His teacher was not amused.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

My oldest child, The Musician, is competitive like no one else I know.  He has to win.   That's why I made these cookies....and yet, when I get to the end of the story, you may agree with me that it was the other guy who really won.  It all started with one of those "my mother is better than your mother" banters.  I can only be thankful it wasn't a "Yo mama" joke instead...right?  Anyway.  The guys bet each other that their mother would drive faster and get to our development before the other.   I arrived to pick up my sons and they all piled in the car like there was a swarm of bees outside and started yelling at me to get going.

As I drove toward home, they started explaining that we were in a race with our friends.  About halfway home, a car shot by us and the Musician got a text from his friend telling him we lost.  Suddenly cookies are brought into the mix.  "My mother will bake your mother cookies if she will slow down!"  HUH?!  Excuse me?  I will what?  "Okay, but they have to be white chocolate macadamia cookies." It's a darned good thing I am a (mostly) good sport.  I must admit I did grumble for fifteen a minute.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 12 ounce package white chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Scrape down the bowl and mix a bit more to make sure everything is equally mixed.  Combine the dry ingredients and add to the bowl, mixing well.  Fold in the chips and nuts.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack. 

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