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This is what my afternoon looked like. Sheet after sheet of monster cookies. I didn't count how many dozen I made. Lots though...4 big containers full! Half of them are going to my neighbor for a cookie exchange, 1 will go to Nebraska to share with the fam, and 1 will go in the freezer to eat later.
This is what just the wet ingredients look like before you add the 18 cups of oatmeal! See that little hand? Ava is a dough snitcher! And a cookie theif! I also caught her eating a cookie that she had helped herself to on the cooling rack! I don't blame her, they are really yummy! Totally worth the work.
Kansas at Canadian Crafter asked that I share the recipe for the chocolate chip zucchini muffins that Thomas requested for his birthday breakfast. This fabulous recipe is from my friend Steph. (I'm hoping she will start up a blog soon. I know it would be great!) For those of you with an abundant harvest of zucchini from your garden this is a great recipe to make and then put some away in the freezer. I always double the recipe when I make it and leave a dozen out to enjoy right away and a dozen for later. Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
Combine, then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or maybe a little more!) :)
Pour into a greased muffin tin and bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (Mine usually take a little longer to bake....around 25 minutes.)
Thanks for sharing this great recipe, Steph! :)
While we are talking about zucchini, check out Kansas's recipe for zucchini curd. I'd never heard of this before but it sounds great.....especially with scones!
I've already confessed my weakness for cookbooks here on my blog so it should come as no surprise that I got these in the mail today to add to my collection. :)
I used to belong to a cookbook club and recently received an offer in the mail from them to pick 4 cookbooks for $1 each plus shipping and my only obligation is to buy 1 more book from them throughout the year. How could I turn that offer down when they had Giada's latest cookbook and Martha's new Homekeeping Handbook (I realize this isn't a cookbook but I love homemaking books as much as I do cookbooks!)?! Two books I have had on my wishlist! :) I have heard such great things about The Joy of Cooking and when I briefly flipped through it I think what I've heard is going to be true. It will be a great reference guide to go to when I need to cut up a whole chicken or things like that that I do not do very often when I cook. I've also wanted to learn more about incorporating whole grains into our diet so the King Arthur book was right up my alley. I can't wait to get reading!
Last night we ended our weekend with a scrumptious summer meal - BBQ Chicken, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad and Baked Beans. Dessert was peach pie with cool whip. I was going to make homemade icecream so we could have pie ala mode but my whipping cream had gone sour. Everything turned out so tasty! We all kept saying 'mmmm' over and over....it reminded me of the movie What About Bob when Bob was eating dinner with his therapist's family. :)
I thought I would post the pie crust recipe that I have been using for the last year or so. I had always had trouble making a good pie crust until I found this one. And of course it is Martha's crust! It's pretty much a no-fail recipe.
Perfect Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
With the machine running, add the cold water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
**It's really important that the butter and water are very cold. I cut the butter into small squares and then place them in a bowl and stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes or so before preparing the crust. **
Now I need to find the perfect cherry pie filling recipe to make to put in this crust. One that calls for almond extract. A couple of times we have visited Scott's parents they have served a cherry pie for dessert that they purchased locally and only had to bake. They have been the best cherry pies I've ever had.
Today my neighbor and I got together and did some Christmas baking. This has become a tradition for us and I always look forward to it. I wish I would've had my camera ready when she walked over to my house because I missed the picture of the day. We have a worn path between our houses and she was braving the freezing cold weather to walk through the snow on it. There was a big snow drift though that you couldn't see until she stepped in it and was almost knee deep in snow with her baking sheets and ingredients in hand. It was pretty funny.
Angie made Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Revel Bars and my favorite, Sinful Bars. Here is Elle helping me make Special K Bars and Oreo Truffles. I also made some Crispy Sugar Cookies and a new cookie from Martha called Chewy Chocolate Gingersnaps. Scott likes them but they easy for me to pass up with all of the other choices.
Here is the chocolatey face of one of the taste testers. She wasn't happy with me when I took this picture but I can't remember why. I probably was making her sit down on the barstool or else telling her she couldn't have anymore chocolate.
