Post #83 - The tale of a sad, neglected blog and an empty cookie jar.

What, no posts in February?  We're slipping! 

Tsk, tsk.

Last year we were able to keep the blog posts coming and I was able to keep the cookie jar filled, but sadly both are lacking this year.  So to remedy that I decided to bake cookies this morning and blog about it. Aren't you excited?

This is the sad looking cookie jar that

 I found on the counter this morning.

  Poor thing.

So I grabbed my go-to cookbook and

 flipped it open to the cookie recipe section.

Don't let the name on the cover fool you. This is an 
old cookbook full of yummy old-fashioned goodness.

I spied this recipe for Oatmeal Cookies and it intrigued me.

Buttermilk?

Oh, this I've got to try!
I gathered the ingredients:

 with one change. I soaked the raisins 
in boiling water for a few minutes to plump them up. 
I didn't want them to dry up during the baking process.

Then I drained them.

Okay, here we go!
Cream the shortening, sugar and eggs...

add the Buttermilk...

 then the flour...

 oats,

 walnuts and raisins.

A few things have changed over the decades. Instead of lightly greasing a cookie sheet I use parchment paper or nonstick Silpat mats.

And instead of using tablespoons, I use a cookie scoop. It really makes the process go quickly.

Viola!

I put the tray in the oven and 
filled the sink with ice cubes and placed the cookie dough 

in the sink to chill while the cookies are baking.

Once the cookies were baked...

 

 and taken off the pan I removed the mixing bowl 

and put the baking sheet in the cooled sink 

to chill out before I put more cookie dough on it.

 These heavy making pans don't cool off as quickly as the thin ones do, so they need a little help. The Silpat mat is taken off and it cools once it is no longer in contact with the hot metal. I have two of these large pans and I rotate them, only putting one in the oven at a time.

Why bother cooling the pan? 
Because if I put the dough on a hot pan, 
the shortening will melt and it will spread out 
before it even gets in the oven.

 But these little gems held their shape...

 pan after pan.

The recipe said it made 5 dozen. I got 4.5 dozen out of it, plus 2.  
Those two were sacrificed in the name 
of blogging so I could taste test them for you.

And the result? 

They are a tender, cake-like cookie. They are good and remind me of the Oatmeal Breakfast Squares made by the famous oatmeal company that begins with a "Q".  So I guess it makes sense that I had those 2 cookies for breakfast.  
All in the name of blogging, of course.

Post #41 - facts about me

• I love to cook & bake.
  
  This comes to no surprise to most of you.
  This comes as a shock to those who knew me before I was married, though.
  (I was a tomboy who never had time for anything domestic.)

• I enjoy trying out new recipes.

• I rarely make recipes as written. Very rarely.
  
  And I rarely make it the same way twice. Always tweaking and adding my spin on things.

• Last night's supper was made totally off the cuff. No recipe. I just started putting things together that sounded like they belonged together.  
• I enjoy cooking that way--but it also scares me a little bit because I'm never sure how it will turn out.
• I also enjoy making lists with the cute dot things (called "bullets").  :-)

When I saw a crockpot recipe contest last week at the One Good Thing blog, I knew exactly what recipe to enter. Once I discovered that the crockpot was a perfect device to make custards in, I knew it would be perfect for my simple cheesecake recipe.

So I entered it in the contest. And I won!

Photo courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee.

This is the picture from the contest. I have NO idea how they got such a perfect slice out of the pan/dish. Isn't it pretty!

 We usually just spoon it out from the dish and it looks like blobs on our plates.
But it's yummy, and that's what counts.

So go check out all the yummy looking recipes at One Good Thing by Jillee.

And because I can share it, here is my winning recipe:

Crockpot Cheesecake

·         6 graham crackers (rectangles), crushed into crumbs

·         3 tablespoons of stick butter, melted

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         1 cup sour cream

·         2 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla

·         3 eggs

1. Choose a small (1 ½- to 2-quart size) oven-proof casserole dish that will fit in the bottom of your crock-pot with room left on the side. You want to be able to pull the pan out without too much difficulty. Mix graham crackers and melted butter in that dish; pat into the bottom and slightly up the side.
2. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, sour cream and cream cheese until they are well blended. Stir in vanilla.*
3. Add the 3 eggs one at a time; blending well after each addition.
4. Add the cream cheese mixture to the top of the graham crackers.
5. Add 2 to 3 cups water to the bottom of the crock-pot making sure that it will not rise above your dish when you place it in the crock-pot.
6. Place the cheesecake dish in the crock-pot. Put on the lid of the crock-pot.
7. Cook on high for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the center does not have a watery consistency when you stick a knife into it. Check on it about an hour into the cooking time; if there is a problem with condensation from the lid dripping onto the cheesecake, sop up the moisture by dabbing with a paper towel, then place paper towels across the top of the crock-pot to catch any more drips before replacing the lid.
8. Remove dish from crock-pot. Let cool on counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

*(I sometimes add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice with the vanilla to give it a little zing.)

Post #40 - another update

So while we're waiting for Kate to have something to blog, I thought I'd give you another update on some of the things I've talked about around here. 

 The celery ends are growing nicely. I've trimmed enough of the stems off that they both can fit into one cup now. They've grown a good bit, are bright green and have roots (all by just keeping them in water) so it's time to plant them in some soil. I'll have to get a pot and some potting soil soon. It is way too early to plant them outside.

The Paperwhites are done blooming. They've kind of grown out all over the place. 

They may or may not be in dire need of water.

{tilting head}

I'm leaning heavily towards the *may.*

 I have a couple new sewing projects started. One will be done with the machine; the other by hand and with a good bit of embroidery.  I ordered 4 patterns by email which will arrive once weekly for 4 weeks for some egg-shaped decorations. I received the first one Sunday. I have a week to complete it before the next one shows up.

Maybe I won't procrastinate knowing another one is on the way.

Yeah, right.

 I made stove top mac & cheese for lunch along with hot dogs and sliced tomatoes. The kiddos gobbled it right up.

And I put a roast in the crockpot for supper.

 It's smelling up the house this afternoon. In a good way.

My latest favorite liquid to toss in the crockpot with a roast or chicken is some doctored up bullion. 

It doesn't look like it, but that's only about a half or three-quarters of a cup of liquid in with the roast. It was bigger/thicker than I thought it looked in the package. I should have gotten out the bigger crockpot, but I'd just washed the round one up from the breakfast oatmeal that had cooked overnight...so it was sitting on the counter.
What I'm sayin' is: It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Anyway...to make this wonder-elixir I put some hot water in a mug and add around a teaspoon of bullion granules (beef or chicken) and stir it until dissolved. Then I add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce and a squirt of brown mustard along with several dashes of black pepper.

The mustard/Worcestershire Sauce combo is magic, I tell ya.

I first used the two together last November when I baked a ham for Thanksgiving.

Don't judge...we don't care for turkey.

But I digress.

I've used the combo several times since with different cuts and varieties of meats and it hasn't disappointed.

Post #25 - What are those roll-up things called?

The first pie of the new year was.....dramatic drum roll.....Peach!

Here it is while baking in the oven.  There are spots on the glass because I cleaned it with baking soda after the Great Pizza Upset and never paid attention. There are no "after" pictures of the pie because I forgot about it in the oven until the top was nearly burnt. It was not pretty.
Anyway...
We like pies. Better than cake.  We don't have pie very often. Why do you think this is?  They are both equally easy/difficult to make.

Anyway, when I roll out a pie crust I usually make it too big and have to cut off the scraps.  My mom always made a cinnamon roll-up thingy with the leftovers.  We never knew what to call them.

 You just smoosh all the scraps together, then roll them out:

 melt some butter and pour it on, spread it out,

 then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over it.

 BTW, you all have this little shaker in your house with cinnamon sugar in it, right?

 So then you roll it up,

 cut it,

 put it on a pan and toss it in the oven with your pie.

 I never remember how long to leave it in there, so I wing it.

10 minutes seems about right.

 The kids eat these up pretty quick.

So what does your family call these roll up thingies?  Or what do you do with the scraps?

Entry #16 - Frosted Chewies

I set out to make a snack last night before we went to church.  Plan A was to make a snack mix I saw on Pinterest that included making a caramel sauce, pouring it over a pan of Chex and nuts, mixing it in and baking for an hour.  I didn't have an hour.

Plan B was to make fudge.  I didn't like the recipe on the back of the marshmallow creme, so I got out my recipe book and looked up a tried-and-true recipe.  Then decided I didn't have time for that, either.

Side note:  a few years ago I typed out my favorite recipes, along with many of Mom's traditional recipes and many more recipes that I thought looked promising. I categorized them, printed them and put them in 3-ring binder.  This year I had to get a bigger 3-ring binder because I keep stuffing it full of recipes I've tried or want to try. 

Plan C (I have a whole alphabet, people) was another recipe from the "Holidays" tab in my recipe book.  It is called "Frosted Chewies" and Mom made them every Christmas after my cousin brought them to Mom's house to share. They are super simple to make and delightfully yummy. I would have never came up with this combination of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch.



Frosted Chewies
6 cups Special K’s
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup

--Put corn syrup and sugar in pan. Bring to slow boil; take off of heat and add peanut butter & Special K’s. Stir well. Put in well-greased 13 x 9” pan.

Frosting:
1 ½ pkgs (6 oz each) butterscotch morsels (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 ½ pkgs (6 oz each) semi-sweet chocolate morsels (about 1 1/2 cups)

--Put in double boiler and melt together. Keep stirring. Put on top of the chewies. Let cool. Serve. (about 3 dozen in one pan)

So I grabbed the Special K's that I'd bought at the Amish salvage store a few weeks ago with this recipe in mind (who cares if the package is dented?) and measured them.  A former co-worker told me she made this recipe with Cheerios and called them "Oh Henry Bars".  (Leah, this also the recipe Karen makes with corn flakes and brings to the Boy Scout functions--sometimes plain, sometimes with a drizzle of melted chocolate chips.) So you don't HAVE to have Special K's...but I'm a sentimentalist, so I do.  :-)

 

I also got the peanut butter measured and the pan ready.

 Then I stirred the sugar and corn syrup together on the stove top. The recipe calls for a "slow boil".  I'm assuming that means stop before it comes to a "rolling boil".

Get bored and write out your Thanksgiving menu.

It doesn't take long for the syrup to come to a boil.  Take it off the stove, stir in the peanut butter and cereal until incorporated...

...pour it into the prepared dish and press flat.  I grabbed a sheet of waxed paper to press it. Be careful because it is very hot.

Mix the chips, nuke them for a bit, stir, repeat.

Smear the melted chips over top the cereal mixture and leave it to cool.  Lick the spoon while you wait. Then leave for church and wonder if you have chocolate on your face the entire ride there.

Once cool, cut a small piece, take a bite and say, "Mmmm".

Later today I will surprise a little girl with a sewing project I've been working on. I hinted about it on my last post. Afterwards I will share it with you.

Later, tater!