Yumm-O

This year I had made some promises, resolutions, what ever you want to call them to make myself better or more efficient in some ways.

I had decided to try the new recipe a week thing.

I decided that rather than spend money on processed cookies, I would bake my own.

I love to bake.

I have tried different recipes but mostly my standard Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This week I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies.

YUMM-O!

They are so tasty. We are definitely a chocolate/peanut butter family. Even my daughter who is the least of peanut butter fans in our family, loves them.

They came out amazing!

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2 Cups Flour

3/4 Cup Cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

10 oz Package of Reese's Peanut Butter chips

Heat oven to 350, Stir dry ingredients (Flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt). Mix butter and sugar until smooth, add eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture. Then add chips.

Drop on ungreased cookie sheet in rounded teaspoons (we like our cookies a little bigger so they are not too small).

Bake for 8-9 minutes. Take out and let cool a minute on cookie sheet. Then cool on wire rack.

Enjoy with a big glass of milk or with your ice cream.

What's with this Ivy?

I used to like ivy.

I thought it was a great accent piece, a nice filler but not anymore.

My yard has tons of ivy.

Tons.

It runs along my driveway and then ends in a huge area (whole back corner) in my yard.

When we fell in love with our house we always knew the ivy would have numbered days.

We have been here about 17 months.

Last year we got rid of trees, now I have to get rid of the ivy.

It just takes up so much space, lots of extra space for the kids to play, a garden to grow and my dream a cute garden shed.

Courtesy of Country Living

So last year we started to pull it out.

HARD.

That freakin' ivy is so dense and so imbedded with itself and the ground it is very tiring.

I did a section the other day and amazingly enough it was easier to pull (probably since the huge rain made the ground so soft the stuff was coming out easily.

I am dying. At this rate I will have it gone by the end of the summer.

And I am all itchy now. I wore gloves, I swear.

I will have to tackle it slowly OR when I finally get my teaching position hire someone else to do it (let them be itchy).

Here's to another day out in the ivy.

Zizette

Back on Track

So, today I weighed myself.

And you know what? I got back on track.

Only 1 lb.

But

That's better than nothing or gaining.

So, I have to keep up with it.

NOW, I can exercise.

Why now do you ask?

Because, last week at my Tricky Tray...

I

WON

A

LADIES SCHWINN!!!

I was so excited when I pulled the ticket with my name on it.

I was jumping up and down.

Yay me!

Today I got myself a bike helmet (it is the law and I am setting a good example for my kiddies).

I will have them take a picture of me and my new bike later.

Zizette

Cricut Giveaway

Check out this AWESOME giveaway at Women Who Do It All.

A Cricut, how awesome is that?

Head on over there.

Good Luck,

Zizette

Look what's lurking in my house..

That would be a Maya-Tiger

She was lurking in the flowers after a party

She had so much fun at that party.

Can you believe those roses? Some are left over from my birthday last week and some as a gift for my Tricky Tray.

You know the trick to cutting flowers, specifically roses?

Lay them down in a room temp tub/basin of water and cut them while under water. Always keep the water full and never have the leaves from the stems in the water (they create bacteria). Roses drink from their full stem. I learned this many years ago when I took floral design as a science at community college. I still use some of my skills.

Those yellow roses are from a week ago and not from some fancy florist.

I love flowers so I am going to try and get some in the house more often.

Zizette

Another New Recipe

Recently Kasey from Lola b's made this amazing sounding Mac 'n Cheese.

So I decided to try it out.

I bought the cheeses and the Truffle Oil (can you say yumm-o?)

I mean it has a few of my favorite ingredients: Cheese, cheese, cheese and Truffle Oil.

I made it tonight and amazingly enough, Maya liked it.

Sam has not tried it yet.

Actually it is not surprising Maya liked it, she likes to try stuff all the time.

Sam, well, he wants it to be with American Cheese, what?

I know that we (my husband especially) sometimes are food snobs (he is a Culinary Institute Graduate) but we do use cheaters sometimes.

It was any easy recipe and fun to make. Best of all, the family liked it (we will have Sam try it soon - he does get a quarter for it).

Why don't you hop on over to Lola B's and check out the recipe.

Zizette

Keeping My Promise

To try new recipes weekly has been hard.

Some weeks I can do and others I cannot.

This week I tried two new recipes so that should make up for missed weeks, right?

SO, tonight I tried to make Corned Beef (in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and my Irish roots somewhere) and Braised Red Cabbage (why do they call it red when it is really purple?).

The recipe for the corned beef was rather simple, I just followed the directions on the package. It took longer than the package said but my husband the Culinary Graduate said I did not have it on a TRUE simmer. Umm, okay.

The recipe for the Braised Red Cabbage came from Epicurious.

Everything was tasty. The Corned Beef a little salty but that is expected from that kind of meat, I guess.

Zizette

Braised Red CabbageGourmet | December 2001

Yield: Makes 8 servings Active Time: 30 min Total Time: 1 3/4 hr 3 1/2 lb red cabbage (1 medium head), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise 4 bacon slices, chopped 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup white-wine vinegar 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Rinse cabbage under cold water, then drain (do not pat dry). Cook bacon in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving it for another use. Add butter to bacon fat, then increase heat to moderate and cook onions, stirring, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cabbage, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 1/4 hours.