#250 Cherry Pecan Dreams
For our annual neighborhood block party I made these cherry, pecan and vanilla chip filled cookie. I took a lesson I learned from an earlier batch. Use craisins for dried cherries, you won't end up with a mushy cookie.
#251 Chunky drop cookies
4th of July weekend
This weekend was filled with accidents. My mom stepped backwards on a step and fell back and hit her face/head/leg on a brick retaining wall. She says it's just fortunate that she has a hard head.
I was helping my dad get the jet ski in the water (my mom had her accident while helping my dad as well - draw your own conclusions). The first try, it wouldn't start. We put it back in the garage, put in a different battery and got it started in the garage. We brought it to the water got it in, and it wouldn't start. Later that afternoon with a brand new battery, we brought it back to the water. My 3 year old son came along for a ride. We got to the water. I got on the jet ski with my 3 year old. My dad had to unhook the trailer since the water was a bit low, and he wheeled us all the way into the water and unhooked the jet ski. I checked that the jet ski was in neutral and I gave it a little gas while I started it since this was our 3rd try of the day. It worked. It went flying forward (keep in mind we were pointing towards land since we just got off the boat launch) and we hit the rocks by the boat launch. We went over the rocks and so far up the land that we went past the car. I kept my son on the jet ski, but then I fell off and banged my head. I got up and helped my son who was bleeding profusely from his nose. This all doesn't sound good, but it might just be the best thing that happened. I've been experiencing chronic neck pain for the last three months. I've done everything to fix it: massage, chiropractor, yoga, cortisone shots. I definitely sprained my neck from the fall, but after two days of a sprained neck; I've had no pain.
What about my son though. He's traumatized, right? Nope. He's told everyone how we flew over rocks. And the nose bleed - seems to have cured his chronic congestion that he's had for months (I'm talking constant runny nose with the thick mucousy boogies. He's actually scheduled to have his tonsils and adenoids out. We might look into cancelling that surgery.
And the jet ski. - Fine.
As my brother so bluntly put it to me later "Well that was stupid. You should've known that neutral doesn't work".
#252 Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
This is one of those cookies I've been waiting to bake because it looked so good and I wanted my kids to be able to appreciate them. It was worth the wait. A peanut butter cup cookie with reese's peanut butter cups and chocolate chips. The lucky recipients: Mike's family reunion on our trip to Indiana. All 7 dozen of these cookies were gone in just a couple of hours.
Recipe:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup peanut butter - no generic brands
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 - 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped peanut butter cups (about six 1.6 oz packages)
In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter cups.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.
 |
| Our trip in Indiana |
