Getting ready for Thanksgiving

Today I am doing things a little different than I have been with the blog.  Lately I am hearing Him tell me I need to spend more time with my family, to focus on them and not so much the computer world.  So… I will be posting some of what I have been doing with my family.

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Yesterday I made up some cookie dough and baked half of it.  I have been craving peanut butter lately..ok, all the time, and I found these 2 great recipes for chocolate peanut butter cookies.  Pinterest rocks for finding what you want!  I found one that is a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, and the other is a marbled chocolate peanut butter cookie.  They both turned out pretty good!  Although I have to admit I liked the Chocolate chip peanut butter ones better.

The marbled ones are good but to me they are a little dry.. not sure what I did wrong or if I did do something wrong.  Also, the marbled ones, my second batch didn’t turn out at marbled as much as… I don’t know.. smooshed. 

Here’s the cookies I made and the links to the recipe…

I didn’t take pictures of the peanut butter chocolate chip ones so this pic is from the site I got the recipe

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Here’s the recipe I got from Mel’s Kitchen Café

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture

*Makes about 4-5 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tablespoons milk
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (or a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the butter and peanut butter and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy (you can do this with a hand mixer or with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets. It will firm up as it sits.

When ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 10-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. This will help them set up and be firm enough to transfer without having them overbake in the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to eat them warm as they taste much better cooled.

I pop baked and cooled cookies into the freezer (in a large tupperware or freezer-safe ziploc bag) and they taste great out of the freezer, especially if they are left to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
Recipe Source: My Kitchen Café

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MARBLE COOKIES

Evil Shenanigans cookies… so pretty…

My cookies… not so pretty!  but still good!

Here is the other recipe from Evil Shenanigans

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marble Cookies    Yield 5 dozen

For the peanut butter dough:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the chocolate dough:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Begin by preparing the peanut butter dough.  In the work bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla, egg, and salt and mix until well combined.

In a small bowl sift together the flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a uniform dough is formed.  Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for two hours.
Next, prepare the chocolate dough.  In the same work bowl you used before cream together the butter, sugar, and melted chocolate until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla, egg, and salt and mix until well combined.
In a small bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a uniform dough is formed.  Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for two hours.

Once the dough is chilled roll each of the doughs out to 1/4 inch thick rectangle.  Cut each rectangle in half.  Working with one half each of the chocolate and peanut butter dough, place the chocolate on top of the peanut butter and fold the dough in half and then in half again.  Flatten the dough, roll into a log,  fold the dough in half and flatten again.

Roll the dough into a tight log, wrap with plastic and chill for at least two hours, or as many as three days.   Repeat with the remaining dough.

When you are ready to bake heat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.   Slice the dough into 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick slices and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared sheet.  Bake for 8 – 12 minutes, or until the centers of the cookies are firm and the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.  Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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Baked French Toast Sticks

Hmmm… I know I will love these but just hope that Mad will love them as well.  She wasn’t a big fan of the regular french toast but this might be a little different. 
Will have to try it out and let you know how she does.  She’s such a picky eater… not sure where she get’s that from?   Hush momma and Aunt Patty!! 


I got this recipe from Alphabet Soup
Baked French Toast Sticks
adapted from One Crazy Cookie

1 (1 lb) loaf challah bread (or bread of choice)
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
2 tsp real vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425'F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray well with cooking spray.

Cut bread into 1" slices, and then cut each slice into strips about 1 ½” wide.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Be sure that it is mixed really well.  Pour into a shallow dish or pie plate.

Dip each strip of bread into the milk mixture, coating completely and allowing it to soak up a little of the liquid, but do not over soak (how quickly you have to work will depend upon the bread you are using!).  Place the strips of bread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake another 5-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
If serving immediately, dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon and serve with warmed maple syrup.

If freezing, allow to cool completely, then place on a baking sheet and freeze for a couple of hours.  Transfer to freezer bags.  To serve, reheat in a toaster oven for 3-5 minutes or in the microwave for a few seconds.

Enjoy!  :) Pin It

Busy at home

 

Haven’t really posted much lately.  I have been busy in our home, just trying to put the family first instead of putting the computer first! 

Maddie has been having a great time making new things and just having fun playing and coloring… with momma!

Here’s a few pictures of what we have been doing lately.

Making some crust for some yummy Peanut Butter pie. This time with Graham crackers for the crust, she had a blast bashing them!  (cell pics.. not the best)

Making butter…  she had a blast shaking it…

and screaming as she was shaking it..

and we went to the Wildlife Expo they had several weeks ago.. she had a blast!

 

and something I want to print up and have for us to do together!  ABC Printable Scripture Cards

  We have been having a blast, and I am actually enjoying not being on the computer as much!  The guilt of not responding to everything on FB, posting everyday, reading blogs everyday is slowly going away as well.  Those that have families understand.. there are seasons for everything and right now my season is just relaxing.. not worrying so much about stuff and being a slave to my computer and blogs! 

Hope you have all been doing well!!

You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(Deuteronomy 11:19 ESV)

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