Salads

So I am now a dressing snob.  I like the Brianna's brand A LOT.  Lots of success so far with both the Blush Wine Vinegairette and now the Poppyseed flavor.  Add grilled chicken and make it a meal!  Here are a couple of my standby salads, that are so good and healthy and filling, and versatile.  Forgive the run-on sentence, please. :-)

Spinach leaves (always my favorite for any salad)
Dried cranberries
walnuts (candied, or more than often, not)
crumbled gorogonzola
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinegairette, or the Poppyseed

Spinach leaves
Chopped bell pepper (yellow, orange or red- not green)
slivered almonds (the curnchy kind, not the flat "sliced" ones that stick to the top of your mouth)
mandarin oranges (opt.)
gorgonzola, optional - not sure what other cheese could go here... ideas?

Spinach leaves
fresh sliced strawberries
fresh blueberries
slivered almonds

Organic spring mix or whatever greens
avocado
dried cranberries
blue cheese, crumbled
red onion, sliced
tomatoes
sunflower seeds
raspberry dressing

One Cup of Everything Cookies

I found this recipe years ago and only this weekend finally got around to trying it.  Very easy and very good, and I think you could add to it without messing it up.  Let me know in the comments if you have any other ideas of things to throw in these cookies! 

One Cup of Everything Cookies


1 C. margarine or butter flavored shortening
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. white sugar
1 C. peanut butter
3 eggs
1 C. oatmeal
1 C. flour
1 T baking soda
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. pecans or walnuts
1 C. M&M’s

Some other ideas that I am not too hip to, but others may enjoy…
1 C. coconut
1 C. raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat margarine, both sugars, peanut butter and eggs until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Makes A TON of big cookies, original recipe says 9 dozen.

How to Keep Your Cookies from Going Flat...

This is from my teacher friend, when I asked her why some cookies are super flat.  Yummy, but flat. :-)

Okay, so there could be a couple of things going on with the cookies.  First would be that you have to make sure to cream the fat before you add other ingredients.  Then if you mix too much and put too much air in them they will go flat.  The other would be the type of fat used.  Butter will melt more and make them flatter, margarine will do kind of the same thing but not as much and shortening will help them keep from getting flat but the texture is a little off.  My recommendation is no matter what the recipe says you should use half shortening and half butter (not margarine).  That combination is how I get the best results in my cookies.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Thumbprints / Susans

These are an attempt at the thumbprints that they make at the SoCal chain, Bristol Farms.  They are definitely better from there, but these are pretty good too.  Very easy to make, and the Nutella does fine in the oven.  I've heard of "peanut butter and jelly" cookies that could be good too, made this same way- but I just love chocolate too much to ever try that.  I'll stay on the lookout for a good shortbread cookie recipe for making true "Susan's," but this hits the spot too. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Thumbprints

3/4 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. butter flavor Crisco (I use the sticks)
1 1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
3 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 C. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
Nutella

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Beat until well blended.  Add egg, beat until blended.  Combine dry ingredients and then add to wet mixture.  Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet in whatever size you like, as long as it's consistent.  Last time I went for about 2 rounded tablespoons each.  So I drop them all, then roll them all into a bowl.  Then use your thumb to make a "thumbprint" in each cookie, and add a small (or big!) scoop of Nutella.  Then bake for about 8 minutes, but pull out before they look ready- if you like moist cookies like me.  Let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet but outside of the oven.  They taste much better once they are cooled off, and especially the next day, if they last that long.  Yum! 

Kate's First Swear Words

Ever wonder what it sounds like to get cussed out by a baby? Check this out! (For the record, I am a good mom and picked her up after the video ends...)

She is about 5 1/2 months old here, taken in October 2010.  I am just posting this here now because I know eventually I will be wondering when this was, like I always am with the "That's Not My Name" post of Christopher. :-)