Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies

If my house was on fire and I only had time to grab one item from my kitchen, I would reach for my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe card that my grandmother gave to me years ago. This beat up recipe card means more to me than my entire china collection…that I have only used twice since it has entered my kitchen five years ago…however, I still consider it completely necessary!

I spent many childhood days in my grandmother’s kitchen, which surely has contributed to my love for cooking today. Not only did she teach me the joy of creating something beautiful in the kitchen, but also, the joy of making others happy through sharing wonderful food. It was my grandmother making pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, and homemade toast, of which awaited me every morning at the cottage.  It was my grandmother jumping up from from her seat at the dining room table to offer seconds to anyone still hungry (actually to anyone who wasn’t quick enough to cover their plate before she could refill it). And, it was my grandmother strolling down the sidewalk to every single one of my softball games with an ice cream bucket full of cookies in hand.

I enjoy many different aspects of cooking; however, my favorite thing, above all others, is to make something wonderful for someone else – bringing joy to their lives through scrumptious food. This weekend I combined two of my husband’s favorite things – Grandma’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Oreos. Although altering the original recipe, this one maybe even better! Either way, for me, just getting out this recipe card and reading my grandmother’s message on the back makes these cookies better than any other recipe. I plan to keep this recipe in my file box until hopefully someday I can pass it along to my children, and someday hope to take ice cream pails full of Grandma Leone’s cookies to their children’s ball games!

Ingredients

2 ½ Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Butter Flavored Crisco

2/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 Cup White Sugar

1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

2 Eggs (room temperature)

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

½ Cup Chocolate Chips

½ Cup Peanut Butter Chips

½ Package Peanut Butter Oreos (roughly chopped)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix shortening in mix master with whip attachment for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and mix again until thoroughly incorporated – about 1 minute. Add white and brown sugars – mix for about 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and mix for another minute or so. Add vanilla and mix until combined. You cannot over mix during any of the previous steps, in fact, the longer you mix, the better cookie you will have. 

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium size bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to the mix master bowl while it is running on slow speed. Once all the flour is incorporated, stop mixing. At this point, it is possible to over mix and doing so will result in a tough cookie (no pun intended).

Add chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and peanut butter Oreos, and stir until combined. Using an ice cream scoop, drop 2-inch balls on baking sheet. Make sure to allow space in between for the cookies to spread. Bake cookies for 8 – 11 minutes or until they are slightly golden around the edges. Cool on baking rack and enjoy!

Daily Meditations

I consider myself an extremely lucky, fortunate, happy, and blessed person.  However, at times, it is entirely way too easy to focus on negatives things…both in my life and in the lives of loved ones. A few years back my grandfather gave me a gift that has allowed me to focus on the important things in life – Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women – a book that was once my grandmothers.

Each meditation starts with a quote of some sorts followed by a summary of how it relates to daily struggles and/or emotions woman face. The end leaves you with an approach, or somewhat of a goal, on how you can tackle each particular day with grace and overcome difficult times.

When I first read the back of the book…originally developed for people recovering from alcoholism and other addictions…I felt a little silly reading it. After reading a few pages, I realized that this book really is for all women, as we all lose focus every so often. One definition of meditate is to focus ones thoughts on, which is exactly what this book is about – focusing your thoughts on positive things.

I like to keep this book on my nightstand and either read the daily meditation right before I go to bed or early in the morning. I also just found out that the Hazelden Meditation Series has a website, which has a new meditation each day. However, I am especially fond of the cute, little book I have, which I am sure is because it reminds me of my grandmother and the amazing person she was.

Here are yesterday and today’s meditations.

Love has a hundred gentle ends.
  —Leonora Speyer

On occasion I realize it's easier to say the serenity prayer and take that leap of faith than it is to continue doing what I'm doing.
  —S.H.

Rain Day Blues

Is there anything worse than cold, cloudy, rainy, sleety, possibly even snowy days that come around this time of year? It is officially springtime, after all. One thing that I really enjoy doing on days like these is sitting down with a nice cup of tea and my pile of catalogs, for which I thank my husband. During one of our many moves when we were homeless without a home, we directed our mail to my mother in law’s address. When we changed it back to our new, permanent address, he informed the post office to redirect all of “The Rock’s” mail. Needless to say, our stash of catalogs has increased dramatically!

I have been eying up this fantastic yellow raincoat from Boden for a few years now. Maybe even one of these years I will splurge and order it. I am also dying to attend a wedding this summer just so I have an excuse to buy a new dress, which would of course mean buying new accessories, too. I have fallen in love with this entire look.

 

When my sister was here a few weeks ago we were browsing through Boden’s Spring 2011 catalog and she asked how can she get away with wearing pink shoes a green dress? Is this not a fashion faux pas? Aren’t you supposed to match your shoes with your purse? The answers are she just can, no, and no. Since I am by no means an expert on fashion, here is an article from Ladies' Home Journal on fashion rules to break. Note, I said Ladies' Home Journal…not Harper’s Bazaar. So I think we all can agree, LHJ is probably not on the cutting edge of new fashion trends so we can assume we are safe to break these rules!

Disclaimer:  Do not inform your husband of these new rules! Once he knows you do not need a new pair of shoes, purse, and other accessories to go with a new dress he will assume you already have something to “match” in your closet.

Google Reader + Apple = Best Magazine Ever

After years of giving my husband grief about spending so much time analyzing his Google Reader, I had to apologize to him because I am now addicted. I was skeptical at first because it just seemed like a waste of time to go through the work to set up the account.  Also, I figured I’d never have time to read anything on it anyways. I was wrong on both accounts. First of all, it couldn’t be easier to set up...it really only takes a few minutes. Second, not only do I have time to read my subscriptions on Google Reader, it saves me time. I like to describe it as my personal magazine. There are billions of blogs and RSS feeds out there that you can follow containing information you would never find on the newsstand. The blogs I follow contain everything from very useful information (parenting advice, cooking techniques, and real estate information) and to useless knowledge (fail blog).

There are also many apps available where you can access your Google Reader on your iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone. The one I use is called FeeddlerRSS. Once you sync your FeeddlerRSS app with your Google Reader you access your personal magazine when you are on the go. The combination of these two products has allowed me to stay current on many topics as well as learn things that I’m sure I never would have had if I continued along with my skeptical opinion on Google Reader.

If you are interested in setting up your own Google Reader account follow these instructions on ehow.com. Another great feature is the sharing capability. You can follow anyone who has a Google Reader account and if you want to share a particular article you can simply click “share.” If someone else has shared a posting with you then it will appear in a folder on the sidebar in the “people you follow” tab.  

Make sure to add http://4thegoodtimes.blogspot.com to your Google Reader!

Mumford & Sons + P.S. I Love You Soundtrack

Mumford & Sons has quickly become one of my favorite artists. Sigh No More has been my husband and mine’s go to album when we fire up our iTunes. Rarely do I want to listen an entire album; however, I could listen to this entire album over and over. It is right up there with the PS I Love You Soundtrack, which is one of my all-time favorites. "Love You 'Till The End" and "No Other Love" are my two favorite songs. The movie is equally as good. If you have not seen this movie you must. Make sure to grab your tissue box though first!

 

Purging: rid of; clean out

Before I went to bed last night I scanned our house and tried to figure out how in the world I considered the weekend to be a productive one, which I had. It seriously looked like a tornado had gone through the house, however, somehow I still felt like I had got a lot accomplished over the weekend. 

 

As much as I enjoy cleaning, which I really strangely do, my weekend involved very little of it. The weekend was filled with a two hour trip to Wegman’s, shopping trip to Kohl’s, sunshine, stroller walks outside, a 3 mile run, NCAA basketball, yummy food, margaritas and old vine Zin! Life really does not get much better as far as I am concerned! Sometimes an accomplishment is not anything you can physically measure; rather it is mental feeling – the ones we too often forget about.

My one physical accomplishment of the weekend was purging. I asked my husband, “Do you want to do something fun?” He immediately hesitated and quickly assumed I had a not so fun chore planned for him. So, when I said, “do you want to go through our clothes and get rid of things we don’t want anymore?” he was thrilled (really he was).

My goal is going through my closets at least twice a year and getting rid of things that I do not wear anymore. Generally, my rules are if I have not worn something in more than two years I do not need it, if it does not fit anymore to get rid of it, and if I am waiting for something to go back into style – it will not – so get rid of it. Another reason I like to shuffle through my clothes is because I will often find something that was lost in the mess of stained shirts, pants from high school, and bras with wires poking out that I had completely forgotten about.

The question is, when you drop off your bags of clothes at the donation center how to claim the donation on your taxes. Money Blue Book is a great reference as it explains where to donate, how to claim the donation on your taxes, IRS documents you need, and some other very helpful guidelines. Making the correct documentation right away will make it easier come April 15^th when you are brainstorming any deductions you had the previous year and guessing the value of your donations. 

With springtime officially here, I know everyone is going through their closets, packing away the wool sweaters and getting out the shorts. While doing it, you may as well fill a bag to take to Good Will. Like everything in life, getting rid of the clutter will make you focus on the more important things.  You may as well apply the same philosophy to your closet,  and while doing it you may as well reap the benefits from Uncle Sam!

My Motorboat

Some women collect shoes, others jewelry, some like the newest, trendiest clothes and then there are the women like me who collect kitchen appliances. My husband, boyfriend at the time, gave me a Kitchen Aid Mixer for my birthday one year and ever since, he’s had me at the dough hook!

This shout out goes to my motorboat, also know as the immersion blender. Every cook, whether you are an amateur or expert, needs a motorboat in there life. 

Use it for sauces, soups, purees, smoothies, shakes, salad dressings, or anything where you would have to haul out the blender. (The motorboat will not work for blended, ice drinks. So, the blender will still have to come out for the margaritas!)

In honor of the motorboat, here is one of my favorite soup recipes. 

Butternut Squash Soup 

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash (peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes)

2 – 3 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Cardamom

½ Teaspoon Garam Masala

½ Teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

3 Packages Amaretti Cookies

¼ Cup Hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1 Tablespoon Butter

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, combine butternut squash and 2 cups of chicken broth. Add all the spices and 2 packages amoretti cookies. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until squash is tender. 

Get out your motorboat and blend it right in the pot. At this point, depending on the thickness of the soup, you can add more broth to thin it out if you prefer. Depending on how big your butternut squash is, your soup will not always have the same exact thickness, which there is not an exact amount of broth that I add every time. Taste soup and add salt and/or pepper if needed.

Meatballs, Applesauce, & Sweet Potatoes

I am quickly learning the magnitude of a boy’s appetite. Growing up in a family of girls (my poor father), I never experienced the healthy appetite of a growing boy! My husband has warned me but I am only beginning to understand how much baby G will eat in his lifetime. With the combination of my patience, or lack thereof, and his daddy’s appetite, when it comes to dinnertime, we have a monster in our high chair!

When I gave G his first Cheerio, I stood back, cringing, waiting for him to start choking. To my surprise, he had no problem gumming the Cheerio and swallowing it down. Now when he shoves six into his mouth at once, I just throw some more onto his tray. Now that G seems to prefer finger foods, I struggled for new ideas for fast, easy, and nutritional finger foods. 

As I was throwing diced carrots, shredded chicken and bread down onto his tray I thought, meatballs! Why can’t I make him his own meatballs? So, I experimented in my kitchen and was quite pleased with my results. Both Daddy and G loved the turkey meatballs I threw together!

G’s Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey

1 large carrot, peeled & grated

2 small McIntosh apples, peeled, cored & grated

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 – 3 T. Italian Parsley, finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried basil (if you have fresh basil, use it! 2-3 T. fresh)

¼ teaspoon dried marjoram

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine everything in large bowl. Mix together with your hands until everything is incorporated but do not over mix. Shape meatballs into about 1 ½-inch balls. You can make the meatballs any size you like. Place meatballs onto a sheet pan lightly coated with olive oil. Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

Let meatballs cool and break meatballs apart into small pieces for baby to grab. Freeze the remaining meatballs and pop out of the freezer anytime. Reheat in microwave at 50% power for about 2 minutes.

Here are some of G’s other favorites that we always keep on hand for our impatient little man.

Applesauce

4 -5 McIntosh Apples, Peeled, Cored, & cut into 1 inch cubes

½ - 1 Cup Water

¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Cardamom

Place all ingredients into a saucepan on stovetop on high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until apples are cooked through. Stir the apples every 5 minutes or so to prevent apples from sticking to bottom of pan. Once the apples are cooked through you can mash with potato masher directly in pan, or you can use an emersion blender, food processor, or regular blender.

Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks, which mine never makes it past one week since both G & Daddy loves, loves, loves applesauce!

 

Diced Sweet Potatoes

I really do not consider this a recipe; rather it is just a method of cooking sweet potatoes. Since G loves sweet potatoes so much and they are healthy as is, the only ingredients are sweet potatoes! This is what you do:

1. Peal 2-3 potatoes 
2. Cut potatoes into about ¼ inch cubes. I use my vegetable chopper for this. It saves a ton of time, of which I never have enough. 
3. Place in steamer on stove top.
4. I use a regular pot with a steamer basket inside. Add about 1 inch of water to the pot. 
5. Bring water to boil on high heat, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

I cannot keep these on G’s tray. He gobbles them up faster than I can put more down!

To Herb, Or Not To Herb

As the days get longer and the temperature rises I find myself thinking about summertime. Something about the springtime air rejuvenates me and makes me want to be more active, eat healthier and just plain smile more. One of my favorite things about summertime is the abundance of fresh produce and particularly, the fresh herbs on my patio. Since we are moving this summer I debated for about 5 minutes whether I should take the time to plant any herbs as we’ll either have to discard them before we move, or we’ll have to tow them cross country. I decided to go ahead with my herb patio; however, I will keep it simple and only plant few, essential herbs.

Somehow, after years of spending time in my mother’s garden, I did not develop a green thumb and I am learning through my own failures. I have found that gardening is not a gifted skill; rather it is a learned skill. If you want to have a beautiful, thriving garden, you should do as much research as possible. Planting a garden is kind of like having a child.  You can do as much research as you want before your child arrives but since every baby is different, living in a different environment, and cannot talk you will never be fully prepared and thus, will have to make adjustments as you go. Like a child, your garden will need constant attention.  What you do one day will not be like what you did the previous day, and you will lose sleep thinking about whether you are doing the right things! The wonderful thing about gardening is that you can garden on any scale, just a small herb garden, as I am planning or an entire field’s worth of plants, vegetables, or fruits.

One of the reasons I love my herb garden so dearly is the simplicity of it. In my experience, herbs do not need much tender loving care. Once you plant them and douse them with a daily watering, you can just watch them grow and you have wonderful, fresh herbs readily available all summer long. For the frugal minded, you can buy an entire plant for the same price you will pay for a few sprigs of herbs in the grocery store.

Culinary Herb Garden is a great basic reference for planting a herb garden, giving you basic descriptions on many different herbs, how and where they should be grown as well as how they can be used in your kitchen. 

Run For Your Life

After taking an eighteen-month hiatus from running due to my pregnancy and 8-month old son, I fully intend to get back into my 10 mile a week routine this summer, which at about 2.5 miles per run equals 4 runs a week. Studies have shown that running has a positive long-term effect on your health. It’s sometimes hard to commit to something when the benefit won’t be seen for years to come, however the benefits of running are also noticed in your everyday life. Changes I notice when I start running include, but are not limited to, an increased level of energy, a better self-image, healthier eating choices, a more upbeat mood, increased muscle tone and I burn more fat! Overall, I live a healthier lifestyle, both physically and mentally!

“Running For Your Life - Runners Do Live Longer,” by Rick Morris is a very well written article I found on runningplanet.com. Morris goes on to talk about research that has proven running to have a positive impact on your overall health. For the most part, I really enjoyed this article; however, I wanted more. I was waiting for the moment where he would indulge into the mental health benefits of running, the reason I really enjoy running. Regardless, you do not need research to prove the immediate affects. Go out and experience them yourself!

I realize running is not for everyone, but I do think that running is the most underused form of exercise. With your doctor’s approval, I encourage everyone to give it a go. With all the health benefit running has to offer, it is a simple way to enhance your life. At the very least, if you are like me, it balances out the martinis you enjoy so very much! 

Happy Trails!

PCS Move Checklist

Although PCS may not mean anything to most of you, all military families know what this acronym stands for – permanent change of station. At our first duty station, a fellow wife in my husband’s squadron referred a few of the other “new” girls and me as freshmen. At the time, I was somewhat offended. I thought, “what is she some kind of expert or something about this whole military thing?” I now realize that there was some truth behind her logic. After five years of experience being a military wife, I do see how one can become an “expert.” I would say that her conclusion of me being a “freshman” was accurate, but giving herself the title of “senior” was a little premature. If you want to put military wives in different classes, this is how I see it.

Every five years of service, you graduate to the next level, typically. The first five years you are a freshman, next five you become a sophomore, and so on. You are on track for graduation after twenty years, which coincidentally coincides with your husband’s optional retirement. Of course, not all wives graduate. Some drop out, some flunk out, and some just keep hanging around never moving up in the hierarchy of the “military wives society.” In addition, there are the overachievers who continue their education well past the twenty-year mark and become experts in a particular field.

So, that all being said, I am looking forward to starting my sophomore year this summer! In the midst of it all, we will also be PCSing and I if there is one thing I learned throughout my freshman tour was to make lists, lots and lots of lists. Therefore, in preparation for our move this summer I intended to make a thorough checklist of everything that would need to be done to make this move go smoothly. Once I started my list, I was overwhelmed with the complexity of a PCS move and did not even know where to start. I was just about to forget about making a list and just wing it like I normally do and then it dawned upon me, someone else probably has done this already. I present to you the PCS Checklist for your Move I found on Military.com written by Danielle Babb.