So that's it... I'm officially a non-facebooker!
I deleted my account, all of my info and all of my pictures.
It's over...and I feel so liberated!
:D
Friday, September 30, 2011
In:
Decisions
,
Simply Stated
:: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Rounds
I made this heavenly goodness today from a recipe that a good friend of mine sent me. These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies can be modified to your liking with the "toppings". The recipe calls for chocolate chips and walnuts, but you can substitute with peanut butter morsels and peanuts, or whatever else you think may sound good.
Here's the recipe...
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup Butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup Peanut Butter (I used Natural)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Rolled Oats
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips*
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts*
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat together butter and peanut butter until well combined. Add sugars, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour. Stir in oats, cranberries and nuts.
4. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto un-greased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until light brown around edges.
5. Remove to wire racks to cool. *Can substitute cocktail peanuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter morsels, raisins, M&M's or another type of nut.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
In:
Baking Bonanza
,
Foodie Fun
::Best You've Ever Had Chocolate Chip Cookies
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of anything sweet, especially things that contain chocolate. Living at a high altitude, cooking & baking poses a bit of a challenge because sometimes things just don't come out correctly. After several failed attempts to make regular ole' chocolate chip cookies, a good friend of mine gave me this recipe to try and combat the flat cookie syndrome as a result of the elevation. I renamed them "Best You've Ever Had Chocolate Chip Cookies" because they're just that; the best I've ever had! This recipe also works great for sea-level elevations and all those in between. Next time you've got a hankering for some delectable chocolate chip cookies, give this one a try! It won't disappoint!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside
- In another large mixing bowl, combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla,and pudding mix. Beat until it's smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Drop batter by heaping teaspoonful, about 2 inches apart, onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until they are lightly brown on the edges.
- Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
NOTE: It will likely get dry and think towards the end, which is perfectly fine. They really do end up being moist cookies regardless because of the pudding mix. If you feel like it is too much so, or you have trouble mixing it, add a little milk just to soften it up a bit. They will probably not turn brown when they are done, so be sure to look for the lightly brown edges when it's time to take them out. You want to make sure they remain moist! It's a good idea to sometimes refrigerate some of the dough before you make it, but not at all necessary. It just serves to make a more structured cookie.
Since I love to modify recipes, here are some things I do to spice things up a little...
- For more chocolately cookies, add an extra handful of chocolate chips
- If you like chopped walnuts, add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of walnuts
- Substitute the chocolate chips for peanut butter morsels... yum!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
In:
Baby Daze
,
Blessings
,
Family Ties
,
Life Lessons
,
Twins
::A Topic On My Heart
One thing that I have had on my heart a lot lately is a topic that isn't widely discussed. Unfortunately, for the sake of those who are or have traveled this path, it isn't something that comes up in casual conversation. It is something that I lived in fear of for the entire duration of my pregnancy. This "thing" is called loss...
June 15th, 2010 was the day I fell in love with my babies for the first time. I'm talking the deepest of deep love you can feel. Moms, you know what I'm talking about. This love was instantaneous and gripping from the very second I saw the word "pregnant" on those little digital pee sticks. This love consumed every square inch of my body, my heart and my soul. On June 20, 2010, the day I found out I was pregnant with twins, was the day I felt true fear for the first time. Not because I was pregnant with twins (lol), but because of automatic super high risk of my pregnancy and because of the very real possibility of losing one or both of our babies. After struggling for almost a year and a half to even get pregnant and dealing with the "loss" that I felt every month, I couldn't imagine the pain that I would endure if I had to face the sobering reality of losing my baby or babies. I remember any time I even thought about it, my already puffy eyes became swollen with big tears because I couldn't even bear thinking about it. Very morbid, I know, but also very real.
Fortunately, as you know, I was blessed with the ability to carry my boys to 35 weeks 5 days and deliver them via emergency c-section a little more than a month before they were due. By the grace of God, they only spent 3 days in the NICU and are now in great health and thriving. I am aware that this is the result of many prayers and the works of God through out the duration of my pregnancy. Every day, I look at my little guys and thank God for their tiny souls and how fulfilled my life is with them in it.
Some of you know that when I was about 27 weeks pregnant, I was shopping at Costco with my Mom and sister the day before my baby shower and I slipped and fell on their concrete floors. I hit the left side of my belly on one of their food court benches. Aside from losing my pregnancy all together, one of my biggest fears was falling. You can only imagine what was going through my head as I sat there on that cold concrete floor waiting for the paramedics to arrive. I was taken to the hospital and monitored for several hours to make sure my babies were safe and sound. Although this shook my to my inner most core, I knew it was a reminder of just how precious life is, and how lucky I am to have the privilege to incubate two lives at the same time, all while this miracle was happening inside of me.
I know that I am blessed to have two beautiful, healthy and lively baby boys. I also know that there are others around me who have had to travel a much more challenging path. I know in my future, the outcome may not be as planned, but one thing I rest my hope on is the fact the God is great and God is good. God is faithful and God hears my prayers. He knows my heart and he knows my path before I walk. I will continue to put my faith in God regardless of the challenges that lay ahead of me because they are what shape who I am.
For now, I continue to thank the Lord that my cup runneth over...
June 15th, 2010 was the day I fell in love with my babies for the first time. I'm talking the deepest of deep love you can feel. Moms, you know what I'm talking about. This love was instantaneous and gripping from the very second I saw the word "pregnant" on those little digital pee sticks. This love consumed every square inch of my body, my heart and my soul. On June 20, 2010, the day I found out I was pregnant with twins, was the day I felt true fear for the first time. Not because I was pregnant with twins (lol), but because of automatic super high risk of my pregnancy and because of the very real possibility of losing one or both of our babies. After struggling for almost a year and a half to even get pregnant and dealing with the "loss" that I felt every month, I couldn't imagine the pain that I would endure if I had to face the sobering reality of losing my baby or babies. I remember any time I even thought about it, my already puffy eyes became swollen with big tears because I couldn't even bear thinking about it. Very morbid, I know, but also very real.
Fortunately, as you know, I was blessed with the ability to carry my boys to 35 weeks 5 days and deliver them via emergency c-section a little more than a month before they were due. By the grace of God, they only spent 3 days in the NICU and are now in great health and thriving. I am aware that this is the result of many prayers and the works of God through out the duration of my pregnancy. Every day, I look at my little guys and thank God for their tiny souls and how fulfilled my life is with them in it.
Some of you know that when I was about 27 weeks pregnant, I was shopping at Costco with my Mom and sister the day before my baby shower and I slipped and fell on their concrete floors. I hit the left side of my belly on one of their food court benches. Aside from losing my pregnancy all together, one of my biggest fears was falling. You can only imagine what was going through my head as I sat there on that cold concrete floor waiting for the paramedics to arrive. I was taken to the hospital and monitored for several hours to make sure my babies were safe and sound. Although this shook my to my inner most core, I knew it was a reminder of just how precious life is, and how lucky I am to have the privilege to incubate two lives at the same time, all while this miracle was happening inside of me.
I know that I am blessed to have two beautiful, healthy and lively baby boys. I also know that there are others around me who have had to travel a much more challenging path. I know in my future, the outcome may not be as planned, but one thing I rest my hope on is the fact the God is great and God is good. God is faithful and God hears my prayers. He knows my heart and he knows my path before I walk. I will continue to put my faith in God regardless of the challenges that lay ahead of me because they are what shape who I am.
For now, I continue to thank the Lord that my cup runneth over...
Have you dealt with loss??
How were you able to grieve and move through it??
Sunday, September 25, 2011
In:
Simply Stated
