Moving Cookies

I haven't disappeared, but I have been without internet for a few weeks.  Anyway, here's a post I started in the midst of moving.  Far too many things have crossed my mind since I set out to make these, but details don't really matter when you add peanut butter and chocolate chips to a thick and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie, do they?  I'm mostly unpacked and settled in now, but the following paragraphs are a taste of what I was up to when I should have been packing.......

Moving cookies. These are moving cookies. Otherwise known as Melissa has way to many things to be doing/packing/finishing up etc. but can't concentrate on any of them so she just ends up making cookies. Yeah, those kind of cookies.

Our first red flag is cookie justification.  Oh I could take a break and make cookies to give to people who are helping me pack and move. Thank you cookies. Goodbye cookies. Besides, I do have a recipe that needs testing and tweaking. 

The first few minutes of measuring and mixing are indeed a therapeutic zone-out to avoid the task at hand.  But then comes the dough.  Stress eating half a batch of dough and then barely having enough cookies left to give your helpers only heightens the tension and anxiety inside.  But it happens.   Happened.   More than once.   Ugh, will I ever learn?   Note to self: open jars of peanut butter and half-empty bags of chocolate chips are not helpful, especially after all that cookie dough.

It almost seems like an insult to exchange cookies for moving help, these don't come close to repaying all the help I've received.  THANK YOU to all the patient, strong, hard-working helpers.  I wish I had words to express how much I appreciate you.  I just don't know how to thank you, and so by default I make cookies.

Moving Cookies
recipe inspired and adapted from a conglomeration of too many things for me to tell you about right now

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-1/2 cups uncooked quick-oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions: (Danger! Do not proceed under stressful situations, you will just eat too much dough. Rapid and mindless consumption of dough, leftover ingredients and warm cookies will not help in the long run.)
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
* In a large bowl cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
* In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into wet ingredients.  Mix in oats.  Add raisins, chocolate chips and walnuts; stir to combine.
* Scoop mounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten slightly with palm of hand.  Bake 9-10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown.  Let cool 1-2 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.

Food for Thought: The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. -Proverbs 27:12

Flashback Friday: Camp Cookies

Flashback Friday: Revisiting a recipe from long ago

Camp cookies are a longstanding tradition at our house.  Most of my growing up years we went camping for several weeks each summer.  Whether it was a week at a state park or a 3 week road trip packing in as many national parks as possible, we made lots of memories.  No matter where we went these cookies were a part of each trip, which is exactly why we call them camp cookies.  I know, brilliant, right?

The best thing about these cookies is we were allowed to eat them for breakfast.  Loaded with oats, peanut butter and raisins + the fact that we were on vacation made these a perfectly acceptable breakfast.  Many an early morning my parents would carry us to the car still in our sleeping bags.  Breakfast on the road meant reaching over the backseat and into the trunk to find the ice cream pail full of camp cookies.  Of course they also doubled as dessert, hiking snacks and "are we there yet?" silencers.

Let's see, what else do you need to know about this tradition? True to our last minute form, a gigantic batch of these monster cookies found their way to the oven late into the night or in the wee hours of the morning before we left.  While the cookies baked there was plenty of time to cram things into the car, finish laundry and stuff it into suitcases and gather all the camping gear.

Oh, you also need to be a strategic spiller when you make these.  The M&M's are never measured, just dumped and spilled into the dough.  I usually tried to make sure my mom spilled in a few extra.  Depending on the length of our trip we would make up to 3 big batches. Penciled into our cookbook are measurements for a double and triple batch, which I've included in the recipe below.  I'm not sure we ever made just a single batch, they disappear too quickly.

Three week road trips definitely meant a triple batch, which barely fit into our trusty yellow mixing bowl.  When the bowl is literally so full the dough falls out, you had better eat some.  And trust me when I say this dough is seriously good.  It's probably a good thing cookie dough doesn't travel well or I'd never have had room for smores. Though the days of family camping trips are long past these camp cookies are still a family favorite.

Camp Cookies
adapted from an old church cookbook recipe submitted by Miriam Fokema Rogers to "Our Favorite Recipes, United Methodist Church of Kasson"

Ingredients: (double recipe, triple recipe)
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 c, 1-1/2 c)
1/2 cup peanut butter (1 c, 1-1/2 c)
1 cup granulated sugar (2 c, 3 c)
1 cup packed brown sugar (2 c, 3 c)
2 large eggs (4, 6)
1/4 cup milk (1/2 c, 3/4 c)
1 tsp vanilla (2 tsp, 1 Tbsp)
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour (3-1/2 c, 5-1/4 c)
1 tsp baking soda (2 tsp, 1 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp salt (1 tsp, 1-1/2 tsp)
3 cups oats (6 c, 9 c) (I used 1-1/2 cups quick oats and 1-1/2 cups rolled oats....or whatever you have on hand at midnight the night before your camping trip)
1 cup peanuts (2 c, 3 c)
1 cup raisins  (2 c, 3 c)
1 cup candy coated chocolate pieces  (2 c, 3 c) (please don't measure here, just dump generously or spill in some extra.  We usually use both plain and peanut candy coated chocolate pieces...which doubles the spilling opportunities.)

Instructions: (if making a triple batch, use an extra large bowl)
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
* In a large bowl cream together butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.
* In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; stir into wet ingredients.  Mix in oats then stir in peanuts, raisins and candy coated chocolate pieces.
* Using a cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop for monster cookies), scoop dough onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 10-12 minutes (slightly longer for larger cookies) or until edges are golden brown and centers are almost (but not quite) set. Let stand 3 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.  When completely cool, store in airtight containers. (We always used 5-gallon ice cream pails for camping trips.)

Food for Thought: "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." -John Muir

Random Recipe Wednesday: Chocolate Overdose

I had every intention of sharing a slice of homemade bread with you today.  I've also been waiting to tell you about a pie crust, a few rhubarb recipes and several red cabbage recipes I've been playing with.

Instead you get chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.  Plus a hefty dose of peanut butter.  Because after making 10 pies and 7 cheesecakes at work, that's what I'm giving you too.  If you're looking for an ultra rich dessert this Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake is just the thing. The cheesecake is rich enough on it's own, not to mention the chocolate cookie crust and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache poured over the top.  This recipe also scales up well, just in case you were wondering what to do with that extra 14 pounds of cream cheese in your fridge.

If you don't feel like using 14 pounds of cream cheese in 7 cheesecakes, then perhaps you'll fall for this Black-Bottom Peanut Butter Mousse Pie.  Graham cracker crust, a layer of silky chocolate and light peanut butter mousse make one rich forkful after another.  As if we don't have enough reasons to love chocolate and peanut butter.  But I'll leave the rest of the swooning to you, I've had more than my fair share of chocolate for the day.

Food for Thought: "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." -Proverbs 12:25

Random Recipe Wednesday: Savory Orange Hummus

I made this hummus, oh I don't know...a month ago (?) but am just now getting around to sharing it with you.  Don't worry, it's actually long gone; I wouldn't feed you month-old hummus. Sometimes I won't even share my hummus.  This way I can share it with you without really having to share it.  I know.

Tuesday's Twist: Saltine Scotcheroos

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

For those of you unfamiliar with scotcheroos, they're basically a Rice Krispie bar addicted to peanut butter and chocolate.  As if that's not enough, our chocolate-peanut butter addiction is intensely magnified by the addition of butterscotch.  The history of the name scotcheroo is quite elusive, so you'll have to settle for my tale of how today's saltine twist came to be.  Chewy, gooey peanut butter bars kissed with chocolate and butterscotch need no improvements, but then again a little salty with all that sweet can't hurt either.

Random Wednesday: Kitchen Commotion

I'm still not feeling up for our usual Weird Recipe Wednesday, so you're just going to get some random bites of what I've been up to in the kitchen and such.  More likely than not, weird will be involved after all.


1.  Grapefruit: I've eaten more grapefruit over the past few months than in my entire life.  Somehow I just can't seem to get enough of the tart, juicy citrus flavor.  I usually just eat them plain, not even with sugar, but I wanted to try broiling one just this once.  The heat from the broiler was nice, but I'm not really into warm grapefruit.  Or waiting an extra 10 whole minutes for breakfast.  What's your favorite way to eat grapefruit?

2. I can now say I've grilled quail breast outside in the middle of winter.  Oh the things I learn at work.  Food-safe rubber gloves are not as warm as mittens.  A winter coat with long sleeves is not helpful when reaching into a tub of marinating quail breasts and trying to get them on the grill as quickly as possible before you freeze.

3. Last Saturday I made these  peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.  Yum.  Thanks to Madison for the suggestion and Amber for the recipe.

4. "Tastes like beef" is the new "tastes like chicken."  I made a version of this slow cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken and my family couldn't believe it was chicken.  Between the dark sauce and the fact that the chicken was shredded, they all thought it was beef roast.  Weird.  I used an extra dark, mushroom-flavored soy sauce, added ginger and sesame oil and sprinkled cashews over the top before serving. (plus a few other changes I can't remember off-hand)

5.  After spending 8 hours in the kitchen at work you would think the last thing I would want to do when I get home is play in the kitchen.  Wrong.  I start making Homemade Yellow Cake Mix within minutes of walking in the door.  I'm hoping to try a browned butter version next.

Food for Thought: "Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the use of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success." -Louisa May Alcott 

Thursday's Thoughts: Peanut Butter

Thursday's Thoughts: a taste of what I'm thinking

It's National Peanut Butter Day!  Once I get peanut butter on the brain I can think of little else.  Get ready for some peanut butter randomness.

1. Peanut butter and jelly is always the top sandwich combination, but I've come across a few more interesting combinations over the years.  Some go for peanut butter and pickle sandwiches while others kick it up a notch with jalapenos.  I also know someone who grew up eating peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches.  Another friend of mine ate grilled peanut butter sandwiches (which are amazing), but then she dips them in ketchup.  Other odd pairings include mayonnaise, potato chips, marshmallow creme, tomato, bacon, onions and olives.

2. I put peanut butter on my smores more often than not.

3. Presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey's favorite sandwich was "peanut butter, baloney, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and mayonnaise on toasted bread with catsup on the side."

4. It takes roughly 540 peanuts to make a 12 ounce jar pf peanut butter and 770 peanuts to make a 16 ounce jar.

5. If you haven't made your own nut butter yet, such as peanut butter, you are seriously missing out.  It's ridiculously easy and obviously addicting.

6. Peanut butter has a super short shelf life in my pantry.  However, while cleaning out my grandma's cupboards I found an open jar of old peanut butter.  It had a consistency similar to beeswax.

7. Peanut butter is often used in mouse traps.  It would totally work to trap me too.  If I were a mouse I'd want to go that way.  Death by peanut butter.

8. The average American eats 3 pounds of peanut butter each year.  What, that's only 3 jars over the course of an entire year!  Clearly I make up for that, and then some.  I don't even want to know how many pounds of peanut butter I go through in a year.

9. A few of the more unusual or unexpected peanut butter flavor combos I've tried here:
Peanut butter, blueberry and chocolate chip
Peanut butter and basil
Peanut butter, basil, banana and chocolate chip (and trial number two)
Peanut butter and chai tea
Peanut butter and nutmeg
Peanut butter and pumpkin
Peanut butter, jalapeno and chocolate chip
For a full list of posts with peanut butter (including some normal ones), click the peanut butter tag on the right side bar.

10. In the early peanut butter days peanut butter was considered a delicacy.   It was served at upscale locations with pimento or watercress.

I could write all day about peanut butter, don't even get me started on my own favorites or things I'm dying to try.  If you're looking for more peanut butter trivia here's some from the National Peanut Board and The Food Timeline.

Happy National Peanut Butter Day.  Enjoy!

Food for Thought: "Everything in moderation...including moderation." -Julia Child 

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Peanut Butter Cookies-and-Creme Fudge

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

Due to the cake adventure I told you about yesterday, we've switched this week's Weird Recipe Wednesday with Tuesday's Twist.  If you're looking for weird, check out yesterday's post.  If you're looking for a slightly more normal recipe (but not really, who am I kidding), then you're in for a treat.  And by treat I mean peanut butter fudge studded with chocolate cookies.

Tuesday's Twist: Chocolate-Chipotle Puppy Chow

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Due to some, shall we say.....adventures in the kitchen yesterday, Tuesday's Twist and Weird Recipe Wednesday are switching places this week.  Unless you would prefer to have cake batter erupting out of a loaf pan and oozing down the sides as it bakes?  Yeah, me neither.  That was fun.

And since time flies when you're having fun, today is already Weird Recipe Wednesday.  Are you ready for another sweet-savory combination?  Two of the last magazines I've read have featured recipes pairing chocolate with chipotle.  One recipe was for brownies and the other for chocolate crinkle cookies.  Both tasty I'm sure, but I'm trying (sort of??) to not post bars or cookies every single day in December.  I've been looking for a good excuse to make puppy chow.  Oh look, I found it, let's go.

Tuesday's Twist: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Thanksgiving in our family typically consists of a large buffet-style meal sometime in the early afternoon.  After eating more than you ever wanted to it seems we wait, I don't know, about an hour or two before starting to set out all the snacks and appetizers for supper. We then repeat the stuffing yourself process, but this time with party food instead of a sit-down meal.  Makes total sense, right? 

Anyway, these pumpkin peanut butter cups are appearing for the supper part of the spread. 

Tuesday's Twist: Homemade Butterfinger Bonbons

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

If I had one word for every one of these I popped in my mouth, that would be a lot of words.

These lasted less than 24 hours, much less.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Nutty Orange Harvest Soup

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

This orange soup has such a smattering of weird ingredients I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it.  I debated back and forth, snapped a few pictures just in case and finally decided to just go with it.  I've seen orange fall soups popping up everywhere on the blogosphere lately and decided this might not be way too wired after all.  And even if it is, that's exactly what Weird Recipe Wednesday is all about. Since it's Halloween, it seems like as good a time as any for a slightly strange bowl or orange liquid.  Annnnd now that I've hesitated and stalled a little longer I suppose we can get to the soup.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Pumpkin-Chai-Peanut Butter Bars

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

You already know about my crazy obsession with peanut butter.  I suppose it's about time to clue you in on pumpkin too.  Let's just throw pumpkin, squash and carrots together on this one. They're all orange and apparently I eat enough of them to tint my skin a weird orangey-yellow. I've cut back on carrots lately, but only because I've been eating so much squash and pumpkin. Like, ummm, eating so much of them I may have even had squash for breakfast. What can I say, the fact that they're in season is the perfect excuse to feed my obsession. I want to put pumpkin in everything, but I'll try not to overload you with pumpkin recipes. Maybe. Okay, probably not, but I won't give you enough to turn you orange.

After discovering how well peanut butter and nutmeg get along, I couldn't wait to try peanut butter and chai.  About two seconds later pumpkin-chai popped into my head.  Before I could even finish that thought I knew something with pumpkin, chai and peanut butter needed to happen.

Tuesday's Twist: Peanut Butter-Nutmeg Caramel Corn

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Pairing peanut butter and nutmeg may not be your first instinct, but you'll be pleasantly surprised with this cozy combination.  You know that extra flavor peanut butter gets when it's all warm and melty?  Nutmeg seems to capture and enhance that extra toasty warm peanut flavor. In return, the nuttiness of the peanut butter mellows and softens the spice of the nutmeg.  Pairing nutmeg with peanut butter highlights the nuttiness while drawing out the warm, delicate side of this often overused spice. 

Friday Fun: Birthday Cake

It's the weekend to celebrate birthdays around here.  Birthday cakes are not meant to be measured, tested and photographed, they just happen.  In our house carrot cake is a family tradition for my dad's birthday.   I made his cake before leaving on my trip and thought I'd share a little with you.

The faded, old recipe comes out each year, but is rarely followed.

Stains and spots are always indicators of well-loved recipes. 

A heap of carrots follows the whole can of pineapple.  The memories and stories from years past prove that recipes made with love turn out just as well as those with precise measurements.

A palmful or two of cinnamon and mounded spoonfuls of nutmeg and allspice join the party. 

The old wooden spoon and same yellow mixing bowl are used year after year.  

Beater bars and that timeless spoon are set aside. 

Waiting to be licked clean. 

Tweaks and changes are made as the years progress, but one thing remains, the peanut butter frosting.

 Yes, peanut butter frosting on carrot cake.  It's a family tradition that started before I was born.  The love and memories that go into the frosting are as immeasurable as the ingredients themselves.  I'm not usually a big frosting fan, but this frosting makes the cake.  Memories made with love (and peanut butter) make the frosting everyone's favorite part.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Food for Thought: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally - and often far more - worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." -C.S. Lewis

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Peanut Butter-Jalapeno-Chocolate Chip Bars

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

Remember those candied jalapenos I made a few weeks back?  I finally got around to using them in a weird recipe.  But let me back up just a little.  I haven't lost it completely (that or I'm in denial).  If I lay out the tracks, you might be able to follow my train of thought on this one.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Peanut Butter-Banana Soft Serve with Basil and Chocolate Chips

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

After their last get together, peanut butter, banana, chocolate chip and basil decided to give it another try.  Okay fine, I made them go, but sometimes you just need that extra push out the door.

Fermented Friday: Asian Slaw

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation

This recipe is a bit of a stretch for Fermented Friday, but technically it qualifies since soy sauce and rice vinegar are fermented products.  Soy sauce is made by fermenting soybeans with roasted wheat or barley.  Vinegar is produced when bacteria convert a fermented product into acetic acid.  The word itself comes from the French term for "sour wine" vin aigre.  Rice vinegar is made from, you guessed it, fermented rice.  See, we're still using fermentation.

Actually, I've just been craving this crunchy slaw for the past few weeks and needed an excuse to make it.  Okay, that and I put in enough hours at work this week that I didn't quite find time to finish the beer-cheese recipe I'm working on.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Basil Mini Muffins

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.


Just hear me out on this one.  Peanut butter and banana are good friends.  Peanut butter and chocolate were made for each other.  Chocolate and banana also get along nicely.  So far, so good.

A while back we introduced peanut butter to basil.  Not long afterwords basil met chocolate.  Since they all seem to like each other, I decided they needed to hang out.  At the same time.  In muffins.  Mini muffins, to be exact.  Oh, did I mention I like to bake weird things?

Tuesday's Twist: Monster Cookie Popcorn

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Between my obsession with peanut butter and my love of popcorn, it's not too surprising for me to combine the two.  I've been making peanut butter caramel corn for a while, but decided to jazz it up a bit for this week's twist.  Popcorn coated with the quintessential ingredients of a monster cookie leads to inevitable munching.

I can justify the munching, no problem.  You see, eating this crunchy snack is much healthier than just eating cookie dough.  Popcorn is a whole grain, so are rolled oats. Win, win.  Peanuts and peanut butter provide protein and raisins count as fruit.  Chocolate is made from cocoa beans so it's practically a vegetable. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right. Don't believe everything you read.  Are cocoa beans similar enough to black beans to aid in our justification?  Hmmm, maybe we should just go with all things in moderation.