Soft Cocoa Cookies

I just finished a batch of these and they taste great! The family loves 'em, they were super easy to make, and they look rather festive. Don't ya think?

You'll need:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 t. salt
3 t. baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon

 Start by mixing the butter and brown sugar.

 Add your egg and mix really good!

 In another large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients except cinnamon.

 Add half of the flour mix to your butter/sugar. Gently stir together.

 Add half of your milk to the bowl and stir together. Repeat this all over until all ingredients are mixed together.

 Splash in the vanilla and cinnamon.

 Drop by rounded teaspoons onto an un-greased cookie sheet.

 Bake at 400* for 8-12 minutes. Don't overcook!

Cool on the pan 5 minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you want too!

Have a great evening!

Ashleigh

Nutty Cheese Balls



You'll need:

1/4 cream cheese, softened

2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

3 T. mayonnaise

1/2 large red pepper, chopped

3/4 t. onion powder

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

 

Start by toasting your pecans. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350* for 7-10 minutes.

 



Toss your cream cheese in the food processor until smooth.

 



Dump in your cheeses.

 



Dump in the mayonnaise.

 



Add your chopped peppers and seasonings.

 



Grind it up until it's well mixed and starts forming into a ball.

 



Scrap into a bowl and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

 



Chop up your pecans and place in a bowl.

 



Form into 1-inch balls and roll in the pecans. Place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.

 



Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Ashleigh

Happy Thanksgving Ya'll!!

Just a couple little funnies thanks to Facebook! Have a great day!

 

Ashleigh

Cheese Breadsticks

This is the final result of my recent bread-stick craze. These are super simple and they taste really good!

You'll need:

1 can Pillsbury classic pizza crust

1 t. Italian dressing

2 1/2 T. Italian dressing

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400*. Roll out your crust on a large pan.

Thinly spread the 1 t. dressing over the crust and bake for 9 minutes.

(This is after it's been baked.)

Now spread the 2 1/2 T. dressing over the baked crust.

Smother with shredded cheeses. Bake in the oven for around 12 -15 minutes on the top rack. Keep a close eye on it.

Pull out, cut into bread-sticks, and serve!

Enjoy,

Ashleigh

A Time For Thanksgiving

     Right now, I'm curled up by the fireplace, Michael Buble Christmas is playing, and it's all of 20 some degrees outside. The weekend is almost over and Thanksgiving will soon be here.
     Speaking of Thanksgiving, what will you be doing Thursday? Some people are having dinner with family, others are just staying at home. Some people will be alone on Thanksgiving, others surrounded by people that love them.
     One thing that keeps coming to my mind is our pastor's comment this morning in church. He talked about how Thanksgiving isn't a time to just think thankful thoughts, it's a time to be thankful and give thankful giving. It's a time to share and give to one another. Be it just a phone call, a note dropped in the mail to a friend, or a small gift; it's a time to be give thanks and share.
     Some of my favorite verses for this time of the year (really any time) are:

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." ~ Psalm 107:1

"I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving." ~ Psalm 69:30

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name." ~ Psalm 100:4

What are some things that you are thankful for? Think of that song "Count Your Blessings".
I'm thankful for:
-Jesus and my salvation
-Freedom
-Family
-Friends
-Food
-Our home
-A heater that works
-Good health
-Clean, fresh air
-Sleep (Although I would like more, I'm thankful for what I get!)

My list could go on and on, and I'm sure yours could too.
But for tonight I think I'm going to head to bed and try to count some sheep. Or maybe I'll try turkeys tonight. Just to keep with the season!

Have a wonderful evening,

Ashleigh

Peanut-Butter Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

     This cookie combines some of the best ingredients there are in the kitchen; oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate. The original recipe seemed tiny, so I multiplied it by six and you should end up with about 100 cookies.

To make this wonderful cookie, you'll need:
6 cups flour
6 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. salt
3 cups (6 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
3 t. vanilla
6 eggs
4 cups rolled oats
6 cups chocolate-chips

First off, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

 



Set aside.

 



Place your butter in a large bowl and let it soften. This is where a microwave is handy!

 



This is an awful picture. But I felt like I needed a before and after, so here it is.

Mix the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla well in a very large bowl.

 



Mix it until it looks like this!

 



In a separate bowl, beat your eggs and then add to your butter mixture. Mix it well too.

 



At this point, gradually add the flour to the butter mixture. Mix it...

 

And mix it...

 



And mix it... Until it looks like this!

 



Add in your oats and mix it some more.

 



Then add the chocolate chips. Gently mix these in too.

 



 



Preheat your oven to 350* and drop your cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn them around and bake for 5 minutes. Pull out of the oven and let sit on the pan for 5 minutes before placing on a rack.

 



Enjoy them and have a great evening!!!

Ashleigh

LumberJack Skillet

I made this for supper tonight and it turned out great! Now, I don't have a recipe for it, but I can tell/show you how I made it.  Good luck and have fun!

You'll need:

2 lb. sausage, cut in chunks (see picture)

1 t. liquid smoke

1 large onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced 

10 cups potatoes, 1-inch cubes

1 T. liquid smoke

3/4 cup water

3 cups frozen corn

Freshly cracked black pepper

Start by thawing your sausage just enough that you can cut it. If you thaw it too much, it will get soft and squishy, then you won't be able to cut it. Slice and put in a large dutch oven on medium-high flame.

Using a slotted spoon, place the sausage in a bowl when it's almost cooked through (it can still have a bit of pink in it).

As you can see here, I didn't have any peppers that were good. So I went with all onions and it still tasted good! Dump your onions and peppers in the dutch oven and drop in a pat of butter. There still is some grease from the sausage, but not quite enough.

Cook the onions until the edges start burning some and then crack some black pepper over them. Pull them out and place in a bowl as well.

Wash and chop your 10 cups of potatoes.

Add them to the pot. Mix your water and 1 T. liquid smoke and pour that over them. Cover and let sit on low flame until they become a bit more tender (still, don't cook them through.)

Add the butter and melt it.

Then dump everything back into the dutch oven and mix together gently.

Dump in your corn and mix it in too. Let cook over low flame until potatoes are tender (sausage should be fully cooked by then).

Now dish up and serve with warm Dulce De Leche brownies. People will love you. Yes, I'm serious. 

Enjoy them and have a great evening!!

Ashleigh