"COOKIES, COOKIES, WE WANT COOKIES"

"Cookies, Cookies, we want cookies." This is what my husband came home to say last Friday. He said, "Some shooters (Gun Club shooters) came into the office looking for cookies and there were none." I guess the supply I sent earlier in the week was sold and club members are starting to expect cookies in the retail store and office.

All I could think of on Friday was making breakfast for our church crew and started cooking and baking in preparation for breakfast for our Worship, Production and Pastoral Staff. This means I was going to make breakfast for about 50-60 people. So I told my hubby I was going to skip making more cookies until after Easter. After Easter, it took a couple of days to regroup, recooperate, and feel rested.

Today, I got my thinking cap on and tried to come up with a new recipe for the gun club. I've made Ranger Cookies, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Triple Chocolate Cookies (this is also a new recipe I developed). These are cookies that are normal and not very inventive. I didn't just want to make one of the cookies but tried to think outside the box of what ingredients went well together.

My friends and family know I LOVE ALMONDS!!!!! So I thought, "What if I came up with an idea incorporating almonds, oranges and white chocolate chips." I started putting ingredients together and hoped they would turn out yummy. Once my cookies were in the oven, the wonderful aroma of baking cookies filled the house and I think the cookies will be a hit.

My hubby came home unexpectedly and tried one and commented, "These are really Good!!!"

On Facebook, I asked my friends to give me suggestions for a name, and one friend indicated that creamcicles sounded good. I'm using that name plus adding a bit more so people will know what's inside these cookies. Here is the new cookie called:

White-Chocolate Almond Creamcicles

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream

Cream the above ingredients together until light and fluffy. Add the zest of 1 large orange (about 1 tablespoon) plus 1 teaspoon orange flavoring and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Add:
2 1/2 cups flour (You can use 1 cup whole wheat flour to add more texture)
1/2 cup ground raw almonds

The dough will be a bit stiff but not too stiff. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Makes about two dozen cookies.

Blessings at Easter

Easter to some means the arrival of spring, fancy clothes, and Easter Egg Hunts. For my family, it is the heart of our salvation. God gave his only Son (John 3:16) to die for my sins. I am so thankful that God gave His most precious child and through Jesus Christ my sins have been forgiven. On the third day, God rolled away the stone and Jesus rose again. For me that means God has justified me as if I'd never sinned and I have eternal life. Without God's gift, my life would be empty. God has also promised that we will live with Him and have Eternal Life.

So this Easter, our family and church family celebrate this gift in different ways. The way I celebrate is to prepare a large breakfast for our folks at church who serve in the Music, Production, Band, and crew for the three services at church. I love to serve my church this way and pull out all the stops because they work so hard at sharing the gospel on Easter Morning. I will be making a couple types of croissants, morning buns, egg casseroles, fruit platters plus some type of dessert. I thought about doing the mini cheesecakes, but I think I'm a bit burned out on them so I might do a filled cupcake like I did for Jonah's first birthday.

One of the recipes my mother gave me while growing up was a quick butter croissant. This roll takes little prep time but the results are that everyone can't eat just one....When our family gets together, they tell me, "Mom, you must make those rolls that Grandma made." My folks are both in heaven looking down on us and I'm sure they remember all the family gatherings and great food. I'm also sure they are having the ultimate celebration of God's precious gift and the sacrifice that was made for us.

Quick Butter Croissants

Cut 1 cup COLD butter into 4 cups of flour and set aside in the fridge.

In another bowl, use 1 cup warm water and 1 package yeast and let the yeast sofften and bubble. To this liquid, add 3/4 cup evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup melted butter. Wisk together and add 1 cup flour.

Take the cold flour out of the fridge and add the liquid. Mix until just moistened. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.

When you're ready to make the rolls, Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to make the dough into a ball. Cut this ball into 4 portions. Shape the rolls one portion at a time and put the other portions back into the fridge until you're ready to shape the rolls.

Roll out one of the four portions until it is in the shape of a circle and about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the circle into 8 pie wedges and roll up the wedges from the outer to the inner creating a croissant. Place the shaped rolls on parchment paper and repeat with the other three portions.

Let rise for two hours and bake at 325 degrees until golden brown. You can also use an egg wash on top of the croissants made of 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water just before baking. This makes 32 rolls. Plenty to go around for everyone. Enjoy.

Gizmos, Gadgets, Crafts and a whole lot of fun!!!!

One of my daughters and I have a tradition of shopping together whenever we can. In fact, I like to help when asked for special occasions so this time, my daughter asked if I would go up to Puyallup and help prepare for our Grandson's first birthday. I thought we might be able to get a little bit of shopping in as well. Boy was I wrong.

My daughter had "this vision" for her son's birthday party and right away when I got to her house, she put me to work picking out all the green fruit loops from a HUGE bag of Fruit Loops. By the time I got done, it was time for bed. (We ended up not using them....lol) On to day two....I got up to find a "list" on the breakfast counter saying, "Have a cup of coffee first", then please do these things. All I could do was laugh because there were at least four to five things on the list. I was still chuckling even after the second cup of coffee.

To go along with "this vision", I brought some things from home I might need to make life a bit easier, i.e. disposable piping bags, apple corer, piping tips and a few other gizmos and gadgets. I have a weakness for gizmos and gadgets and when I find one I think will be cool to own, I make sure I can use that gizmo or gadget for at least one or two other things (at least I can justify the expense that way.) I couldn't even imagine what kind of crafts my daughter had in mind for this special party. We laughed together through making the marshmallow trees to mud puddles to elephant food to other unique things for the party.

After making a six inch two layer cake, my daughter and I made 18 cupcakes. I said, "why don't we fill them and make them cuter". So I took my cool gizmo apple corer and used it to take out the centers of the cupcakes to fill. I then thought about what kind of filling to put into the cupcakes and came up with my Mom's recipe for a quick chocolate slurry filling that she used quite a bit when I was growing up. My mother passed away last year and wasn't able to meet her grandson, but I thought this was a cool way for us all to remember her by. My mother and father would have been married 66 years on my grandson's birthday. So the recipe I'm sharing is my mother's chocolate filling. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

I'm sure my daughter will be posting pictures of all her cute ideas so be sure to check her blog often for the new post of the big birthday bash.

Mom Reimer's chocolate filling

1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (you can used unsweetened cocoa powder, but you'll need to increase the butter to 2 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup cocoa powder)
2/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the above ingredients together and cook over low heat melting the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, turn up the heat to medium high and be sure to stir and sauce as it thickens. It will thicken quickly and bind together like an icing. Once it thickens like icing, take off the heat. Be careful not to burn the chocolate either.

Add 1 tablespoon softened butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Mix this together quickly and you're ready to use the icing. Use the icing while it is hot. Don't cook it down. This is enough to spread between two layers or fill 18 cupcakes. I put the icing in a piping bag to fill the cupcakes because it was easier to control the filling.

Ice your cake or cupcakes with your favorite buttercream icing. You can buy a can, but if you know me, I always make my icings from scratch.

Enjoy.

The wonder of grandchildren

I love all my grandchildren. Most of them are grown up so when twins were born two years ago, my hubby and I added to the grandchildren total. These twins live in Washington DC and we've only been able to see them a few times, but each time, the love grows. Our daughter will send us new pictures often, but its just not the same as holding those precious grand babies in our arms. The twins will be two in a few short months and watching them grow even via pictures has been a blessing. They change so quickly and I wish we could see them in person more often.

Then last year, we celebrated another baby that came to our family via another daughter and her husband. This family lives closer and we've had the priviledge of seeing this grandson more often. Again, we cherish those times when we get the opportunity to see our little ones and the babies amaze us with their abilities to talk, and share their love. The newest family member has a birthday next week when he will turn one year old. My daughter is going all out with a party, cake, goodies to eat and lots of people and presents for this little boy to enjoy. What makes this birthday special is that he was born on the 12th which is significant to both families.

As these new babies come into our lives, their parents have started to build their own memories and traditions. Never in my wildest thoughts would I have imagined to have so many grandchildren and great grandchildren. I had always wanted a large family with lots of children and grandchildren. God has blessed me beyond measure with the desires of my heart. Proverbs 3:5&6

In keeping with a birthday theme, the recipe I'm sharing is a simple basic yellow butter cake. I developed this cake and tweak it by adding different ingredients to switch it up and make it different, but the cake itself is a basic go to cake, and yes, its not from a box.

Pat's basic yellow Butter Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Cream the above until it is light and fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk in thirds starting with the milk and ending with the milk and mix until smooth after each addition.

Mix all the dry ingredients together
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 cup regular milk - you can use non-fat or any other milk you want

Place in an oblong glass dish that has been greased (or sprayed) and bake at 350 degrees until the center is done. You can test the cake by sticking a toothpick in it and if it comes out clean, its done.

Frost with your favorite icing - you can purchase a can of frosting or use the following:

1/2 cup softened butter
2-3 cups Powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk to add until you get the spreading consistency you want - Use 1/4 cup or a bit more.