Zebra Cookie

It is a rare event around here when everyone all cheers for the same cookie that is being made.  Some like oatmeal, some do not.  Only 1 likes raisins.  There are strong opinions on the usage of  milk, semi sweet, or jumbo dark chocolate chips.  1 is Gluten free.  2 do not like peanut butter.  some like gooey, some think crispy is better.  I say be glad I made you a cookie for pete's sake!?!   Recently my friend Emily gave us this recipe and it is a winner with all the Folks here at 3  Blanchard Road - IMPRESSIVE right?   We call them zebra cookies because I throw in milk, semi and white chocolate chips.   Also because there is oatmeal in there but it just blends in and you probably couldn't even guess (except I just told you).  Also because Chef Paul at the school makes these "zebra muffins" at school with the 3 kinds of chocolate chips . . .  there are so many reasons why we do things, i'm not sure why I am even trying to list them.

MASSACHUSETTS ZEBRA COOKIES - always double

1 5/8 sticks butter
1 Cup Sugar
1. Cup Brown Sugar
2 eggs

2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Oats
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
Chocolate chips ( semi, milk and white)

350 for about 11 mins

The New Word At Our House Is SOOFFLE

So When my girls were little my mom would come out from Canada for about 10 days at a time and we would LOVE it.  When she came she was all ours, all focused on being this great and amazing grandma and we didn't have to share her with anyone.   She would turn cooking into fun activities with my girls . . . sure one could buy peanut butter cups, but why when you can make them on your own?  She would let the girls paint chocolate into these little cups, let it harden, work with them to make the peanut butter mixture, and then top with a layer of chocolate.  Those peanut butter cups were filled with laughs, stories, and love, and they were delicious.  To this day Ashtyn talks of this one dessert that Nanna would make and it was a chocolate cake but it was gooey inside and warm.  I have tried many different desserts from our repertoire, but each one was not the one that she was talking about.   Enter the Molten Lava cakes/soufflés.  We made them not long ago  and after the first bite, Ash declared that this was it!   These were similar to the ones Nana would make when she was little



Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, I have also used 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips with success
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 Tablespoons flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spray 4 small (6-8 oz) ramekin dishes with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
3. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine butter and chocolate and melt in 30 second increments, string between each increment until chocolate and butter are combined and smooth.
4. Add powdered sugar and stir in evenly.
5. Add eggs and egg yolks and beat in until well combined.
6. Stir in flour until well combined.
7. Pour and distribute batter evenly in the 4 prepared ramekin dishes.
8. Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-13 minutes until edges are firm and center is soft, but not super jiggly.
9. Let cool for 2 minutes. Using a knife, gently pull cake away from the edges then invert onto plate or serving dish.
10. Serve with dusted powdered sugar, ice cream, magic shell or however desired. No matter how you want to eat it, serve immediately.

What is funny about this recipe is that the recipe I gave her was from a group of recipes in the "Soufflé" section - sounds so fancy of us right?   That we would have an entire section of recipes that were soufflés?   Funny.   Ash pronounced the word wrong when she first baked theses and began her nonstop talk of them.  Soofle.   Since then these babies will forever be called Soofffles.   She bakes up a batch each week, puts them in little prepared ramekins and put them in the freezer to have anytime you are in the mood - which seems to be everyday she walks in the door from school.   When  look back on this girls high school love stories, her love for this little treat daily will be HIGH on the list.

Tonight for Dinner . . .Chicken and Wild Rice

Tonight for dinner we had chicken and rice casserole.  Ashtyn and Mackinlay thought the word casserole sounded horrible and that we should just agree to call it "chicken and rice bowl", so we did.  As I was making dinner some of the girls were in the kitchen and it was mentioned that I should be writing down their favorite recipes so that they will have them later on, and so I will.   Growing up we had this exact recipe (except it was called a casserole) and it was always served in this beautiful blue covered dish that My mom got while on a trip to Portugal.    I have this dish now, and I was a bit GIDDY that I got to serve my girls the same dinner - with a different name - in the same dish.  It brought back good memories.  It brought back happy thoughts of my mom.   It brought back thoughts of dinner in the kitchen at 28 Bracebridge Cres., in Calgary.   It brought thoughts of the China Man painting that hung in the kitchen - - - but that is a story for another day!  Here is the recipe, documented so my girls can have their own memory of the chicken and rice un casserole in the serving dish from Portugal.

Chicken and Wild rice Bowl - No longer Casserole

1pkg. Uncle Bens Long Grain Wild Rice
1/3 c. chopped green pepper
sliced mushrooms ( I left out because no one here likes them and I didn't have any)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cups diced chicken
1 c chopped carrots
1 can cream chicken soup ( that is what the recipe says but i think cream of any kind of soup is gross so  i made my own cream of soup concoction.)

{INGREDIENTS: for the cream of soup not from a can}

1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. When melted, whisk in the flour and continue whisking until smooth and bubbly. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. Return to the heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly, until the soup thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Then add:

1/2 brick of cream cheese or 1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 tsp pepper 

2 cups cooked brown rice.

Buttered bread chunks

• Cook both the wild rice and brown rice as directed on package
• boil chicken, or *bake chicken. Let cool then dice
• make cream of chicken concoction
• combine everything together
• place buttered bread hunks on the top
• place in casserole dish and bake 325 for 40 mins.

Things I don't ever want to Forget

One child writing colleges essays.
Same Chip child studying for ACT exams and the National
EMT exam.
One needs to get her drivers permit.
One who hates to empty the dishwasher
One with sore heels from soccer.
One acting in the town play - Aristocats.
One who was supposed to be picked up
From aristocats play at 5 and I mixed up the times thinking it was 530.
One who needs a new ensemble for a Batmitsvah.
Two who are very tired from seminary.
One girl who makes most of the school lunches.
One girl who falls back asleeP each morning.
One girl on the top bunk.
One girl on the bottom bunk.
One who sleeps with a giant elephant named Ellie
One who comes into my bed every night.
One who hates to be late for school.
One who loves to cook quesadillas
One who needs many snacks at school to
Stay awake.
One who has a lot Of cavities.
On who loves horses.
One who is an amazing artist
one who plays the harp.
One who wants to be a minion for Halloween
One who can never be on time.
Haloween costumes that cant be decided upon
Plans for the Trunk or Treat decore
Being a Captains mom for Soccer
Soccer events for the seniors
Kesha day
Crazy hair day for one
Stay awake
Vomit in the night
Will this etsy shop work
Many showers to people take each day
My kids dont know the name of the cantalope - they just call it orange melon
Who is going to be the President of the United States
Why after millions of days in a row do people still not empty their lunch boxes
Any early morning meeting before school ( peer leader and student council) is not a good idea
One who loves to sew
One who loves her chickens
We just found out Steve the chicken is a rooster
when on earth will there be time to build a bigger coop?
This list could go on FOR EVER!!!


These are   Little snippets of thing that I don't want to forget as the mom.

Fall Will Come And You Will Ask . . .

My sweet girls -

When you grow up and move away from home ( which someday you all will and that will make me sad and that is a topic for another day). When you grow up and move away fall will come and when it does you will crave pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  It is a staple around here on Blanchard Road.  These cookies taste best when made about the first week of September and only until mid November - otherwise they are no good. There are many recipes out there, some are good, some are not.  This is the one we like. . . with one small tweak - we do 1/2 semi sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 milk chocolate.    They are yummy, any time, any where, for anyone - People will like you for these, they will eat more than one, they may even eat yours.

Gluten free version cut recipe in 1/2 ( still do the 1 egg) and use 1 cup of the cooks illustrated flour recipe

The BEST pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 TB vanilla
• 1 12oz bag chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir into the wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir for about one minute.
2. Add vanilla and chocolate chips and stir until combined.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop cookies on by the spoonful. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

recipe from the iheartnaptime blog with a few tweaks