The BEST cookies I've EVER made!

They are Chewy! They are BIG! They are NOT burnt! ;)

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP

They look like Costco cookies! Woo Hoo! :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

325 degrees

12 minutes

heaping spoon fulls

Tips

#1 I can't speak more highly of a cooking stone. Kind of like a pizza stone. I don't think I've ever burnt a cookie with it and it keeps all the moisture in the cookie. I got mine for $20, you can find the round ones at Wallyworld I think for $10. You can get the with Pampered Chef too, but that is always super expensive.

#2 Don't overcook the cookies. If you leave them on the stone/pan they keep cooking even though they are not in the oven until it cools. So it's better to take them out a little early then a little late.

ENJOY!

Chicken Strips and Jello Cake

Helpful Tips for the perfect Chicken Strips:

1. I added some taco seasoning to the recipe to bread it and it added a wonderful flavor!

* I notice that all perfect recipes call for anything from corn flakes to ritz crackers. I don't think it really matters as long as there is plenty of seasoning (See tip 2).

2. Taste the flavoring of your breading. It needs to be STRONG so you can taste it on the strips. If it's bland, then your strips will be too.

3. If you cook the strips on a cookie DRYING rack then it makes them very crispy. Just don't forget to put foil on the base of your oven or you might get a pretty good mess!

Jello Cake:

This is a very simple and NOT healthy cake! BUT very Yummy!

1. Make a WHITE cake. Cook it however you like.

2. Make a Jello Flavoring. Use enough to fallow the first half of the jello recipe. Enough powder to make 2 cups of boiling jello.

3. Poke Holes into the cake after it is cooked.

4. Poor the boiling liquid over the cake slowly, letting the jello seep into the cake.

5. Regriferate it until it's cold.

6. Ice the cake with Whip Topping.

ENJOY!

Claira turns 1yr old!

Birthday Party still to come, but this is what we did at home.

Charles Muntz Meet Oden A.

Oden got a "new to him" jacket and he said, "Mom, you got me a Charles Muntz Jacket!" "Adventure is out there!"

Too cute!

"You're the best Mommy Cooker in the whole world!"

Out of the mouths of babes, right?!? LOL! I just thank God for giving me the pleasure of feeding my family.

This morning we had a yummy Omelette today with sautéed onions and red bell pepper in the butter and bacon fat of meat tossed in. Then to top it off we simmered that in fresh pealed, juiced, and diced tomatoes and garlic. This was just the last bite...I didn't have time to take pics before every one dove in!

Then for dinner I found a recipe for homemade tortillas. For one, HOW SIMPLE (except that I think I broke a blood vessel in my hand while using the rolling pin!) , and another, they taste great! No buying store brand ones again. I made brown rice cooked in organic chicken broth and I did the same with the chicken. Then just some cheese and salsa and your good to go. Oh, I forgot, refried beans mixed with Trader Joes enchilada sauce (no msg etc.).

So, Michael posted on his FB that we are no longer eating out except for Church days which are Sun and Wed. So this is kinda good I got back into blogging. One of his friends mentioned that he's made a good "investment" LOL...he's bought everything from Julia Child's Cook Book and my new Kitchen Aid Mixed. Which kneaded my dough perfectly for the tortillas!

Thank you dear hubby!

FOOD & PHOTOS TO START

Ok, so I haven't been using this as faithfully as I like. But I am also going to start posting meals/dishes that I've made. I am going to fuse two different things I love: Cooking & Photography. So to start are a few I've done:

If anyone ever wants the recipe, just let me know.

Snickerdoodles

Good Ol' Fashion Pancakes

Sauted Mushrooms for a Recipe Below

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

Homemade Pizza