Something New Leads to Brand Loyalty

I've always enjoyed Sun Chips, but I've never really gone out of my way to purchase them. Back when I was in school and, later, when I worked at the library, I would grab a bag from the vending machine when the mid-afternoon munchies hit because they were they best option in the machine.

After church yesterday, I hit the grocery store to pick up a few things and I saw the chips, in their new 100% compostable bag and I decided to grab a couple different flavors.

The bags are crazy loud, but the chips are delicious, good for you, and the packaging helps the planet (and the kids loved them, bonus!).

Now, I will definitely make it a point to purchase the chips to have on hand as a snack for my family.

Inherited?

My son eats lemon wedges. Rind and all.

Apparently, my father did the same thing (and it totally skeeved Mom out!). It doesn't skeeve us out, but it is rather amazing to watch.

Hippity Hoppity

The biscuits are baked and bagged and ready to go, the bread pudding's almost done baking and the sweet potatoes are boiling for the casserole. The eggs are stuffed, the diaper bag is loaded with changes of clothing, Mom's Easter lily is on the porch. The kids' baskets are loaded into my car (the Easter Bunny is delivering their surprises to Nana's house since Mumma is going to early Mass and then heading up to Nana's to make a big Easter dinner for everyone and I won't be here when the kidlets wake up - I didn't want to miss the grand openings!). I have a long list of items to remember to bring in the morning (not the least of which is the ham!), and we're in good shape for a nice, relatively small (there'll be 12 f us, at last count) Easter dinner.

Wishing you a very Happy Easter, if you celebrate it, and a Happy Sunday, if you don't.

Cookies!

OK, so it's the Third Annual Virtual Cookie Exchange and I'm participating for the first time. I've been silently freaking trying to figure out what cookies to make. My usual (chocolate chip, oatmeal, craisin)? A new recipe? Something else (since Jenn said we could offer up something not necessarily cookie and I make killer bread pudding (with chocolate chips!) and coconut chocolate chip walnut bars)? I. just. didn't. know. Plus, I find it difficult to pass on recipes because I am a very spur of the moment baker and tend to eyeball a lot of what I do and find that giving someone a recipe leads to a lot of my saying, "oh I just kind of know how much vanilla" or, "use as many chocolate chips as you want!" I think this may frustrate some people.

I have very, very fond memories of butter crunch cookies from when I was a little girl and was recently reminded of my love for them so I thought BINGO! I'll find a recipe and make those! Well, I found a recipe (and the cookies look exactly like the ones I remember from childhood) and was very excited to try them. I did. And I failed. Pretty miserably. I think the general consensus is that I didn't let the toffee boil for long enough and I am definitely going to try to make the cookies again, but I will either boil the toffee for longer or try and make a different tofffee recipe altogether and just use the pieces in the cookies. Either way, I want butter crunch cookies!

Further down the butter crunch cookie recipe page, I noticed a link for 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. And I thought "oh that's too easy...that'd be a copout, wouldn't it?!" And then it dawned on me that, in all of my 33 years, I have never made peanut butter cookies. Eaten them, certainly. But I've never actually made them. And then I thought to myself, "who couldn't use a quick recipe? Who says that I have to contribute a complex cookie?"

Without further ado...

Modified 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. peanut butter, any kind (I used smooth)
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)
1 t. vanilla

• Mix peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until well incorporated (I used a hand mixer and wouldn't even think about trying to mix by hand).
• If adding chocolate chips, stir in now.
• Form dough into small balls (or use a handy, dandy small cookie scoop but I found using the scoop and then forming into balls was the best way to go) - the dough may be crumbly.
  
• Place 12 balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet, evenly spaced. Use a fork to press down and make the traditional criss-cross pattern on the top of the cookies.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. (I found7-7 1/2 minutes to be ideal.)
• Remove cookie sheet from oven and let cookies set for a couple of minutes. They will be very crumbly while still hot.
  
• Slide parchment paper onto a cooling rack and allow cookies to cool completely.
• Enjoy!

So...as you can see, I modified the original recipe. I did use vanilla, as one of the reviewers suggested (although she didn't say how much she used, so I opted for 1 t.). Also, I made a double batch and made half plain and added chocolate chips to the rest. I have to say that I didn't like the ones with the chocolate chips as much (J did, though). That said, the cookies are nearly all gone (Liam has been a big help in that department) and everyone, except for Ella, who despises all things peanut butter (totally weird child, I know!), has found them to be very tasty.


Final verdict: they were pretty damn tasty! I was a little skeeved out that that they didn't have "traditional" ingredients (flour, baking soda, etc.) and thought that there was no way that they could actually turn out alright..you know, like cookies. But they did! And, now I can say that I've made peanut butter cookies. I'll most likely try my hand at a more traditional peanut butter cookie recipe (anyone have one they'd like to share?), but these came together nicely and I was able to do them up while the kids napped yesterday.

Enjoy!


p.s. - I won another cookbook (or, cookie book, really)! Woohoo...thanks, Jenn! I'll have no excuse for not doing a kickass cookie next year!

Let's Talk About Food

I've had a little more time lately to cook (or I'm just a little better organized than I was before) and I've been enjoying my time in the kitchen (especially now that it's clean and set up in a much more logical way).

On Sunday, I made a new mac and cheese recipe. It went over very well with most of the family. J and Liam ate a ton of it, but Ella hardly touched it (not a huge surprise...she's a picky eater). Mine didn't come out as cheesey looking as Jenn's, but J swears it's his new favorite mac and cheese (for some reason, I'm always trying a new mac and cheese out) so it's a keeper.

I already told you about the tomato soup from the other night...which is awesome with blue chips, by the way.

So, onto tonight. I threw a cranberry pork roast into the crock pot before the kids woke up (I do believe that it is the easiest recipe I have - it just takes a minute, I swear) and then, while they were napping, tried out this mashed potato recipe. Now, mashed potatoes are the bane of my existence. I don't know why, but I just never seem to get them right. Sweet potatoes I don't have a problem with at all...but regular mashed potatoes I seem to massacre. Tonight's turned out alright. Overall, the potatoes were a bit runny, but were a huge hit with the kids, which was a bit of a surprise. The flavor was good, though, so I may try them again. Peeling potatoes is one of my all time least favorite things to do, I must say.

Friday will be tried and true tofu casserole, one of Liam and Ella's absolute favorites.

What about you? What are some of your favorites or what have you tried lately?