Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tomorrow the kids and I are getting up bright and early for a cookie swap at my good friend Amy's house. I wanted to branch out from the traditional types(though I still made oatmeal raisins), so I went with something rich and delicious. This recipe comes together very quick. These are soft and very decadent. I'm so excited to see what the other ladies bring, but I'm mostly excited for the conversation! Its fun to get together, gab and let the kids play. And well, Amy's breakfast she put together sounds pretty darn good too!

Ingredients:

2 sticks softened salted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Stir in the flour and cocoa powder until a thick dough forms. Fold in one cup of the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on a baking sheet, press them down slightly. Top them with a few chocolate chips and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. When they are finished cooking, leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes to firm up. Store in an airtight container (if they make them that long)! Enjoy!

Candied Pecans

We're all starting to get into the season of giving. I, for one, have been thinking about gifts for Christmas. Of course we don't want to forget the people that make everyday life functional, like the mailman or teachers. But, it's also a busy and expensive time of year where money gets squeezed a little tighter so we want to fit in everyone affordably. People, in general, love recieving homemade goods. A basket of fresh baked cookies, chocolates, or nuts. I found that these candied pecans are perfect for gift giving! I roasted these sweet treats in no time, filled a mason jar with them and added a little tulle (leftover from our Turkey Wreath). They were sweet, crunchy and very aromatic. I will proudly hand these jars out knowing that I added a little cheer while not breaking my bank.

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Gimme Some Oven)

4 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and salt. Mix it together until it's well combined. Whisk your egg white and vanilla extract together in a small bowl and pour over your pecans. Once the pecans are coated with egg, toss them into the dry ingredients. After coating the pecans, dump them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread them out evenly. Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir them up. Place back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before filling your jars or place them in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Turkey Wreath

On Saturdays we usually go out for breakfast, run our errands, and do what chores need to be done around the house. This is mostly because on Sunday we always do absolutely nothing (except watching Packer games and The Walking Dead). Today, we decided to do a fun little project. I found a tutorial on making a turkey wreath on Pinterest and off to Hobby Lobby we went. Now, anyone that knows me well, knows that I like organization. And that I have zero patience. Unfortunately, these two things usually cause me some sort of stress while working on crafts, so I don't do them often. On the other hand, my husband is the perfectionist. This creates chaos! Add in a nosey dog, curious cat, and two wild children, and you can imagine what goes into make anything more than dinner.

I'm not going to go through the motions of how this beautiful turkey came to be because we simply followed an awesome tutorial. We did change a few things though that I will make note of. For one, we painted his beak orange. Also his gobbler, (Adam and I are SERIOUSLY unsure of what this thing is called) is hot glued under the beak instead of hung over it. If I ever make another one I will also use a thicker string or ribbon because the yarn was extremely time consuming. Last but not least, we did half of him in yarn and half in tulle. You can add more tulle if you prefer. Overall the whole project took us two hours and he looks pretty darn cute hanging above our fireplace.

Awesome tutorial found here ---> Baby Rabies | Thom the Turkey 

"Extra" Muddy Buddies

I cannot believe it has been a month since I've blogged. After a much needed vacation to Puerto Rico, my family has been laying low. Adam and I sipped Pina Coladas on the beach under a nice big umbrella. The kids enjoyed time with my mom in Atlanta, going to the park and eating Owen's favorite, I-Hop. Owen has also been enjoying preschool! He had his first Halloween party and dressed up as Ironman. I've never in my life seen a kid so excited for school. He begs us to go! The mornings that he has school, he springs right out of bed! Haley is still her usual, happy, energetic self. Her little legs go as fast as they can across the house, all day long.

To kick off this holiday season we decided to make some muddy buddies. I think every American household has enjoyed this treat at some point. I know it's nothing new or special but we do make ours a little more "muddy". I love for the cereal to be well coated while still being crispy. I have found that not only do you have to make some extra coating, but you have to mix everything in small batches first.

I start by measuring out 8 cups of rice chex.

In a pot, melt down 5 tablespoons of salted butter.

Add in 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips and 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter.

Add 1/3 of the cereal to a large bowl and pour 1/3 of the chocolate mixture over the top.

 Mix it well and repeat with more cereal and chocolate until every piece is covered.

Add the coated cereal to a gallon size ziplock bag and pour a generous amount of powdered sugar to the bag. And then, as Owen would say, SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!

It's ready to munch once it's all powdered! Enjoy!