The Sweetest Things

Today I am grateful for the sweetest things.  It was General Conference for church, meaning that the leaders of the church speak worldwide to all interested about revelations and guidance for the Church and individuals.  I was humbly reminded that I need to be grateful for what I have instead of griping, complaining, and blaming.

I know I may be biased, but I am quite convinced that these two definitely qualify as the sweetest things:

Of course, moments like this also have to qualify:

In case this wasn't already sweet enough, NJ and I decided to create something sweet for Daddy to snack on during and after conference.  Using whatever was on hand, we created pretty scrumptious Peanut Butter Crunchies.

Peanut Butter Crunchies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup almonds (I used whole, but chopped would probably be better)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat together the peanut butter and coconut oil.  Cream the butter/oil mixture with the sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Add the baking soda and flour.  Once combined, add coconut, chips, and almonds.  Dough will be very thick.  Form into balls and bake on a cookie sheet (I prefer parchment paper to greased sheets) at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

These cookies do not flatten much but they are super moist and chewy.  The almonds add a nice crunch with chocolatey surprises.  NJ also felt the need to throw a whole Hersheys Kiss into one of the cookies, which Daddy was very happy about.  I hope these can become one of your sweetest things as well!

 So, today and everyday, let us be grateful for what we have.  I know that I am grateful for today and all of my sweetest things.

Almond Joy Cookies

What makes you smile?

There are a lot of things that bring a smile to my face.  Unicorns and rainbows.  My family.  Monkeys. Chocolate.  Puppies, kittens, and penguins. Church.  Board and card games.  Reading.  Singing and dancing.  Thunderstorms.  Fresh fruit.  Baking and cooking.  Music.  Etc. etc. etc.

Lately, the stress of job hunting and deciding where our family is going to live has made that smile a little less exuberant.  So, thankfully I had a weekend chock full of one of my favorite activities: watching NJ and her cousins play and interact.  This weekend we had all four cousins from my side of the family together for general laughter and shenanigans.  The kids ranged from 17 months to five years old; so, you can imagine the cuteness that ensued.

The other bonus was some extra time with my brother, sister, and mom.  Never mind the fact that I lost my voice and have been rendered a partial mute (nothing could ever completely stop me from attempting to talk).  This was a family fun weekend for the books.

Seeing these joyful faces reminded me of a cookie I made up not to long ago but never got to post.  So, here it is, my reinvention of an Almond Joy candy bar in cookie form.  If you are like my husband and not a huge fan of almond extract, you may want to just double the vanilla and skip the almond (for more a Mounds taste I guess).

Almond Joy Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup ground, chopped, or slivered almonds (depending on your texture preference)
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup coconut
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Instruction

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Blend the butter and shortening well.  Cream the butter mixture with the sugars.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.  Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour.  Add the almonds, oatmeal, and coconut.  Gently mix the chocolate chips in.  

Drop by teaspoons or tablespoons on greased cookie sheets or parchment paper (I personally love the parchment).  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Spread joy with your Almond Joy Cookies!

Happy Pi(e) Day!

Happy Pi Day everyone!  I hope you were able to celebrate this wonderful mathematical gem with a slice of pie.  We may have gone a little overboard with pie today, if that is possible.  We have the missionaries from our church over for dinner every week.  I usually ask their requests for any food they have been missing or wanting.  This week they wanted breakfast for dinner.  Of course, then I realized that today was also Pi Day; so, I decided to meld the two.  Thus, we ended up with a menu full of breakfast pies.

We had breakfast pizza pie, breakfast pie complete with a potato hash brown crust and egg frittata topping, cinnamon roll pie, quiche pie, and my husband's favorite, coconut cream pie, for dessert.  Me oh my, what a lot of pi(e)!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

NJ and I love to cook and bake.  There is nothing better after a long day of story time, playing, dancing, and general craziness than coming home and whipping together a batch of cookies.  I am a huge proponent for getting kids in the kitchen and helping prepare the food they eat.  NJ has been my kitchen helper since before she could walk, propping up in her stroller or bouncer with a measuring cup and spoon.  Now, she enjoys the thrills of turning on the mixer, pouring ingredients into the bowl, and even cracking an egg or two.

We were on the lookout for a new cookie to invent, when we ran across a forgotten bag of Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits in our freezer.  Thus, the Peanut Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies were born.  These turned out somewhat crunchy/crispy on the outside with quite a bit of soft chewiness (my favorite).  I think I might alter the recipe a little bit later to give a slightly puffier cookie, but otherwise, these get an "A" rating for yumminess.  Even people who do not like butterscotch chips (a.k.a. my mom) enjoyed these.  They would easily be modified with any of your favorite stir ins, too (I'm thinking Nutella instead of peanut butter, chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips would all be amazing!).

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Yield:  About 3 dozen cookies, depending on size

Time:  25 minutes prep, 8 minutes bake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (creamy may be substituted)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg 

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Directions::

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Whip together the shortening and peanut butter.  Add the sugars until creamy.  Add the milk, vanilla, and egg.  Once well combined, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt (you may want to pre-combine the dry ingredients if you are worried about getting an even distribution).  Once combined, add in the oatmeal at low speed.  Fold in or slowly mix the toffee bits and butterscotch chips.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoon or tablespoon fulls on a prepared cookie pan (I prefer parchment paper over cooking spray) leaving space for cookie expansion.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool slightly, remove from the cookie sheet, and enjoy!  

Tic Tac Toe

I am the Primary Music Leader for my church, basically meaning I get to lead fun music and games with the kids ages 3-11 each Sunday at church.  While I adore being with the kids, it can be challenging thinking of new and fun ideas to keep such a range of kids entertained and invested while still hopefully having something sink in.

I thought today's activity went exceptionally well at both intriguing the kids and helping teach some gospel principles.  The added bonus was it was easy to put together and was easily modified for different age groups.  What was this wonderful activity?  Gospel Tic Tac Toe.

Here is how we played:  I split the kids into two teams.  For each team's turn, I would ask them a question pertaining to the song we were learning or some gospel principle I wanted them to know.  For example, we are learning the song, "I Stand All Amazed," so I asked the younger kids "What is something we can do to show love and appreciation for God?"  I asked the older kids to explain the atonement, using the song as an aid.  If the team was able to accurately answer the question (which I tried to make sure they could do), they got to place a marker on the Tic Tac Toe board trying to make three in a row.  Then, they got to pick the next practice or wiggle song for us to sing.  We continued in this pattern taking turns until Tic Tac Toe was made or there was a draw.

That is it.  Simple but effective.

On a completely different note but saying "draw" reminded me of it, NJ had a lot of fun drawing on the white board today.  This has become one of her favorite activities.  She for some reason is incredibly partial to the board versus paper.  Opening, closing, and organizing markers has lately taken hold as one of her favorite activities.  She is a regular DaVinci in the making.

Happy Birthday Boys!

NJ and I were invited to a birthday party today for a set of twins.  These rambunctious boys turned two and partied with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse style. With an abundance of 3 and under year-olds, the party was high on energy, food, and fun.

In honor of the big event, NJ and I decided to create some Mickey themed treats.  These treats were pretty basic to make but exceptionally cute for such an occasion.  All we did for these treats was make a batch of your favorite krispie treats using Cocoa Pebbles or Cocoa Krispies.  Instead of putting the krispies directly in a pan, mold them into flat balls with two rounds on the top to  look like a Mickey Mouse head.  I found the mixing and shaping of the krispies to be a lot cleaner wearing disposable gloves sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

We then melted down a little less than 1/2 bag of red melting chocolates (we used Wilton, but I'm sure any would work.  Or even take white chocolate and use red food coloring) and dipped the Mickey treats in them.  We used a spoon to spread and smooth any spots in the chocolate.  Finally, we finished off with Mickey's white buttons by cutting mini marshmallows in half and placing them on the chocolate before they dried.

Walaa!  Super easy but cute and yummy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse treats.  

 From NJ and me, Happy Birthday, boys!

Read This: The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.  Have you read this yet?  No?!  Here you go:  The Way of Kings  You must.  This is the first of a new series by Brandon Sanderson that gives all new meaning to the word, "epic".  I am a pretty avid reader and will typically try almost anything.  I like anything from Pride and Prejudice to Harry Potter to God's Bits of Wood. I am a huge critic finding minor flaws in almost everything I read.  Yet, The Way of Kings has a new place in my heart.  It is an imaginative tale that has new discoveries and wonders each time you read and ponder it.  Have I mentioned you should read this book?

I actually haven't read the book for a few months but plan on rereading now.  So, why the sudden onslaught of exuberant promoting?  Book two was released today (or two days ago through Google)!  Words of Radiance is here!  While I have not yet read it, I am rushing this post simply so I have more time to read!

So, seriously, go out and read this book.  If you are looking for honor and war, deceit and cunning, heroines or heroes, mysticism, politics, and everything in between, I bet this book will have what you want.

Happy Reading!