Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup softened butter
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 package andes mint chips (minus a couple of tablespoons to eat while you bake, yum!)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients (first 4).  In a large bowl blend sugars with butter, eggs and vanilla until fully mixed and slightly fluffy.  Add in the dry ingredients and chips and blend at low speed until just combined.  Do not overmix.


Drop dough by rounded teaspoons (I use a scooper from pampered chef) onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 21-23 minutes.


Makes 3-4 dozen


Lately I've been baking a lot so I've been bagging the cookies in batches of 5 in sandwich baggies and then putting them together inside a larger freezer bag.  During the week I pull a baggy out at a time so there are always fresh cookies.  Right now I have 3 kinds unfrozen to eat at any given time.  I'll probably bake another batch tomorrow for the freezer and see how long I can keep this up.  It'll save you a couple of dollars at the store (if you usually buy cookies) but mostly it will help keep you from eating overly processed cookies.

Breakfast waffles

I found another recipe for waffles that use sourdough starter.  They turned out great and I didn't have to use processed yeast since the starter has natural yeast.  They are half unbleached flour and half whole wheat flour.

Sean and I like ours sprinkled with blueberries and powdered sugar.  The kids like theirs with syrup.  Whipped cream is good too.

Dinner for a dolla!

My husband is a huge fans of beans and rice (he likes red and I like black).  He doesn't eat meat so it's what he orders at Popeyes.  Canned beans are not cheap...especially when compared to dried.  I finally thought ahead last night and got out a bag of red beans, covered them with water and let them soak overnight.  In the morning I strained them, covered them with fresh water in a crock pot and put the crock pot on high.  When I came home from work the house smelled yummy and the beans were done...JUST LIKE MAGIC.  I just put some rice on the stove and in a few minutes we'll have dinner for about a buck.  I sprinkled some creole seasoning on it (the kind that has some salt) and it gave it just the right amount of flavor.  Make up some cornbread and I'm good to go!

Thursday night...dancing and hockey

Rushing around trying to get homework done in time for dance and hockey is just no fun.  Anne was very upset about it after school.  I think the teachers are trying to keep up with missing two days because of snow this week.  I decided to make up some tysons chicken tenders, whole breaded breast meet.  It suppose to be better for ya but seriously who knows these days.  I made up a batch of buttermilk biscuits to go with it.  It has been a long time since I've made biscuits.  I make scones all the time and it's not that different.  I have to say...nothing really beats the frozen Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits.    I only hope mine are healthier with no preservatives and organic unbleached flour.  They're good but not as fluffy...I think because they probably use overly processed white flour.

You can see the grains in this organic unbleached flour

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400, baking time 15 minutes

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, soda, and sugar until blended.  Cut butter into small chunks and add to bowl.  Rub mixture together with fingers until the larger pieces are no more than 1/4 inch in diameter.  Pour in buttermilk and stir with fork until all flour is wet and just barely holds together.  Turn dough onto floured surface, dust all surfaces of dough with flour, lightly knead about 10 times or just until dough is combined.  (over kneading will give you tough biscuits)

Here is where you can either flatten out to an inch thickness and cut out round circles and place on baking sheet or flatten out into a 9 inch pan and with 2-3 inch cutter cut the rounds but leave them in place as well as the dough in between.  Either way, placing them close together is a good idea in keeping them moist and have them rise tall.

Makes 9-16 biscuits

Throw some carrots on the plate and it's a meal!  We like skinned baby carrots.

Freezing temps!!! Currently 7 degrees and Sunny...time for Fondue

Nothing is cozier than fondue and when you have 4 fresh loaves of bread, fondue is a good choice.  I picked up my fondue pot at JC Pennies online for $25...really nice stainless steel.  A really great value.

Sunday I didn't post but I should have.  I made two batches of cookies, homemade ice cream and something else but I forget now...which is why I started this blog...to keep track of what I make and the mistakes along the way.  I made the good ol' Oatmeal cookies that are already posted and put half in the freezer.  I also made Ginger cookies...I thought I was making gingerbread from reading the recipe reviews but it was more like a gingersnap only delicious and chewy.  I put half in the freezer as well.  6 to a baggie and then put the baggies inside of a freezer bag.  I've been trying to stop buying these types of snacks at the store and just make them instead.  I figure it cuts out some of the processed food and preservatives we are now plagued with at every turn.  The one thing I really try to avoid is corn syrup!

Two snow days in a row! What to do...

I braved the roads in to downtown yesterday.  I have a great car for the snow.  Unfortunately my husband has a nice car that is not so great in the snow.  Why do they even make rear wheel drive vehicles anymore?  I left work early so he could get to his class and right when I got home, Creighton closed for the day.  Probably a good thing since crazy drivers were all over the place fishtailing everywhere.  The snow kept coming and again school was canceled.  My boss text me this morning saying I could work from home or come in late...whatever I was comfortable with.  I GREATLY appreciated that.  Knowing Sean would again need the car and with my work computer on the fritz the last thing I wanted to do was drive in to find I can't do much because of my computer and then have to leave early.  I was able to work remotely for a couple of hours.

So what to do?  I made bread.  ALLLLLLL Day.  I didn't used processed yeast and only a starter so the first rising was 6 hours.  The bread turned out amazing.

I made a double batch due to adding too much flower at the wrong time.  I will freeze a couple of loaves.

This bread is the best I've made so far.  I had planned to do Fondue tonight for dinner but the bread wasn't ready.  6-8 hours for the first rising, 2-2.5 hours for the second, and 1-1.5 for the third with time to knead in between.  Crazy.

Next time I make this I will make up the dough and let it rise while I sleep, then I should only need a spare 4 hours to babysit the bread.  I use to think $3 a loaf was too much now I am thinking it's not enough.

I doubt anyone will want this recipe since it requires a starter (mine I started back in November) and takes so long.  Let me know if you do and I'll post it.  It makes exceptional bread.

Snowy Sunday

After the hockey game the snow really started coming down. I wanted to make gingerbread cookies but I don't have molasses. Called a couple of neighbors but they didn't have it either. Oh well, made up some dough for facaccia to make the special sammy. Come to find out we don't have all the ingredients for that either. I'll have to bake it up and save it for tomorrow and pick up the fixings on the way home from work. It's the grocery shopping and ingredients that are frustrating to me. I quite enjoy cooking otherwise.

Since we ate up all the homemade ice-cream I guess I'll make some. Going for mocha flavored this time. I would make the cinnamon but the kids don't like it as well. I'll make that tomorrow maybe.

I just don't want to go out in the snow to the store. Lots of gumbo from last night. I tried posting a pic but the mobile blog isn't working. I'll post it the old fashioned way later.