Something Sweet To Start

I have a sweet tooth. I have tried hard to ignore it, to push it out of my mind but ultimately, I give in to my desires and start baking. The only bonus is that after all the hard work of baking, I tend not to over eat the baked goods. However, my husband does. I will say this cookies are soooo yummy raw, that I do take a few nibbles of the cookie dough.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup of white flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of melted butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 pkg peanut butter chips
• 1/2 pkg milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Stir together flour, salt and soda in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add one egg at a time and mix.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredient mix. Mix well. Stir in chips.
4. Drop by tbsp onto a cookie sheet (grease if it is not a non-stick pan)
5. Bake 8-10 mins. Cool on rake.

To make these a chocolate cookie, add 1/3 cup of cocoa to the flour mixture. 

Mix It and Forget It

Everybody seems to have a crock pot in their cupboard but how many of us remember to use it from time to time? I often forget about it, turning towards meals that require a lot of dishes and a lot of time but sometimes that doesn't work for me and my family. Sometimes I just want to get something cooking and be able to walk away from it, while the smells permeate the house. Today was the perfect day for that. My husband was busy cleaning the house top to bottom, in preparation for his travels and I was watching my young son practice his new-found ability to crawl. So I pulled out the crock pot and threw some things in there to create a heavenly Beef Stroganoff. I served it over a bed of egg noodles and a side of asparagus to make it a complete meal.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:

• 1 lb cubed beef (stewing meat works well)
• 2 cans of condensed golden mushroom soup
• 1/2 a large Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1/2 package of onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cream cheese
• 1 tbsp of sour cream

Directions:

1. Add the meat, onions, garlic, soup, water, Worchestershire sauce and onion soup mix to the crock pot. Mix it all up and put the lid on. Cook on low 5-6 hours. 
2. A half hour before you eat, saute the mushrooms and add them to the pot. Stir in the cream cheese and sour cream. 
3. Serve over a bed of cooked egg noodles. 

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