Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I came across a recipe for 'Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies' from Quaker Oats.  The recipe is in the lid of the canister.  It seemed simple and I had all the ingredients so I decided to make them.  I figured I'd give some to my dad since I know he likes oatmeal raisin cookies.  He recently changed the oil and filter on both my vehicles so I wanted to give him a thank you gift.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick unsalted), plus 6 tbsp, softened

3/4 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

3 cups quick oats

1 cup raisins

To make:

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

These cookies were amazing.  They are def one of my top 5 favorites.  :)

I might make these one day with craisins instead of raisins and see how those turn out.  I think they will be just as delicious.  :) 

4th place pumpkin

I made a Cookie Monster Pumpkin and entered it into a Food Lion Facebook Pumpkin Contest last month.  I was chosen as one of the 4th place prize winners.

Here's my pumpkin with my award winning chocolate chip cookies.

A few days ago, I got a card in the mail from Food Lion.

There was a hand written card and a $25 gift card.  How awesome right?

Thornburg Middle School Craft Show

I did a lot of baking on my day off from work before I had to be in RVA for my nieces talent show.

Here's all the butter on the counter softening.

I made my Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies, Award Winning Brownies, Lemon cookies and Orange Cranberry sugar cookies.  I started baking a little after 9am and I wasn't done until a little after noon.  WHEW!  That's a lot of baking.  haha

We had to be at the school EARLY.  K met me there.  We got there at 7:15am.  Craft show started at 8am.  Here's our table all set up.

We had toothpicks this time for sampling.

Baked goods all packaged.

At the craft shows it's always nice for each vendor to donate something to who's holding the show so they can make some money from silent action or raffle ticket sales.  We donated some extracts and a treat.  I don't know who won this.

My mom, older sister and nephew stopped by.  My mother won a big coffee basket that had a starbucks gift card amoung a bunch of coffee related items.  It was right up my moms alley.  She loves coffee.  My sister won 3 baskets total.  hahaha  She got some really cool stuff.  Books, jewelry, Mary Poppins tickets, and more.  

The craft show was fun.  I sold a ton of baked goods.  The extract sales weren't much.  It seemed like the customers were mostly the other vendors.  I didn't see that many regular customers here and that was a little disappointing.  But it's okay we got the word out on our extracts and baked goods and we had a good time.  :)

E's Talent Show

On Friday, November 13th I took a personal day at work so I could be off and go to my nieces talent show.  

Here's E getting ready.

She wanted to play for a little bit before we left.  She pulled out her dolls and put them in her crib so they could take a nap.  Her hair is so cute here.

Here she is telling me this is her Ariel doll.

Putting babies to bed.

Cute and adorable ballet shoes.

The show was at a church.

Here's my favorite letting my sister and I take some pictures of her in her little tutu.

Needed a few pictures with her dinosaur that Aunt Kristen and Uncle Dave got her.

Walking back inside church.

Just laying around. <3 p="">

Finally it was E's turn for her group to dance.  They danced and jumped to "If you're happy and you know it".

Here's E taking a picture of Uncle Dave and then looking at her shot.  So cute!!!

Afterwards, we met back at my sister's place and ordered burgers and fries from Carytown burgers.  Soooo good and we were all hangry.  haha

Uncle Kenny's Pound Cake

The last time I saw my Uncle Kenny he gave me his recipe for his pound cake.

I made it the other weekend.  I don't know if it came out like his exactly because I never tasted his pound cake but I did follow his directions.

I made 4 mini loaves and gave my mother, and 2 sisters each one.

Ingredients:  

2 sticks butter (blue bonnet brand; softened)

2 cups sugar

5 medium eggs

2 cups flour

Blend the butter and sugar softly with a fork.  Don't over blend.  Add 1 egg at a time and gently blend with fork.  Add flour and blend.  Don't beat to death.  Put in 4 small loaf pans.  Bake for 1 hour and a half on 325 degrees.

I thought the pound cake came out great.  I think Uncle Kenny would have approved.

Homemade Extract Photo Shoot

I recently did a photo shoot with my extracts back on 11/8.

Here's my set up.

All 6 flavors.  (vanilla, orange, lemon, coconut, almond and mint)

I love these pictures.  My husband didn't like them.  He found flaws with everything.  He said he's going to take some better pictures for me.  

What do you think of them?

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

I made some peanut butter oatmeal balls.  You could call them bites too.  I've seen different names and different ingredients for them. They are so good and so filling.

I made mine with......Oats, Natural PB, honey, reduced sugar craisins and chocolate cups.

It was my husband's idea to add craisins so I did.  You mix everything together and then roll into balls.  Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet.  Then put in fridge to firm up.  10 to 15 minutes.

Then place them in tupperware and keep in fridge for up to 7 days.

These are awesome and are a healthy snack.  You could add whatever you want to them to make them your own.  I've made these several times now.  I like to keep them on hand and have as a quick snack.  :)

Garden Update #43

How can November already be almost over?  This year, is just flying by, right?  I can't believe Thanksgiving is this week.

I'm off for the rest of the week so why not take advantage and catch up on some posts.  :)

Here's an update on my garden.

One morning, I walked into my greenhouse and started watering plants.  I saw a little visitor hanging on the outside.  Do you see it?  I was so excited.  haha

It was a praying mantis.  I believe it's a girl just because of how big she is.  I brought her into my greenhouse.  :)  I figured she'd like it.  I opened the window in case she wanted to leave and I went off to work.

When I got home, I checked on the praying mantis and shut the greenhouse window.  She was still there in a different spot.  :)

The next morning, she was still there.  I told her if she wanted to leave she could.  hahaha  I opened the window and went to work.  She decided to leave.  I haven't seen her since.  :(  

Hopefully, she will be back.

I picked my last toms.  I ate this one right away.

Here's the last 4 of the season.  I put them in the kitchen window to ripen.  

I can't wait to plant more toms in the spring.  Nothing taste better than something you grow yourself.

My hibiscus bloomed again.  Look at this blossom.....so vibrant and beautiful.

Green bean plant.

Succulents and green bean plant.

My sycamore tree needs to be trimmed once it becomes dormant.  I will wait until January or February.  Some branches are laying over fence into neighbors back yard and I feel I need to trim them.  There's tons of seed pods on the tree.  

You have to look closely in the picture but they are there.

My dad wants a bunch so I plan to get him some so he can plant them.  Here's one I was able to reach.  I think they might be good place card holders for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  haha  They just look so cool to me because it's a seed pod that could become a tree one day.

I have planted a new celery end base in a cup of water.  We will see if it takes off.

I still have orchids, peppermint, celery and pumpkin growing in kitchen window sill.  The pumpkin is from the sprouts that were growing in my pumpkin.

Here's my palm tree.  I had to trim some of the dead leaves.