Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten Free!

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Stir peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt together. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into small balls, smash just slightly (with your hand or a fork) and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool.

Makes about 18-24 cookies.

*****

I made these today for a woman at church. When we were doing the thankful jar thing one of them was to be grateful your teacher (I think that was what it said). Anyway, Leah chose her teacher at church who she ADORES. But I knew she had lots of food allergies so I wanted to ask her first before I brought her cookies she couldn’t eat. She can’t have artificial sweeteners when it comes to cookies  but her mother has celiac disease so she needs gluten (flour) free food. So I wanted to make something they could both eat. Years ago I made a cookie similar this to another woman I know with celiac. Those didn’t have baking soda in them. I like what it did to the texture of the cookie.

I read several recipes today looking for the one I had before. The one I posted above is not exactly like any of them I read but they’re by far the best version of this I’ve had. I think it would be stellar to have some crunchy nuts in there. Peanuts seem like the obvious choice. Maybe walnuts.

Oh PS The cookies are very crumbly while still warm – leave them be until they’ve cooled off some!

Chip Dip

Today is the last day of NaNoBloMo! I feel like I should do some grand post but... I got nothing grand to share with you today!

I'm sick today and feeling particularly uninspired.

I did make a yummy dip yesterday. I took a picture before I baked it but forgot to afterward.

In the dip I put every cheese in my fridge - mozzarella, sharp cheddar, colby jack,  some white velveeta with green chiles in it (this is something I've never found in name brand velveeta - it's a Kroger brand thing and great for chip dips!), a little parmesan, a brick of cream cheese, sour cream, milk, some juice from a jar of jalapenos (I didn't add the jalapenos because Leah was going to be eating it), salt, pepper, red pepper.

Then I added a bunch of chopped up ham and then I cut the corn off three ears of corn on the cob and added that.

So it was Ham Corn Cheese Dip.

This is Drew’s plate – he who was too impatient to wait for me to bake it. Then I forgot to take a picture of the baked version. It just had a slightly crusty top – would have made a better picture though.  A very hearty chip dip with little bursts of sweetness from the fresh corn. Dinner served!

PS Not exactly a health food. Or particularly great for my blood sugar… But yummy!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

 

Two things:

1. This is Leah saying – Happy Birthday, Nana! And then she called her to tell her that out loud. How adorable is she??

2. I was totally excited that I got a picture of her with her clothes still on. She normally strips within moments of being in the house. And this one she had just come in from church and said, “I want chocolate and then I want to call Nana!”

(Kid has her priorities straight!)

PS – You like my TV on that ridiculous bench from the table? Do you know how hard it is to find a table that’s 13.75 inches deep or less? They’re usually 15+ (sofa table) YEARS I’ve been looking. I have finally found one. I was waiting to be done Christmas shopping to order it. Woohoo!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Potato Pancakes

Recipe

And what I did:

2 cups of mashed potatoes (day old as suggested)
1 egg
a scant 1/4 of flour (it needed more than the recipe link said - just slightly)
1/4 diced onion (I sautéed it first in butter)

Then I proceed as the link suggested.

These, of course, will only be as good as your mashed potatoes were to begin with.
I put gravy on top like syrup and then a dollop (I love the word dollop) of sour cream on top.

Thanks to Camela for the idea of making potato pancakes and giving me the craving. And thanks to Pep for the sour cream on top idea!

The Friday 5

I found this funny site today - apparently every Friday they post five questions you can answer on your blog. I'm certain I won't do it every Friday but maybe sometimes - it looks fun!

http://www.friday5.org/ - okay. I'm not gonna do this week's. I just scrolled through the list and chose. I'm a cheater already.

1. What is your favorite shape of pasta?
2. Which of the Lucky Charms marshmallows is (or was) your favorite?
   
3. Of people you know who are older than forty, who’s in the best shape?
4. What shape is one of the more interesting scars on your body?
5. Of a human’s internal organs, which you think has the most interesting shape?

1. De Cecco Angel Hair Nests or De Cecco Capellini - it is the thinnest tiniest pasta around. There is no better angel hair. I've done research. I'm just sayin'. (Right Renee??)
2. I would rather eat chalk. Those marshmallows are so nasty. - So, uh. The clovers?
3. The best shape? Does that mean physically? Hmmm.... My mind is totally blank. I got nothin'.
4. Sadly, I have no fascinating scars. They are all straight lines. Does that make me uninteresting? Oh wait. I do have one sort of round one on my right shin. I suppose that's not interesting though...
5. LOL funny question. I think I'm gonna go with kidneys. At least it's a shape. The liver is just a glob as is most everything else. Except the heart of course. But kidneys are kind of cool lookin'.

Sorry about the rather boring post. I needed some Nanoblomo fluff. Everything else going on in my head is too deep, too personal, or can't be blogged because too many people read my blog.

And heaven knows there are people waiting in the wings who'd like to censor what I post! So bothersome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Family, Friends, Blog Readers, and Anonymous Blog Readers ;)

I hope you get to enjoy some good food and some good company today. I am grateful for my life and all that I have!

Poor Kid!

Here she is – pinned like this – while I snapped pictures and forced her to say: Mommy is the best! Mommy is the best!