Eatmeal cookies

Hi everyone.
After another long silence, a new blog post has been written. I couldn't think of a movie/tv quote for the title, so I decided to quote SquiRe, who used to say "eatmeal" instead of "oatmeal".

These oatmeal cookies are so delicious, if you're fan of oatmeal, which I whole-heartedly am. Plus, they're gluten free, so that makes them healthy, right? Right.

Recipe: Alton Brown

16 oz (approx. 2 cups) rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
10 oz (approx. 1 1/4 cup) soft butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Optional: Chocolate chips/raisins

Spread oats out on a sheet pan and toast in a 375* oven for 20 minutes. Let them cool a couple of minutes, then grind half of them (1 cup) in a food processor until flour consistency. Mix in baking powder, cinnamon and salt, then set aside.

Combine butter and sugar in a stand mixer for about 3 minutes, then add egg and vanilla at low speed. Slowly add the dry mix until just combined, then stir in the remaining oats and chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough in rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until they start to brown on the edges. You may need to rotate the pan.
When these first came out, they seemed pretty fragile, soft, and fell apart easily. But once they cooled, they were the perfect consistency. So good!

Now for some pictures, something we haven't posted in a while. These are slightly dated, from December.


Wow, such convincing smiles...



Fiona had her first piano recital last month and did very well.



Poor Oskar. Cleopatra chased him up a tree about three times last month, twice he wouldn't come down without help.



And we went to yet another We Make History event! It was so cold and wet...and fun.



Now sure who this guy is, but I like his style, haha



SquiRe decided he wants to be a black smith when he grows up, thanks to these guys.



The World War 1 booth! My personal favorite.



Vietnam...



And WW2. These three were all very interesting.



This lady was great. She went around hitting people over the head with that Bible, as part of her Salvation Army role.



A Native American. I didn't go to his booth, so that's just an educated guess.



Those southerners sure do like to dance.



Lately Mario Kart Wii has been the big thing at our house, and SquiRe was trying to teach Joe how to play.



Playing Kings.



And finally, we went to a Marty Goetz concert and came back with a DVD, so we watched that the following night. The kids enjoyed pretending to be the orchestra.

In other news, I may or may not have been tagged again for the Leibster award by Ava, so I'll answer those questions here. (Mine being such a common name, I'm never entirely sure when people are referring to me on the Internet, haha)
Anyone who hasn't already been tagged by me and would like to answer some questions can consider themselves tagged and answer these.

1.If you could decorate your room two colors what would they be? Our old room was yellow and forest green, I liked that. But I would let someone else choose the colors, because I'm hopeless when it comes to color coordination.
2.What's one word you would use to describe your style? Non-existant. Haha, or probably: comfortable.
3.What's your favorite bible character(s)? That's a really hard one. Hm...well...I don't know that they're my favorite, but I've always really liked Ehud and Jael.
4.If you were an animal what would you be? I've been told by my family either a sloth, a fox or a snake. I'm so flattered.
5.If you could go to France, Germany or England where would you go for vacation? France, but I'm not picky. I'd go anywhere.
6.What's a song that makes you want to dance? David Danced (Salvador), Daring Daylight Escape (Caedmon's Call) and a lot of MercyMe songs. Oh, and Chattanooga Choo Choo. Go Glen Miller!
7.What is your dream job? (besides being a stay-at-home mom) Exotic mammal verternarian or freelance artist. Both would be cool, but I doubt either will happen ;).
8. What are the three main quality's you want in your husband? IF I get married, I'd like a man who is devoted to God, loyal, and responsible.
9. If you could change your name what would it be? Socorro. That was actually an option for me before I was born, but my parents decided that no one would be able to pronounce or spell it right. But that would be half the fun ;).
10.What bible verse is seemed to be written for you? Another hard one! There are so many verses and chapters that never fail to encourage me....for just one, I guess I'd have to say Joshua 1:9.

If you made it this far, congratulations! That was a long one. Should hold everyone over for another month or so, right? Comment if you think Mari or Risa should post next! ;)

Challah recipe and update

Hey everyone. It's early Friday morning (the best day of the week) and we are all just lounging about and sleeping in. Which is unusual, but whenever Dad's schedule is unusual, so is ours. He went out early this morning (4:30) to go hunting for the first time in over 20 years. Or as Glodilocks said it, "He's out spyin' on the animals!"

So that's how we are today. And I'm not sure how you are but if you make this challah bread your day will be much happier, I'm sure. =]

Mix:
2 1/2 C warm water
1 TBL yeast
1/2 C honey (see, it's healthy! for bread...)
After that begins to foam and such add in:
1/4 C oil
2 eggs
1 TBL salt
8 C flour

Let this rise in a large oiled bowl until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours). Divide into two braided loaves, rise again. Bake @ 375 for 40 minutes and voila!
Variations:
1)Brush with egg and sprinkle poppy seeds on top. Good flavor, good for you, and pretty too.
2) Make up a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and butter (possibly add in some all spice or apple pieces). After you seperate the dough into 3 pieces but before braiding, roll the 3 pieces flat long-wise. Add some sweet filling to the middle of each and roll up to form 3 logs again. Pinch ends to seal and braid. Brush entire loaf with egg and sprinkle with sugar...so yummy...

Have a great weekend!
Sam

The Best of 2011

Recipes!

In 2011 we have tried many new recipes. Three of our favorite new recipes we would like to share with all you wonderful readers now.

Puddle and Puff Chocolate Cookies are gluten free, but were still a hit with all the gluten-lovers in our family. Plus they were easy to make and didn't take too much time.

The six ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pecans (hazelnuts or walnuts would be yummy too), toasted & cooled
2 cups powdered sugar
scant 1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 320F
Make sure your walnuts have cooled a bit, then chop coarsely and mix all of your ingredients together very well.

Spoon one heaping tablespoon of the batter onto cookie sheets covered with parchment paper, leave PLENTY of room between cookies. Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet.

Bake until they about 12-15 minutes until they, as described by the name, puddle and puff up. They may crack a bit on top.

If you like light, airy, puffed up chocolate treats you have to try this recipe!

The next recipe was taken from a cookbook given to us by some very sweet friends that we are so blessed to know. I have tried making many different pizza crust recipes, and I think this is the best one one I've made so far. It is pretty simple and it works for both a thicker and thin crust.

Ingredients for our mini pizzas:
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water

Mix all the ingredients together until it forms a dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Put in a slightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Put it in a warm place to rise for one hour.
Knead again for 5 minutes then let it rise again for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 425F.
Because we are making mini pizzas divide the dough into 12 pieces, and roll out to the desired thickness. Keep in mind the dough will rise some while baking.

Each pizza we made was different. One of them we even left plain. But because our pizzas were sauce-less we simply sprinkled the topping on the rolled out dough, drizzled it with olive oil, added a dash of salt, and popped in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

And lastly, Best Cupcakes Ever. Sam made this recipe twice this year, even though she only found the recipe just this fall. She brought them to a birthday party and every one loved them.

2 cups strong brewed coffee, hot
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temp
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir the cocoa powder into the hot coffee until dissolved. Set aside until cooled to room temperature. Once it has cooled, preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined; stir in the vanilla. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the bowl and mix until just combined. Add 1/2 of the chocolate mixture, mixing again until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour and chocolate mixtures, ending with flour. Mix only until flour is just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Bake for 20-23 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.


I hope you had a good time in the kitchen last year, and have many more memories and treats made in the kitchen this year.