Apple Cookies

These Apple Cookies might just be my favorite. They are perfect for this time of year! It is still Autumn right? It's hard to tell with all the Christmas music and decorations already in full swing. I went to the store to get the apples needed for my cookies and was shocked to be greeted by the Salvation Army bell ringer. It made me quite grumpy and for the first time in my life I think I know what if feels like to be a SCROOGE. I don't like being rushed onto the next thing and don't want to be pressured into thinking about Christmas already. I still want to enjoy the bounty of Autumn and Thanksgiving. It's like there isn't even a Thanksgiving anymore and that makes me very sad. Our society wastes so much time rushing around and worrying about the next thing and how we're going to enjoy it through purchasing much needed decorations and gifts. Instead we need to slow down and enjoy the moment we're living or before we know it the "season" will have rushed by us and we won't have any lasting memories.

I hope you'll take the time to slow down and bake these perfectly Autumn Apple Cookies with or for someone you love. They are so chewy good I know you will have a hard time eating just one.

The not so secret ingredient is molasses. Isn't this bottle fun?

Apple Cookies (click here for printable recipe)

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg, room temperature
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 small apple, peeled and finely diced (honey crisp work great)
cinnamon and sugar for rolling





Directions  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large bowl cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the molasses and the egg and mix until combined. 

In another bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the creamed butter and sugar in small batches and mix until combined.

Stir in the diced apple. The dough will be soft so chill it for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to work with. 

Roll dough into 1 inch balls (a small cookie scoop will make this go much faster).  Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon and sugar then place on a parchment lined pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let them sit on the pan for 1 minute before moving them to a cooling rack.


*This recipe makes about 32 cookies

How to Transform an Unloved Painting

If you read my post yesterday then you read all about my interesting painting class experience. The best part about about a painting that you don't like is that you can paint over it! That's exactly what I decided I was going to do with my not so loved piece. There's a quote by Teddy Roosevelt that I frequently shared with my students that I thought would be perfect for this project. "The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything." Children and adults alike are often paralyzed from accomplishing things because of the fear of making a mistake. That's what makes us human though and I would much rather live my life to the fullest and make some mistakes then do NOTHING at all! Read below to find out how you can transform one of your own unloved paintings.

First you need to decide what kind of design you're going to make. The possibilities are endless.  I chose a quote but you can do shapes, stripes, zigzags or other patterns. Anything that can be stuck down temporarily will work like stickers, tape and stencils.  Because I chose a quote I first counted out how many of each letter I would need.

Next I cut out the letters and laid them on the painting to figure out the placement. Then I peeled and stuck the letters to the canvas. The smaller letters I chose had more difficulty sticking then the larger ones. So if you're seeking perfection then the bigger the sticker the better. I also added 3 flower stickers.

I painted each letter and word individually to help them stick down better and then I went over the entire painting. I used Acrylic paint and it did leak under the stickers a little. I didn't mind though because I was going for something more rustic. I also thought it would add to the theme of my quote if I had a few "mistakes." I bet that spray paint wouldn't leak as badly and also using bigger letters would help.


Let your painting dry for a few hours and then start peeling off the letters. This part is so satisfying. Watch out it can be addictive.  So much that I walked away from the project for a minute only to return and see my husband happily peeling away. It's fun to reveal what's underneath the sticker! Peeling off those stickers was similar to peeling away layers of dead skin after a bad sunburn. Those of you who've had a bad sunburn know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't deny it!

Lastly step back and enjoy your masterpiece, then find a grand place to hang it!

Painting Class

How do you know what brush to choose?

I've been wanting to take a painting class for some time now. They had a variety to choose from in Denver. I thought a Sipping N' Painting class would be a great one to take. It sounds relaxing and fun at the same time, right? Also I didn't want to do anything too serious, I just wanted to explore a little and hopefully learn something new.  I was envious when I saw the pictures of one of my friends at a Sipping N' Painting class. She even painted the exact painting that I had my eye on, the Aspen trees with mountains in the background. Her pictures validated what I envisioned in my head a class like this would be like.  An environment full of inspiration with works of art and previous paintings hanging on the walls. A room full of people neatly sitting in rows focused on the task, mimicking what their instructor was doing. Proud students holding up their paintings for a group picture.

Well I never got to take a Sipping N' Painting  class before I moved away from Denver so I decided to look for one to take in Omaha. I searched under lots of different names but never found anything. Then one day Groupon came to the rescue! They had a Groupon for a place that does all kinds of classes and you could use the Groupon toward a painting class. Who could resist half off a painting class? I was lucky enough to have a friend that wanted to take the class with me!

I can't help but laugh at the experience we had, mostly because it was not what I was expecting at all. After I bought the Groupon I e-mailed the owner for more information. I wondered when they had the classes and what the options were for painting. That's when I found out that they only had classes on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month and there was no sipping provided, so it wasn't really a sip n' paint class, unless you brought your own something to sip. I realized that these were all things I should have figured out before I bought the Groupon but since the Groupon was already purchased I remained positive and still looked forward to the class.

The day finally arrived for our painting class! My friend, Miss S and I decided to meet each other there. After a day of substituting in 4th grade I felt a little hyper. Teaching does that to me sometimes especially if the schedule is jumping from one thing to the next and is all over the place. My plan was to rely on Google Maps to get me to this painting class. Google Maps on my I-phone is always reliable. Well almost always...Let's just say I had a little trouble finding the place and my hyper turned into frenzy. I don't like being late! I kept driving back and forth on the street that it was supposed to be located on. According to the little dot that I was following on the map, I kept passing it. I called Miss S and with her help I finally located the place.

When I arrived my friend was there to greet me at the door and led me down dark and dreary stairs to a room that was cold and not exactly inspiring. It actually made me feel crazy! You see, this room looked like a paint bomb went off. Interestingly enough we were the only ones that had signed up to take the class that night. I had kept my friend waiting all alone in that crazy room, how awkward for her. I felt really bad.

Our friendly and eccentric instructor was eager for the class to start. He saw that I brought something for us to "sip" and asked if I even had anything to open it with. Luckily I threw a bottle opener in my bag before I left, but I didn't have cups with me... I thought it was strange that they didn't have any cups either  considering it was advertised as a sip and paint class. He ended up finding some mighty fine birthday cups for us and encouraged us to drink deeply. I think he could tell I was worked up. That room was not helping me relax it was seriously making me feel crazy.

Our goal was to paint a version of Monet's Water Lillies. We had an example set before us and were supposed to follow the steps given on a Power Point type presentation being shown on a laptop. I had no clue what I was doing. I had never taken  a painting class before! I didn't know what brush to choose, what color to use, let alone how to apply the paint. The first step was to create an outline. I didn't know what I was doing and after the fact realized that my outline did not have the right proportions at all.

Which one do you think is mine?

This was not the "happy little tree" experience I had envisioned. I thought someone was going to actually be doing the painting along with us and show us step by step what to do and how to do it. I didn't know I was going to be learning from a slide show presentation. Those of you who have taken one of these classes before did you have an instructor painting along with you?

My painting kept getting worse and worse. It was so far gone. In the meantime Miss S is next to me all Zen like and focused. Let's just say hers looked completely different from mine. I don't generally give up but my painting was not turning out the way I wanted it to. The instructor said that mine was just more on the abstract side. That's when I decided I should at least fill in the rest of the canvas with color and I added the red streaks.

This is Miss S being all Zen like. Notice the paint bomb walls?

Here are the 5 things I learned from this experience:
  1.) Next time I go to a new place I should drive with my friend instead of meeting her there
  2.) I should do more research before buying a Groupon
  3.) I should have no expectations when trying something new
  4.) Next time I should drink more, we didn't even finish half the bottle of wine between the two of us!
  5.) I'm an abstract painter :)

This was when I had enough. I didn't want to paint any longer. How could it really be that bad? O yes this really happened. Like I said it just kept getting worse and worse...

I'm not sure if you find this story to be as humorous as I do. Maybe it was one of those situations where you just had to be there. You should stay tuned though because tomorrow I'm going to share with you how I turned my unloved painting into an inspirational masterpiece.

Tidbit Tuesday (Pinterest)

Have you checked out Pinterest yet? If you're anything at all like me then you often discover great recipes, project ideas and things you love online. What do you do with all those wonderful things you discover? You probably have a HUGE favorites list! I've been known to print out recipes and project ideas I find online and then place them in a folder and forget about them.

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board. A place where you can pin anything you find online. You can keep all your ideas organized by category. You can also browse boards that other people have already created. It's very addictive! You can add pins from other peoples boards or you can just follow the entire board. On your Pinterest homepage are all the latest and greatest pins that those you follow have pinned. Here are a few examples of some favorite ideas I discovered on Pinterest.

Re-purpose your child's crib into a desk/art center!

This is brilliant!

You can find lots of photography tips on Pinterest. I love this Cheat Sheet!

I've found so many great ideas on Pinterest and been inspired time and time again. It's awesome to have 1 place where you can collect ideas and keep them nice and organized. If you would like to join you can do so by requesting an invite here or you can click on the red  "Follow me on Pinterest" button and click request an invite. You're going to need either a Facebook account or Twitter account to sign up. I signed up with my Facebook account and then unlinked it so that there wasn't an update on Facebook every time I pinned something. I'll look forward to seeing you on Pinterest!

1st Snow

Many of you have already experienced your first snow and it's not even winter yet! Since I'm new to the Heartland I have no idea what to expect from the weather. I did find it fascinating that my peeps in Colorado and my family in Virginia experienced snow before I did. Well I'm not as surprised about the snow in Colorado except for the fact that it was so wet and nasty. Here I was thinking that we were spared from it all. Next thing I know one day it's sunny and warm and then the next day it's snowing. There wasn't even any warning!

The snow didn't last long since it came between rain and slush, that washed it all away. My dog Blanca sure loved it, for the little time it was here. I really do believe that having Blanca is like having a child. She was comically excited. I knew it was snowing outside because she ran to the window and then proceeded to do whatever it took to get my attention. When I would look she would run back to the window.

I decided to let her out not realizing how wet it really was out there. Of course she went WILD. She proceeded to run around in circles with her mouth open. Then she would stop and eat the snow. Then she would roll around in it. Then she would try to catch more snowflakes. She could have stayed out there for hours just laying in the snow. Of course I had to document this silly dog. Hope it brings a smile to your face.

This one was my favorite :)

and there's that irresistible dog smile

An Easy to make Autumn Wreath

Doors with wreaths are so welcoming. I've been wanting to hang one on my door for some time now. I have a few but none of them work. They all cover something on the door that shouldn't be covered. I have the perfect idea for a winter wreath but I'm still collecting materials and besides it's not winter yet.

The acorns I've been finding when walking Blanca inspired me to make an Autumn wreath. I've had a very clear vision in my head of an entire wreath made of acorns. So a couple weekends ago the Cookie Monster and I went for a hike at Indian Cave State Park and collected lots more acorns. Now I just needed one more thing to create this fabulous wreath that was inside my head, an actual base for all those acorns.

I decided to rummage through my crafty collection and I discovered that I had some extra foam balls. That's when the entire plan that I had in my head changed. Which was quite a good thing because then I didn't need to go out to find a base for my wreath and end up finding a LOT more, like I usually do. See below to find out how I made this super easy Autumn wreath.

Once you've gathered your materials. Wrap the yarn around each foam ball until it's covered like #2, then hot glue the end down. Repeat for each one, then glue them all together like picture #3. After that hot glue on some acorns. If the acorns little cap falls off just hot glue it back on or use the cap by itself.

I thought my wreath was missing something, so for a finishing touch I added a pretty Autumn ribbon. 

What do you think? I love it! And it provides that warm welcome that I was looking for.

Crunchy Asian Slaw

This slaw is always a big hit. It's got a secret ingredient that often surprises people, Ramen Noodles. Uncooked Ramen Noodles! Don't knock it till you try it. They add a perfect crunch. Unless of course you make a big giant batch like I do, that lasts a few days, then the noodles aren't so crunchy anymore but still quite good.

Crunchy Asian Slaw (click here for printable recipe)

Ingredients: 
1 envelope Italian Dressing Mix (I've used the bottled dressing before and it's worked fine)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 packages Ramen Noodles 
2 packages coleslaw blend (cabbage slaw mix can be found with the bags of mixed salad)
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup roasted sunflower kernels
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted


Directions:
1.) Prepare dressing mix in small bowl as directed on envelope. Whisk in sugar and soy sauce.
2.) Break noodles into small pieces and place in large bowl. Discard the seasoning packet or reserve it for a later use. 
3.) Mix the coleslaw blend, onions, sunflower kernels and almonds with the noodles and pour the dressing over top. Toss to Coat.

Let me know what you think of this slaw!

I'm pleased with this bowl that recently came out of the kiln, I like the color!

Beer Battered Fish with Tartar Sauce

I really enjoy fish and chips! I decided that I should try making it myself and I was surprised at how easy it was to make and how good it turned out. I eliminated the chips because I thought  it would be healthier and when I went to slice the potatoes I realized they were in the pantry for entirely too long. Instead I served a Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side. You'll have to check back tomorrow for that recipe.

Beer Battered Fish (click here for printable recipe)

Ingredients: 
1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning (Salt, pepper, garlic powder)
1 1/2 pounds fish fillets (Walleye, catfish, bass, cod; any fish with firm flaky white flesh)
vegetable oil, for frying

Directions: 
1.) Slice fish into 1-inch wide strips (5 to 6 inches long) and heat oil to 375 degrees 
2.) In a large bowl, pour beer and add 1 1/2 cups flour whisking gently until just combined. Then stir in house seasoning.
3.) Pat fish dry and season both sides with salt and pepper, then coat fish in beer batter.
4.) Dredge the pieces of fish in remaining 1/2 cup of flour and slide into oil.
5.) Fry fish, turning over frequently, until deep golden and cooked through about 4 to 5 minutes
6.) Fry remaining fish in batches, keeping the other pieces of cooked fish in a warm oven
7.) Serve with the tasty Tartar Sauce below 

Tartar Sauce (click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles, plus some pickle juice
2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: 
In a small bowl combine mayo with pickles and parsley. Sprinkle in some pickle juice until it's a saucy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is the most recent plate I made! I'm proud of the way it looks all though it doesn't quite feel right...   

I look forward to the day when I'm skilled enough to make sets of the same plate, that can nestle inside one another perfectly.

Tidbit Tuesday (Too much candy?)

Did you take your children Trick or Treating this Halloween? Did they come home from a school party with a goody bag? I don't have children yet but I can imagine the amount of candy that is accumulated from Halloween festivities. There are lots of ideas out there of things you can do with your candy including recipes and crafts. Apparently the average American consumes over 20 pounds of candy a year...YIKES!

I heard about a program called the Halloween Candy Buy Back. It's a program that dentists participate in and they "buy" back candy with cash, coupons and other creative exchanges. The candy that they collect is then sent to Operation Gratitude who sends the candy to U.S. troops overseas. I thought this was a really neat idea! You can find out more information and even locate a participating dentist near you by clicking HERE. 

Monster Eggs

We were invited to a Halloween Party over the weekend and I wanted to bring something fun. My traditional go to holiday specialty is none other than Deviled Eggs. I will fix these every chance I get; generally Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. This was the first time I've ever made them for Halloween before. When people ask what my favorite food is I usually can't decide. I like food in general. I think Deviled Eggs would be a top contender though.

When I was growing up my mom would fix Deviled Eggs for Holiday feasts or the occasional church potluck. I would end up eating most of them and would try my best to sneak a few before they arrived at their destination. That's when she decided she would have to start making a second batch just for home. I adored her for this! I continue the tradition and make a "few" extra eggs and when no-ones looking I will squeeze any of the extra filling from the bag into my mouth. I don't think I should have just admitted that....

Anyways these Monster Eggs, as I like to call them, were entirely too much fun to make! I got the idea from Rock Your Party where they made Spiderweb Eggs.

Here's what you need to make the Monster Eggs (click here for printable recipe)
2 teaspoons black food coloring
12 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Grainy mustard
A couple dashes of hot sauce
Salt and Pepper
Sliced olives  (I only used the end)
Ziploc bag
Gloves to protect hands from dye

Directions:

1.) In a stock pot combine 8 cups of water with black food coloring. Place eggs in a single layer, 

cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. 

The dye ran onto the paper towels and made a beautiful pattern!

2.) Using a slotted spoon, place eggs on paper towels. Place colored water in fridge to cool. Use the end of the a wooden spoon to tap each egg in several places to slightly crack the shell. The more places you crack, the more veins the egg will have.

3.) Place the eggs back into the cooled water and let sit for 2 to 3 hours. The longer they sit the darker the veins. 

Peeling eggs is usually my least favorite part but this time it was so fun!

4.) When done, peel eggs and cut length-wise. 

Using a teaspoon, scoop out the egg yolks and set egg whites aside. Mash yolks with remaining ingredients. 

5.) Fill a Ziploc bag with egg yolk mixture and cut one of the corners off to fill each egg white.

6.) Garnish with a sliced olive.

Two great tips: Use a potato masher for the yolks and a Ziploc bag makes filling the eggs much easier.

I was mesmerized by the beautiful shells. This would be such a fun thing to do with children! Every-time I peeled an egg it was like a big SURPRISE. I even squealed with delight each time and said to my husband, who had his head stuck in a book, "Look at this one!"  After the about the 7th egg this started to irritate him a little since I was interrupting his reading. I can't wait to have children to enjoy these fun projects with. I should mention, for sake of my husbands ego, that he did help out with this project. (he doesn't want to be portrayed as a grump because he was engaged in his book during the peeling part)  He's the one who boiled the eggs and put the cracks all over them. Thanks Cookie Monster!

The eggs turned out great. I hope you'll try this out yourself sometime, it really is a lot of fun. You don't have to follow my recipe for the filling, there are tons of different recipes out there. You could change the color of the dye too. I think it could look like beautiful stained glass for Easter. Remember the longer you leave the eggs in the dye the darker they will get.

Body Art, Chapter 2

Contrary to what some might believe my husband and I did think about this for quite a while. The original plan was for us both to get a compass. We enjoy traveling and exploring so much, this is also how we met for the first time. Not to mention the compass is a great reminder to continue going the right direction even if the path gets treacherous.

I wanted my tattoo on my wrist and he wanted his on his calf. I realized that a compass would be challenging to put on the wrist without making it much bigger than I wanted. So I started coming up with other ideas and collecting inspirations; my husband compiled all of them into a sketch. Next thing you know I decided to get tattoos on both my wrists.

This is a picture of the rough draft he made.

I really liked the sketch! I thought it was so sweet of him to draw the birds in the middle facing each other so that when the two wrists meet the birds kiss. I liked it so much I had him draw it on my wrists in Sharpie so I could see what it would look like. That was an interesting experience... The Sharpie bled a lot but I got a decent idea of what it would look like. The Sharpie faded away in a couple days and I was ready for the real thing!

After doing entirely too much research we chose a place called Grinn & Barret Tattoo. Isn't it such a fitting name? We decided that I would not go first, that way I could still back out if I wanted to. It was fun to see the artist's interpret our sketches and make them their own. I was excited to have original art displayed on my wrists. Somehow I actually ended up in the chair first. What did I do? Well I just Grinned and Bared it!

It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would and lucky for me it was relatively fast. Although I do clearly remember one point where it felt like the needle was hitting the bone.

 

My husband's took quite a bit longer than mine did.

Even though I was told what to expect during the healing process, I still wasn't prepared for all the changes that would take place. My wrists were swollen for a couple days and eventually the tattoos began to peel freakishly. Apparently everyone heals differently. A lot also depends on where you get the tattoo. The worst part for me was the itching. My wrists itched so badly! 

This is what my tattoos looked like on day 3.

You might be wondering why I chose to get this design tattooed on my wrists. Well I think it's pretty special that my husband designed it and it reminds me of his love for me. I also admire nature and God's marvelous creativity! The squirrel reminds me to plan and prepare for the future and beyond. The birds remind me not to worry. I think I waste a lot of time worrying about what others think and about all kinds of other things that don't matter. 

 Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

 

I think my tattoos turned out great and I'm happy to say that if I "need" to cover them I can do so with fun accessories. And In case your wondering my husband is really happy with how his turned out too.

Body Art, chapter 1

On Tuesday I posted a tidbit about the origins of the phrase "goody two-shoes." I think in the past this has been a phrase that has been used to describe me. Throughout my life I've put forth an effort to think about things before I do them and generally make "good" choices. I've always been a rule follower. Even in college I didn't do the typical experimental stuff most college students do. I've never smoked, done drugs or stepped foot in a bar or club unless a restaurant with a bar counts. When I drink I do so because I feel like it brings out the flavors in my food and I enjoy the taste.

I'm a pretty optimistic person I TRY my best to be positive and always assume positive intentions of others. Yes maybe I do strive to be "perfect" but is that such a bad thing? Does that make me a "goody two-shoes?" So what if it does? Everyone makes their own choices.

I guess what got me thinking about this was my choice to get some body art.  Overall the comments have been positive but there have been a few that have really got me thinking, "What did they mean by that?" I'm married and in my mid-twenties; I didn't decided to run out the day I turned 18 and get some ink to show my independence. Although I do feel like quite a rebel! I suppose because I knew I was making what some people could consider a "bad" choice.

One person made the comment, "wow...can't believe how much you have changed!" I didn't understand what this was supposed to mean?  Maybe that I'm not a "goody two-shoes" any more? For some reason people feel like they have the right to judge others based on appearance. People can be very opinionated when it comes to tattoos, I suppose because they feel it's such a permanent alteration of ones' body.

People make choices all the time to alter their appearances. Some might be more temporary than others and some can become permanent over time. People often change their hair through dying, perms, straightening, extensions... This alters their appearance and can add up to damage over time. What about people who don't take care of their bodies by choosing to eat unhealthy food  and not exercising regularly. This lifestyle often can led to a permanent change in appearance. What would happen if I approached a friend who gained some weight and said "Wow..can't believe how much you have changed!"

Another comment that got me thinking was when someone said to my husband that they just saw an 80 year old that was all tattooed up and that he "looked terrible." Apparently they were concerned that my husband may end up looking like this. I have quite a few thoughts on this comment.

Since when is it okay that we as humans think we have the right to comment on each others' appearances like that? I'm not denying that I've never done this before, but we have got to encourage each other and be more positive. Besides this guy was in his 80's! What is he supposed to look like after living life to the fullest? I've never been 80 before but I'm under the impression that at that age you're pretty content and feeling a lot younger than you might look on the outside. I bet that 80 year old had some great stories to share about all his tattoos.

Well I think I may have ruffled enough feathers for now. I hope those who read this get my point. Let's stop wasting our time judging others. Tomorrow you can look forward to hearing about my tattoo experience and seeing some photos. As always I would love to hear from you!

Tidbit Tuesday (Goody Two-Shoes)

Have you ever heard someone be referred to as a "goody two-shoes?"  Maybe you've used the phrase before yourself. Generally it means that someone is always willing to do whats "right" no matter what. They make an effort to be perfect in every way.

I find it fascinating to learn the history behind phrases that we use. Interestingly enough many of them are derived from nursery rhymes. "Goody Two-shoes" actually came from a story written in the 18th century called The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes.

This story is about a girl named Margery Meanwell who was so poor she only owned one shoe. One day a rich friend came along and gave her a pair of shoes. She was so delighted she ran around repeating that she had two shoes. She became known to the other children as Little Goody Two-Shoes. She eventually grows up and marries a wealthy widower and becomes a wise teacher who helps others solve conflicts peacefully. This story has a similar theme to that of Cinderella where virtue is rewarded.

Chip Cookies

This is no joke!

Yes people you read that correctly. Chip not with chocolate in front of it, chip as in potato chip. Potato Chip Cookies! I've seen chocolate covered potato chips before and I've always wanted to try them. I can see the look of shock and probably disgust on my mother's face right now as she's reading this. She's not exactly into the salty/sweet kinda thing. My taste buds though have grown to love salty/sweet. Last night we even put some sea salt on the Carmel Apple Pie we picked up from a local orchard. Yes it was divine. Anyways I found this recipe for Potato Chip Cookies on someone's Pinterest board which led me to a lovely blog called The Cutting Edge of Ordinary.

I had to try this recipe for myself. I chose to make half "regular" and half with the addition of chocolate chips. I found these cookies to be a buttery delight and for once I was able to enjoy the entire batch practically by myself. I'm not so sure I should have just admitted that... My husband who I should start referring to as the Cookie Monster goes crazy for cookies. If he's around when I'm baking cookies I can plan on half the dough being gone before it even gets in the oven. This time though he liked them at first but then the smell got to him and he couldn't bare putting a cookie in his mouth that smelled so much like a potato chip. That left me to enjoy them and I did. I would love to hear if you try out this recipe and what you think of them.

Potato Chip Cookies (click here for printable recipe)

 *This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 ¼ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups coarsely crushed potato chips (I used Ruffles)


Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and then the flour, mixing until well blended. Stir in the potato chips and mix well. (If you want to try it with chocolate chips then you would stir them in at this point)

Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. (No need to grease it, but I used parchment, I always use parchment). Using a fork flatten each cookie a little (I didn't actually do this part and they turned out great). Bake 20 – 22 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.  Let stand 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

2 regular and 2 chocolate chip, I actually preferred it with the chocolate

A visit to Minnesota (Part 2)

Keltie blended in beautifully with the leaves.

This water was irresistible for the dogs since it was so warm out.

Keltie wasn't accustomed to all those leaves being in the way!

Blanca and Keltie have a love/hate kind of relationship.

After a wonderful day spent in the woods we got back on the road to see where it would take us next. Lucky for us we found a winery out in the middle of nowhere. Considering Minnesota has unique conditions for growing grapes, they aren't exactly known for wine. This place was really neat and had some interesting varieties. We got to try 16 different wines and they even gave us a cheese sampling. If you're ever in the area it would be worth a visit to Whitewater Wines.

The next random stop was in Wabasha. This little town is FULL of character. They have their own claim to fame too. This is where the films Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men were shot.

The decorations in the town were too fun! They even had a random display of pumpkin/gourd creations that were entered in a contest. I love finding little towns like this, especially when it's unexpected. 

Is this supposed to be a grumpy old man?

This was the winner for the size contest. This weighed almost 700 pounds!

Which pumpkins are your favorite? Its hard to choose but the one with the mustache and the pipe is my favorite!

Unfortunately the next day we had to head back to Nebraska. The plan was to have brunch before we headed out. We got sidetracked before brunch though because I just had to stop at the Cheese Mart. Boy am I glad I did! This place had every kind of cheese imaginable and you could sample ALL of them. They even had Bacon Smoked Cheese that was absolutely divine. The Northern Midwest has been holding out on us other folks! I grew up in Virginia and I had never heard of a cheese curd before. I think I'm discovering that cheese is the secret that keeps the people in the Northern Midwest thriving during the harsh winters. It's worth visiting the Northern Midwest just for the CHEESE!

These will make the perfect snack for the drive home!

We ate brunch at a delightful restaurant in Rochester called Pannekoeken Family Restaurant. Their specialty is the Dutch pancake called a pannekoeken. They have many different flavors both savory and sweet. When your order comes out the server is supposed to come running out chanting "pannekoeken!" They run because when the pannekoeken comes out of the oven it's so fluffy and they don't want it to deflate before it gets to you. We had a lovely table outside on the corner so our server was a little shy and brought ours out more in a trot and a whisper.

If you're ever in Rochester, MN you should try this place.

I love places with charm!

Apple

Bacon

Pumpkin.  It was so YUMMY! 

Minnesota is a great place to visit, we were sad to leave. The drive home consisted of lots of farm land. It's interesting to see these giant modern windmills pop up in the middle of all that land. I was happy we had some tasty snacks to enjoy during the drive.

I'm so hungry right now...

This might look like an ordinary muffin but it SO wasn't. It's was a moist, triple berry delight!