Devil Dog Cookies

Hubby had some family coming down to visit a bit ago. They only live a couple of hours away, but with everyone's schedule it is near impossible to find the time.

What started as a one person visit has ballooned into 15 people meeting for drink!
Can I tell you again just how excited we were?!

I love family, I am super close to mine...and I love that the girl child is getting to know the far away hubby side more and more every year.

There are cousins her age, and they are all fantastic kids! They were all raised as polite, sweet, caring human beings...and the fact that they are all cute as buttons doesn't hurt either!

Ingredients:

Cookie

½ Cup shortening

1 Cup sugar

1 Egg

½ Cup cocoa

2 Cups flour

½ Tsp baking powder

½ Tsp baking soda

½ Tsp salt

1 Tsp vanilla

1 Cup milk

Filling

½ Cup butter (softened)

1 ½ Cup confectioner’s sugar

7.5 oz jar marshmallow fluff

½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix shortening and sugar

2. Add in egg

3. Add cocoa and dry ingredients

4. Add milk and vanilla

5. Drop by tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheets

6. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes

7. Cool for 30 minutes

8. Mix all filling ingredients, using only ½ the jar of Fluff

9. Spread filling between two cookies

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Cookie Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

Come party with me HERE!

Cheese Dip

It's that crazy crazy time of the year!
No matter what you celebrate, one theme is the same....everyone thinks they have a good handle on it until crunch time, then it's panic season.

In my case, the shopping is done and wrapped.
Lists are made.
Plans completed.
Yet I am still AAAARGH on the inside.

I decided not to stress over this all this year. Left hubby and the girl child a list of everything that needs to get done between now and when everyone shows up Christmas Eve.
(hey, it's his side of the family...get to dusting!)
At least this way, when they each have a minute, there is no question as to exactly what I want done around the house.

Since I was doing the whole "leaving lists around" thing, I added my grocery list too. Everything I need for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. As they find themselves out and about, they bring me home bits and pieces. The girl ran to Target last night and came back with all the cream cheese I need (since it was on sale). Yay!


I am so looking forward to the craziness, it's just part of the whole season.
Hope everyone has some wonderful memories to make!

What do you do for the holidays?




Ingredients:

8 oz Wispread Sharp Cheddar

8 oz Cream cheese (softened)

8 oz Sour Cream

1 Tbsp White wine

½ Tsp Garlic Powder

½ Tsp Onion Powder

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients

2. Stir until smooth

Print

Come party with me HERE!

French Macaroni Salad

Are you sick of our Lennon story yet?

When we left off, Lennon had broken out of the couch cushion fort and made a bee-line for the girl child.

She and him have been inseparable ever since! He, literally, pouts when she is gone for a weekend!

Anyhoo...we were in need of a vet for Mr. Kitty Sir, and thought it would be good to keep him at the same vet that we received him from.
Oh what a great decision that was!

They L-O-V-E him there! Seriously, people come in who are not even scheduled that day in order to see him.

They all have millions of pictures of him on their phones. Yeah, I meant it when I said L-O-V-E.

He loves his fan club, and they truely love having him come in.
We are complete with him in our home, and feel that he is getting above par veterinary care.

His brother still goes to this vet, and the Doctor was like a kid at Christmas the day they got to "meet" after so long apart!

Our handsome boy all grown up!

Now, onto the salad!

Ingredients:

1 Lb macaroni

1 Green pepper (chopped fine)

1 Bermuda onion (chop fine)

1-2 Tbsp Miracle Whip

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 (8 oz) bottle French dressing

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni as directed, drain and rinse.

2. Stir in Miracle Whip

3. Add remaining ingredients, mix well

4. Chill for 30 minutes

5. Stir well before serving.

Print

I did not forget the onion....I just don't care for raw onion

This recipe was shared with:
Flour me with Love, Tumbleweed Contessa, Grace Langdon, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, April J Harris, Sew Can Do, Moms the Word, Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cornerstone Confessions, Lou Lou Girls, My Joy Filled Life, Yesterfood, Timewarp Wife, Mandy's Recipe Box, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope Studios, Kathe with an E, Hope in Every Season, Stone Gable Blog, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Milk and Cuddles, My Girlish Whims, Raising Homemakers, Buns in my Oven, A Peek Into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Crafty Allie, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Ivy and Elephants, Feeding Big, Grace and Good Eats, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner, A Delightsome Life, The Pin Junkie, The Grits Blog, Play Party Pin, Lady Behind the Curtain, Daily Dish, The New Mrs Adventures, The Better Baker, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Coffee with us 3, Simple Nature Decor Blog, Sweet Haute, Cooking with Ruthie, A Peek into my Paradise, Denise Designed

Autumn Soup

We have one of those self-serve frozen yogurt places just around the corner.
It's within walking distance, which makes you feel even less guilty.

I "liked" them on FB, which means I get weekly updates of the available flavors.

You walk in, go to the back of the store, there they have an assortment of cup sizes. Then you come into contact with about 8 different fro-yo machines. Serve yourself as much or as little as you want.
Oh-I should add, there are usually a couple of sorbet flavors as well.

Then you head over to the topping bars.
Yes, multiple.
All the typical ice cream toppings, plus tons of candies, cookies, cheesecake pieces, cookie dough
Oh my mind is spinning!
Next bar is all the fruits...mmmm
Then a little drawer set with all the crushed nuts.
Then there are sauces. Chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, peanut butter.

Its.So.Close.By,
Oh the temptation!

Good thing I just ate a bowl of this soup, or I would be heading down there now.

Ingredients:

1 LB ground beef

2 Small potato (cut to 1 inch dice)

½ Cup celery (sliced)

1 Small onion (diced)

1 Med tomato (diced)

2 Beef bouillon

1 Tsp basil

4 Cups water

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Brown meat until cooked through

2. Drain and return to pan

3. Add 2 cups water and 1 bouillon

4. Add celery, onion, and potato

5. Simmer for 15 minutes (water should be about evaporated)

6. Add 1 bouillon and 2 cups water

7. Add tomato and basil

8. Simmer another 10-15 minutes

9. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love , Pioneer Momma , Homemaking with Syle, Feeding Big, Kitchen Table Art, Mom Favorites, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , A Southern Fairytale, The Chicken Chick, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, Uncommon Designs, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, The 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Memories by the Mile, Pint Sized Baker, Cornerstone Confessions, Lou Lou Girls, The New Mrs. Adventures, Kathe with an E, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Inside Bru Crew Life, Hope in Every Season, Hot Mommas Kitchen Chaos, My Joy Filled Life, Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, The Journey Back
Wednesday: Buns in my Oven, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch, Crafty Allie
Thursday: Sweet Bella Roos, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Katherine's Corner, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: Happy and Blessed Home, The Best Blog Recipes, The Grits Blog, A Little Claireification, Marley's This and That, The Better Baker, The New Mrs. Adventures, Coffee with us 3, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life
Saturday:  What's Cooking with Ruthie ,Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Beauty Through Imperfection, Raising Memories , Diary of a Recipe Collector
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise , 3 Little Greenwoods, Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds       

Chocolate Oatmeal Nut Cookies

This is yet another recipe from that old Digital Equipment Corp cookbook. It was simply titled "Chocolate Chip Cookies".
These are not simply chocolate chip! I feel the name should be reflective of what you are actually eating...so I changed it to Chocolate Oatmeal Nut cookies.
(I used pecans, but feel free to use whatever chopped nut you favor)

This is a pretty dry dough, I was uncertain that I had followed the recipe properly, but it is what it is I guess.
Also, the top of the cookies do not get brown. I used hubby as a "checker" to see if it was actually cooked on the inside.
:::whew::: happy to say it was.

So, these cookies try to be tricky tricky and fool you...but in the end, they are yummy and worth it!

Ingredients:

1 Cup butter (softened)

1 Cup brown sugar

1 Tsp vanilla

2 ½ Cup oatmeal

1 Tsp baking powder

4 oz Hershey bar (finely grated)

1 Cup sugar

2 Eggs

2 Cups flour

½ Tsp salt

1 Tsp baking soda

12 oz chocolate chips

1 ½ Cups chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Cream butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla

3. Add flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda

4. Mix well

5. Mix in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and chopped nuts

6. Drop teaspoonfulls onto baking pan

7. Bake 6-9 minutes

Print

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, Uncommon Designs, Kitchen Table Art, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love , Jambellish, I Should be Mopping thee Floor, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick,Feeding Big, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Kathe with an E, Pint Sized Baker, The New Mrs. Adventures, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Memories by the Mile, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lou Lou Girls, Our Table for Seven, Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Milk and Cuddles, Buns in my Oven, Raising Homemakers, Recipes for our Daily Bread, White Lights on Wednesday, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Crafty Allie, A Peek into my Paradise, Ginger Snap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lady Behind the Curtain, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Sweet Haute, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner
Friday: The Grits Blog, AKA Design, Coffee with us 3, O Taste and See Blog, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft  O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Cooking with Curls
Saturday: Beauty through Inspiration, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sisters Stuff, Weary Chef
Sunday: Denise Designed , Three Mango Seeds       

Macaroni Salad

I have a soft spot for side dishes.

They complete a meal, they brighten a plate, they tantalize your taste buds.

You can serve the same side with different meals and it seems brand new.

This macaroni salad was made to go with some grilled chicken. The next day, as we were visiting friends, I brought the leftovers to have with the pizza I knew we were ordering.

Two completely different meals, yet this salad paired perfectly. Love, love, love side dishes!

Ingredients:

½ Lb elbow macaroni (cooked and drained)

⅓  Cup green pepper (chopped)

½ Cup celery (chopped)

8 oz roasted red peppers (chopped)

¼ Cup parsley (chopped)

1 Small carrot (grated)

1 Small onion (chopped)

2 Hard boiled eggs (chopped)

1 Tsp sweet relish

Dressing Mixture:

½ Pint Miracle Whip dressing

½ Tsp Gulden’s mustard

Directions:

1. Mix dressing mixture

2. Add chopped vegetables to dressing mixture

3. Gradually add cooked elbow macaroni

Print

Yeah, I didn't have a small carrot. I got to grate baby carrots. It was awesome. 

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love , Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, Kitchen Table Art  , Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Feeding Big
Tuesday: Memories by the Mile , Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons, The New Mrs Adventures, Cornerstone Confessions. Inside Bru Crew Life, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Our Table for Seven, The Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe with an E, Sweet Silly Sara, Hope Studios
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Crafty Allie, Buns in my Oven , The Newlywed Pilgrimage , Milk and Cuddles, Wine and Glue, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lady Behind the Curtain, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six
Friday: O Taste and See Blog, Play Party Pin, A Little Claireification, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, City of Creative Dreams, Hungry Harps, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Blissful and Domestic
Saturday: Coffee with us 3, What's Cooking with Ruthie, The Weary Chef, Six Sister's Stuff
Sunday: Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds