Too hot to cook--But I want cookies

Okay, I have a craving for cookies, which seems to happen too often. But I live in the HOT DESERT and its 3:00 pm. I don't want to turn on the HOT OVEN! That would just be helping the outdoor heat come inside!

Need another option.

Cookie dough! Without the eggs!

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter -- softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add and mix together:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Last addition:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap (about 15-18 inches). Put the dough on to one end of the plastic wrap, beginning about 4-5 inches from one end, and gently form a rectangle. You can make cuts so the dough will break apart or not, your choice.

Bring the long end of the plastic wrap up to cover the dough. Tuck the sides down to close and then fold them over the top. Now bring the 4-5 inch end over to completely cover the dough.

Put wrapped dough into the freezer for a while (as long as your sweet tooth will allow). After the dough has set (it will not completely freeze) open the end and break off your cookie serving.

# of serving this makes depends on the SIZE of the servings.

Mine should be about ready. Gotta go.

This is also great to add to homemade ice cream (after freezing is completed) to make your own "Cookie Dough Ice Cream".

DIY - Breakfast Cereal

Slowly but surely, I am getting my family to try things we can make instead of buy- like with the laundry soap.

Today I made breakfast cereal. Grape nuts to be exact. I made this years ago, but TK & Dear Daughter haven't tasted it. Yeah, it was a LOOOOOOOONG time ago. This is from my most treasured recipe book "Recipes for Self-Suffecient Living". Sorry, it's out of print!


Grape Nuts Cereal

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. brown sugar (depends on your sweet tooth)
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 c. milk or buttermilk
2 t. vanilla

OPTIONAL
1 t. cinnamon (I add more)

Maple flavor


Mix thoroughly and pour into a greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides). Basically any thing that is stiff, like a muffin batter, will work. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Cool completely.

At this point, this looks and smells like cake. Once the cake is cooled completely, cut it into pieces and whirl it into crumbs in the food processor. Don’t process too long because you don’t want it to get gummy.

Spread this crumbly mixture into two jelly roll pans. Bake at 300° for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the grape nuts in the pan in the oven overnight.


After the drying process.

In the bowl ready for milk.

They both tasted it and approved it. Without any sugar added to the bowl.

Let me know if you try this and what your family thinks.

Next week I plan to make the instant hot oatmeal in Maple/Brown Sugar flavor.

True Love at any age

Sometimes you see something that just makes you smile and warms your heart, no matter what kind of day you are having. This is one of those things. If I'm lucky, I'll be moving as quickly and happily as this couple.


They are in the lobby of a Mayo Clinic (which probably means that one of them is having some kind of test done). The husband will be 90 this year. They have been married for 62 years.

Make your own transfers

Many of my family & friends like to do Scrapbooking & Card-Making. So here is a new and very simple idea for you.

How to MAKE YOUR OWN TRANSFERS!

http://mollylikestodraw.blogspot.com/2009/02/packing-tape-transfer.html

Uses clear packing tape and water! So easy!

Have fun and send me your first try!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Let's start with the cost. Remember that I bought enough Soda & Borax to last for a long time. When you read the recipe you will understand. (just ignore the erasers I got on the same trip)

Powdered Laundry Detergent (Top load machine)

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients.

For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

Other recipes for detergents and things can be found at: http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html

Not all stores carry WASHING SODA (not BAKING soda). This will be located with the laundry items, probably right next to the Borax. If your regular grocery doesn't have it, then make some phone calls to find out who does have it-save yourself a headache and the gas!

Most stores will carry the Fels-Naptha soap, or something like it, also in the laundry area. Smell the bar through the paper wrapping if you want to. To me it just smells of a basic "clean". If you don't like the smell, you won't like the smell of your clothes. You can also use ZOTE SOAP instead.

This is how the finished product looks. The yellowish is the Fels-Naptha. I still have to figure out how to get it more powdery than this. As you can see there are still some small chunks of yellow.

I put a ONE TABLESPOON measure into the old butter container I used so that everyone knows how much to use. I also wrote it in marker on the top!

Remember-This was a double batch.

Grating & getting the Fels-Naptha soap into a powdered form is the only work on this. The rest is just mixing. I used my food processor-grating the bar itself & then using the blade to get it as small as possible.

You will not need FABRIC SOFTENER with this. Today I washed a fleece blanket and when it came out of the dryer there was no static. I haven't used the softener sheets for a long time just to eliminate the cost. But if you decide you want to use it anyway, there are some recipes for fabric softener on the same page (http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html).

If you do this, please share with me the results.

B2 creation for me

Since I was out of town for my birthday, my sister decided to wait and do something when I got back into town. This is what she made for me.

Bull Horns!

In order to understand why this was a good gift for me, you must know that I am a big fan of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and watch it just about every weekend it's on.

The reason that the horns are getting rather small on the ends is that I kept forgeting to take pictures of this. Today when I looked at them, I realized it's now or never! Sorry B2.

A Family Portrait

We finally got everyone together after almost 6 years. I should have let the new mother hold the baby, but I didn't even think about it, I was just happy.

I love them all with everything in me.

Another T-ball game- Different Grandson

This is my mean look!

This is my cute look!


Ready to KILL the ball.

I'll get it, no matter where it is!

Spectators

My birthday

Happy birthday to ME (insert song here)

The party.
The party again.

Let's talk.

Yes, I love them!

Margaret Wertheim speaks

I love to listen to Margaret Wertheim. She is interesting and makes things simple to understand. I have heard her speak 3 times now and I still enjoy it.

Here is a short speach she gave at TED. This is interesting because it helps to explain the HYPERBOLIC CROCHET CORAL REEF and the mathematicls behind it.

This is just over 16 minutes long. Let me know what you think about it.

Pictures

The Human Rubberband!

Tons of fun & laughs.

Grandpa tried to help son coach grandson.

How do you catch a ball in T-ball?
DOGPILE ON THE BALL!!!

Gotta ge the hat right. You can't see it here, but he has the scratch down, too!

Waiting to bat.

Just pictures

Grandma helps with computer games.

Handsome guys.
If you look closely, you can see the last of the ice cream cone.

He wouldn't let me throw away the Coke boxes!

Grandpa and 2 boys.

Baby Beauty

Is this flower too small for my head?

We arrived.

I am in Utah right now to help my daughter(in-law) with my newest little grandson, M. He is the calmest little one I can remember. Seldom cries. We have to work to get him to open his eyes.

We have found that he is much more alert and awake when his brothers are asleep. He seems to enjoy the quiet times.

He was a little jaundiced, but has improved since we have been here.

I will post pictures when I find the right cable. I brought it, just can't find it right now.