Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Home-made Chocolate Chip Cookies!!! Yum!!! :-)

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Who doesn't love GREAT chocolate chip cookies?  Let me just say, these are some of the best I have ever made and tasted!  Sometimes nothing taste better than a warm chocolate chip cookie and a glass of cold milk.  I found this recipe in one of my FAVORITE cookbooks (from Point of Grace).  There are some great tips to making THE BEST chocolate cookie you have ever had!  AND....THEY ARE AMAZING COOKIES!!!! :-)

Here's the recipe: Just thought I would share with you...so grab some cookies and a nice glass of milk and enjoy an amazing snack! :-)

1 cup butter flavored shortening (butter flavored taste better) :-)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 T. milk
10 oz. chocolate chips

First - mix by hand, so not to get to much air into the batter, which will produce a 'cakey' texture.
  1.  Preheat over to 350.
  2.  In large bowl, cream shortening and sugars together by hand until well mixed.
  3.  Add vanilla and egg and continue mixing by hand. (less egg that a traditional recipe for a chewier        texture)
  4.  Add flour mixture, a little at a time (dough will be stiff) mix well.
  5.  Add milk, mix well.
  6.  Mix in chocolate chips.
  7.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet - 1 1/2 inches apart.
  8.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until starting to brown on top.
  9.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  (cookies will crumble if you don't let the cookies coll for a few minutes before removing them.
 10.  Remove cookies from sheet and continue cooling on wire rack.

Makes 3-4 dozen  :-)

The best cookbook I have found!
Some great and easy recipes in here! :)

ENJOY!!!

Words to ponder...

Baking with Blueberries!

So this past week we went out to a farm here in Modesto to pick our own blueberries and cherries.  We found Ott Farms -- a huge orchard full of great fresh fruit!  And, yes they are on Facebook for directions on how to get there. :-) 
But, anyway...after picking so many blueberries, I just had to try a couple of new recipes.  I found a recipe for blueberry muffins just browsing the Internet on all-recipes.com and I found a buttermilk-blueberry breakfast cake from Pinterest a while ago.  Both recipes came out amazing and are both defiantly keepers.    So I just thought I would share a little bit about these great recipes on here.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 cup fresh blueberries

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Ingredients
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

Directions

1.. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

(I didn't have a lemon this time so I left the lemon zest out and it still came out great!)

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if done. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!

You were meant for great things

Be Yourself!!!

As I was listening to one of my daily inspirational messages today, it was all about 'being yourself' and 'not comparing yourself to others.'  Here are a couple insights of ways to be yourself and who you were created to be.

1.  Find yourself and define yourself!
There's a great quote by Oscar Wilde, "Be yourself, everyone else is taken."

2.  Avoid fixating on the past and not letting yourself grow!
Don't be defined by your past errors, move forward to be someone new.

3.  STOP caring about how other people perceive you!
Some people will like you and some people won't. You have to be who you are!

4.  Be HONEST and OPEN!
Be willing to learn from your mistakes and grow from them.

5.  Relax!!!
Take a deep breath in and let it out....Don't worry about things.  Let it go! Surrender!
There's that old saying, to let go and let God!  Give your worries to God, let Him help you handle your problems and worries...trust me you'll feel so much better when you LET GO!

6.  Treat yourself as you would treat you best friend.
Would you say some of the things you say to yourself to you best friend...probably not.  So why put yourself down.  Instead build yourself up like you would build up your best friend.
I saw this saying a while ago, it says, STOP the negative thoughts...YOU are beautiful!  You were created for so much more than you ever know.  You were made for great things.

7.  Develop and Express your own individuality.
Be your own character.  Don't let other people characterize your own style.  Be different.  Be an individual. Choose your own style.  Be creative.  You are the only you!


8.  STOP comparing yourself to others!
Be your own person!  You were created unique.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

There's a quote I heard recently, "don't compare yourself to other people because God anoints us all in different ways' -- Joyce Meyer.

9.  Follow your own style.
You're special because you're unique! Be different!

AND....

10. Accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.
Because sometimes things go your way and well....sometimes they don't; because as we all may know what happens to statues when a pigeon is above them.  Yeah, you can probably use you imagination to see that one.

Someone once said that there are 2 things you should know in life...ONE being the day you were born and TWO being the day you knew WHY.
Which leads me to the story that was told about The Pencil.  

Parable Of The Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. 

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."
     "One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."
     "Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."
     "Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."
     "Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."
     "And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what   the condition, you must continue to write."
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.  Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
     One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
     Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
     Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
     Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.
     And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.
Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.