chocolate chip cookies, a classic but a goodie

 I promised awhile ago that I would share my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, so here it is! Keep in mind that I like my cookies soft, kinda chewy, not a lot of chips and not too sweet. So if you like that too then you will love these! Also, I am kinda ashamed to share this because it has shortening in it and processed sugar. Two things I try not to eat, but these are my weakness.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. Shortening

1/2 c. Butter at room temperature

3/4 c. Sugar

3/4 c. Brown Sugar

Cream those together, but don't over blend

2 Eggs

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

Add those ingredients and stir til incorporated

2 1/2 -3 c. Flour 

Add 1/2 c. at time. Dough should be sticky but not so sticky that it sticks to your fingers a lot. 

Real clear I know.

Add as many milk chocolate chips as you would like. I usually do about 3 handfuls. 

I use a mini ice cream scoop to make the dough balls. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 mins. 

And like my Dad always says "If they look done, they are burned". So don't leave them in too long. 

Hope you all enjoy them as much as David and I do!

Grilled Veggie Salad

This is one of mine and David's favorite salad. I made it up one day and now it has stuck.

Grilled Veggie Salad with Chicken
(you can of course do this with out chicken, and it is still really good)

• a mix of spinach, romaine and iceberg lettuce
• red onion
• pepper (color of your choice, I like red or green)
• zucchini (not pictured)
  
• asparagus (not pictured)
• feta or blue cheese crumbles
  
• craisins
• tomatoes
• chicken (optional)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut veggies to desired size. Toss them all in olive oil and salt and pepper. Place the pepper and onion on cookie sheet and the asparagus and zucchini on another. They cook at different rates, don't cook them all together or the zucchini will be mush.
Pepper + onion = about 20 mins
asparagus + zucchini = about 8 mins.

Cook the chicken any desired way you like it. I marinated mine in a garlic, lemon herb dressing and then just grilled it and then cut up into pieces.

Layer all the goodness together and enjoy. We used just olive oil and vinegar dressing or a raspberry vinaigrette.

oh so good.

squeaky doors and sweet goodness.

This is the first post of my new and uplifting blog! Now, this doesn't mean that everything I post is going to be religious or spiritual, although spiritual sundays will be full of it. All of my posts however will improve, or uplift your life (I hope). There are too many blogs out there that have just become bragging grounds, and one-up competitions, just to show how good they have it. I decided I do not want to get sucked into any further. So here it is, the first post, starting with simply saturday.

Squeaky Doors.
We all suffer from it. Well at least I think a lot of people do. Mine were driving me bonkers. Every time we opened any one of our three doors in our house they would creak, squeak and eerk. It would inevitably wake up someone trying to slumber or distract Lucy from playing quietly with her toys (and heaven forbid that be disturbed, right?).

Anyway, I found a solution. It involves some cooking spray and a washcloth. Now I am sure that there is a special oil or something that would fix this, but I already have cooking spray so this is better.

1. Simply spray the cooking spray on the hinges of the squeaking door, catching the drips with the washcloth.

2. Dab hinges to pick up excess spray.
3. repeat if necessary, until the creaking and squeaking cease.
4. rejoice in the silence.

sweet goodness
a.k.a. Baked Raspberry Custard

This is one of mine and David's favorites. Plus it is easy as pie. Not literally, cause pie is way hard and this is way easy.

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups raspberries (or blueberries or both)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the oven melt butter in a 9 inch pie plate, about 6 minutes
2. In a blender, combine milk, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt and vanilla. Add melted butter slowly while blending. Blend 30 seconds.
3. Distribute berries evenly in pie plate and pour batter over top. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and bake until slightly puffed and just set in the middle, 20-25 minutes. Heat broiler and broil until top is deep golden brown, 2 minutes. (watch it)
   
4. Serve warm with ice cream.
   
5. scream with delight.
   

Make this with your Sunday dinner and it will sure to be a crowd pleaser!
*recipe from Every Day Foods