Alphabet Soup

Planning   Yes, it's been a while.  I'm not going to apologize or give excuses.  I've just been dealing with a lot lately, and as usual when that happens the blog takes a hit.  That's just...me!  :) Earlier this month I cleaned out my pantry, which wound up being more of an undertaking than I had planned, but it definitely needed to be tackled.  I couldn't believe how chaotic the pantry had gotten!  This weekend, I decided to tackle the freezer, and restock it as well.  I know I am lucky to have a stand alone freezer.  I've had it for years and it is such a wonderful asset!  Like the pantry, sometimes it gets disorganized and I have no clue what's even in there!  I try to do a deep clean (I also have to defrost it...unfortunately it's not self-defrosting, lol) at least twice a year, and take an inventory, which I then print out and stick on the front of the freezer.  I don't always keep the inventory updated as I ...

So, you may remember me mentioning that I don't tend to do a very good job of meal planning.  That's still true, but I have been doing better.  I made a plan for last week and stuck to it completely!  I've got a plan in place for this next week as well, and have my fingers crossed.  I thought I'd share what we had last week and what I'm planning on for next week.  You know, just in case you were curious.  It's nothing fancy, trust me.  One thing that I'm trying to do more of is sit down with the weekly grocery ads, see what is on sale for a great price for the week, and use that to jump start my meal planning.  I also went through and took an inventory of what is in my freezer (I do that periodically and usually do a fairly good job of keeping it updated as I add/use items).  However, I still need to clean out my pantry....it's a mess! Mostly I'm just listing main dishes.  Sides vary depending on what I have and what sounds good, lol....

Last year, Christi and I hosted a cookie exchange.  It was fun, and one of these days I think it would be a great idea to do it on an annual basis...just not this year!  Anyway, she made the sugar cookie recipe from Brown Eyed Baker .  When I had to send cookies to the Thanksgiving celebration at the Munchkin's "Tuesday school" I knew that these would be the perfect thing to send.  I was right -- the kids loved them. This really is a great recipe.  Simple, easy, and delicious.  What more can you want?  And I didn't change a thing, so visit Michelle's website for the recipe .  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week and can you believe it's December???  Enjoy!  :) I'm linked up to the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies & Sweets -- check out what the others have made!

I admit, I love snickerdoodles.   Cinnamon and vanilla?   Yes, please.   What’s funny is that I never really had them much as a kid, just occasionally in the school cafeteria.   I know, ew. Anyway, snickerdoodles were one of the first cookies that the Munchkin helped make when he was little.   He could help dump everything in the mixer (or “loud noise” as he would call it!) and then it was fun for him to roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar before putting them on the baking sheet. Even since then, my go-to recipe for snickerdoodles has been this one by Emeril.   It’s a great recipe, baking up a thin, crispy cookie (at least when I make them!).   However, I was looking for something different this time, something thicker and chewier.   I found this recipe from the blog How Sweet it Is .   I decided to try it, and while I did keep the ingredient list the same I changed up the method a bit to suit me better.  ...

I don't know about you, but when I search for new recipes to try, I also like to read reviews from other people that have actually tried them. I think that's why websites such as food.com and allrecipes are popular -- you post a recipe, others try it and leave reviews.  That's essentially what food blogging is all about -- sharing experiences with food.  But, I think a lot of us (myself included, if you include me as a food blogger, lol) tend to only want to post our own recipes, or our own take on the recipes of others.  My husband claims that I can't follow a recipe to save my life.  That's not entirely true.  I do occasionally follow a recipe as written...sometimes...maybe.  :)  A lot of times I do feel like I change the recipe enough to call it "adapted" or "inspired by".  Sometimes though?  Yeah, changing one ingredient isn't really enough to make it my own.  Those are the recipes I'm going to be talking about today.  On...

On Tuesday I had lunch with some former co-workers.  We went to this little cafe, and I enjoyed warm food and conversation with wonderful company - two great people that I haven't seen nearly enough of in the last few years.  I was also reminded that I am Katy.  Meaning, I am more than "just a mom".  My children each carry a piece of my soul around with them.  That will never change.  But there is more to me than "mom."  However, being a mom and now a homeschooling mom has consumed so much of my energy, that I've had a tendency to forget about Katy, about my dreams and desires.  So, when I decided to make the time to get some cookies created and post about them today, it felt that much better to slip on my purple apron, turn on some music, and dance around the kitchen while baking up these treats.  I'm a sap, I know, I hear it from my husband all the time! While we were at the cafe on Tuesday, we tried several differ...

Starting back in the 60's (not that I was around then) the home economics department of a local electric company would put on cooking demonstrations near Christmas, and would hand out booklets with the recipes.  I can remember attending many of these with my mom and grandmother when I was in junior high and high school.  In 1993, they published a 30th anniversary cookbook with all the recipes from the past demonstrations.  It was a go-to cookbook of mine for many years, and I still use some of the recipes.  One of those is the recipe for Peanut Butter Crunch that I am sharing today.  I have actually adapted it over the years, so I'm writing out my adaptation for you.  Unfortunately, that electric company was bought out by another and they don't do the demonstrations any more.  I always thought they were fun! I know that intro was kind of boring, but I wanted to give you the history on this recipe!  I make it almost every year to hand out...