‘Project 365’ Articles at Sweetnicks, Page 3

Straight from the Cookie Jar: Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

January 18, 2010 · Narrative

Our supply of Extra-Special Chocolate Chip Cookies was quickly dwindling, and when Nick left for the weekend, I promised him I would refill the cookie jar. As you no doubt could tell from yesterday’s pictures, I came through. Donna from Tasty Treasures mentioned that these Oatmeal Toffee Cookies are a favorite of her husband’s, and I can certainly see why.

Thin and crispy, studded with bits of toffee and oats, this is a nice, easy recipe to have in your rotation. But let me warn you, it makes a ton. The recipe said four dozen, and I stopped counting at six dozen. I filled up the cookie jar on the counter, and the rest got divided up amongst the office, a platter I made for a Cookie of the Month prize I donated to Nick’s school, and a few neighbors. Always happy to share a little sugar with friends.

Project 365
January 18, 2010, Photo #18

When Nick came home yesterday and saw this can sitting on the counter, he was thrilled. “Oh you bought it? Thank you!” This is a habit he gets from his dad, who got it from his dad. They love the dregs of the sweetened condensed milk once I’m done using it for a recipe. Apparently Nick’s grandfather used to eat the whole can, forget about the dregs. Nick thought he was having that kind of luck too, and was more than a little disappointed when I said he could only have what was left when the can was empty. I mean, the kid is skinny, but c’,mon……

Weekend Photos in Review

January 17, 2010 · Narrative, Project 365

Friday evening started out like this:

The weekend had a lot of this:

Saturday had a lot of this:

and this:

which led to this:

and this:

and this. My back will never be the same. Don’t let anybody ever tell you that painting a ceiling is easy.

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Recipe: Broccoli Pie

January 14, 2010 · Narrative

I keep promising to give a friend this recipe. After the third request, I figure I’d better get on it, and since I hadn’t yet written about it here, I might as well kill two birds with one stone. It’s definitely a keeper, after all, and I’d hate for you to miss out on it. We all can use more of these types of recipes in our regular rotation.

A few weeks before Christmas, my friend and her family came over for dinner. Since it was so close to the holidays, I wanted to keep the meal low-key and stress-free, so we could have more time to talk and catch up. I made the Cook All Night Beef Brisket, turning it into BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwiches, and made this Broccoli Pie as a side item/vegetable. I knew she liked quiche, so she was the perfect guinea pig for a new recipe.

Just like the brisket, this recipe could not be simpler. Mix a few things together, pour it into a pastry shell, bake and eat. My kind of recipe. I’ve actually made it twice since then, and since it’s such a forgiving recipe, it’s perfect to use as a basic starting point, mixing and matching cheeses and vegetables that might be more suited to your own tastes. The first time I made it, it was the side dish to dinner. The next time, thin slices became the appetizer. And the last time, it served as lunch for a week. However you serve this one, I’m fairly certain you’ll keep coming back for more.

Project 365
January 14, 2010, Photo #14

Even though I spent the time cutting all the chicken off the bone for her, do you think she eats that chicken off the plate? Nope, just grabbed the bone and started digging in.

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Trading Places a la Freaky Friday

January 12, 2010 · Narrative

Sunday night, when it was approaching bedtime, Nick had a brainstorm. “Let’s switch places! I’ll be the Mom and you can be me.”

“Nick, you won’t last a day,” I said, looking up as I was getting Madeline ready for bed.

“I can do it a whole week. Can we do it? Can we?” he asked, getting more and more enchanted with the idea by the minute.

“Sure, no problem. You can finish what I need to do here. I just got your sister ready, but we need to change her sheets and the changing table cover tonight. Here’s the stuff. Have fun!” I left him alone and headed to my room to put a few things away.

I heard some struggling going on, and he came to find me a few minutes later. “Can you help me?” he asked.

I laughed. “Ahhh, it’s not so easy, is it?”

“I just can’t figure out how the sheet goes on the mattress.”

I helped him with it and away he went. Until five minutes later when he couldn’t figure out how to put the new cover on the changing table pad. I helped him with that, and then reminded him that she needed to get to bed, but needed to brush her teeth. No big deal, she’s a big fan of that.

He helped her wash up, read her a few stories, and tried to escape her room. She was having none of that. “Mom! Help, she won’t let me leave!”

“You’re fine. You’re the Mom!”

Thirty minutes later, he comes out and tells me that it’s hard being a Mom. You don’t say?!

I told him to wait until tomorrow (Monday morning), when he had to get himself ready for school, as well as her, pack his snacks, let the dog out, eat breakfast and do it all without being late for carpool. Insert one big fat eye roll here. The rest of the night, he delighted in turning off my light, telling me to go to bed, telling me to turn off my TV. Apparently I am quite bossy as the Mom.

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Straight from the Cookie Jar: Extra-Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 11, 2010 · Narrative

It seems like the quest to find the elusive “perfect” Chocolate Chip cookie is much like my ongoing quest to find the best macaroni and cheese. So many recipes, so little time. Since I don’t have a terrible sweet tooth, I don’t try a million chocolate chip cookies to find “the” one, but every now and then one intrigues me enough to hit our oven. Such is the case with these Extra-Special Chocolate Chip Cookies. What’s so special about them? The potato chips.

The recipe comes from Woman’s World magazine, and I promise you won’t readily pick out the fact that there are potato chips in the cookies. You do notice a slight crunch here and there, and the tiniest taste of salt, but just enough to force your hand back in the cookie jar again and again. Trust me. And hey, it’s the perfect way to finish up some dregs of potato chips that are lurking in the pantry.

I noticed this recipe made larger sized cookies, a little too big for the kids to grab for a snack, so when I was making the recipe, I made some larger and some smaller, perfect for little hands. Don’t do that. When the cookies were cooled, I tried one of the small ones and was very “eh” about it. Then I went back later and had a larger one. Nothing “eh” about it. So good, and soft, and crispy, and, well, extra-special, just like the recipe says. Even better when warm from the oven. I get roughly 16 cookies when I make this recipe, and we made it twice last week. I’d say it’s a keeper. No doubt.

When it came to last week’s menu plan, I was pretty proud of myself. I only missed one recipe, the omelet. I did need to rearrange the days a bit because things came up, but since I shopped on the weekend for the groceries, it was easy to be flexible since I had everything on hand already. I did have to nix the meal for Saturday since we ended up having company over (a friend I haven’t seen in 23 years – how cool is that?!), but that’s still like an 80% success rate, so I’m pretty happy with that.

This week’s a little screwy with Madeline being sick and us being housebound. I made a plan over the weekend, but haven’t made it to the grocery store yet. Hopefully I can go tomorrow and stick with the plan. If not, then I plan to work on the freezer and make a dent in it. I don’t know how it gets so full so fast!

Monday: Dinner out

Tuesday: Raid the Fridge and Pomegranate Martinis (new WW recipe)

Wednesday: Company over: Artichoke Bread (new TOH recipe), Roasted Cauliflower (new WW recipe), Meatloaf (new Martha recipe), Toffee Topped Fudge Brownie Tarts (new Ultimate Cookies recipe)

Thursday: Lunch – Mushroom and Swiss Panini (new WW recipe), Cranberry Shortbread Bars (new TOH recipe), Raid the Fridge for Dinner

Friday: Marilyn’s Mac and Cheese (new Country Living recipe), Sherry Bleu Cheese Spread (new GH recipe)

And lastly, today’s daily photo.

Project 365
January 11, 2010, Photo #11

One would think I have OCD or a little too much free time on my hands. It could be both. Some days neither. Free time? Seriously? This is what happens when HP keeps you on the phone for a ridiculous amount of time but is still unable to fix your printer. Moreover, they make it worse. Hey, at least the pens in the pen cup, one of four on my desk, are now color-coordinated. I love this pen cup. I originally used them as “goody bags” for Madeline’s first birthday last year, a find for $1 at Wal-Mart. Good recycling, I’d say. …

Recipe: Gorgonzola Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

January 7, 2010 · Narrative

Don’t you just want a big bite of that? On a week that started with Booze Battered Shrimp and continued on with Herbed Pull-Apart Rolls, I feel good that we can end the week with these … Gorgonzola Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce. While they may look like you should head to the nearest treadmill after eating them, I assure you, looks are deceiving. These come from a special issue of Shape magazine, 21 Days to Your Best Body, and will supply you with a third of your daily protein requirement. Each burger, complete with a quarter-cup of cucumber yogurt sauce, is only 292 calories and boasts 26 grams of protein.

They look divine.

And they taste even better.

Now, for me, it was the gorgonzola that put these babies on our menu plan for the week. I am a sucker for a sharp, deep, rich cheese from the bleu family, and these do not disappoint. Top it with a sauce, and I’m in heaven. The cucumber yogurt sauce is nearly identical to the traditional Tzatiki sauce, one of my favorite condiments, particularly mixed with a little ketchup.

The burgers are quick to make. Divinely delicious. And a bite that won’t leave you feel guilty. Gorgonzola not your thing? Although it might change the nutritional stats, substitute it with your favorite cheese. Go Greek all the way and use feta instead. Or stick closer to home and use a nice sharp Cheddar. Whichever way you go, you’ll be lovin’ this one. I can almost certainly guarantee it.

Project 365
January 7, 2010, Photo #7

Funny Boy

During the day, my camera is often hanging out in the living room or the kitchen, just in case there’s a photo moment that Nick or the babysitter can’t resist, so sometimes when I download my pictures at night, there’s a surprise or two waiting for me. Such was the case tonight. Apparently when I was making dinner, Nick took the opportunity to take a few self-portraits.

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Wordless Wednesday

January 6, 2010 · Wordless Wednesday