If you make one cookie this fall - it has to be these!

As soon as October rolls around on the calendar, I feel like I can officially open a can of pumpkin and make my favorite cookies in the world!  I just love pumpkin chocolate cookies, and several years ago my sis-in-law, Aimee, gave me this recipe, which I think is the absolute best!  The recipe has 2 cups of oatmeal in it, which I believe is what makes them unique and gives them that little extra "oomph".  I made these cookies for the girls' soccer games a couple of weeks ago, and they got devoured.  I also made them for a treat for the primary activity day girls & they got eaten up again.  Only one girl refused to try them and believe me, I tried to convince her of how good they were (Annilee - if you're reading this - does this sound like anyone you know?) 

Trust me, these cookies are so, so yummy!  You just have to try them  -

Oh So Yummy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 sticks butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

16 oz can pumpkin

4 cups flour

2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking power

1/2 t nutmeg

1 t salt

2 t cinnamon

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups chocolate chips

I just do the usual mix the butter & sugar & add the rest of the wet ingredients. Then mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl & add them to the wet - add the oatmeal & chocolate chips at the end. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Hope you like them!

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing for Stephanie

If you live in Utah or Vegas or frequently visit either, you probably know about Cafe Rio. They have been a phenomenon in Utah for several years now & they have finally opened a couple of restaurants in Vegas. My favorite thing to get there is the sweet pork (lately my favorite has been the pork tostada but the pork burrito, pork tacos, and pork salad are fabulous as well - just really big). I also love their cilantro ranch dressing that they serve with their salad or tostada. I have looked for copycat recipes and have actually found some that are pretty close. Stephanie asked me for the cilantro ranch recipe, & I told her I would put it on my blog because then she would have to actually visit my blog in order to get the recipe (ulterior motives, Stephanie!).

So Steph - here you go -

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Mix the following in a blender -

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 pkg ranch dressing mix
• 4 tablespoons green salsa
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• juice of one lime
• cilantro (start w/ 1/2 bunch)- you need enough to turn the dressing a pale green color
  

This dressing is excellent on a Mexican style salad of any kind. You can also dip chips & tortillas in it! I especially love to create my own version of the Cafe Rio sweet pork salad & then put the dressing on top.

I found a picture online of a Cafe Rio salad w/ a side of cilantro ranch dressing for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about.


Here's all you have to do to make the pork -

3 lb pork loin
2 cups brown sugar
1 16 oz bottle chunky salsa blended in the blender
1 can Coke

Put the pork in a crock pot & add enough water to cover half the pork. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain off the water & shred the meat. Mix the salsa, Coke & brown sugar & pour over the pork. Cook for another 3 hours on low.

Hmmmmmm - I have a pork loin in the freezer. I think I'll get it out & then go buy a can of Coke! Better yet, maybe we'll just go to Cafe Rio for dinner.

mommy-daughter fun

This past week Katie and I enjoyed a fun mommy-daughter party at our home with all the other girls in the "Faith in God - activity days" program at church (girls ages 8-11). My latest calling in our ward is working with these cute girls along with a couple of other awesome ladies. In my most humble of opinions, I will declare our party a smashing success. We had great participation, picture perfect weather for an outdoor gathering, lovely decorations, and quite tasty food. What else do you need for a smashingly successful evening?

I am so thankful to my friend Linda who told me about a memorable mother-daughter tea party they did in their ward. With one week before the party was to occur, I finally had an idea that I could use to create a hopefully lasting memory for the young girls in our ward & their moms. I was so excited as I watched moms & daughters arrive dressed in coordinating outfits (I wish I could say that I even thought of such a thing - but I didn't. It is hard for me to be hostess & participant at the same time!) One of the moms couldn't come, so she sent her oldest daughter in her place. 14-year-old big sister came with her little sister, both wearing matching dresses complimented by matching hairdos & sparkly eyeshadow. It was very sweet. I am sure that eight-year-old little girl will always remember the mother-daughter primary activity where her big sister attended as her "mom". Here is a picture of our entire group. The sweet sister duo is front and center, next to Katie and I.

We had a spread of food that, I think, appealed to both moms & daughters. PB&J sandwiches cut like flowers & "pigs in a blanket" were great kid-friendly items that were completely gone by the time the party was over. I also made the oh-so-good fruit salsa & cinnamon chips (let me just say here that if you look up the recipe - I did add blueberries & red grapes to my salsa) that we had at my mom's birthday party. I really wish I would have taken an up-close picture of it. I just love food that looks pretty and tastes good too! This recipe has become my favorite party food lately. I would recommend it for any girly get-together from bridal and baby showers to book clubs and tea parties! I definitely wouldn't call it guy food, but the girls all give it rave reviews.

Fresh flowers & cute little glass plates and tea cups are a must for a tea party, right? I borrowed the plates & cups in the picture below from my neighbor, & my mom had some similar ones that we used as well. Originally I was just going to buy clear plastic disposable plates, but these were so much better! The little girls really loved the plates. Even though it sounds trivial, I am sure that those plates could serve as a memory for at least a few of those girls for many years to come. Here's why I think that - when I was in primary, I remember attending a mother-daughter lunch at my leaders house. It was a fancy lunch and my leader made homemade pineapple upside-down cake. I had never had pineapple upside-down cake before, and I was so impressed by that cake that I remember that mother-daughter party even now, 30+ years later. I am willing to bet that at least one of the girls at the party was as impressed with the little glass plates with matching cups as I was about that pineapple upside-down cake.


We had a few activities planned for the evening to keep it interesting. I got the idea online to host a "T" party, which I decided to incorporate into my "tea" party idea. We started the evening with a "get to know you" type of game where each mommy-daughter pair had a list describing things people may have done & they needed to find people who fit that description - such as "find someone who has lived in a city, state, or country that starts with the letter T" - "find someone who has a loose "T"ooth" - "find someone who knows where to find her "T"ibia - "find someone who enjoys "T"ap dancing" - get the point? Then during dinner, each mom & daughter took turns getting their pictures taken. Now we have to decide what to do with the pictures.

Right after dinner, each mother & daughter introduced the other & shared something about the other, using the letter "T". I told everyone that Katie was a terrific tap dancer and typist (especially for one only in 4th grade) and that she didn't like my "T"acos (which I don't understand!). Katie told everyone that I was a good "T"ypist. My friend, Mary, who is another activity day leader, shared a couple of children's books about children & mothers. Keeping with the "T" theme (coincidentally), Mary read "The Most Thankful Thing", which gave us a bit of sentimental time to add to the silly times. We ended the night with a very silly & very fun relay race with dress-up clothes - moms against daughters. Here is my friend Mary, looking quite lovely, with her daughter Brinley. I am hoping she won't mind that I share this picture - since you can't see her face!

A smashing success, indeed!

Feeling productive

I know this sounds really strange, but there is something about baking, and particularly about using up flour and sugar that makes me feel like I am really accomplishing something. I love emptying my canisters as I bake, and then refilling them, then buying more flour & sugar. I love consuming ingredients for baking. I'm weird, aren't I? When I bake something (that turns out) that can be enjoyed by others, I feel productive. I feel like I am blessing others with homemade goodness & that seems to be such a rarity anymore. I love that my girls volunteer me to make brownies, cookies, or other treats for school or church because they want to make sure they get something homemade.

A couple of months ago, as I was paging through a cookbook my mom gave me for Christmas, I ran across a bread recipe that I wanted to try. I have been a long time supporter of Great Harvest Bread Company, but I really think this recipe rivals their wheat bread, & it is definitely a lot less money! I have made this recipe over & over again to eat and to give away since I've discovered it. The best thing about the recipe is that it is for your bread machine. With an investment of about 10 minutes (this includes clean up time!), I end up with a loaf of bread like the one here. So dust off those bread machines & give this recipe a try - you won't be sorry! My favorite thing to do is put the ingredients in my bread maker before I go to bed then set it so that the bread is ready at about 7:00 am. My family will eat 1/2 the warm loaf for breakfast.



bread maker wheat bread with milk & honey

• 1 1/8 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. dry milk
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 tsp yeast

Grandma Judy's Oatmeal Cake

Janae & Katie have both requested this recipe from me - probably a month ago! I am admittedly a bit slow. Sorry girls! This is one of my favorite cakes. Brad's mom got this recipe in 1962, & I asked her for it many years later. If I remember right, the first time I had this cake was when Jill's youngest son, Jeffrey, was blessed. That was almost 10 years ago! Am I right Judy & Jill? I don't remember having it before then, and this is a cake that I would remember! Don't be fooled into thinking it's "good for you" because it has "oatmeal" in it. It has lots of my favorite ingredient - butter! Thanks for your patience Katie & Janae - here's the recipe -

Grandma Judy's Oatmeal Cake

• Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over 1 cup of oatmeal & let sit for 20 minutes
• Cream together the following -
  

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 square butter
2 eggs

• add the oatmeal to the mixture
• sift and mix -
  

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

• mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture
• pour into a small oblong disposable pan (or similar size) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes
• pour frosting (see recipe below) onto warm cake
  

Frosting
melt 1 square of butter
add 1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/4 cup cream & heat together

add -
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

I dare you to eat just one piece!!