Chocolate Chunk Cookies

A few weeks ago, I made these cookies just like the recipe said, except I made my own chocolate chunks.  They were delicious!  Mine didn’t turn out near as pretty, but they were very yummy!

Stop by the Comfy Belly and check out the recipe!

*Actually to make these lower carb, you need to substitute for the honey.

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Today I’m linking to:

Southern Style Salmon Patties (low carb)

Low Carb Southern Style Salmon Patties

16 ounces pink salmon, canned

1 egg

1/3 cup onion, minced

1/2 cup Carbquik

dash each of salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning

almond flour for dredging

oil for frying

Drain salmon thoroughly.  Flake it with a fork in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients (except almond flour and oil) and mix well.  Form into patties.   Add oil to a frying pan and heat to medium-high heat.  Dredge each patty in almond four.  Place patties in pan.  Brown on each side, turning once gently. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Note:  Mom always used corn meal for dredging.

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Today I’m linking to

Vintage Themed Snowflakes and Roses Gift Tags – Free Download

I created these vintage style gift tags last year to share with my readers and thought I’d post them again this holiday season.

Download, print, and cut.  Use hole punch for the tag hole.

Attach with a pretty ribbon and it’s all ready to go!

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Check back for more free downloads and printables real soon!

Linking to:

Recipe Rerun and a Happy Friday to you!

I made this twice in the past few days and plan on making it again this weekend.

It has to be THE easiest and best cake I’ve every made! with the fewest ingredients.

I’ve discovered you can even make it in a bread pan and call it Applesauce Nut Bread!

(Click on the picture for the recipe)

Here’s something I do to make this cake extra tasty:

I always grease/butter/or spray the bottom of the cake dish or bread pan then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  I do this on top as well when I’m baking it in a bread pan and don’t plan on glazing the bread.  I suppose you could do it even if you do glaze the “bread”.  It adds a little yum-yum flavor!

Bake it.  Soon.

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Today I’m linking with

It’s finally here – Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving Ghost

The last piece of apple pie is gone;
How did it disappear?
The bowl of delicious stuffing
Has also vanished, I fear.

It happens each Thanksgiving,
When leftover goodies flee,
And each of us knows the responsible one
Couldn’t be you or me.

The only way it could happen
Is readily diagnosed;
It must be the crafty, incredibly sneaky,
Still hungry Thanksgiving ghost.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies (sugar free)

This is not the post I had in mind, but since I have wireless problems, this one will do.  I’ve been wanting to share it anyway.

One night I came home late and wanted Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.  My Aunt Mary used to make the best!  She always had the ingredients on hand.  We’d watch as she brought everything to a boil and boiled for just 1 minute and the cookie recipe worked every time.

I’ve never been able to boil for just one minute and get the cookies to harden up.

A friend shared that she uses the water test method…when the syrup becomes a “soft ball” and doesn’t fall apart when dropped into a cool cup of water, then it’s ready.  This takes anywhere from 3 – 5 minutes usually in my experience.

Using Splenda totally changes this recipe.  It’s not just the best since Splenda and chocolate are somewhat bitter with each other, but you can try changing it up and using your own sweetener blend.  They must have been pretty good, tho since my girls finished them up!

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies (using Splenda)

2 cups granulated Splenda
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk (try using Almond Milk or Coconut Milk for few carbs)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter

Combine Splenda,  cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil for around 2-4 minutes, or until syrup seems to thicken up.  (I can’t remember if I tried the “soft ball stage” test on this recipe.  I think I just cooked the mixture until it started coating the spoon.  It was right around 3-4 minutes of boiling time. )

Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter (optional), vanilla and oatmeal.  Drop by spoonful onto wax paper.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

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More great  No Bake Cookie recipes you might enjoy:

Squirrel Bakes

Southern Plate

Linda Sue’s CHOCOLATE LOW CARB NO-BAKE COOKIES

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Today I’m sharing with

My Kitchen Prayer

Bless my little kitchen Lord
And light it with Thy Love.
Help me plan and make my meals
From Thy heavenly home above.
Bless our meals with Thy Presence
And warm them with Thy grace;
Watch over me as I do my work,
Washing pots and pans and plates.
The service I am trying to do
Is make my family content,
So bless my eager efforts Lord
and make them heaven sent.

 

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Tune in tomorrow for a delicious breakfast recipe!

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Today I’m over at

Craft a Cinnamon Apple Candle

My daughter either dreamed up this idea or saw it somewhere and was determined to make it.

All the items came from the Dollar Tree except the hot glue and ribbon that I already had.

Items needed:

1 apple scented candle

1 pack of cinnamon sticks

accent ribbon

1 gift box

hot glue and hot glue gun

 

With a sharp knife, we cut the cinnamon sticks to about the same height as the candle.  Using a hot glue gun, we carefully glued the sticks around the candle, arranging them as needed.  The glue is hot, so be very careful.  Let each one cool before adding the next.

Finish the candle off by tying a pretty ribbon around the candle. Place in a gift box and present with a smile.

My daughter made this one last year for the birthday of her beloved grandfather, Papa.  Being the gracious man he was, he acted very happy to receive such a great gift.

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Today I’m late, but I’m linking to

Have a great Sunday!

In Memory of Freddie “Papa” Golden

Today would have been Papa’s 83rd birthday.  He was a man that lived up to his name…he truly was golden.  He is greatly missed.

Papa & Grandma Golden

Freddie H. Golden

11-19-27 to 5-24-10

Holiday Goodies

A crazy, hectic day at work means I get to re-post some goodies from the past.

When I think about all the great recipes and cooking I’ve done over the years that I never took pictures of…that I could blog about…I get sad.

All the years of Taste of Home and Quick Cooking subscriptions and all the recipes I made when my kiddos were young and I was a SAHM…they got me where I am today.  Needing to lose some inches!

The longs lists of goodies made for the holidays, candy trays made for my mom to share at work, loaves of bread I baked for a sick friend…great memories.

My diet has changed, out of neccessity.  Now I try to be a little smarter in my cooking and a little more choosy in my recipes.

Some of the old family favorites haven’t changed and probably never will.

Here’s some of my favorite candies and treats for the holidays…treats because that’s about the only time they get made!  :)

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

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Pineapple Cheese Ball

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Peanut Butter Balls

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Cheesy Sausage Balls

Another Brownie Recipe

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What’s your favorite can’t-live-without-holiday treat?

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Today I’m strutting my stuff over at

Wordless Wednesday

Today I’m joining link parties at

 

Felted Wool Fingerless Arm Warmers

Felted Wool Fingerless Arm Warmers,

modeled by my daughter.

I made these last year for my brother using a wool sweater I got from Goodwill.  I thought they turned out really cute and they’re really warm, too! I got so excited, I purchased several wool sweaters from the Goodwill and made several pairs of arm warmers for my daughters.

Directions: Take a sweater that is at least 85% wool and and cut off the sleeves and separate the front from the back.  Toss the pieces into the washer and wash with soap on hot cycle, and rinse on cold cycle.  They should shrink like crazy. If you want them even more dense, toss them into the dryer too. They may shrink as much as 70 percent.   (The old name for this process was “boiled wool” or “fulling.”)

When you pull the sweater from the dryer, check to see if it shrank and if you can see the texture of the knitted stitches.  If it did indeed shrink and the stitches aren’t visible, the sweater is felted and you’re ready to make the arm warmers.

Cut the sleeves to the length you want the arm warmers to be.  Pull them on your hand and mark where you want the thumb hole to be.  Remove them and carefully cut a small slot to put your thumb through.  Some hem around this hole, others do not.  I chose to.  Using embroidery floss,  I hemmed the hole with the arm warmer on and my thumb poking through.  It wasn’t perfect, but for the first time, it wasn’t bad either.

Now’s the time to add any embelishments you want to add to the arm warmers.  I chose 2 medium size black buttons since I was making these for my brother.  I think they turned out great!

Read more about felting wool and how to use felted wool for other craft projects here.

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Join the party over at

Heavenly Yeast Rolls

A few years ago, my hubby bought me a bread machine for my birthday.

I was thrilled!  There’s nothing like the smell of bread baking in the oven.  There’s a satisfaction of being able to bake your own bread.  When I bite into a warm yeast roll fresh from the oven, there’s a certain sense of accomplishment.

I went on a search for the perfect yeast roll.  This recipe was the best and easiest and with a name like Heavenly Yeast Rolls, what could be better?!

Heavenly Yeast Rolls

1 cup milk
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoon rapid rise yeast

Place the  ingredients in your bread machine in order recommended by the instruction book and use the dough cycle.

Remove the dough from the machine and knead gently on lightly floured surface.

Divide and shape into 24 – 30 smooth round balls.  Place the rolls about 3/4 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover with a cloth and allow to double in a warm place.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes.  Brush them with butter after baking to keep the tops soft.

*You can also substitute 1 cup of wheat flour for one cup of the bread flour for wheat rolls.

Optional: Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese before baking (see first picture.)

Serve with butter and jam.

More regular and low carb Bread and Roll Recipes that might interest you:

Kevin’s Low Carb Dinner Rolls

Low Carb Sandwich Rolls

Easy Dinner Rolls

Pioneer Woman’s Dinner Rolls

Linda Sue’s Dinner Rolls

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Today I’m partying over at

 

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Thankfulness

 

Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell

Thanksgiving

by Edgar Albert Guest

Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,

An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;
An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they
Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;
Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,
Buildin’ the old family circle again;
Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.
Father’s a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men. 

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.
Home from the east land an’ home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,
Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.

Give me the end of the year an’ its fun
When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.

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About the painting: Norman Rockwell’s Freedom from Want appeared on the pages of The Saturday Evening Post on March 6, 1943. This was the third installment of Rockwell’s famous Four Freedoms series. The painting was also originally reproduced on a poster promoting the sale of war bonds during World War Two. This painting is also known as Thanksgiving Dinner.  Many people consider this the definitive Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving Painting.

Information courtesy of  The Best Norman Rockwell Art dot com.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Softies

A few weeks ago, I tried baking some chocolate chip cookies.

The only problem was, I couldn’t find any sugar free chocolate chips so I made my own.  They promptly melted when I added them into my batter.  The cookies were still tasty, but not quite what I was looking for.

Upon finding some Hershey sugar free chocolate chips,  I was really excited to be able to make a “real” chocolate chip cookie, the low carb way.

I remembered my low carb biscuit recipe and decided to make this cookie basically the same way with a few tweaks.  I was very pleased with the results and will be making these again.

Mix the egg, cream, pumpkin, and vanilla.  Next add the Splenda, salt, and spices.  Mix Carbquik and  baking powder together, then combine it with the egg/pumpkin mixture.  Finally, gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by a teaspoon onto a lightly buttered baking sheet.

Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Softies

1  1/2 cups Carbquik

1 cup granulated Splenda

2/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 egg, beaten with a fork

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Pinch salt

Mix the egg, cream, pumpkin, and vanilla.  Next add the Splenda, salt, and spices.  Mix Carbquik and  baking powder together, then combine it with the egg/pumpkin mixture.  Finally, gently stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by a teaspoon onto a lightly buttered baking sheet.  I used my well-used small round pan since I was testing this recipe in my toaster oven.

Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool. Store in a covered container.  Makes 14-16 small cookies.

* These cookies have a soft cake-like texture and I thought they were great right out of the oven.  Several hours later, they were even more delicious!  The chips had hardened and the cookies had a sturdier texture.

If low carb is not for you, try adding some pumpkin and spices to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe for a tasty treat.

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Today I’m partying with these crafty people