The ONLY Snickerdoodle you'll EVER MAKE!!!

OMG...OK...hold on...let me get this 3rd last snickerdoodle down...

ok 1st...I LOVE MARTHA STEWART!!!!

ok 2nd...Her cookie book is amazical...I don't actually own it...yet (hey, Mother's Day is around the corner!!!)...but...i've borrowed it and copied pages and holy toledo...I just made these snickerdoodles tonight and I could sit here with my coffee (I know...i know...it's saturday night and i'm TOTALLY going wild with my cookies and coffee hahaha)...and eat them ALLLLLLL!!!!

I mean look at these...

I may have eaten 6 of them...or not...hahaha

ok so the recipe...first things first...TAKE OUT 1 CUP OF BUTTER!!! THAT'S 2 STICKS...they need to be soft/room temp...i always forget and always wish people would put that at the top haha...yes before pre-heating the oven hahaha

Martha Stewart’s Snickerdoodles

makes about 1 1/2 dozen

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp coarse salt1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature1 1/2 cups sugar2 large eggs- – -2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Stir together cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 20 (1 3/4-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days (If they don't get eaten up right away!!! heehee).

***Here are my notes...I do not measure my cookie balls (hahaha <---me being a child laughing at the adolescent use of "balls" hahaha)...also, I do not have a sifter SO i put everything that needs to be sifted into a bowl and take a spoon and "sift" aka make cloud like because I swear the secret to nice fluffy, airy cookies/pastries, is the sifting...and for these cookies...i'm pretty sure it's the sifting and rotating in the oven..

These cookies are TO DIE FOR!!! I specifically was looking for a recipe with NO CREAM OF TARTAR...i don't have it and i didn't want to go to the store because this was a spur of the moment decision to make cookies haha...oh man they are so goooooood and every time I would open the oven to rotate or take them out of the oven, i got a whiff of christmas yumminess haha

Alright...enjoy!!! Again...the recipe is straight from good ol' Martha Stewart and her amazing Cookie Book!!!

-- LISA!!!!

Easiest Snack EVER

Grabanzo beans...aka chickpeas...aka what is a super power ingredient to hummus...aka YUMMMMMM and soooo good for you!!!

ok so you can get these suckers like this for $1 i think (i think that's what we got them for at Albertson's...).  Obviously if you get them in a can you can most likely skip the "cleaning" process...

so throw the whole bag in 2 cups of boiling water and then bring it to a simmer for about 45 min to an hour.

Take them off the heat but LEAVE THEM IN THE POT FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES AND THEN DRAIN THEM

OK...so now put them back into a bigger pot with 5 cups of water and bring to a simmer for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until they reach the tenderness you want (i had them in the pot for 2 hours)

Drain and season with whatever you want really!

i put some kosher salt on there (kind of like edamame but you just eat the whole bean :-) )

The kids LOVE THEM...I let about a cup of them boil for another hour so Miss Taitum could mush on them a little easier :->...These babies are great antioxidants, they are huge in helping reducing your risk of heart disease and it's a great source of protein...um hello it's a bean ;-)

Next up...roasting them!! not for taitum obviously yet haha OOOO and maybe put them in a little trail mixture...hmmmm the ideas!!!

EAT UP!! AND ENJOY!!!

LISA

DIY LAUNDRY SOAP!!

O...M...G

I have been wanting to try this since last year but have just never gotten around to it until yesterday...I finally went to Wal-Mart yesterday and bought my 2 gallon glass jar (in the kitchen dept) FOR $10!!

I found this awesome recipe via Pinterest pre-deactivation and re-activation haha (they changed their terms so it's back ON!!!).

So here is what I used:

(I found all of this at the commissary so I'm thinking it should all be at your local grocery store)

Instead of pouring it all into a 5 gallon bucket I just poured it all into my 2 gallon jar...here is my side note IF you choose to not pour everything in a bigger bucket :-) :

DO IT IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA OR OUTSIDE...or wear a mouth mask haha...again...i do things the easier hard way ;-)

ok so once I got this all mixed together, I realized I forgot the soap haha so off to the store to get some IVORY soap (since the store did not have Zote per the instructions but IVORY works just as well!!). They came in a pack of 4 and I demolished shredded them up in my food processor:

(yes that is a piece of cardboard...I know you're all jealous of my MacGyver-ness...somewhere in our moves we lost pieces to my awesome christmas gift from my super awesome MIL...cardboard works just fine :-))

ALRIGHT...I mixed allllllll of this together with my wooden spoon...

(like you needed a visual hahaha)

OK...THE FUN PART!!!

I BUSTED OUT MY CAMEO AND MADE STICKERS!!!!

I used pink vinyl and black vinyl and purchased a bubble image from the online Silhouette Store (which is AWESOME since it's attached to your software and downloads right away to your Image Library!!!) and I made this!:

Note to self for next time...Use thicker/bolder outline when using curly-q type fonts haha...was quite the adventure when applying this to my transfer tape Glad Press'n'Seal...

This stuff works just as well as transfer tape..i think anyway..and it's cheaper and you can buy it in bulk without stabbing yourself in the gut hahaha plus it's a double duty product that you probably already have in your house... wooo!

OK...so as my Silhouette Cameo was at work...I grabbed a snack...I won't lie...and yes it is the candy you see in the background of my awesome stirring picture above haha...HERE IT IS!!!

can't see it?...how about here :-)

and here it is with the black part in the laundry room!! I put a "tablespoon" measuring spoon in there and made sure the "ONLY" was visible haha so the hubs at least puts more than 1 scoop for his stinky work clothes hahaha...funny huh? I had you all going thinking he did his own laundry HAHAHA :-)...only when I am not home for longer than a couple days...

YUP...that's an Instagram photo (@momdad2girls_brutus)!!! I did a load last night and it works awesome!!! And only using 2 tablespoons per load...this will last FOREVER!!!! I am sooooooo excited!!!!!! Here is the link to the awesome blog that featured this recipe I found through Pinterest!!!!

PER Being creative to keep my sanity (where I found this awesomeness), this IS HE washer SAFE!!! It is not super sudsy but you need to put it into the barrel versus the dispenser...I do not have one of these HE Washers so I can't say first hand...

I hope you all enjoyed this!!!

Good Luck...use at your own risk...but it worked fine for me :-)

HAVE FUN!!!

LISA

Asparagus Bacon Quiche..aka YUMMINESS!! AND for Lindsey :)

OK...I SUCK...I KNOW...anyways now that we've established that hahaha

since coming home from the amazing adventure, we've battled the jet lag and we all got sick and then adjusted to reality...aka i finally got everything unpacked...ok not everything...there are still 2 HUGE boxes in the garage hahahahaha

ok so...dinner :-)

a while ago I got a Groupon for The Fresh 20 and I signed up for the Gluten Free menu...LOVE THEM!!!! You can find the site here!

One of the recipes last week was an Asparagus Bacon Quiche...OMG!!! This site gives you a shopping list for everything you need and also give you a list of what should be in your pantry and alternatives...i mean it's perfect stupid proof for me hahaha

Here is how mine turned out...i took a bite out of the center and then the girls and I ate about half of it haha (dad wasn't home so that's the main reason i made it...he's not a fan of quiche..sad for him)

I baked mine in an actual baking dish, not exactly a quiche dish but I figure it all gets consumed the same way so...who cares haha

Here's what you'll need:

For crust:

1 3⁄4 cups gluten free all purpose flour 

1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 cup ice cold water

1⁄2 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon organic milk 

**NOTE: I did not use the honey because of Taitum and I used Lactaid 1% milk because of my lactose intolerant-ness...came out just fine haha

For filling:

6 eggs

1⁄2 cup organic milk

1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano

1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

4 ounces raw milk cheddar cheese, shredded (low fat)

8 ounces Canadian bacon chopped 

10 asparagus spears, cleaned and chopped into 1⁄2‐inch pieces 

**NOTE: again...i used Lactaid for the milk and shredded some sharp cheddar I had on hand

ALSO (per the site)...You can totally substitute broccoli for the asparagus and any firm, shredded cheese will work.

OK...PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 425 DEGREES F

For crust:

In a 5‐qt bowl, combine flour and salt

Mix in ice cold water, olive oil, honey, and milk to form dough.

Press dough into a 9x13” baking dish, forming a 1⁄2‐inch crust on bottom of dish.

Bake for 5 minutes. 

***NOTE: Below you will see that they want you turn the oven DOWN to 350...do that when you take out the crust so you have time for it to cool down...

For filling:

Whip eggs and milk together. 

Add oregano and black pepper.

Gently stir in cheese, bacon and asparagus.

Remove shell from oven. Use a tablespoon to lightly press

down any puffs. 

Lower heat to 350 F.

Pour filling into the shell and return the tart to the oven. 

Bake for 20‐25 minutes, or until the filling is firm.

LEGAL STUFF SINCE THIS RECIPE IS NOT MINE...I RECEIVED THE RECIPE FROM THE FRESH 20 SUBSCRIPTION I PURCHASED THROUGH GROUPON...IT IS THEIR RECIPE...

It is amazing...i loved it...Taitum ate about an entire corner haha and Emma ate and ran and ate and ran and ate and ran...you know, like a 3 year old haha

I swear I am getting my time management under control HA! and am getting back into keeping up with the blog...I have  A TON of projects in the works!!! It's getting warmer so we are building a patio table, and I am making my "coffee bar" thanks to Miss Ana White!!! I LOVE HER AND HER PLANS!!! And then as soon as I get a piece of tempered glass for my kitchen table...the kitchen should be pretty much finished :-)

I have also broken in my Cameo and made these...

MORE COMING!!! I SWEAR I'LL STAY ON TOP OF MY POSTS!!!

PEACE, LOVE AND CHICKEN GREASE!!

LISA