carnival cookies...anyone???

Once in awhile I like to try to bake "good for you treats" - ex. chick pea brownies - and generally I am the one who eats them...just me.  I bought a new cookbook called Super Natural Every Day - and I love it!   I made these yummy treats today.  They are really good!  On the way home from picking up Sophie, I told her about them.

Me:  Sophie I made these cookies today called Carnival Cookies and they are so good!  They have everything you eat at a carnival in them:  peanuts, popcorn and chocolate.

Sophie:  And cotton candy?

Me:  No, but they are awesome!

Sophie:  I'll be the judge of that.

Sophie:  How about I just eat the leftover popcorn?

At least I thought they were good!  And now I will proceed to eat the whole batch.

Carnival Cookies from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Oven 350 - line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix in bowl - 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 cup barely warmed coconut oil.
In another bowl - 1 1/2 cups oats, 1/2 cup almond meal, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt
Add dry to wet and fold in 2/3 cup shelled whole peanuts, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups popped corn.
Firmly shape heaping tablespoon sized dough into balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake 14 to 17 minutes.

They are yummy...if you like that sort of guilt-free dessert thing!

Matt's classroom gift exchange

Matt makes me laugh. He thought this was the most awesome gift. For his classroom gift exchange, he was supposed to make a wish list of items that could total $10.00. This was an optional activity. He said he wrote down root beer, game stop bucks and nacho flavored Lays. He opened this bag and his friend said, "My mom just went out and bought $15.00 worth of Doritos." Matt got a kick out of the gift and can't wait to re-gift one bag to Steve (he LOVES these and we don't get'em often). Matt said it was the best class gift exchange gift he has ever got. On the drive home he listed all the class gifts he got in the past. He said, "An opened package of Skittles gum, a stuffed reindeer laced with snot (he found a booger on it), and a Dum Dum. If anyone gets a hankerin' for Doritos, you know where we live.

sophie's counsel for the day

On the way home from swim team, I got this information and counsel:

"When baby sea turtles are born, the water looks like a light to them and if you leave your lights on all the city lights will distract them and then they will go to the lights and they will die."
"So turn off our lights tonight mom."

Sophie's Self Reflection

Today, after school, as the kids were doing their homework, Sophie ended up getting teased "for fun" by her big brother and big sis. She was taking it well and when it ended, she looked at me and said, "Those guys are dudes. Dudes make fun of people and are not smart. I am smart and nice. I am a nerd."

Then she asked me if I was a nerd. "Yes" I replied. Better a nerd than a dude.

Sophie's Thoughts and Cookies

I have to start with a "motivational quote" from Sophie. At their school, they have an art contest each year. The kids can submit poetry, photos, stories, hand drawn pictures, etc. interpreting a different theme every year. This year's theme is "WOW!" So I asked Sophie if she'd like to participate. She was not sure, but she was willing to discuss some ideas with me. I asked her if she could think of anything that would make her say, 'Wow!' when she saw it. She thought for a moment and replied, "If our van was clean."

Anyways, my sister called me yesterday asking for a Molasses Cookie recipe. I gave her my most favorite one. She ended up making a different recipe she found on Recipezaar.com and said that they were delicious. (I ended up making my own recipe because...well, why not). She thought hers would be better, so we are doing another taste test! Here is my recipe:

Molasses Cookies

14 tablespoons butter
2 cups sugar, divided
1/3 cup molasses
2 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ tsp. Ground ginger
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¾ tsp. Baking soda
¼ tsp. Salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Oven 350
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. In a medium –size saucepan, melt the melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the sugar along with the molasses. Cool for 15 minutes, or until tepid.
Meanwhile, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Beat the egg into the butter mixture in the saucepan, then gradually add the flour mixture and stir until well combined (the dough will be soft).
Pour the remaining sugar into a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar. Place the balls on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies have flattened. Makes about 5 dozen.

Next week, I'll make her recipe (which I'm still waiting for her to e-mail to me.)

The Molasses Cookie Taste Test has begun!

Alex's quote of the day...

"Mom, don't you hate it when your eyeballs feel like they have a heartbeat?"

Sophie's Thoughts and Yummy Cake

The other day, Sophie's room needed an overhaul. I told her to go clean her room repeatedly over the course of an hour. She did everything but do the job I asked her to do. Finally, I did the official countdown to "big trouble" and gave her 5 seconds to get going. She got the message and ran into her room. Not a minute later she came over to where I was working in the kitchen and just stood there. I asked her what in the world she was doing and why wasn't she cleaning her room??? She just looked at me and matter-of-factly said, "I'm on my break."

Also, I tried a new recipe. You can find it here. It is called Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake. I really liked it. It isn't a sweet cake; kind of reminded me of cornbread in texture. The topping is the best using the raw turbinado sugar and even a sprinkling of coarse grain salt. I used blackberries instead of raspberries, and it was really good.

Alex Quote of the Week

So we were lucky enough to go to a taping of So You Think You Can Dance tonight!! Thank you Jen!! So fun - but a bit long for 11 year olds to stand. We were in the standing section around the stage for 2 1/2 hours while they taped the show. (Hope you feel better Emilie!) Alex is relaxing in the tub as I type this - she got a bit dehydrated and hungry during the taping, but she says it was worth the pain to see her favorite dancers on the stage.
Anyways, SPOILER ALERT, Twitch and Kerrington danced a Mia Michaels dance that involved a bed and rose petals (hmmm.) Here is a little dialogue that took place after the dance.

Napoleon, a judge giving his positive and enthusiastic critique, says:
"(insert positive feedback)...a gorgeous guy, a gorgeous girl, a bed and flowers!"

Alex: "Yikes"

Alex quote

Kids. Love'em. Today at Target, I had Sophie standing on the cart between my arms and Alex standing on the cart at the opposite end facing out (think Titanic). Wanting to feel like "the king (queen) of the world" she kept tossing remarks over her shoulder about wanting me to push the cart faster. I didn't oblige, but I did say, "Don't you feel like you're in a race?" with a sarcastic tone. She replied, "Yes, and we're losing - Hurry up!"