Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

My son was telling me about his writing journal at school. He was writing about recess and playing on the monkey bars. He asked how to spell monkey. I told him that he should already know how to spell his first name. He said my name isn't monkey. I teasingly asked if he was sure. Then I taught him how to spell monkey and to sound out bars which he spelled bowls (I guess he spells it with an accent). After a few minutes, I asked my son how to spell his first name and he said "m-o-n-k-e-y-s" and started laughing. He is quick. I love his sense of humor. Isn't he so much fun? 

We are very lucky and have a wonderful bus driver.  On occasion, he has to wait for us in the morning as we run to catch the bus. Mornings are not the best time of day in my household. How about yours? One day we made it to the bus and my son was carrying his shoes. Why he didn't have them on? I don't know. 

Since Mr. Keith is so great, I make him cookies as a thank you. So my children ask him what type of cookie "we" (which translates to me) should make him, Mr. Keith requests this cookie. His favorite cookies are peanut butter and oatmeal raisin. He had the wonderful idea of putting his favorite cookies together. I hope you enjoy these soft peanut butter oatmeal cookies.

Yes, these have raisins since Mr. Keith likes raisins plus no one eats them.

Mr. Keith's Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup of raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the peanut butter, butter, and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Add in the flour and salt. Mix to combine.
5. Gently stir in the oatmeal (and raisins) until incorporated.
6. Scoop onto a cookie sheet about 3 to 4 inches apart since the cookies will flatten.
7. Bake about 10-12 minutes.
8. Let the cookies cool on the hot tray for about 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

 3 Blind Mice for Halloween.. Aren't they creepy?

To make the creature. I omitted the raisins except for the two for the eyes. I added several sliced almonds for two ears and one tail. After the cookies were in the oven for 8 minutes, I pulled the tray out. With the back of a spoon, I pushed in the sides of the cookies to shape them. I put the tray back into the oven for about 3 more minutes. I removed the tray from the oven and reshaped the cookies. I let the cookies cool on the tray for 2 minutes. I transferred to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 Did you already know.......
-Peanuts are not a nut. Peanuts are legumes and grow underground. 
-Peanut plants first grew in South America.
-Both President Thomas Jefferson and President Jimmy Carter grew peanuts.
-One 12-ounce jar of peanut butter contains about 540 peanuts.
-In the United States, peanut butter must contain at least 90 % peanuts.

Easy Burger

If I ask my oldest daughter what she wants for supper, she will say hamburgers. She loves them. This past summer she went out west for three weeks. Yes, everyday she ate a hamburger. She said that she missed mine the best. Isn't she the best?

I have had several people ask me how I make my burgers. I've been asked several times what I add to it. I don't add anything. No butter. No seasonings. Nothing most of the time. Sometimes, I add cheese, bacon, or both to the inside of the burger. 

The best part of the burger is how you top it. To celebrate the Halloween month, I topped mine with some scary looking cheese.  Don't you celebrate Halloween for the whole month too?

Scary Cheese.......I should have used Muenster!

I guess it is about technique. 

My hamburger


1 1/5 lb. 85% ground hamburger (yes, only one ingredient).


Directions:
1. Place hamburger on the counter for about 10 minutes. (Suggestions to do while you are
    waiting would be prepare a salad or a vegetable to go with your meal.)
2. Preheat your skillet on medium heat.
3. The package will make 4 burgers. I lightly press down on the meat so I know where to form.
4. Form your burger shape quickly. I do cheat here since I have a plastic burger former. This
    should take only 10 seconds.
5. I use my thumb and indent the center of the burger so it is a little thinner in the middle.
6. Place burgers in the hot skillet and do not touch.
7. At this time, I will prep my cheese for the burgers and complete other parts of the meal.
8. After about five minutes, I will look at the burgers. If juices have formed on the top of the burger, I will flip it. Now if I can not easily put my spatula under the burger, I will wait a few more minutes. I then continue making the rest of the meal. Now is the time to saute any toppings you desire but in a different skillet.
9. After about another five minutes, I will flip the burgers again. At this point, top the burgers with cheese if desired. Wait about 1 to 2 minutes and turn off the stove. The burgers are done.

Remember, you flip the burgers only three times while they are cooking. I hope you like them too! I must pronounce the word spatula with an accent since I first spelled it "spacula". I guess it rhymed with Dracula. Good thing my husband can spell.

Happy Halloween!

Did you already know.........
-Henry John Heinz created his famous Heinz tomato Ketchup over 125 years ago. 
-The Heinz ketchup is a strictly guarded recipe that has remained almost unchanged for over 100 years. 
-The H. J. Heinz Company sells 650 million bottles of its Ketchup annually.

Apple Strudel

I am going to continue with my Oktoberfest recipes.......but today is about dessert! My youngest daughter's only reason she eats supper. My sister, however, will just eat dessert and forget about the meal.

Apple Strudel! My sister would like this dessert (or meal). My daughter really liked this dessert. It is a really simple recipe and it's so good! I recently went to a medieval dinner and at the end of the meal we were served apple strudel.

                                                     Believe me this strudel taste a lot better!

As you can see, I did not add any raisins. My family are afraid of raisins but I like them. Since majority rules, I did not add any raisins. You could add raisins or cranberries.

Apple Strudel


2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 apples, I used Gala apples but any good baking apple would work.
1 sheet of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets
powder sugar


Directions:
1. Thaw the puff pastry sheet on counter for 40 minutes.
2. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
3. In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add apples to the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the sugar mixture. Set bowl aside.
5. Sprinkle clean working surface with flour.
6. Carefully, unfold the puff pastry sheet on work surface and carefully roll into a rectangle.
7. Spoon the apple sugar mixture down the middle of the pastry lengthwise but stop about 1 inch from edge.
8. Fold the edges over the mixture and pinch seams together.
9. Cut several slits on the top of the puff pastry.
10. Bake strudel for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Let pastry cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes.
12. Once cooled, sprinkle with powder sugar.


Adapted from http://www.puffpastry.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=23990&rc=-1

My oldest daughter loves apples but you could use pears or a mixture of fruit. When I was in Germany, I purchased gingerbread cookies but I didn't order any strudel. I did order a German pancake which came topped with cranberries. I was surprised to learn that there is a European wild cranberry.

Did you already know..................


An apple is 25% air so that is why applies float in water.(Lets bob for some apples.)
Cranberries float because they have four air pockets inside them.

German Red Cabbage

Oktoberfest! I wish I was there. We went last year to Germany and it was a lot of fun. I'm not a big beer drinker so I remember it. I took lots of photos so my husband could remember too! So, I made a meal that could have been served in one of the tents.

Menu:
Bratwurst (aka sausage)
German Potato Salad
Spaetzle (aka pasta)
German Red Cabbage

We went with my Dad so he came over to enjoy the fest. He also told me if I was making the cabbage correctly. One of the ingredients is ground cloves. I asked him if I should omit it but he said no. He also had me add more. I really had doubts about this ingredients but it was good.The recipe does take over 2 hours to make so it is ideal for a Sunday dinner.

German Red Cabbage
2 Tbsp butter
6 cups shredded red cabbage (I just roughly sliced thin)
1 cup sliced Gala apples
 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp water
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions
1. In a large pot, melt butter.
2. Add cabbage, apples, and sugar.
3. Pour in the vinegar and water.(Yes the water amount is correct).
4. Season with salt, pepper, and the ground cloves (be brave).
5. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
6. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low.
7. Cover and simmer 2 hours.

 Recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/grandma-jeanettes-amazing-german-red-cabbage/detail.aspx.

Did you already know...................

Oktoberfest Facts:

-The festivities the festivities were to honor the marriage of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildurghausen.

-It is the largerst fair in the world.
-There are more than 5 million people attend every year. I was one of those people last year and it was neat to hear all the different languages being spoken in one tent. I met people from Japan, Australia, England, Italy, Germany, and of course Bavaria.
-The "tents" are as big as a warehouse.
-What surprised me at the fair was there are amusement park rides.
-Many men wear Lederhosen (leather breeches) which are passed down generations.
-Many women wear Dirndlgewand. When you purchase a dirndl, you need to pick a bodice, blouse, skirt, and an apron plus any accesseries. It can be expensive.
-It is free to enter the ground fairs but with the exchange rate the beers are pricey.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Aren't artichokes a weird looking vegetable? My children love it. My husband will not touch it. I made this recently for my family and there were no leftovers. If you are looking for a quick appetizer and you have a food processor, I recommend making this dip.

My oldest daughter asked for artichokes for supper one night and I said sure since I had no other plans. Just before I started making supper, her friend wanted to eat over. Her friend was always asking to eat over. I said sure but we were having just artichokes.The friend said she didn't care. Well, she never asked to eat over again.

Hot Artichoke Dip

2 (14 oz) cans of artichoke hearts

1 (8 oz) cream cheese (I used low fat)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 chopped green onions

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 package of defrosted spinach

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 cup of 5 Cheese Italian Blend.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Drain the artichokes and squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach. Set aside.

3. Add one can of artichokes, the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, green onions.

4. Pulse about 7 times.

5. Add the parmesan cheese, the 2nd can of artichokes, spinach, salt, and pepper.

6. Pulse about 3 times.

7.  Pour the mixture into a oven safe dish. ( I used an 8x8 glass dish)

8. Top with the Italian cheese blend.

9. Bake 20 minutes until heated through and the cheese is golden brown.

Serve with chips or french bread.

Adapted from the recipe in The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Did you already know............
-One artichoke plant can produce up to 30 chokes of different sizes. (I guess I know what I should plant next year.)

-One large artichiokes only have 25 calories.

-The first time I had an artichoke was in California which isn't surprising since Califorinia produces 100% of the US artichoke crop.