Chocolate Mint: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever seen the herb chocolate mint and thought what the heck do you make with chocolate mint?

Besides it becoming a weed and taking over your herb garden you can actually use chocolate mint in your cooking. 

Lucky for you, I have a delicious cookie recipe for you.

 Pick your chocolate mint leaves.

Chop them finely to make 1/4 cup.

 Just a few simple ingredients:

butter, sugar, salt, mint extract, flour, chocolate mint, and chocolate chips.

 Cream together 1 cup butter & 1/2 cup sugar

Add in 1/4 tsp. mint extract & 1/4 cup finely chopped chocolate mint.

(I used about 5 drops of peppermint oil, worked perfect.)

 Add and mix well:

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

6 oz chocolate chips

 Chill dough for 1 hour.

(*I have done it both ways, chilled and not chilled the dough, I think it turns out the same so there is a good chance I will never chill again.)

Form dough into 1" balls. 

Roll in Mint Sugar.

Mint Sugar

1 cup sugar

4 mint leaves

add to a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Lay on cookie sheet to dry overnight.

Place on greased cookie sheets and press with a fork in crisscross manner.

 Bake 350degrees for *12 minutes.

*they may not look completely done but do not over cook them. They have a shortbread texture and are SO GOOD when not crunchy or too dry.

Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

-1 cup butter

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/4 peppermint extract

-1/4 tsp salt

-1/4 cup chopped mint

-2 cups flour

-6 oz chocolate chips

Mint Sugar

-1 cup sugar

-4 mint leaves

add to blender until finely chopped. Lay on cookie sheet to dry overnight.

Getting Ready for the Little Man

We had a baby shower for my cute friend, Jennie. 

She is having a little boy in May. 

I seriously can't wait! 

She doesn't even look pregnant...rude.

Here she is with a few of her college girlfriends.

 The Food:

Crepe Bar.

 And for the activity: 

Iron on ties, bow tie, mustache onesies!

I made these cakes, don't they look divine?

Well if it be possible, they taste even better.

It's my sister Aleena's made-up recipe so I thought I would share.

Start out making vanilla or french vanilla cake mix.

Then add the powder from a vanilla pudding. 

You will need to make a strawberry puree.

Super easy, just blend strawberries and add sugar until it's sweet but not overly sweet.

Spoon the cake mixture into your pan and about a heaping tablespoon of the puree.

Swirl together. 

If you don't want the cakes to overflow when they bake be sure you only fill each square half way.

I baked them for about 22-25 minutes. Be sure you don't overcook them. 

Let them cool a bit before you remove them from the pan. 

Now for the frosting. 

I actually made a ganache. 

Don't be afraid, it's super easy. 

You will need a double boiler. 

(Again, don't be afraid... easy.)

If you don't have one, make one.

Take a pan and put a few inches of water in the bottom. Place a glass bowl on top.

Pour your chocolate chips in the glass bowl and melt. I used white chocolate chips.
Add cream about 3 tablespoons at the beginning and just keep adding until it's a good smooth consistency, a little runny.

Pour a spoon-full on top of the cake and spread around the top letting the excess dribble over the edges. You don't need to completely cover the sides of the cake because the ganache is pretty rich.

The ganache hardens and holds it's shape so it stays nice and pretty.

(If you want to make chocolate ganache be sure to use milk chocolate chips and NOT semi-sweet.)


Dice Cakes (I call them dice cakes because when Aleena first made these cakes she decorated them like dice)
-vanilla cake mix
-vanilla pudding mix
-strawberries
-sugar (enough to sweeten the strawberries, maybe 1/4 cup)
-white or milk chocolate chips
-heavy whipping cream (again maybe 1/4 cup)

Trust me these cakes are sooooo good!

Lunch

Survival of the fittest, right? 

Which means part of being prepared is being fit. 

Dang. 

So I have had to find ways to work on getting fit. 

Unfortunately sugar is a major weakness, in fact I think my emotional attachment to sugar is a genetic disorder.

But my sister gave me this fantastic recipe which is filling and very healthy.

Doesn't this look Delicious??

It is.

Quinoa Salad (recipe courtesy of Sarah Lindsey)

1 Tbl oil
2 cup Sweet Onion, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup quinoa rinsed, drain
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided
feta

Heat oil, medium heat
Add onion, pepper, salt, for 5 minutes
stir in next 4 ingredients 
Add water; boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 14 minutes
Add beans and 1/4 cups cilantro
cook uncovered for 3 minutes (liquid absorbed)
Transfer to bowl; sprinkle cilantro and feta

notes: 
-I don't like cilantro so I completely omit it. 
-Chop up some lettuce and spoon some of the quinoa mixture along with sliced grapes and top with your favorite dressing.
-I also like to add toasted almond slices. 
-The remaining quinoa mixture I put in a tupperware in my fridge and add it to a salad for lunch everyday. 

A Recipe To Get A Husband

Judging by my post title you might think I have a cheesy poem like:
1 cup of confidence
3/4 cup of friendship
a dash of makeup
Bake for 6 months slowly raising the temperature and VOILA! You have yourself one genuine husband!

But no, I have an actual recipe that will get you an actual husband.

I have proof.

If you have read the little "bio" towards the bottom of this page you will notice I said that I "wooed Trevor on a popular social media." So here for your viewing pleasure you can read what awkward great flirters we are: (you need to start at the bottom and read up to get it in order.)

Yes that's right, all my single ladies, the recipe to getting yourself a husband is:

BRAN MUFFINS!

Not only is this recipe delicious, it will keep everyone who consumes it "regular."

It's a win, win, win situation.

I have to give credit where credit is due, this is my sister Monica's recipe, whom is a phenomenal cook. I do not joke, she has indeed been asked if she took "cooking classes in heaven." I can't make this stuff up (but apparently the equivalent to Mr. Collins in modern form can, as he used this exceptional pick-up line at a Sunday dinner that included her husband and 5 children. Poor bloke is still the brunt of many Steed jokes today.)

Bran Muffins:
(Add ingredients in order)

4 cups All Bran

1 cup shortening

2 cups boiling water
(after you pour the water in let stand 2 min then stir together.)

2 cups sugar
1 quart buttermilk
5 cups flour
4 beaten eggs
5 tsp soda
2 tsp salt
350 degrees - 15 min

The best part about this recipe is that it makes a ton aaaannnd it's refrigeratable!!!!! Which means I pull the bran muffin mixture out of my fridge each morning, plop them into the muffin tin and in 15 min I have fresh homemade muffins!!!! I can get 12 muffins every morning for about 4-5 mornings. Best breakfast ever.

My batter that I pulled out of the fridge:

Plop.

and done!

And that my friends, is how I got myself the most incredible man I have ever met!