Puffy Sugar Cookies

I found a new recipe for Easy Sugar Cookies and I added it to my list to make immediately.  Check out the original recipe on Cleverly Simple because she has a lot of great recipes!!  I thought that it would be perfect to make for Thanksgiving dessert.  I was making pies but I know that my son doesn't do pies and some other kids might not either so I figured that cookies would be good.

Put in the sugar and the butter to cream together in the mixer.

After they mixed together, they were really creamy but not fluffy.

After the eggs were incorporated, the mixture was light and fluffy.

I added the vanilla and it just turned a little brown which made it look like all of my other cookie batter.

The different ingredient that I only use in snickerdoodles was the cream of tartar.  I bought it after my husband declared that they were his favorite cookies and haven't used it since so I decided this was a good idea to try.  I added the dry ingredients and mixed together.  I know you are supposed to mix dry ingredients together first but I don't like to do extra dishes so I always put them in the mixer directly and haven't had any problems.  If you want to save dishes too, try it!

The dough looks like the base of chocolate chip cookies or some sugar cookies but it was mighty tasty!  It was hard to stay out of.  I put it straight into the refrigerator to cool and make sure that it gets a little more solid.  I know that it is horrible to eat raw dough but I can't help it!!!

After the dough is cold and more solid, I used the cookie scoop to make even sized cookies.  I used orange sprinkles to roll them in but you could also use regular white sugar.  I wanted to make something festive since I was bringing these to Thanksgiving dinner for the kids after dinner.

I put them on my Silpats to make sure that they didn't stick and because I always cook on them.  My son helped me with this step so there was a lot of sprinkles that ended up on the Silpat too.

After they cooked, they were still puffy and stayed puffy even after cooling.  The addition of the cream of tartar really changes the texture of the cookie and how they react to baking.  I think that next time I will take them out a little earlier because I left them in a little longer because they were larger then called for in the recipe but they were still super tasty.

The cookie has the sprinkles all the way around and has a nice shine to them to make them look like they are coming from a fancy bakery.  They would be perfect in red and green for Christmas so I will probably be trying them again soon.

I got a whole big container full and enjoyed eating the few that wouldn't fit in the top.  I just wanted to make sure that I tested them hot out of the oven as well as after they cooled so that I could give you my best review.

Puffy Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 c margarine
• 1 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2¼ c all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cream of tarter

Instructions

1. Cream sugar and margarine.
2. Add egg and mix well.
3. Add the vanilla.
4. Combine flour, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer. Mix well.
5. Chill the dough for at least one hour or when you have enough time to make them.
6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop a small amount of dough into your hand and roll the dough.
7. Roll the ball of dough around in sugar until fully covered.
8. Place on cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and  bake in a 375 degrees oven for 10 minutes.

Notes:
-Use parchment paper or Silpat to avoid sticking to the pan.
-Chill dough in between batches if not making them quickly to maintain thick dough

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!!!

Swept Away Book Review

I was excited to see another Quilted book in the series so I signed up for it quickly when
Swept Away: Quilts of Love Series by Laura V. Hilton and Cindy Loven came on the list.  I was excited to get it but it wasn't showing up.  It was a week before I was supposed to put up the review and I still didn't have the book.  I wrote the publisher and asked if I was on the tour and should be expecting the book.  She said that they were mailed but something happened with the post office.  I ended up getting it later through UPS so I guess there was something really wrong with the first delivery.  I was excited to see it arrive and I thought that wouldn't be able to read it in time but that wasn't a problem.  I picked it up and couldn't put it down!!

In the book, Sara Jane Morgan is trying to balance teaching with caring for her ailing, stubborn grandmother. When school lets out for the summer, the plans are for Grandma to teach Sara Jane to quilt as they finish up the Appalachian Ballad quilt Grandma started as a teenager. But things don’t always go as planned. Andrew Stevenson is hiding from his past—and his future. He works as a handyman to pay the bills, but his heart is as an artisan, designing homemade brooms. When Sara Jane’s grandmother hires him to renovate her home, sparks fly between Drew and his new employer’s granddaughter. Still, it doesn’t take Sara Jane long to see Drew isn’t what he seems. Questions arise, and she starts researching him online. What she discovers could change her life—and her heart—forever.

I enjoyed the book and read it way too fast.  It was a great book with great characters.  I immediately loved Sara Jane and Andrew and was rooting for them to get together.  Who wouldn't love Grandma!!  She was everything that anyone would want in a grandmother and you could see how she would tell other people to call her grandma and they would.  With ups and downs in the book, there was a lot of happy moments and sad moments (a few that needed a tissue).  Feeling the characters means that it is a good book with great writing and this had both.  I hope that you check out this book and others in the Quilted series.  I know that you will enjoy it!!!

** I was provided a copy of the book for my honest opinion and review from Litfuse Publishing.

November Reading Review

I was hoping to improve the amount of reading this month over last month but I didn't see much hope at the beginning of the month with lots of little house projects looming in order to get the house on the market.  We have been busy doing things around the house and although all I want to do after a long day is sit and read a book and take a nap before I pick my son up from school, I always talk myself out of it because there are so many other things to do like clean the kitchen, one more load of laundry, something to whip up for dinner and the ever dreaded dishes.  Okay, I can say that I have sat down on more then one occasion when dishes really should have been cleaned but I really hate doing them!!  I was slowed to a halt when I got sick mid-month and got behind on all of my reading and got stuck on a slow moving book which I just couldn't get into.  I didn't read very much at all this month and I am a little sad!!  Here is hoping next month is better to end of the year on a good note!

If you click on the title of the book, it will take you back to the original review written on the book so that you can decide whether you want to add them to your reading list.  I hope that this helps and you find some good books that you are interested in and add it to your list.

Raging Heat

by Richard Castle

Quilted by Christmas

by Jodie Bailey

Pound Foolish

by Neta and Dave Jackson

 

The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane

by Alex Irvine

Furry Logic

by Jane Seabrook

The Brothers Keepers

by NLB Horton

Books Read for 2014

January     8

February    9
March       6
April          6
May          8
June          13
July          10
August       9
September  9
October     6
November   6

Total Books  90

Menu Plan Monday 12/8

Monday- Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Tuesday- Chicken Fries, Chicken Nuggets, tater tots and homemade fries
Wednesday- Breakfast for Dinner
Thursday- Tacos with saffron rice
Friday- Olive Oil Pasta and garlic bread or peasant bread
Saturday- Leftovers/Whole Chicken with stuffing and mashed potatoes
Sunday- ???

I am hoping for a really good week so that I can make this menu plan happen.  Now that I have to drive my son to his new school, I am loosing between 1-2 hours of "free" time to get stuff done.  I didn't know how much that would rush my day.  I realized last week when I didn't have enough time to make it to the two groceries stores because my appointment ran until 2:00 and not 1:30 like I had planned.  The next day I fit in too much and my cell phone alarm that told me to drop everything and pick up my son while I was standing in Target.  I quickly grabbed my items and checked out and ran to the car.  Luckily made it to pick up by the skin of teeth!!! 

I guess I need to try to fit less into a week but I don't see that happening.  Trying to get ready for the holidays and the new house is taking a lot out of me but I need to stay strong because everyone else in the house is getting sick!!  Our weather is going from cold to hot and back again and I think that our bodies are getting confused.  How is your house handling the change in weather?

Furry Logic, 10th Anniversary Edition Book Review

I found this book on Blogging for Books and it reminded me of my aunt and cousin so I had to have it.  I decided that I had to order it right away and it showed up pretty quickly after I ordered it.  Just the cover itself makes you want to see what is inside.

The adorable and high-profile Furry Logic series celebrates its 10th anniversary with a menagerie of illustrated animals and hilarious sayings about life, love, and everything in between.
     No one understands the ups and downs of life's little challenges better than the frisky critters of Furry Logic. The inspirational and tongue-in-cheek advice from series creator Jane Seabrook and her plucky animal characters will tickle the fancy and the funnybone of readers everywhere. Each intricately illustrated spread features a member of the animal kingdom with a unique take on life, from the adorably grumpy owl who advises "Smile first thing in the morning. Get it over with" to the fluffy hawk who admonishes, "If at first you do succeed, try not to look too astonished." So join the original flock of penguins, bears, frogs, and more in celebrating a decade of wit and wisdom with ten new illustrated spreads for fans looking for fresh inspiration.

It was a fun and short book that is a perfect book to keep on your bedside table for before bed or morning inspiration.  I think that we are going to use it to pass around to different family members so that everyone can see all of the great pictures and laugh at the sayings.  I hope that you check it out and see all the great pictures and sayings.  It might give you a little pick me up or a little laugh or both.  If you love animals, this is the book series for you.  It is a great light read after lots of the heavy reading that I have done in the past few months.  I hope that you check it out too!!  If you have read any in the series, let me know if there is one that is your favorite.

** I was provided this book from Blogging for Books for my honest opinion and review but all opinions here are my own.

November Budget Review

I was trying to take it slow this month since I knew that I was going to have to buy a turkey for Christmas but then I went shopping on the first day of the month.  There was a deal on Tide that I couldn't pass up and I got a catalina for $2 from the spaghetti sauce that I bought for free after coupon so I was super excited to spend it on something that I needed to get anyway.  Then by the end of the month, I think that things got a little more crazy.

Harris Teeter $14.51

I got two big Tides and some moneymakers to help pay for them.  I added in the flour which was on sale for $1.97 which is a great price for bread flour.  These are the sales that I use to stock up when they are included at the value price because I know that I can get regular flour for $0.99 at Wegman's starting soon (crossing my fingers).  I also grabbed a special treat for my husband- boxed brownies.  No matter how many homemade treats I make, these are one of his favorites and he barely ever gets them so I we enjoyed one over the weekend...trying to take it slowly but they are yummy!

 Aldi's $26.21

I went to Aldi's because we needed milk and butter.  I had a list of all of the regular items that I normally get.  I wasn't really sure what we needed but I grabbed a bunch of things on the list being cause I figured that if we weren't out, then we would be soon.  I normally only go there once a month so I stocked up and hoped that it would last the month without getting too much in the cupboard.

Giant $13.19 (used $0.15 gift card)

I got a few things that we needed like my husband's lunch meat and Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice which was on sale for $2.50 and I didn't have my gift card yet for the month which came in the mail after I came home but I knew that I would spend it later.

Aldi's $18.02

I went to the store for milk, cheese and oil and ended up with way too much stuff but they had the celery on sale for $0.69 and the potatoes were $1.69 for a 10 pound bag.  I would have gotten three if I thought we could eat them but we have been eating about 10 pounds a month between hash browns, french fries and other potato dishes.  I also got onions because they were $0.69.  I bought them last year at the low price and cut and froze them all but then I got home and looked in the freezer and I have three small bags so it was probably a little more then I can use before we move but a hard to pass up price!!!.  Also grabbed pumpkin at a low $0.89.   Not bad deals but higher then I was thinking when I went in but it was my second time there in the month!!  I guess that I didn't really need them to open a store closer because it means that I go there more often!!

Harris Teeter $4.61

Not my best trip to the store but they were out of most of things that I went for but I got a few things that my son likes and my first stock up on flour of the year with the sale price of $0.77!!!  I can't pass that up and we are just going to have to move lots of flour because I can't hold back.  I also bought the little french bread loaf which was great for dipping in olive oil that night for dinner.

Giant $20.26 (used $10 gift card)

I went to Giant with the two plans- two get a turkey and get some deals including the free Altoids.  It always takes me forever on these deals where I need to spend a certain amount of money because I am not usually looking for highest totals.  I also had some coupons to use so I grabbed lunchmeat, olive oil, brownies, crackers, and peanut butter.  I got free bags of cereal, Altoids, scalloped potatoes, and paper towels (after Giant coupon).  I also used some coupons out of the newest Giant coupon book available at the check out areas to get lots of deals!!!  I put on the cranberry juice because we needed them and I wanted to make sure that I was at the total after coupons and I didn't loose the deal on the turkey when the coupons brought the total down.

I found out some things including that Giants new computer system only lets you use five coupons that are doubled and then stops doubling them automatically although it only seems to be if they are in a row.  I got 27 of them!!  I was about ready to return them all and the manager gave me the additional $10 of doubled coupons so that he didn't have to return everything and take too long for all the people after me in line. The receipt is about 5 feet long (not joking) and I saved over $115.  I also got to use my $10 gift card from being part of the Giant Community Online (invite only) so I only had to pay a little more then $20

Harris Teeter $8.05

I ended up doing this in three transactions to make sure that I didn't screw it up with the promos and coupons and Saving Star rebates.  I got $1.25 back for the pizza and $0.55 on the King Arthur flour on Saving Star so it was really $6.25 after all that but I have already had to use some of the flour!!  I can't believe so much of mine is already gone from my stockpile.

Harris Teeter $1.26

I went to get a few more deals and evaporated milk to make pumpkin pie. Many deals were still not on the shelves but I found that they had the bread that was a money maker and I found a great deal on cornstarch.  I got one jar of cranberry sauce which I thought that I needed for Christmas but when I got home I found one in the pantry so I went back and returned it so the total spent is after the return.

Giant $2.65

We were preparing for our after Thanksgiving shopping so we needed a paper with all of the ads.  There were tons of things on sale so it was worth the newspaper even though we didn't actually read the newspaper.  I had already looked at them online but I like having the paper copy with me in the store because I have to point if something goes wrong.  Do you do the Black Friday fun??

Walmart $16.40

My husband went and bought some top secret Christmas gifts early on Thanksgiving morning while I was gathering everything to pack up the car when he got home and he grabbed a bunch of cranberry juice which he immediately put downstairs since we were in the middle of leaving so I didn't take a picture but he got 8 of these :)

Total Retail $394.18

Total Savings $269.02

Total OOP $125.16

I realize that I am a little late in publishing this but it was the first time that I have had a chance to sit down with everything and even figure out how I ended up the month.  I had a good November which is a surprise when I really didn't know what we spent at the end of the month but super glad that I ended up under my $160 budget by a lot.  I used a lot things that I had on hand.  How was your month??

Menu Plan Monday 12/1

Monday- Chicken fries, Chicken Nuggets, Tater Tots and homemade fries
Tuesday- Chicken and Rice Casserole
Wednesday- Breakfast for Dinner
Thursday- Olive Oil Pasta and garlic bread or peasant bread
Friday- Salsa Sloppy Joes with mac and cheese
Saturday- Leftovers/??
Sunday- Leftovers/??

Okay, I know that this shouldn't happen but another month came as a surprise.  I was thinking that I would worry about December after Thanksgiving.  Well, after Thanksgiving was December.  A little late to start planning but I am working on meal plan and what we are having for the month.  I started with the first two days and then went to a few things around the holidays including Christmas dinner and a few days around with visitors and then a weekend meal with my sister and brother in law.  I stopped because it was time to go to bed and was going to work on the plan the next day.  The day has passed and I don't have any more plans on the menu.  We need to get some ground beef and cheese.  We are running out of a lot of stuff which is a great in terms of getting ready to move but horrible in terms of getting an easy dinner on the table.