Easter Recap

Our little family had a great Easter!  This year we were far from family BUT we got to celebrate it with a new addition.  It's so much fun to celebrate Easter with children...what a blessing! 

 

 

I always have this "goal" of being at my ideal size by Easter so I can buy and wear a cute sundress.  Let's be honest...if you're bigger than a size 10 you just can't find much.  Well another year passed and I was in that boat again.  In conclusion, momma didn't get a new dress.  Whomp whomp...

 

Meanwhile, I enjoyed cooking AND eating these yummy recipes...

(TOTALLY did NOT log my food this weekend OR count calories) 

**This is why I never reach my goal size...lol

 

 

Great American Cookie "DOUBLE DOOZIE"

 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

1.5 sticks unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg AND 1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

 

Icing:

1lb. confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup shortening

2 tbsp. milk

2 tbsp. hot water

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

**I didn't even use half of this to fill my cookies so I suggest cutting this recipe in half.

 

I have a great love affair for the Great American Cookie double doozies.  Y'all don't even understand how hard it is to walk by one of these and NOT be tempted.  But we moved to a new town that doesn't have one SO when I had a craving for this I had to come up with a copycat recipe.

 

Chocolate chip cookies are one of the hardest things to get just right.  Well baking in general is like that.  Just the smallest detail can make a huge difference.  Also, everyone likes their cookies a certain way.  Normally, I just use the classic chocolate chip recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chips package.  However, for double doozies you need large soft and chewy cookies.  So the hunt was on to find the perfect recipe...

 

Here are some tips I learned:

• Make sure your eggs are at room temperature (if you're in a hurry put them in warm/hot water for 5 minutes).
• Use good ingredients!!! You want good quality vanilla extract and chocolate chips (I only use ghiradelli chocolate chips).
• Refrigerate your cookie dough for at LEAST 2 hours before baking.
• Use parchment paper so the cookies do not get crispy on the bottom.
• To get thick cookies make them TALL.  What I mean by that is use your hands to form your dough into 1 inch wide and 2 inches in height.
• Measure correctly.  Don't eyeball anything.  I even go an extra step and use a knife to swipe across my measuring cups.

 

Directions:

Whisk together your melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar till there are no lumps.  Then, whisk in your eggs and vanilla.  Set aside.  In a large bowl mix your dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.  Now fold in your wet ingredients.  Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.  Bake 10-12 minutes on 325 degrees (they will still look doughy but they will continue to cook on the cookie sheet once you take them out).  For the icing, mix all the ingredients into a mixer.  Mix on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes.  Now you're ready to assemble! Just make sure your cookies are cooled before adding the icing.  Makes 8 large double doozies!!!

 

 

 

St. Louis Thin Crust Pizza



 

Ingredients:

1/2-1 cup Pizza Sauce (I used a jar sauce)

2 cups Pizza blend cheese

1-2 tbsp. Italian seasoning

Your favorite pizza toppings

 

Crust:
2 cups of self rising flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

6 tbsp. water

 

We moved really close to St. Louis and we've really enjoyed all the pizza joints around downtown.  There are seriously like 4 within one block of each other.  Our favorite is Imo's and they serve "St. Louis style" thin crust pizza.  The provolone cheese and seasonings on their pizzas are SO good. 

 

I've never made homemade pizza crust.  Store bought is always EASY and fast.  But I really wanted to get a SUPER thin crust so I decided to make my own this time around.  This crust recipe is super simple and fairly good.  I do think I'll try another recipe though the next time to experiment with a yeast crust instead.

 

Directions:

Combine your flour, olive oil, and water.  Form into a ball.  Let is rest for 10 minutes.  Roll dough out in between 2 pieces of wax paper.  Transfer to a greased pizza pan.  Add your sauce, cheese, and toppings. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  Bake on 425 degrees for 12 minutes. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!

**I had to use a few tablespoons more of water to get the dough to form but you might not need to.

 

 

**I've been backed up on posting recipes this past week (see why below) but hoping to get things posted daily this week and share some new recipes.

 

James will be 3 months old this coming Friday!  Motherhood has been wonderful (I know...I'm only 3 months into it).  I don't have a lot of negative experiences or complaints.  He is really a good/happy baby.  Sleeps well.  Healthy.  Etc.  But the one thing that has been difficult is breast feeding.  The 2nd week I ended up with mastitis because of engorgement and then the last month I've been dealing with supply issues.  It went from one extreme to the other.  I know the biggest issue for me is drinking enough water.  If anyone has any pointers on increasing milk supply I sure would appreciate it!!! Do those milk cookies really work???