Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I think of cookies and Gramma, I don't automatically think of Chocolate Chip. I instead think of icebox cookies. I'm sure I'll find a recipe of one in this box. Probably a lemon rind one or something equally gross. I have never been a fan of icebox cookies. Especially after I've made them. So when I do make them, they won't be Gluten Free.

Anyway, Robb has been bugging me for cookies for awhile, and I've been promising them to him for probably longer than he's been asking, and today I finally decided to do it. Mainly because Robb took Bran out for a walk to Bran's Gramma's house, and that meant I was alone for awhile. Robb doesn't like nuts in cookies, and he usually doesn't like me putting "healthy" things like oats in them, but he approved after I brought him a fresh cookie.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour (3/4 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/3 cup teff flour, 1 1/2 Tblsp brown rice flour + 1 tsp xanthum gum)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ( I did 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips)
3/4 cup oats (or 1 cup chopped nuts, I used oats because of choice)

Directions
In large bowl, cream together butter and shortening; gradually beat in both sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into creamed mixture.

Stir in chips and oats (or nuts). Chill for 1/2 hour. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto lightly greased cookie sheet, or cookie sheet with liner. Flatten slightly to 1/2 inch. Bake in 375 F oven for 10-12 minutes.

Cookies are ready to be removed from oven when edges are browned and slight slighty underdone in centre.

Let stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to rack to cool completely. Take one to husband who is trying to put new speakers in your car.

 

Recipes from Gramma Joan

My Grandmother, Joan, died awhile ago. The loss of her was felt upon all of us in the family, especially when it came to cooking. My Gramma was a great cook. She never really thought so, but so many of my memories of her have to do with food. Whether it was watching the Olympics eating chicken wings cooked just so in a cast iron frying pan, or having a family dinner with the cooked cold broccoli dipped in Italian Dressing, or the stew... oh my goodness, her stew. I think my mother still has dreams about the stew. There really isn't a lot that can top a good Gramma Joan Beef Stew.

When she died we had to clean up her apartment, and for whatever reason I ended up with most of her kitchen items, including the coveted stew recipe - which was in a little white recipe box. I also ended up with her knitting "recipe" box. I think it's called patterns but either way, it was in the same kind of white box, and had the same kind of 3.5" x 5" recipe cards, and it was written in the same way as her recipes, so in some way they were recipes. Foot Mitten Recipes... doesn't that sound delicious?

I've been trying to find a way to actually go through and use her recipes, but there are so many, and reading her hand written recipe for how to cook Brown Rice is still a little difficult. Also, I think that it would be good to transfer a lot of her recipe's digitally, as the cards are starting to show a bit of age.

Brown Rice: Mexican Style (There is one that shows how to cook
PLAIN Brown Rice)

Over the years I've added my own recipes, and it's always easy to see which ones are mine, as I rarely used white cards.

So my plan is to start using her recipes. I'll have to adapt a lot, as I cannot eat gluten, and my Grandma LOVED flour. So, when I put the recipe I'll put what I used, but just understand that it's been changed somewhat.

A boy and a sandbox

I always loved sandboxes. More the idea of sandboxes than the actual sandbox itself, as the sand always bugged my hands. Still does. I hate the feeling of dry hands because of sand. I love beaches, but am always wanting to clean my hands in the water. My son does not have the same aversion as me.

As we have a cat, I had to come up with an idea for a sandbox where the cat would not go in and do his business. So I bought a large plastic container, that has a lid that can be clicked shut. Then I put a couple shovelfuls of sand (that a friend brought over for the purpose of stuccoing our walls), and added some cars and measuring cups. I have a lot of measuring cups, and decided to donate a few to the cause.

He has been enjoying playing in the sandbox - which will one day become a sand table when I have a chance to get to the workshop and create one. I took care of another little boy awhile ago, and he showed Bran some new ideas of how to play in a sandbox. Mainly, dumping the sand out, but a lot of it was taking the trucks and cars and driving them along the ladder and then back to the sandbox. So that added a whole new aspect of play.

Today, with the crisp fall air upon us, I decided to add some extra things to the sandbox. This may annoy me later when I want them out, but for now it's okay. I put in some crunchy leaves and some flower petals from the very few flowers that are still blooming. He then spent a good 5-10 minutes taking the leaves and putting them in the measuring cups, and then taking them out.

Leaves and flowers

Little hands

A present for Mom. (Or Dudu as
 he calls me and EVERYTHING)

Sitting in the sandbox is a lot more fun than
 sitting on the grass

Happy Autumn

Bran loves playing in the leaves, but was a little leery
about the camera!

The fall season is upon us and Bran has found some things he loves. Looking for deer, playing in the sand, and crunching leaves.

I've been babysitting (child minding?) a friend's child once a week. He is 5 weeks younger than Bran, and the two of them seem to love/hate playing together. They follow each other around the house and blabber to each other in baby talk, and then if one of them gets too close to the other, a smack usually happens. It can be either party, so it's not just my little brute that is handing out the smacks!

My favourite part about watching these two together is when they start looking at books. It honestly looks like they are reading together.

Bran shows E the white 'Dau' 

E shows Bran that his Mamma is a teacher.

E and Bran take turns reading. (Or is
that just grabbing the book?)