How to Bake and Store- Soft, Gooey Cookies Every Time
My son and I made cookies last week. We bake a lot. He loves the measuring, pouring, etc. etc… He doesn’t seem to like the clean-up, but that’s a post for another day- we’re working on that.
So, how do you make your cookies soft? You take them out of the oven a couple of minutes early-
You’re done. Yep, that’s it. I learned this from my mother-in-law who bakes a lot. Yes, mystery solved.
But that’s not THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART of this post…
How do you KEEP cookies soft and tasting great? Well, I’m here to share the wisdom and the bloglove…
I learned how from THE COMMENTS I received from a DC Metro Moms post I did way back in December of 2007 on gooey cookies…
In whatever container you store your cookies in- put a piece of bread in the bottom. I never knew this before and I’ve been doing it since and it TOTALLY works. The bread becomes stale and hard and the cookies stay soft!!!!!
So sometimes it takes me awhile, like over a year, but it occurred to me while taking a cookie out of the tupperware container and it still being moist and soft a couple of days ago, that I should share this great tip! And it’s so fantastic that I learned this amazing tip from comments to a post!
So thank you to another Nicole in California, KenandBelly over in the UK, and Andrea’s Recipes right here in the DC area for great comments! I know this took over a year, but I just want to say thank you again for your helpful hints!
Goodbye to subpar cookies- Let the baking begin!
Good News: The No-Stain Treatment on our couch REALLY WORKS
I want to pass on some good news for mom consumers….
We bought this couch a few months ago from Havertys. They offer a ‘5 Year Furniture Protection Plan’. It cost just over $100 extra. At first I wasn’t going to get it, but what really got me was the No-Stain Treatment they put on the couch- to guarantee no stains. So I did. Afterwards, I felt a bit like a sucker, but thought, I have a 5-year-old, so I gotta try something.
Good News: So far- it works! I found what looked like black magic marker, and then chocolate smeared into the couch (oh, and by the way, NOBODY knows how it got there, and no one is allowed to eat or drink on the couch or be drawing with magic markers on it), I took a damp sponge and wiped it away… no stain.
And if you do find a stain that won’t come out- you can call an 800 number or contact Guardsman online and they will come to your house and get the stain out…
And if THEY can’t get the stain out- they’ll replace your couch.
So once again, this is but 1 opinion, but I’m satisfied… and I don’t feel like a sucker… victory!
A small victory- but still, a victory.
Kermit The Frog is The Culprit
Yes, I’m talking about the lovable Muppet.
I was watching an NCAA tournament game the other night and the cameras panned over to an older gentleman in the stands, a former basketball player, named Kermit… I stopped paying attention to the commentators at that point and my mind wandered (as it does quite frequently)…
‘… Kermit, you never hear that name anymore, except for the Frog. Actually, I’ve never met anyone named Kermit. It probably was never a REALLY popular name, but I bet Kermit the Frog killed it.’
So I looked it up- and I was right.
Kermit, of Irish and Gaelic origin, hit the height of it’s popularity in 1909. And held steady,
until 1955- when Kermit The Frog was created.
Since 1955, and as Kermit The Frog’s popularity grew, naming a son Kermit has consistently dropped in popularity. And since 1980 it does not even show up in the top 1,000 baby names.
I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much my whole life, and it’s pretty diverse, but I’ve never met a Kermit.
Kermit The Frog, we love you… but you inadvertently screwed any parents who wanted to name their son after their ‘Old Irish Grandfather, Kermit’ or ‘That Cool Uncle Kermit from the Old Country’.
Warning: Michael Jackson May Scare Your Child
The other night my Big Guy and Little Guy were playing, just after dinner. I was straightening up, as I always seem to be doing (aren’t we all)…
And I flipped on TMZ. Yes, I admit it. A few minutes of celebrity gossip never hurt anybody…
Some footage of Michael Jackson was on the TV with some discussion of his ‘comeback’ tour or concert or whatever it is, I don’t really care and got back to picking up the living room.
My husband and son came running through, stopped to talk to me and my son looked at the screen- while hearing them say, ‘Michael Jackson’.
“Mommy…”
“Yes?”
“Michael Jackson looks like a girl… and a skeleton.”
That’s a direct quote. I quickly fumbled for the remote and changed the channel to the Light Classical Music Channel (which is on right now, by the way). My Little Guy quickly moved on and went to the playroom with my Big Guy, but wow?!
My son is 5 and saw Michael Jackson on TV for about 5 seconds and was a little freaked out by his appearance…
Note to Self: Don’t indulge in TMZ for even a few minutes when your child is in the house, he may see something he shouldn’t… like Michael Jackson.
Healthy Eating… According to my ‘Ideal’ Doctor
I am on strictly no-carbs this week to lose a few pounds that have snuck up on me. No-carb eating can be rough, I know this from experience, but it takes off pounds like nothing else I’ve found. So- an egg for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a protein and veggie for dinner (tonight we’re having chicken and tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella). To drink: tea and water. It leaves one wanting a little more, but pounds drop off. I lost 15 pounds 2 years ago, and I’ve kept it off. So I know, when a few, and I mean 3, pounds sneak up on me- this works.
With that said, here is what my ideal doctor would say to me about healthy eating:
*ME: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
Dr: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
ME: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
Dr: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!!
ME: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
Dr: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies your ratio is two to one, etc.
ME: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
Dr: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING! …Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
Dr: Are you crazy? HELLO, Cocoa beans! Another vegetable! It’s the best feel-good food around!
I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
AND…
For those of you who watch what you eat , here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
*this has been adapted from one of those mass-forwarded emails that I seem to discover on Monday mornings
How to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity
Ah, emails. I usually delete, delete, delete those forwarded mass emails from people. But occasionally I read them. Here are a few scenarios (courtesy of a mass forwarded email) to help you maintain a ‘Healthy Level of Insanity':
* At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars.
See If They Slow Down.
* Specify That Your Drive-thru Order Is ‘To Go’.
And my favorite: When The Money Comes Out of The ATM, Scream ‘I Won! I Won!’
I wish I had the guts to actually do that… I wonder what kind of looks you’d get…
When My Husband Didn’t Propose…
I was reading a terrific blogger buddy of mine the other day who also writes for one of DC Metro Moms sister sites, Philly Moms, and lol laughed out loud. She was talking about telling her husband exactly what to get her for her birthday, and if he didn’t have time to get it, she would get it- just let her know. I do the same thing. I never say, ‘surprise me’…
But maybe I come by this honestly… since that fateful birthday I thought I was getting a ring… and got a corner cabinet instead.
Yeah, you heard me right. Not that the cabinet wasn’t nice, but what began as an honest, nice, birthday evening planned by now-husband, got caught up and tangled in miscommunication and misinterpreted cues and then misled expectations.
It all started when he said he had a special surprise planned for my birthday, and that it was something that I had really been wanting… Oh, and that he had to go by my parents’ house before he could give it to me…
Click Here to Continue Reading the debacle at DC Metro Moms… it’s worth it…
You Know You’re Irish When…
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Everyone!
And I do mean everyone- since everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
I’m not blogging from The Dubliner in Downtown DC;
I used to start every St. Patrick’s Day at The Dubliner, my husband always took off work and we’d ride Metro down. An old-fashioned Irish pub is a nice place to be at 10am on St. Patrick’s Day… not too many people, nobody is drunk yet, there are a lot of older people in green sweaters, happy to enjoy a pint of Guinness before the 20-something binge-drinking starts. Ah, the good ol’ days!
I just got this in an email and it’s a good read on this Irish-est of days.
What It Means To Be Irish or Have an Irish Family
1) You will never play professional basketball.
2) You swear very well.
3) At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral
home owner or holds political office. And you have at least one aunt who is a
nun or uncle who’s a priest.4) You think you sing very well.
5) You have no idea how to make a long story short!
6) You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.
7) You’re strangely poetic after a few beers.
8) You are, therefore, poetic a lot.9) Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or
Eileen… and there is at least one member of your family with the full
name of Mary Catherine Eileen.10) You may not know the words, but that doesn’t stop you from singing.
11) You can’t wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start
talking.12) You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are …but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
13) You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
14) You have Irish Alzheimer’s … you forget every thing but the
grudges!15) Your skin’s ability to tan…. not so much.
16) You met your husband/wife/significant
other/accountant/lawyer/landscaper/etc. in a bar/pub.17) At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not
speaking to each other (not fighting, mind you), just
not speaking to each other.The Sisterhood Award
On Friday night, while already asleep in my nice pajamas (see below), I received the Sisterhood Award!
The Sisterhood Award represents Attitude and Gratitude.
I received this from A Frugal Friend.
I love her blog for freebies and coupons and all things to save money-
that aren’t on my radar!! Go check out her site!
I thank her also for giving me the excuse to spend an hour cleaning up my sidebars…
I’ve updated them a little, scroll down on the right for acknowledgments I’ve gotten.
So with a little attitude and gratitude,
I’m spreading the love; Here are 5 ladies that I love reading-
Tech Savvy Mama– for all her WONDERFUL ideas for parenting
A Parent In Silver Spring– for her great information and sunny attitude
The Big Piece of Cake– for making me laugh and definitely having attitude
Smiling Mama– for her delightful take on life
Fabulous Miss S.– for her terrific takes on being a mom
There you have it!
As with any award- some rules:
1. Post the award button on your site- if you would like
2. Link me, if you would like
3. Pass it on, when you have time, if you would like
EVERYONE have a great week!!
You Know You’re a Mom When…
You know you’re a Mom when: it’s Friday and you are excited to get your nice pajamas on as early as possible- definitely 7:00pm, and have a relaxing night at home…
Guess what I’m doing tonight ?!
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I Was In The 2012 Show !
Check Out …
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Nicole’s Book
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