Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Friday, March 3, 2023

Goals - Monthly Update - February

My goals for February:

  • Sign up for Spanish - NOPE - I'm not quite ready to make the commitment
  • Continue walking regularly (17 of 28 days) 
  • Cocktail (Chocolate Covered Strawberry Martini) - need to post about it, but we had the cocktail on Super Bowl Sunday 
  • Continue with the Prisoner - I've watched a few more episodes.  I think I've watch 10 now (there are only 17) 
  • Go to Gallifrey One - YAY
  • Make another new recipe - didn't do this, but have a plan to. 
  • Fitbit miles : 103.35 (total 183.6)
  • Weight - down 0.8 lbs.  hardly counts as a loss but it's not a gain, so that's a win. 

March goals:

  • Continue walking on treadmill
  • Eat at least three fresh veggies / fruit per week
  • Cocktail (not selected yet)
  • Continue with the Prisoner
  • Go to a new winery in Livermore
  • Work on Mackenzie's knit blanket
  • Deep clean one room in the house .. but which one?
  • Reorganize cupboards in kitchen

Cookies #9 - Checkerboard Icebox Cookies

 

Here's the picture from the book, but I made it look like they were mine ...

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. powdered sugar 
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 t. vanilla
  • 2-1/4 c. flour
  • 1 oz. semisweet chocolate
  • 2 T. cocoa powder
 
Nevada's Cookies 

 
Mine
 

Me trying to be artsy and imitate the cover of the book.

 
My helper

These turned out pretty good.  We, my YD and I, were thinking that we might try and roll the dough flatter and then roll them up together and make a swirly cookie.  We'll see if we ever do that.



 

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Goals - Monthly Update - January

I am one day late with this, but wanted to keep track of the walking I'm doing and my weight, as well as some of my other goals.  So here goes.

    Fitbit miles : 80.25
    Weight - 0 lbs lost; 0 lbs gained (this is a win since I was up two pounds earlier in the month)
    We did our cocktail this month.
    Watched more episodes of the Prisoner.
    Made one new recipe.
    Looked into taking Spanish
    Got some pictures hung in the house


My goals for February:

    Sign up for Spanish
    Continue walking regularly
    Cocktail (Chocolate Covered Strawberry Martini)
    Continue with the Prisoner
    Go to Gallifrey One
    Make another new recipe

anything else from the list I can do ...

Cookies #8 - Haystacks

The next cookies (?) are Butterscotch Haystacks.  Not sure they actually qualify as a cookie since there is no baking involved.

Ingredients:

Chow mein noodles
Dry roased peanuts
Butterscotch bits (or chocolate or white chocolate)


Basically, you melt the butterscotch and stir in the noodles & peanuts, let them sit and you're done.

I did butterscotch, white chocolate, and chocolate (but the chocolate I used was dark and very not sweets so that was actually a bust).  The butterscotch were the best.  If I do this again, I will use more noodles and less sauce.

 

2023 - Week 4 : Jan 22 - 28


Jan 24 - one of the cocktails we might be doing this month ...
 

Jan 26 - Happy Baby



Jan 27 - my orchid


Jan 28 - at the mall



Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Cookies #7 - Thin Mints

The most recent cookie was Thin Chocolate Mint Cookies -- basically the girl scout thin mints.  Nevada made hers ages ago.  I just made mine this weekend.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/5 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 c refined coconut oil
3/4 c sugar
2 T. milk
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

for the chocolate coating:
1 pound semisweet chocolate wafers
1/8 t. peppermint oil


The picture from the book

Nevada's cookies

One interesting thing with these cookies was that they were rolled between two sheets of parchment paper.  I'm not sure why.  I also made them smaller than suggested and then overcooked almost all of them.

 
I tried to take a picture like the one in the book.  I realize now that the angle was wrong.

 
If I make these again, I will use less mint in the chocolate and watch the cooking time more carefully.  Might just be easier to buy the girl scout cookies.


Sunday, January 22, 2023

2023 - Week 3 : Jan 15 - 21

Jan 15 - Cocktail Wednesday

 
Jan 16 - the neighbor being friendly 

 
Jan 17 - Charlie
 
 
Jan 19 - the ride to work
 
 
Jan 20 - the ride home
 
 
Jan 21 - Cookie #7 (thin mints)


Cookies # 5 & 6

Cookie #5 - Lemon Sour Cream Cookies
 
Ingredients:
     
    3 cups flour
    1 t. baking powder
    1/2 t. baking soda
    1/2 t. salt
    16 T. butter
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    2 eggs
    1 cup sour cream
    2 t. lemon zest (plus 1/4 cup juice)
    1 oz. cream cheese
    3 cups confectioner's sugar


 
Nevada's Cookies


 
My Cookies

Of course, at this point I don't remember much about the baking of these cookies but they turned out pretty good.

Cookie #6 - Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

    1 can pumpkin
    2 t. pumpkin pie spice
    1/2 t. salt
    15 whole graham crackers (crumbled)
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 t. ground ginger
    8 t. butter
    1 pound cream cheese
    1 T. lemon juice
    2 t. vanilla
    4 eggs

These were pretty good and I made them in early December and then again for Christmas. 

Batch #1


 
Still Batch #1


 
Nevada's Cheesecake Bars

Not sure you can tell, but Nevada's bars were much lighter than mine -- when making my second batch I realized that I had only used half the cream cheese.  I'm guessing that she had made it correctly.  In my second batch, I did some feathering, which turned out okay.  I pulled out some of the cream cheese mixture before adding the pumpkin and used it for the feathering -- I used about a cup.  If I make it again, I will use less of the cream cheese mixture.

 

2023 - Week 9 : Feb 26 to Mar 4

    Feb 26       Feb 27 - the drive home   March 1    March 2 March 4