Happy Easter–Egg!!

I have to admit, Easter caught us a bit off guard this year.  Easter in March is just…you know–weird. It’s still cold out and there’s not too much Spring yet. Who decides these things anyway?

IMG_1901The kids declared that an egg hunt was in order–whether or not Spring had officially sprung.

IMG_1903And what child will ever argue with a basket full of Easter eggs with tons of surprises inside?

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The big “kids” were thrilled at the prospect too.

Obviously.

Back in my day–when I was the mama filling all those eggs for my babies to find–we just packed those suckers with as many malt ball eggs and jelly beans and gummy bunnies as we could get our mitts on.

It’s a wonder all their teeth didn’t fall out. Sheesh.

But this year–my smart cookie daughter, came up with an idea that would give the kids just enough sugar in the plastic eggs to give them a buzz–but not so much that they’d run around the coffee table 45 times in 2 minutes.

She loaded some of the eggs with plastic coins that the kids could turn in to the Bunny Store, for cute little prizes. Good thinking girlie.

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Candy-schmandy. What’s sugar compared to a Sponge Bob kite and a pink bunny face mask–I ask you?

The little peeps were thrilled beyond belief.

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And we still found plenty of surprises in the eggs.

HAAAAA

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

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I found this luscious little recipe lonnnng ago, when my kiddos were small. Everyone who ever popped one in their mouth would say, “Ooooh,  chocolate AND peanut butter. Where’s the milk?”

It was definitely a family favorite.

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Then, we moved…like 50 times. Ok, maybe it just felt like it. ANYway, in all the hustle and bustle of packing and unpacking, and the kids growing up and having their own kids (what?!!), somewhere, somehow we lost the recipe. And no, I did not have it memorized. That would have been smart.

Gone. Gone. Gone. Oh, the tears we wept.

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Then one magical day, as I was sorting through an old recipe file that belonged to my mom, what should fall innocently out, onto my lap? My long, lost Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie recipe!! WA-dang-HOOOO!!! I still have no idea how it even got in there in the first place, but who cares? Can you hear me singing, “Re-u-ni-ted and it feeels so gooooood,” ? Well, I am.

Now, my friends, you are free to sing and dance and frolic merrily, while you eat these amazing things. But, the catch is–you have to make them yourself.

I’m eatin’ mine.

Don’t forget the milk.

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 large egg

2 tsp vanila extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-1/4 cups flour

Heat oven to 375 degrees
In a large bowl beat butter and peanut butter until creamy.
Add sugars, cocoa, egg, vanilla, and baking soda; beat until fluffy.
Slowly add flour and mix on low speed just until flour is blended.
Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1-1/2 inches apart.
Flatten with a glass.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool for one minute before removing to a wire rack.

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5.0 from 2 reviews
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
 
¾ cup butter 1 cup peanut butter ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup brown sugar ½ cup cocoa powder 1 large egg 2 tsp vanila extract ½ tsp baking soda 1-1/4 cups flour
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup butter
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp vanila extract
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1-1/4 cups flour
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a large bowl beat butter and peanut butter until creamy.
  3. Add sugars, cocoa, egg, vanilla, and baking soda; beat until fluffy.
  4. Slowly add flour and mix on low speed just until flour is blended.
  5. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.
  6. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1-1/2 inches apart.
  7. Flatten with a glass.
  8. Bake for 8 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and cool for one minute before removing to a wire rack.

My Sweet Babies

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Look how big my babies are getting after only a WEEK!

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Their wing feathers are growing more visible now. Oh, and we have..ahem…two more than we had last week.

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The new girls look a lot like the black stripe-y Barred Rock, but they’re more black–at least for now. But get this–they lay eggs that look like CHOCOLATE Easter eggs.

Yeah, I really didn’t have any choice. I had to buy them.

I gave them a little pile of weeds and they LOVED it. Of course, they think they are all grown-up–pecking and scratching like big girls–but in reality I don’t think they actually ate much.

But they are so dang cute!

 

 

Over The Moon~

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LOOOOOK!!! I have my cute little chickies!! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally get my very first batch of babies here.

If you know me, even a little, you probably know that I have wanted chickens of my own since I was a little girl. Heaven knows THAT is a long time! Well, the day is finally here my friends. To say that I’m “over the moon” is to put it lightly.

It’s so much fun to take care of them too. I wondered if it would be scary, but it’s not. It’s amazing. They get so excited when anything happens, you know like– changing their water or moving their food dish. They run around chirping like it’s Christmas. It’s awesome I tell you.

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This is Tootsie. She and her sister Ruby are our Rhode Island Reds.

Hen Rhode Island Red

She will look like this someday.

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And this is Mable. She and her sisters Ji (that’s Chinese for “chicken.”), and Oreo are Barred Rock babies.

hen Barred Rock

This is what they’ll grow up to be.

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This is one of our Russian Orloffs.

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And this is her sister. They don’t have proper names, because our resident Russian expert hasn’t named them yet. I think he wants to get to know them a bit first. Sheesh.

Hen Russian Orloff

They will look something like this when they are bigger. Quite exotic–wouldn’t you say?

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This is Goldie. She and her sisters Chickoletta and Marshmallow Peep are Buff Orpingtons.

Hen Buff Orpington

They will look like this, nice and plump and fluffy. Hopefully tooo plump to fly over the fence.

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These little girls are making me sooo happy, I can hardly tell you.

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I hope they will be happy with us for a long time….

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Because I’ve waited for them…

forever.

Vintage Raisin Cake

When I was a young girl, our family vacationed at the home of one of my aunts. She was a lovely, kind, farm-y sort of soul and I watched everything she did. Mostly because I was certain that someday I needed to be the same, exact type person and I wanted to learn from the best.

One evening, after supper, she brought out the most luscious, Cinnamon Raisin Cake that I’d ever tasted. The really amazing thing was that I didn’t want to taste it in the first place because I am not a fan of raisins. AT all. Quite certain I told her so…politely.

Pretty sure my aunt told me something like, “Too bad. Have some anyway. You’ll love it.”

Oh, my goodness. Was she ever right.

She’s been gone for quite a while now. But today, for a few scrumptious moments…

we had her back…

and it was lovely.

 

 

Vintage Raisin Cake
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • 1 t vanilla
Instructions
  1. Cook raisins in water till about 1 cup of water is left.
  2. Whirl raisins and water in the blender for about 5 seconds.
  3. Cream sugar, butter and eggs.
  4. Add raisins and liquid.
  5. Blend in flour, salt, soda, vanilla and spices.
  6. Spread batter in 11 x 17 cookie sheet as though baking a cake.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-18 minutes.
  8. While still hot, spread with thin layer of powdered sugar icing or sprinkle with brown sugar--if desired.
  9. Cool and cut into bars.