Copyrighted Cookies

It is that time of the year again. Girl Scout cookie time!  As those little "fiesty" girls head out on their beat to deliver the millions of boxes they have pre-sold I sit and wonder what do we do the other 11 months out of the year.  I mean really those little girls have a good plan: once a year they sell the most delicious, non fat cookies (they are non fat right?) and convince us we have to buy stock piles of them and we do.  Until now!  (Well I probably still will)

About 4 weeks ago, on a Friday, our entourage came over to the house to help in possibly one of the biggest projects of our life. This was up there with the Wright Brothers creating flight.  Well God really created flight but you know what I'm trying to say. Homemade Thin Mint Cookies.  The pressure was on if we could call this project a success our lives would be changed forever!  Let me just tell you before the anticipation creates a side splitting pain: IT WAS A SUCCESS and my life is forever changed not only because the cookies are good but I also have decided I like to wear my hair in two braids! YESSS!

Bethany and I. 

Bethany and Bethanne. (Wow that name combo is tricky)
  Bethany ended up with chocolate all over her hoodie, we aren't sure how but it was funny

Look at that double boiler.  The glass bowl was a perfect fit.

Bethanne, Bethany, Becca, Omni(the tiny dog in Ali's arms), Ali
Everyone helped and enjoyed eating the cookies

We had to half dip some of the cookies because we were running low on melted chocolate.  The full dipped was my fav but also I'm not going to turn down a half dipped cookie I don't care what day of the week it is.

Chocolate-Covered Chocolate-Mint Cookies

From Desserts by the Yard

 By Sherry Yard

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate 

Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, peppermint oil, and vanilla and pulse until a dough forms on the blades of the food processor.

Remove the dough from the food processor and shape into a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick disks and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Switch the baking sheets from top to bottom and rotate from front to back and continue to bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cookies are light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on racks. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool between batches. Do not handle the cookies until they are cool, or they'll break; they're very delicate.

Melt and temper the bittersweet chocolate. Keep the chocolate warm while you dip the cookies. Place a sheet pan upside down on your work surface, next to the melted chocolate. Cover with parchment paper. Dip the cookies one by one in the chocolate, using a fork to turn them over and then lift them out of the chocolate. It helps to tilt the bowl forward by leaning it on a folded kitchen towel.


Set the dipped cookies on the parchment, beginning at the far end so you don't drip chocolate on other cookies when you set them down. 


Allow them to cool.  Then enjoy!

not your normal pancakes

First off, I didn't find this recipe on google, take that world wide web. Second, My name is Matt Hypes, I work at Rockbridge (a pretty sweet Young Life camp in Virginia) as a chef. I'd say that's all the introduction we need.

My good friend Michael has been talking up these "protein pancakes" for the past 8 months and a few weeks ago he came over and we made them for breakfast (I forgot to take pictures during the process so you'll have to imagine). I know what each of you is thinking, "pancakes made of meat, that's gross". Well they aren't made of meat but when you read the recipe you'll have to trust me that those ingredients work out to something awesome.

Protein Pancakes:

1 c. Cottage Cheese

1 c. Oats

6 egg whites

1 packet truvia or other sugar substitute

a dash of vanilla

You'll take all the ingredients and put them in your blender or magic bullet. (we used a magic bullet because its awesome and in Michael's case it fits better in a dorm room.) You blend until everything is incorporated, about 1 minute. Now you have a great healthy batter that taste great and cooks up just like a normal pancake. I don't have syrup in my house (for reasons I'm not allowed to share on the internet, kidding I just didn't have any and really if it's not the real stuff I don't really love syrup) so I put peanut butter on mine, and Michael put strawberry jam on his.

After this one time, I have become a firm believer in protein pancakes and will certainly be eating them more often as well as branching out into protein waffles, maybe, I don't really like waffles not made at the waffle house. Michael eats them all the time (seeing how he owns the magic bullet and lives in a place with endless supplies of ingredients, the frat house) and last week he added both blueberries into the batter and blended and then also folded whole blueberries in and said they were awesome.

I hope all you readers out there have enjoyed this post and look forward to hearing from me again and next time yes with cell phone photos of the event.

UPDATE: while typing this blog I did indeed google "protein pancakes" and a ton of recipes came up, all different, with a thousand photos. so if all else fails turn to google.

Fetus Friends!

There is no real reason for naming this blog entry 'Fetus Friends', other than a shout out to our fetus friend Bethany Ward.  Ever since our dearest Bethany introduced us to this title we use it daily at the CPL and have no regrets!

     Ever seen a crime scene on a TV show? Or in real life? (hopefully you weren't a part of one) and wonder how do they make it look so bloody? We have found the secret: RED VELVET ICE CREAM!!!!!! For the CPL's Valentine's Day Extravaganza we wanted to make something red, and edible (blue drank was out) so second on our list was this delicious homemade treat. We googled a recipe for this and are sad to inform you that google fell short.  There is no recipe for red velvet ice cream so let us be the ONLY source of this coveted recipe. 

     Luckily Adrienne is an expert at making homemade ice cream and so this was a challenge she was willing to tackle.  (It's not like she was tackling Romans in a 12 week study or leg pressing 500lbs... right Matt?) 

     Here's the thing about red velvet it makes your mouth red and velvety. The other thing is if you go by this recipe you'll end up with 6 quarts and A LOT of ice cream, this is where having fetus friends is handy. 

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons vanilla

3/4 pint whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3 cans condensed milk

1 box red velvet cake mix (without eggs)

Go to store. Buy ingredients.  Mix red velvet cake mix together, leave out the eggs, set aside. Mix together eggs, sugar, vanilla, whipping cream, salt, condensed milk.  Add in cake batter.  Fill line to the of the ice cream container with skim milk (about 2 cups).  Then let your ice cream maker do the rest.  If you place it out on your back deck your neighbors may complain about the sound, especially if it is on Valentine's Night and you are ruining the mood of their own dessert. 

(Oh my gosh we're WOMB-MATES!- Becca)

Below are the crime scene photos.

This is what the ribcage in the crime scene would look like

This is after we boxed it up for our fetus friends! 

Scoop and enjoy!

-Don't  forget to wear your apron and add two cups of laughter!

Valentine's Day Menu Part 1

Sure we've all heard the story: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy forgets Valentine's day and girl cries. It is a tragic story but luckily there was NO tragedy here tonight we had a Victorious Valentine's Veal (and by veal we mean Salmon).   

Becca uses the salad spinner for the first time.  She says "It's so easy even a cat could do this!"

So DJ Paris got in on the salad spinning. (See what I did there?)

Spring Mix with Gorgonzola cheese, toasted almonds, craisins, apple slices, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette

If you prefer almonds that taste like almonds not burnt toast we would suggest diligently watching your almonds toasting.  However if it is the time of year that you test your smoke detector batteries or you are in the market for a hot firefighter.... (in the words of Usher) let 'em burn!

Salmon fillets with lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Bake @ 350 for 16 minutes.

It is important to spray the baking sheet with, our friend, Pam.  She is a regular here at our house for dinner.  Pam creates a nice crispy bottom on the filet.  

Dinner is served!

Wine to serve: Pinot Noir or a nice Chardonnay.  Make sure you put your ice water in a mason jar. 

-Don't forget to wear your aprons and add two cups of laughter

Parents Avert Your Children's Eyes!

If we are going to cook our way through google we must put our fails on this blog too.  

Choco-Poppo (Chocolate Popcorn) was a BUST! When making chocolate popcorn below is what not to do: make it that is! If you do feed it to your cat, dog, or your next door neighbor that you do not like.   We made two types of chocolate popcorn: hot chocolate popcorn and choco poppo (dark chocolate with a dash of cayenne pepper, by a dash we mean half the bottle- rookie mistake).

Ok here is the truth we may or may not have shredded the recipe because it was so bad.  Basically what it tasted like was hot, soggy, moist chocolate popcorn.  So instead of the actual recipe we have included the reviews of our dearest food critics: our cabin at Oglebay a few weekends ago.

Warning picture is misleading: We did not find gold this is the popcorn

"This popcorn is about as good as our acting"  

-Carl the Mime, Ephraim the Penguin and Floyd Cough & Deck Her

"Can someone please close the popcorn bag, my car smells like chocolate puke"

-Shelly

"What is this stuff? It is wet! We should open it and put it in the freezer"*

-Greg

"Hey has anyone tasted this popcorn? If not don't!"

-Genna

"It is a good thing Orville Redenbacher is dead because this stuff would have killed him"

-Summer

*actual comment

-Don't forget to wear your aprons and add two cups of laughter.

Cooking Our Way Through Google- CPL Style

You may be asking, how do you cook your way through Google when all information ever known in the history of the world can be accessed with the click of a button. Funny you should ask, WE are here to answer that serious question. Have you ever asked, what's for dinner? Has your child ever responded with just one letter? Has your cat ever responded with just one letter? And you think, REALLY?! What do I make with just the letter "G"? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are in the right place*. The CPL is here to help! {If you desire to know what CPL really stands for (NOT Charleston Public Library, not Charleston Police Losers, not Christian People Living -although we are that) you should watch the fabulous documentary entitled The Parking Lot.}  


We have taken on the enormous task of starting with one simple letter and creating a masterpiece so that you don't have to. We're great, right? We know. Sacrificial people at their finest. Each week we, or our guest bloggers, will start with just one letter of the alphabet (Q included), Google it, and cook. Plain and simple. You can find our best practices and worst practices, along with bad quality pictures and funny antidotes.

So next time, when your child (or cat) responds with "I want K for dinner", you'll know where to go to learn how to cook "K". Jump on your scooter and take a cyber stroll through CPL's blog. We're kinda like Batman and your kitchen is our Gotham City --- almost as good as upside down kissing Spiderman.


*Even if you answered no, you're still in the right place.

Gracochoberry Bars

Never heard of Gracochoberry Bars? Neither have we until we made them, made them up that is. We started with THE BEST GRANOLA Bar ever recipe and the Homemade Granola Bars recipe by Phoo-D (compliments of google) and tweaked them slightly for our tastes buds enjoyment.  Needless to say everyone at Oglebay appreciated our new found talent.  Our recipe is below enjoy!  

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped nutty nuggets (often referred to as Grape Nuts for the upper class)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds (de-shelled)
1/2 cup cocoa almonds  (chopped)
1/2 cup toasted almonds (chopped)
1 bag coconut flakes
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of honey (not your significant other just regular honey)
4 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chopped dried cranberries (don't try to chop again because it won't work)
1/2 small bag of 60% dark chocolate chunks



Combine the oats, nutty nuggets, sunflower seeds, both almonds, and coconut onto a baking sheet and toast @ 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Checking every couple of minutes and stirring (we forgot this and it still turned out great).  In a saucepan, while toasting, add brown sugar, butter, honey, vanilla, and salt bring the mixture to a STRONG boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly, turn off the heat. Place the toasted ingredients into a large bowl and stir in the fruit and dark chocolate. (This is where it gets good).  Pour the hot liquids into the bowl and stir AGGRESSIVELY, until all the ingredients are moist and well combined. Using a wooden spoon or spatula scrape the mixture into a 11X13 rimmed baking sheet, lined with wax paper.  (Please spray wax paper with cooking spray unless you desire to ingest paper de wax).  Press down evenly to spread out mixture.  Add another sheet of wax paper and press down HARD over the Gracochoberry bars.  Set aside and let the bars cool for 2-3 hours until they have hardened.  At this step we really wish we had cut them because after they were hard we had some problems making them look unified.  After they are hard, if you did not cut them previously, break/ cut and enjoy!

Don't forget to wear your aprons and add in two cups of laughter! See you next time. 

-CPL