PM,S! Cookies

Yes,  you heard me right ... I said ... PM,S!  ... it stands for Pamper Me, Sweetie! Let's face it, all us women go through a certain Cranky time of the month and sometimes, the cravings can be out of this world! I'm not one of those women who divulge womanly secrets that are, most times, best kept to ourselves, but I stumbled upon something and I just have to share it! If you guys are listening out there, pay attention, because you won't get insight like this very often. Most times, we just let you guess at what's going on. Stop nodding your heads ... we can't control it, either! But, before you do your little calculations (and you know you do) and run off to play that game of golf, have a few beers with the guys or just plain ol' 'get outta Dodge', try making these cookies for your girl! This is not a recipe that you can do together, you'll probably just get in her way, but you CAN score big brownie points if you bake them for her. And no, copying down the recipe for her is not enough... No matter how many hearts you dot the i's with. I'm going to share a recipe that will cover most common cravings that just may soothe that Tasmanian Devil whirling inside us women at least 3 days a month. Hahaha .... 3 days ....

I've said that I wasn't one of those women, but I've met many who are. I guess I am lucky enough to have one of those faces and personalities that encourages people to open up about things. Secret things. Things even I don't want to hear. But, I just smile, nod my head and politely make my comments so they don't think they are alone. I'll spare you the details, but the things that always fascinate me are the CRAVINGS! I've heard some doozies, like spoonfuls of mustard, Peanut butter on chips, one told me that she has to have Tuna on Graham crackers! YUCK!! Ok, that's crazy. But, the most common cravings are Chocolate, Potato Chips, pickles and anything with sugar. I, myself, frequent my local 7-11 to get Vinegar & Salt chips or find the nearest lemon tree with salt shaker in hand and sit under it, but my favorite is when someone asks, "What happened to the pickle juice??" LOL!!! That cracks me up! I'm 45! Noone has figured out that mystery in all these years?? It's not new!

Ok, so when I started experimenting with this recipe, I had my doubts. I actually, almost quit in the middle and threw it all away... thinking to myself "What are you doing? Are you Nuts??" But, I just put on my headphones, cranked it and let my mind go. Whatever I was feeling at the time must have transfered itself into what I was baking and surprisingly, came out pretty good.... considering what's in them.

P.M,S! COOKIES!!!

(Pamper Me, Sweetie! Cookies)

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
1/2 stick of margarine
3 cups of flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups of crushed potato chips
2 cups of mini chocolate chips
1/2 c shortening
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups of powdered sugar
lemon or lime juice

Preheat oven to 350*. Heat lime juice for about 5 minutes, then put in 1/2 stick of margarine (1/4 cup) to melt. Set aside and let cool. Crush potato chips and set aside.

Whisk flour, cream of tartar and baking soda together.

In mixer, cream shortening, 1/2 cup margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and cooled lime mixture until just blended. It will look curdled. Add flour and mix on medium speed just until incorporated. Remove mixer wand and add potato chips and mini chocolate chips. Stir by hand to mix it all in.

Drop onto parchment in 1/4 cup scoops, they will spread a little, so space apart about 2 inches. Bake for about 15 minutes. or until browning around edges. Let cool for 5 minutes on pan then move to cooling rack with foil lined underneath the rack. Not on the rack.

Mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with enough juice to make a runny icing. When you hold up the spoon,  it will stream down in a nice flow. Spoon icing over warm cookies in a nice curling pattern or back and forth, not glopped on top. Let it cool. It will harden a little and soak into the cookie.

Sounds Gross, huh? lol.... well, I wasn't so sure about them, either. However, the people I asked to try them said they were soothing and pretty tasty! And I even threatened them to tell me the truth!! lol... just kidding! Funny enough, though, the guys weren't too fond of them ... in fact, most only took a bite. The Girls ate the whole thing & they are All Gone! Go figure.

 The Great thing about these cookies is ... one pretty much does the trick. If you make the 1/4 cup size they are perfect to nibble off of for a couple of days. Make your Woman a cup of herbal tea and you'll be the talk of all her girlfriends! The rest can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen until needed again. See?? Easy. As for 'getting out of Dodge'? ... well ... take her with you! Enjoy that game of Golf with her. Just bake mini's for 10 minutes, pack them in a baggie, stick them in your pocket and when it looks like she's about to SMACK you with her Driving Wood ... give her a quick kiss and pop a cookie in her mouth! Repeat as often as needed. She'll forget all about burying you at that next sand trap. On the other hand, Girls ... these cookies might put a little smile on your face, but give the guys a break ... they have no idea! Their instinct is to grab a stick and Poke at the Bear! Just remember, Midol is just like American Express ..... Never leave home without it!

Happy Baking .................& Don't forget your Apron!  

INTENTIONS .....

I SURVIVED!!  I made it through 5 weeks of vacation! HA! You may snort in derision and think I'm a fool .... but, really, 5 weeks is a lot of time to fill when you're trying not to sit on the couch and watch T.V.. Maybe not much has changed, (except hopefully my outlook & attitude) but I did treat this Summer differently than any of the other summers I have had off.  I kept myself busy with my invisible list of INTENTIONS ... I cleaned half of my room, but got rid of a lot of stuff. I never got to the garage, cleaning a hot, sweaty box didn't sound like fun! yuck. I didn't drop a dress size, but I did manage to lose 8 pounds and reached the weight that it says on my Drivers License! LOL!! How many of you can say that?? (never mind ... don't you worry yourself about what that # is... besides, I was young when I got it ... didn't know you could lie about your weight on it! )  I upped my walking distance from 3mi. to 4 ... sometimes twice a day! (I had to work off them brownies! I ate them ALL!!) (not to mention the Wolf Whistles do Wonders for the self esteem! ;D ) I only made 1 apron... have 2 now to post. I went on a couple of dates ... they were fun & really nice guys, but no Love Connection. But,  I think the best parts were seeing my old friends! Some of them more than once. Some, I wish more than once. No matter how Crappy things may seem to  me, I'm always thankful that there's at least one person out there that I can make smile (and, of course, vice versa!) Thank you, all, for being my Friend! Most importantly, I made my quota of 5 BLOGS!!! (counting this one.) HA! It was close there, I know! Oh, Yeah!! I almost forgot to tell you ... Bexbayx is now on FB! So, if you have a FB account, search Bexbayx under cooking/kitchen. Please, Like Me! ; ) I want a URL address so I can post it on my blog! (I want to thank, Robert, for helping me figure the particulars out! You're a Good Kid!) <3 All in all .... a Great Summer!!

Tomorrow, I go back to school ... I mean work ... I say school because those kids teach me something new every day. I'm excited & a little sad. My Boss & Very good Friend will not be there to greet me with her Beautiful Smiling Face & Wonderful Hug. (even as I type this, the tears flow... don't think I will ever get used to it.) On the bright side, I have worked with my new Boss over the Summer & I'm Happy to say that we get along Fabulously! I really like her and it may be a little scary to say that out of the two of us .... I may be the Sane One!! LoL!! Crazy, eh??  She said that I keep her focused and on track! HaHa... yeah, that made me laugh, too! It's going to be a Great year! (WoW! I just had a thought! This will be my 10th Year! whoo.... time flies when you enjoy what you do.) Seriously, though, having so much time off makes you so Thankful that you have a job to go back to. I feel for those who don't have that luxury ... I'm Lucky I do!

So, by now, you're saying, "Be Quiet, Already, and get to the Recipe!!!" Alright, keep your pants on! Well, actually, You're going to SCREAM at me .... I have no recipe. I had a Great one & I had it all written out and then I went to look for my pics. Well, you see, this last week, something happened to my phone and I lost all of  my music ..... and apparently all of my data!! luckily, I downloaded my pics to my laptop, but, here's the kicker ... I don't know if the cake pics were part of that transfer. Guess what?? I can't find them anywhere! BUT!! I did find the Lemon Berry Cake pics (from the last blog) ...... which gives me hope that they are in there! Somewhere. So, here they are and Please, forgive me. No excuses, but, if you go back to my first blogs... you WILL find a statement in there that says I AM NOT ORGANIZED!!! .... I need help.... any takers?

5 minutes of mixing? makes for a very thick batter! Smell the Lemon??

Poking Allowed! Gotta open up them POURS! haha... get it??

You see .... You POUR the berry juice into the holes!  tsk ... it's not funny
If I have to explain it to you .....

Lots of Peaks! White?? .... how boring ...



It doesn't take a lot to please me! a few colorful sprinkles & I'm Happy!
.... doesn't have to be fancy. <3

Happy Baking ............... & Don't forget your Apron!

Music to My Ears!!

What's that SOUND?? .... ahhh, it's a compliment! Compliments are a funny thing... they are hard to take (for me, anyway) but, they are so easy to give (when given sincerely, that is). A few kind words can be infectious with warm fuzzies .... you know that feeling ... it starts at the top of your head, tingles the tips of your ears, hugs you around your shoulders, sends shivers down your spine, swirls down your wobbly legs & shoots out the ends of your toes! The amazing part is .... that's what happens when you receive one ... & ... also when you give one! Ya .... go ahead! ... Try it! I have to warn you, though, it may be addictive! When I'm trying to keep the Gloomies at bay, (which happens more often than not) I smile and say something nice to someone. And I mean it. Sometimes I even say it to myself, because let's face it, if we don't believe it .... then we're not going to feel it! So, get out there and SMILE!

Ok, so... in continuing with my saga ... I had my doubts as to whether my Inspiration would last. I mean, how much more could I ask for than to know that , at least, I had one fan out there! My Uncle brought warm fuzzies to my heart! Who knew I'd get more so soon?

I was feeling a little sluggish from all the food and goodies over that weekend, so I went out on my evening walk, (which in itself is a real mood lifter!) In my first mile, if I take my usual route, I pass by said Uncle's house. Sometimes I'm lucky & he is outside puttering in the yard ... but not that night, so I decided to stop and take a small break! He had retired to his room, but my Aunt was up and talkative, so I chatted. As I got up to leave, she said, "Oh, Becky! I've been meaning to call you ... that Lemon Berry cake you made the other day was so Delicious!! Now, tell me, how exactly did you make it?" If you know my Aunt, you can totally hear her say this ... if not, you should know that she has no intention of baking this cake! She just likes to know how you do it. I smiled, thanked her & sat back down. She then went through every step I had taken in my kitchen the other day. As I smiled & nodded my head at her as she recited it, I kept thinking to myself ... "Wow! Not only was my Uncle watching me, but she was, too!" Now, I'm not so deep as to think like this all the time. Most times I, too, miss the meanings of things, but every once in a while (if we're lucky) we pull our heads out of the sand long enough to notice that, Yes, somebody does see us. I hugged her & went on my way. By my 4th mile, I realized I was still smiling and that more people than usual answered my greetings as we passed. See?? .... Infectious!!

Ok ... I'm not a Sweet Freak (which is odd for a baker, isn't it?), but I can't resist chewy,  fudgy Brownies nor thick, creamy Cheesecake! The two of them together? Well, let's just say, I should eat one and give the rest away! C'mon! You know better than that! I've been walking twice a day just to ease my guilt! The first bite makes your eyes roll into the back of your head and Awesome just didn't quite describe them. I couldn't figure out what to call them and then I remembered a conversation about words that should never go out of style.  So, in an effort to bring back, at least one of those words, I call them .....

BITCHIN' BROWNIES! 

Brownie

1 bag or box of brownie mix

1 egg

1/3 cup oil

Cheesecake

1- 8oz pkg of cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup of condensed milk

1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream (optional to make it creamier ... aww ... go 'hed! Put it in!)

Topping

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup crushed Butterfinger candy bar. (I used the 8 pk. mini bars)

I just heard you GASP!! Did I say this was a HEALTHY recipe?? I don't think so! If you want "Good for you" stuff, I can recommend a few other delicious blogs if you'd like. ; ) However, this is packed with protein ... lol... that's how I justify it, anyway!

First, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Mix in egg. Mix in milk and cream. It should all be blended and creamy.

Next, in another bowl, whisk brownie mix, egg and oil. This is one time, with a brownie mix that you want it all incorporated with no lumps. About 50 strokes should do it.  No whisk? use a wooden spoon, but mix a little longer and make sure there are no lumps.

Then, (oops! forgot to tell you to preheat oven to 350* & spray/grease an 8 inch square pan! This should always be done first. At least, after you read the recipe) (You do read the recipes first, right?) pour brownie mix into prepared pan. An 8 inch square pan will make the perfect thickness for this brownie. Pour the cream cheese mix evenly over brownie. Swirl lightly with a knife to mix brownie with cheesecake, just a little. Bake for a really long time! Seriously, if you want these in a hurry ... forget it! Patience is the key! Bake, at least, 40 minutes. That's when you do the first check. The top should be golden, puffy and jiggly only in a quarter-size circle in the center. ** LIGHT BULB!!** (I just got a Great idea for a blog! The different stages of  Cheesecake! .... Soon! I promise.) When all criteria for doneness has been reached, remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Return to oven for 10 minutes to melt those chips. Remove again and spread chocolate over top, careful not to tear the cheesecake. Then, sprinkle crumbled Butterfingers over the top of chocolate. Let cool for an hour then cover it in foil and place it in the fridge overnight or for, at least, 5 hours. I said "PATIENCE!" .... so worth it!

I see a pattern here! When I am really excited about something & can't wait to dig in .... I forget about taking pictures! I only took 2 ... but they are good ones! Aren't they?? 

Happy Baking ........... & Don't forget your Apron!

SOMEONE!

SOMEONE: He sat across the room in his quiet presence, just watching the activity moving around him. A man of few words, yet, not afraid to express what he is feeling in a few well chosen words. He was surrounded by amazing, beautiful women, but at the moment, he only had eyes for me! I could feel the unmistakable tingles on the back of my neck as I knew he watched every move I made, with admiring interest. A little smile played on my lips as I realized it had been a while since I had felt the desire & anticipation of what we were soon to share together .........

WHEW!! I had myself going for a second, there! How about you? I might have to finish another version of that story in my own private journals ... LOL!! Now that I have your attention .... A few, well chosen words can do so much for the imagination & the soul. Admit it! You conjured a whole different scenario, but inside, the feelings were basically the same....  pulse quickened, shortness of breath, excitement, anticipation .... Yeah.... that was fun, huh?

I guess I don't put much thought into how a dessert affects a situation ... frankly speaking about MY desserts. The last few family gatherings we've had, I didn't take the time to bake for the occassions, but bought something. I always get comments like, "what did you make?" "did you bake the cake?" When I say no ... there's always an "aww ..." followed by a spreading of "...she didn't bake" "it's not hers ..." I usually feel guilty then brush it off as them just being nice. But this time, as I was preparing a cake for my sister's birthday, I noticed my Uncle, sitting with the other women in my family, watching me. He has always been (one of) my biggest fans and I Love that he tells me when something is not right,  (though, that's not often :) ) I don't hear that often enough. Noone is that good .... I know .... who wants to hear it's not their best? Well, I do! A little constructive criticism goes a long way. Anyway, every once in a while, I'd glance at him and I just LOVED the look on his face. I giggled  a little as I imagined him licking his chops... waiting to get at that cake! LOL! The best part was he wasn't even paying attention to all the chatting going on around him because he was too busy asking me questions about what I was doing! 

As I said ... Inspiration comes in many forms and that innocent look of interest on my Uncles face said to me, "Hey! I like what you do!" I knew he wasn't just being nice. He was genuinely excited that he was going to have some of MY cake. *my heart skips a beat* It didn't seem to matter that, in my mind, this was the simplest cake I could think of with the time I had to work with. After dinner, he's usually the first one to say, "Cut The Cake!" Maybe it's the whole social situation he enjoys, maybe it's the dessert he enjoys ... I don't know ... but I appreciate that he always compliments my efforts with a smile. Never under underestimate the power of watching someone enjoy something you've made!

Lemon Berry Cake

2 boxes of white cake mix

1-4 oz. box of lemon jello

6 eggs (room temp.)

3/4 cup of oil

2 cups of hot water (not boiling)

1-8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese (room temp.)

1/4 cup powdered sugar 

2 bags of frozen berries (thawed)

1/4 cup sugar

1-16 oz. tub of whipped cream

sprinkles (optional)

This is a lot of cake mix. I used a 14 x 11 glass cake pan. A 13 x 9 will do, also, but this cake is served from the pan and it left a little room for the berries on top without overflowing. Removing the cake from the pan will work, too. If this is too much cake, you can half everything, except the cream cheese, sugars & whipped cream. Don't forget to spray with Pam or grease with shortening.

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix berries with sugar. Set aside. Whisk cake mix and jello in mixer. Add eggs, oil and hot water. Mix for 1 minute to incorporate, then scrape down the sides. Mix for 5 minutes. Ya... I said 5 minutes! The hot water needs to break down the jello granules. Believe me ... it doesn't make a tough cake!  Pour evenly into pan and bake for 45 minutes. Remember not to poke your cake! They don't like this. Test by pressing with your finger. If it bounces back, it's done. While the cake is baking, Cream the cream cheese & Powdered sugar. set aside. When the cake is cool, poke holes around the whole cake with a knife and a slight twist. Ok! I was wrong! This cake likes to be poked. With a large spoon, spoon berry juice over the cake and into the wholes. Not too much... you don't want it soggy. Spread the cream cheese over the top of the cake. Top, generously, with berries. Then, top it all off with whipped cream. Pulling up with the spoon to make little peaks. Don't forget the sprinkles!  

So, now I'm challenging you to use your Imagination! I've been on a deleting kick lately & I may have deleted the photos before I downloaded them .... because I can't find them anywhere! Hey! ... I said noone's that good .... didn't I??

Happy Baking ............ & don't forget your Apron!

SOMETHING .....

If you have followed my madness .... you may rememember I was telling a story of the wonderful things that have happened to me! Inspiration has seeped into my soul ... lol... omgosh! how dramatic .... and I'm not sure how long it will last, but while I have it, I am planning to make good use of it! I hope you do the same with your Inspiration! I was telling you about ..........

SOMETHING!: Since I've been on vacation, I'm reconnecting with old friends. Last week I had lunch & shopping with a Dear Friend!  We stopped at the book store. As usual, I headed for the baking aisle... found a stool ... browsed for a colorful book ( yes, I'm that simple that colors attract me!) Can't resist brown & pink so I picked up the book and just from the cover ... I could feel the bubbling start! I sat down, placed the book in my lap and slid my hand over the smooth paper cover. Ok, I have to describe it this way because you have to understand my excitement! ; ) When I flipped the book over, OMGOSH!! I just knew the pictures in the book were going to get me going! I could only hope it had a Centerfold!! LOL!!! No, it wasn't that kind of a book, but for me ... it might as well have been! I am so glad I am writing this down because to say it out loud would just make me sound ..... CRAZY!! (which we all know I am not ... ). Anyway, I finally opened the cover and exhileration coursed through me, already, at the sight of the simple flowers ... then ... I couldn't stop myself from running my fingers around the scalloped edges of the pages! Yes, can you believe it? SCALLOPED EDGES!!! As I flipped throught the pages, I knew I had to have this book! The need to try a new recipe .... copy someone else's .... & inspire so many more ideas of my own has been lacking in my life for a long while now. But this Book!! Omgosh ... I had to have it! **sounds of plates crashing or breaks screeching or whatever sound you hear that slams you back into reality** $30!! What?? for a book? With reluctance & sadness, I put it back. Not that I wouldn't have spent that ... I just had to think about it. I know ... anticlimactic, huh? We all thought this was going to be a Happy ending! Well ... Hold on! There's more! Just then, my friend comes around the corner and sees the look on my face, whips out her cell phone and looks it up! Half Price including S&H! I Love Her!! Ok, I'm as furious as the next that books & bookstores are becoming a thing of extinction. The smell & library atmosphere of a bookstore is a total turn on, but when they raise the prices so high ... well ... they sort of force us to sneak around the back alleys, looking for that sweet deal that can't be beat! I don't do it all the time, actually, this was the first, but I'm afraid that it's probably not going to be the last. So, Yes, I went right home and ordered that book online. I can't wait for it to get here!

By now you have to be wondering what the name of this Book Of Books is called and what it looks like! Well, no pics yet, but the name is "miette" by Meg Ray w/Leslie Jonath. Go ahead .. look it up .. and when you do, look at the cute little video Ray made that just oozes inspiration.... the imagination runs wild ...

On my way home ... my mind was reeling with what I was going to whip up first ... something creative & a little challenging! At home, Kylee says, "Beck, when you going to make some s'mores?" well, so much for challenging, but I enjoy making them because Ky Loves them! Very quick & easy.

KYLEE'S S'MORES

32 squares of graham crackers
8 X-large marshmallows, cut in half
16 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups



16 graham cracker squares.

Now THATS a marshmallow!

Cut marshmallows in half.

Yep! Those are Peanut Butter Cups!

Melt in oven ... 5 minutes.

SQUISH!!

One day, Kylee & I saw these Marshmallows ... HUGE! With my LOVE for marshmallows & her LOVE of S'mores ... It was a match made in HEAVEN! There's a regular size marshmallow in the middle... but I ate 'em all! Who knew I was going to be taking pictures??

Lay out 16 graham crackers on parchment. Remember marshmallows are messy!




Cut the X-Large marshmallow in half and place on graham square.





Place a peanut butter cup on each one. You can use chocolate bars, but this is so much tastier.   




Melt in oven for 5 minutes to get them nice & Gooey!






Place the remaining 16 crackers on top. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Gently press.  The Gooey marshmallow & peanut butter cup will SQUISH & hold together.



These can hold up for a couple of days. Eat them cold or return them to the oven or microwave for a few minutes to melt them again.  DO NOT!! I repeat ... Do Not try to eat them in one sitting!  Kylee & I tried this the first time I made them .... UGH!! Made ourselves SICK! I'd like to say lesson learned ... but, you know ... I can't resist marshmallows & she can't resist S'mores! What are you gonna do??        

Happy Baking ...... & don't forget your Apron!