Dark Chocolate Chewy Cookies...

I love chocolate. I mean, most of you probably knew it, but just in case I haven't said it lately, I really love chocolate. I follow a really great food blog called Baked Perfection and everything I have ever tried is really good.

So, I tried  her double chocolate cookies and found that she adds a box of dry instant pudding mix to her cookies. I am telling you what, they really make the cookies soft and long lasting. A really excellent addition.

So, today I made a batch of these wonderful and tried one just to be sure. Yep, they are awesome! You may be saying to yourself, "Isn't she trying to lose weight? Is she cheating on her diet?"

Yes and no.  I am losing weight but I am not cheating. With Weight Watchers you can eat anything as long as you track it and it stays within your point allowance. I have allowed myself to eat two today. One thing I do in order to restrict my eating and yet indulge my absolute love for cookies, is I dip all the dough out into cookie balls and then quick freeze them on a cookie sheet, bag them and then just bake 1-2 cookies when I plan for them. It is a win-win. I mean, if I am going to use 3 points for a cookie, I want it warm and delicious.

Here they are, frozen into balls. You can see I have already bagged a bunch of them. It only takes about 20-30 minutes for them to freeze. When you want a cookie bake the amount you want at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or so.

So, here is the recipe. Adapted from Baked Perfection.

CHEWY DARK CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Beat together in a mixing bowl till creamy:

            2 sticks butter [1 cup]

            2/3 C granulated sugar

            2/3C brown sugar

            1 tsp vanilla extract

Add:

            2 eggs, one at a time beating after each one

Mix together in another bowl and then add slowly to butter mixture:

            2  C flour

            2/3 C baking cocoa [dry]

                        1 tsp baking soda

                        ½  tsp salt

                        1 package chocolate instant Jello Pudding, the dry mix, not prepared, 4 serving size

            Stir only to combine all ingredients. Do not beat. Add:

                        2 Cups [12 oz] chocolate chips or 1 2/3 Cups M&Ms

                        1 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans [optional]

Stir till chocolate chips are combined. Do not beat or over mix.

Drop cookie dough onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheets. For large [rounded Tablespoon size] cookies for 11-13 minutes till cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

And for regular chocolate chip cookies that stay soft and chewy:

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

           

Beat together in a mixing bowl till creamy:

            2 sticks butter [1 cup]

            ¾ C granulated sugar

            ¾ C brown sugar

            1 tsp vanilla extract

Add:

            2 eggs, one at a time beating after each one

Mix together in another bowl and then add slowly to butter mixture:

            2 ½ C flour

                        1 tsp baking soda

                        1 tsp salt

                        1 package vanilla instant Jello Pudding, the dry mix, not prepared, 4 serving size

            Stir only to combine all ingredients. Do not beat. Add:

                        2 Cups [12 oz] chocolate chips

                        1 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans [optional]

Stir till chocolate chips are combined. Do not beat or over mix.

Drop cookie dough onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheets. For large [rounded Tablespoon size] cookies for 11-13 minutes till cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

And for another taste treat I made on Sunday--brownies on the bottom and chocolate chip cookie dough on top, baked till soft and delicious. Also adapted from Baked Perfection.  Also, a bonus recipe of Turtle Brownies.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BROWNIES

(1) Make a batch of the chewy chocolate chip cookies above—you won’t use all the dough.

(2) Make a batch of Brownies for Kids or a box mix [for a 9x13 pan].

BROWNIES FOR KIDS

9x13 pan

1 1/2C flour                 2 sticks butter

2 C sugar                     4 eggs

3/4C dry cocoa            2t vanilla                    

Combine all ingredients.  Beat with mixer for 2 minutes.

Put the brownie batter in a well greased 9x13 or larger pan, I like 10x14 Pyrex and spread evenly. You can either mold the cookied dough into flat sections and place over brownie batter or just drop tablespoons of it onto the brownie batter. Push the dough down so it is even with the brownie batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cookie portion is brown and the brownies are set.

These are delicious and very rich.

TURTLE BROWNIES

Make a batch of Brownies for Kids [above].  Spoon 2/3 of the batter in the bottom of a greased  9x13 baking pan.

Sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chips [mini or regular size] over batter.

Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large saucepan, heat over low heat until melted:

            1- 14oz package of caramels, unwrapped

            1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Pour caramel mixture over baked brownie layer. [Optional: sprinkle with pecan pieces.]

 Drop remaining brownie batter over caramel by teaspoonfuls. Spread batter with an offset spatula till even.

Bake 35-40 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Do not over-bake. Cook on a wire rack. You may want to sprinkle with Powdered sugar before serving.

Take care,
Jill

Oh, my! I lost a whole Kate!

My niece Kate comes over once a week so my husband Bob can give her piano lessons and so she can help me out around the house. She is an awesome pianist and in the past two years has improved dramatically.

Besides listening to her beautiful music, I really enjoy her help. She is very versatile and helps me do everything from dusting, to stickering my Sonlight catalogs and cards, to beveling my homemade soap, to making  soap balls and helping me bake cookies.

She is also an amazing cookie tester! One time she and her sister Evelyn and I made chocolate covered oreos-and then she was more like a chocolate covered Kate. Nice as always, but a bit sweeter.

Well, today we hit a milestone. Kate weighs 55 pounds and I have now lost 55 pounds, so I lost a whole Kate! Here we are together today. I don't know how I could have stood walking up and down stairs and doing all the tasks I do with a whole Kate added onto to my body--but I did it for years!

I am much happier having Kate stand in front of me and helping me than I was having her strapped to my back. [Not really you understand, but it is still something that I could have lost a whole girl and still have my whole self left!]

So, today was a red letter day. I lost a whole Kate and still have the real Kate to enjoy and love and watch grow into a wonderful young woman. I am a very blessed woman.

Take care,
Jill

Do you do Facebook?

I would love if you would come and like my Paths to Learning Facebook Page.

Thanks,
Jill

I made a wood tote...

 We have a wood stove at our cottage and Bob cut and split  a bunch of wood this summer and fall. Then he stacked it on some patio blocks next to our walk out basement patio.

So, when we go out the farm, he brings it in the basement and then brings up the wood he put in the basement last week for me to make a fire.

But, wood is messy and when he brings up a few logs they make a mess and are used up quickly. We needed something to tote the wood in that would confine the mess as well.

I took a pair of my old jeans and sewed the legs together so that they were like one heavy duty piece. Then, I ran some nylon rope through each leg and out the top. I burned the ends of the rope so it wouldn't ravel, tied a good knot, then pulled the rope so the knot would be in one of the legs.

I then sewed across each end a couple of times so the rope handle is sewed tightly so it won't come undone. I have a pretty heavy sewing machine, but if you don't, you can sew this by hand using heavy thread.

 You can see how the top and bottom look in these photos.

 Then Bob just lays out the jean carrier and piles the wood on top. He can take more than this, but this is just to give you an idea.

 Then, he pulls up the two handles and carries it upstairs.

When he lays it down, the dirt, bark pieces and so on are all contained in the carrier and can be shaken out outside.

Very neat and it only took me about 1/2 hour to make out of old jeans and some rope. I ideally a larger gauge of rope would be nicer, but he isn't carrying it far and this is what we  had.

This has been a great invention for us and keeps the family room neat and clean. Also, it can hang on a peg or hook or just be tossed in a bucket when you aren't using it.

Take care,
Jill

Another tasty recipe...

Bob was out of town for overnight so tonight I only had to feed myself. I LOVE chicken so I decided to try this healthy recipe from Marilyn S., a friend of mine.

Bruschetta chicken [on the lower part of the photo]. I added a smashed baked potato with broccoli, cheese and sour cream and had a wonderful meal.

The potato was two organic yellow potatoes which together weighed 7 oz, raw. I poked them with a fork and nuked them in my microwave for 3 minutes. Then before serving I smashed them with a cup and peeled away the top bit of skin. I topped them with some left over broccoli, low fat cheese and 1 T of low fat sour cream. For Weight Watchers, that is 5 pp+ for the potato, 0 for the sour cream and I used 1 oz total of the low fat cheese for the potato and the chicken, so that is 2 points for that.

For the chicken, I put my Carhartt sweatshirt on and went out and fired up the grill. It was starting to rain so I am glad we are KY hicks and have our grill on our covered front porch.

For one person:
 1 boneless-skinless chicken breast, pounded slightly to even out thickness marinated in 1T Italian dressing. I used fat free Italian [it is what I had on hand] and added 1 tsp olive oil to it and put it all in a zip lock bag. Marinate at least 10 minutes. My chicken weighed 7 oz raw, so that is 6 pp+ total, 5 for the chicken and 1 for the healthy fat.

Bruschetta topping--Mix together in bowl:
1/2 - 1 tomato, finely chopped {I used a whole Roma}
2T oz mozzarella cheese {I used low fat and used 1 oz total for potato and chicken combined}
1T chopped fresh basil
garlic powder--optional

Heat grill to med [around 350 degrees] and cover 1/2 with foil sprayed with PAM.  Put chicken on uncovered 1/2 of grill and cook 6 minutes with the lid down. Turn chicken over onto the foil and top with the Bruchetta topping, grill with lid down for 8 minutes more until done.  I just used my timer and set it for the appointed minutes and didn't peek. It was done perfectly when the timer went off.

My total meal: 13 WW Points plus, and that included 1 healthy oil, a couple of veggies, lean protein and tasted great. It was also a LOT of food and was incredibly filling.

Enjoy,
Jill

Brownie Batter Pancakes...

  I have been looking for new recipes that are low fat and tasty and came across this recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie . I made some this morning and decided I would make a few changes, but this was a fun and delicious way to enjoy breakfast. This is for one large serving and it is 4 Weight Watcher Points+, but that includes 1/3 serving of milk. So, drink 2/3 cup milk and for 5 points you have breakfast and get in one dairy. I topped mine with a sliced banana and 1 tsp maple syrup. The banana adds some fiber and really fills you up.

Brownie Batter Pancakes

Servings: 1 • Size: 6-8 silver-dollar pancakes  4 WW Points+
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup flour [3 pts]
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda [if using buttermilk or yogurt]
• 1 Tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder (or dutch cocoa)
• 1  tsp sugar pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 C skim milk, non fat yogurt, nondairy milk of your choice [1 pt]

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients very well, then add wet and stir in with a fork till everything is mixed together. Spray a medium hot frying pan with PAM [I like to use cast iron] and fry small bits of batter at a time. I did mine in about 2-3 batches and sprayed lightly between batches. There are only 130 calories in this entire recipe.  I add once sliced banana and 1 tsp maple syrup or  you could add 1 tsp of Hershey's chocolate syrup [no points] and omitted the sugar in the recipe. 2T of canned [under pressure] whipped cream would be wonderful and adds no points.

Take Care,

Jill

I am Billy...

 I have been walking every day, trying to increase my fitness level while reducing my weight. When I got stuck in my weight loss a couple of weeks back I decided I really needed to get serious about more exercise.

Instead of just doing the same route every day, I decided I would walk a certain amount of time. With Weight Watchers, I need to walk fast [3-5 mph] for 11 minutes to earn one activity point. With trepidation I increased my goal  from 12 to 21 points a week.

So far, so good. I walk like mad and then look and see how long I have been walking. I don't have a pedometer because everyone I have ever had has either dropped off my pants, landed in the toilet, been stepped or sat on. They just don't stay on all day and if I am going to use one I like to use the step counter feature and keep it on all day. [Do you know that when I am working in the Sonlight booth at convention I log around 10 miles in one day!]

At any rate this week I found a neat tracking tool on www.sparkpeople.com. I put in my zip code and can plot the route I took that day, put in the number of minutes and my weight and it tells me how far I walked, the rate of speed and how many calories I burned. It is very encouraging to see that I burn around 400 calories a day-and truth be told, probably more because of  all the hills around here.

The funny thing is, my route looks exactly like the one that Billy made above. I just about get home, look at the timer in my pocket and realize that I need to go 8 more minutes. So, I backtrack, maybe walk up and over the bridge over the rail road tracks, then come back. Or I walk all the way to the Veteran's Center, backtrack, then walk out by the college and around town, stopping at the IGA to pick up bananas or onions or something. 

So, I am Billy. Inquisitive, going where I will, and burning 400 or more calories a day in the process. Life is kind of like a circus, after all.