Halloween Costumes: Specially Featuring Pokemon!

Happy Halloween!  

This year the costumes were a little stressful.  My youngest wanted to be Spiderman (we already have it- yes!) and my 2nd oldest wanted to be a football player (we already have it- yes!) but my oldest wanted to be Garchomp.  The Pokemon Garchomp.  Which you cannot buy in a store. 

Easy peasy right?  AAHHHHH! Is what I am thinking.  He originally wanted to be a shower like the Karate Kid and I tried desperately to try and convince him how cool that would be.  Didn't work.  So I got my brain thinking and myself shopping to try and find some stuff.

And then on Saturday I decided I just needed to bite the bullet and start.  I hate sewing.

After all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon I finished!!!!  Hallelujah!

So now we have babe's costume:

My costume:

My oldest's costume:

Now my second child saw how much fun it was for me to spend all my time making the oldest a costume.  So Sunday he declared he wanted to be Pichu.  Groan.  Kill me now.

I thought- maybe I can do this in time for our church trunk or treat on Wednesday so off I go again- looking for yellow clothes.  Luckily my mom had sent me some yellow dye a few years ago and my son already has some Iowa State football pants (ahem) so I dyed a shirt yellow, he will wear his football pants inside out and he will wear this:

And we are good.

The tail isn't zig-zagged says my husband.  Shuddy (we are using a black cat tail from the costume box). I am done.  Wait, yes I will need to make a collar tonight but I am done.  Oh, now my oldest wants me to make some adjustments to the costume.  NOOOO.  I am done people.  No adjustments.

Happy Halloween!

Cookie Sunday Batch #3: Chocolate Caramel Cookies

We are well on our way with our Cookie Sunday!  The kids are loving it.  We talked about what the different sized meant and how to level off cups.  And best of all we made cookies!

This week they picked Chocolate Caramel Cookies.  These are another one of my childhood favorites that my mom used to only make at Christmastime to give out to other people.  They are really good- if you like caramel and you like chocolate you will LOVE these cookies!

Chocolate Caramel Cookies
1 c. butter softened
1 c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped pecans
13 oz. pkg Rolo candies (I only found 11 oz. pkg but it still works)

Cream butter, 1 c. sugar, and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Combine flour, cocoa, and soda; add to creamed mixture and beat just until combined.  Stir in 1/2 c. pecans.  Shape dough by tablespoons around each candy.  In small bowl combine remaining pecans and sugar; dip each cookie halfway.  Place with nut side up on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 for 7-10 mins. until top is slightly cracked.  Cool for 3 mins, remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes about 5 dozen (depending on how big your cookies are and how many rolos you have)

We ended up making about 4 1/2 dozen and had some rolo candies left over (the kids kept eating them of course too).  The kids made them pretty large- which for these cookies means they were about the size of regular cookies.  Normally these are kinda small.  And we didn't have any pecans and lots of sugar makes me sick so we opted out of the sugar topping.

These also freeze well so you can make them when you have time before and then just thaw to give away/ eat.  The dough is really good- try it with a reeses pb cup or other candy to see how it tastes!

Enjoy!

Why I've Been Slow

I have not had the time to do a lot of crafting.  Why you ask?  Is it because I have 3 young boys who go to 2 different schools, are involved in before school band and orchestra, after school chess club and ice skating, and have tutoring 2 times a week?  Well, no.  Is it because my husband has a more demanding position at church now that takes him away a lot and he is working on his PE so he is studying and taking classes almost every night? No.  It is because of this....

Yup, we're expecting a baby.  May 2015.  This is how I announced it:  (it's a little gruesome so you might want to not go any further if that stuff grosses you out)

So not only have I not been able to eat sugar (ACK!) I am so tired.  One of these days I'll have time to do more crafts right?  Hahahaha yeah right. ;)

Cookie Sunday: Batch #2

Ummmm chocolate chips cookies!  Sometimes I just have to have them.  I have a great recipe (that I have memorized) for single serving chocolate chip cookie that I make after the kids go to bed I'll have to share sometime.  But meanwhile, these glorious cookies just beg to be eaten.

This is by far my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  It tastes just like a coffee shop cookie.  It is REALLY good.  It is from my brother's friend from high school that could just whip this up perfectly EVERY TIME.  That being said it is also the hardest cookie recipe I own.  I'll put some tips after the recipe.

Kasey's Cookies
soften cube butter (1/2 c.)
Add: 1/2 c. sugar
         1 egg
         3/4 c. brown sugar
        2 tsp. vanilla
Mix well
Add: 2 c. flour
         1/2 tsp. salt
         1 tsp. baking soda
Add slowly: 12 oz chocolate chips
Bake in preheated 375 oven for 8-10 mins.


Okay, so very important- the butter has to be softened.  Like kept on the counter 1/2 a day soft.  Or else it just. won't. work.  The batter is really thick and not very moist and when I've tried microwaving the butter to soften it- it doesn't work.

Also, be sure to mix at the end so that the batter sticks together.  I've read that you mix the egg and sugar mixture to make great cookies, but I'm so afraid to overmix and I've failed at this recipe so many times I wouldn't try it for this one.

I use a papered chef scoop for the cookies- both the medium and large work well.  I really want to try and make the gigantic size ones like at the coffee shop so that it feels real legit but I dunno- use an ice cream scoop for that?  I'm not in the know for how to do that.  I'll have to check pintrest lol.

Bon appetit!  It really is REALLY good!  Everyone I've made these cookies for LOVES them.  Some people say it tastes just like cookie dough.  So give it a try and enjoy!

Cookie Sunday

The boys and I have decided that Sunday should be official "Cookie Day" and we should bake a different type of cookie each week.  Sounds yummy to me!

For this week we made Chocolate Waffle Cookies which is a favorite of mine from when I was a child.  These unique cookies are very simple to mix and cook- and if uses a waffle iron so no heating up your house or cookie sheets to clean :)

We just ate them plain, but it you want to fancy them up add some strawberries and whipped cream and you have a very delicious eye catching dessert!  They definitely taste better warm.

Waffle Cookies:
1/2 c. melted butter
3/4c. sugar
2 beaten eggs
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients (I like to wisk the butter, eggs, and cocoa together so there are no coco clumps and then add the rest).  Drop by tsp. ful in each section of a pre-heated waffle iron and bake for 50 seconds.  (I just use the light sensor on my waffle iron to see when they are done). Lift off with fork.  Eat while warm.


I have to say I am very picky about my cocoa powder!  This is the only stuff I will use:

Trust me- good cocoa powder does make a difference!
Enjoy!