Soft Brown Sugar Cookies

*From the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook
Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter, softened
1-1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sour cream

Directions:

Blend together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time; blend well. Add vanilla; beat until light. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto non-stick or lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove to a wire rack; cool. Frost with Browned Butter Frosting. Makes 2 dozen

Browned Butter Frosting
1/4 c. butter
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. Milk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden. Watch carefully as this will happen quickly. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and enough milk to make a spreading consistency.

*If you are expecting a cookie then you might be disappointed. If you can make the recipe and expect a cupcake-like consistency then you might love them. I thought they were just ok. They tasted good, but the cake-like cookie was a bit weird.

Lounge Pants - DIY

I've been wanting to make clothes for Greyson. Not a whole wardrobe, but a few pieces here and there. I found a great tutorial on how to make lounge pants. Luke had discarded a few old polo shirts and I saved them for a project like this. I made my own pattern and cut the pieces out. At this point, I decided to take the pieces to Springfield to have my Grandma help me. We got a pair of pants sewn in no time. I love them!

I decided to try to make another pair. I proceeded to sew the crotch together the wrong way. I back-stitched and everything, so I didn't want to take the time to undo them. Plus, knits make it hard to hide mistakes. I decided to make small bean bags. I read on a blog the other day that a bean bag toss is great for toddlers. The bean bags turned out great. We even had something that worked for the hole to toss them in to,. We used the CAT HOUSE. lol

1st pair of pants

Egg and Spinach Cups

I made these for Greyson and he loved them. Luke liked them as well. I changed up the original recipe to include fresh veggies. I definitely going to use this recipe more often and include all kinds of different veggies and herbs. Easy and quick.

Egg and Spinach Cups
Adapted from Under 400

10 ounces fresh chopped spinach
3 eggs
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
2 Garlic cloves

Saute garlic, onions, red pepper and spinach for about 3 min. Stirring occasionally.
Line a 12 cup muffin tray with foil baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients.
Divide evenly among the cups.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
May then be frozen if desired.
Makes six-eight muffin cups.

** These kept well in the fridge for three days.

Greyson Got Mail

Greyson got mail from his great grandparents on Friday. He was so excited. I showed him the envelope and told him that he got mail. He snatched it from my hands and just looked at it. I told him we needed to open it and see what was inside. He found quarters when he opened it. He loves to feed his alligator bank, so that is what we did. He loved every minute of it.

I'm back in the game!

2 Gillette Body Wash for Men
4 Boxes of Cheerios
2 Toothbrushes
2 Tubes of Toothpaste

I've been in a bit of a rut with my coupon savings. During the last few months, I have consistently been at 60-65% savings. Not impressive. Well, that changed for me this weekend. 88%!!! I am still excited about it. Total spent = $3.32. Yep, that is no typo. THREE DOLLARS AND THIRTY-TWO CENTS! Go me...go me.. go.. me. Just had to share. =)

Baby Quilt : Part 1

I finished cutting the baby clothes in to pieces for the quilt. I ironed the pieces and now have to make sure they are all the same size (which they definitely aren't). I decided to cut them before I ironed them, because it is extremely hard to iron itty bitty onesies. So, my next step is to make sure the pieces are the same size. After that, I have to buy white fabric and cut white pieces for the missing panels. I'm going to give myself until the end of August to get this completed. =)

Chocolate Chip Dip Recipe

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened or cubed), softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Graham cracker sticks
Directions

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Serve with graham cracker sticks. Yield: 2 cups.

Recipe from Taste of Home.

Luke liked the recipe, but said it wasn't amazing. It was so fast and easy that it wouldn't have to be amazing to make it. Let me know what you think if you make it. I don't like cold cream cheese dips, so I didn't like it.