Trick or Treat Cookies

Work today was a great day for baking...and we had lots of overripe bananas, so made several recipes.  First a great banana bread recipe, second a banana cake recipe.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring those recipes home, so I'll have to share those recipes another day.


Twelve years ago, I met my husband...and as they say, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."  Ok, well, I don't do a lot of "cooking," but "baking" is another story.  I love to bake...cookies, breads, cupcakes, muffins, cakes.  Tonight, on the eve of Halloween, I baked cookies for him to take to work.

I really don't have a name for them yet...maybe in honor of Halloween, I could call them "Crispy Critters," but instead, I'll keep it simple, "Crispy Chip Cookies."  So, if you are reading this, and know where my husband works, you can probably go "trick or treating" tomorrow and get a cookie!! :)

One thing I love about this time of year is the special baking items available, such as Andes Peppermint Chips, the Nestles orange and black chocolate chips for Halloween, or the Nestles red and green Christmas chips. I have been known to purchase multiple bags of these special items and put them in the freezer for use at other times of the year. 

So, till next time, I hope you enjoy this recipe:

Crispy Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 T. vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 packages Nestles orange and black chocolate chips
1 cup crispy rice cereal

In large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix completely.  Stir in the chips and cereal.  Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes, or until desired golden brown.  (I like my cookies a little less done, but my mom always liked hers darker golden).  Let cool a few minutes, then remove and place on wire rack or aluminum foil to cool.  Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

I use a small ice cream dipper (in the food-service world, it is a #40 dipper...which is about 1 1/2 Tablespoons), so my cookies are uniform sized and shaped.  If you have a child in 4-H, this is a great way to keep cookies the same sized to make the judges happy!! I should know...I used to be one of those judges.  And for those of you who want your kids to be involved in a great organization, I would highly encourage 4-H...it made a difference in my life, and helped me become the person and professional I am today. 

A Good Book Vs. Baking Cookies

Work came very early...was there at 4:50 a.m. to be exact!!  The doors weren't even unlocked yet, so sat and waited.  It was certainly hard to go, though, on such a rainy morning.  It would have been so easy to stay at home, with my cup of coffee and a good book.  Oh, wait...when working on a master's degree, I don't think there is such a thing as a "good book."  It's all about business plans, theories, research papers, and text books.

As for "good books," my favorite author is Joanne Fluke.  She writes the Hannah Swenson series, which is a mystery series based on a cookie shop in Minnesota.  These books are fun reading, pretty basic mysteries, but my favorite part...there are recipes in every book!!  Baking is one of my passions, and since the series is based on a cookie shop, there are lots of cookie recipes.  I have tried some of the recipes, and they have all been really good...and she has even written a cookbook now that features all of her recipes.  Her next book comes out in February...guess what I'll be reading then!!

Another great author is Diane Mott Davidson...also a mystery writer based on a catering business.  Also recipes included, so is right up my alley.  I have also made some of her recipes, but she includes a greater variety, including appetizers, entrees, salads, etc, and are a bit "classier."  Hmmm, I wonder if she has a cookbook available!! ;)

Now that I'm reminiscing about reading good books, I'd better leave you a recipe and get back to studying.

Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies
(Recipe from Joanne Fluke's Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder)

1 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups corn flakes
1 to 2 cups chocolate chips

Melt the butter, add sugars, and stir together in a large mixing bowl.  Add the soda, salt, vanilla, eggs, and mix well.  Add flour and stir it in.  Measure out cornflakes and crush with your hands.  Add to the bowl, along with chocolate chips.  Mix thoroughly.  Form dough into walnut-sized balls (or use a small ice cream scooper to keep your hands clean), and place on greased cookie sheets.  Press down slightly, just to prevent them from rolling around the pan (if you use the scooper, you don't have to worry about this).  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool slightly on pan, then remove to wire rack to finish cooking.

I've made these a couple times, and have used semi-sweet chocolate chips, or a variety of chips (such as milk chocolate, semi sweet chocolate and butterscotch chips).  You can use your imagination!! :)

Till next time, I hope you either get a chance to drink coffee, read a good book, or bake cookies!!

Soup Weather

Autumn is a great time of year.  First of all, I can wear my jeans and sweaters or yoga pants and sweatshirts.  Secondly, we get to experience the turning of leaves to the rusts, yellows, oranges, and browns, and we can witness the "amber waves of grain."  I love seeing the milo (sorghum) turn it's deep rust, the corn turn golden, and the maple leaves turning a glorious red.  But probably my favorite reason for autumn...soup, chili, ham and beans, potato, homemade chicken noodle.  Yummm!!!

After church today, I put on a big pot of hamburger vegetable soup.  The smell is permeating the house, and I can even smell it simmering while being in the garage.  Of course, after simmering for a couple hours, I've had to get a bowl of it to enjoy.  It is full of veggies, potatoes, hamburger, and lots of goodness.

One thing great about soup, is it warms you from the inside out.  Today isn't by any means a cold autumn day, but this soup I'm enjoying today will be put into the freezer for future COLD Kansas days, and also for quick and easy lunches to carry to work.  This pot of soup isn't giving me "leftovers" but "planned overs" for many future meals!!

As I mentioned in my previous posting, I was raised in a family of great cooks.  Many of our family Christmas's consisted of soups and sandwiches, and Mom, Grandma, and my aunts would provide a variety of soups.  As I look in my cookbooks, I can find many soup recipes that Mom had submitted, and the following recipe is one that I've developed after "tweaking" her recipe.  I will share them both for you...then you can decide which one you like better.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes, and that you allow yourself to enjoy the beauty of this Autumn season.

"Tweaked Recipe:"

Merri's Vegetable Soup Recipe

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 onion, diced
30 oz. V-8 juice
1 zucchini, diced
1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz.) green beans
1 (16 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/8 tsp. ground oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
5 beef bouillon cubes
4 cups water
1/8 cup Dorothy Lynch salad dressing


After cooking ground beef, drain and place in large stock pot.  Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for a couple hours until vegetables are tender and flavors have come together.  Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. 


"Original Recipe:"

Easy Crockpot Hamburger Vegetable Stew
(Taken from the Grandma Max's Cookbook from the Bosselman Family Truck Stops)

2 pounds hamburger, browned and drained
1 48 oz. can V-8 juice
1 (12 oz.) package frozen hash browns
1 (12 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup Dorothy Lynch salad dressing
2 cans cream of celery soup, undiluted

Mix all together and put in crockpot.  Cook for several hours until vegetables are done.  

Can you learn from reading cookbooks?

Some people think I'm weird.  I LOVE cookbooks, and I love watching cooking shows.  Maybe part of the reason I enjoy these is because I'm a dietitian and am passionate about food, but yet, I think you can learn so much about different cultures and different locations just by reading a cookbook.  You may ask how I learn about different cultures from a cookbook...well let me tell you.

I grew up in rural southeast Nebraska, in a family of great cooks.  My mom, Jo, was influential in the writing of several community cookbooks, from the church we attended, to the school we attended, and then at nursing homes where she had worked.  It was probably because of her that I found the love of cookbooks, and when I started working at the age of 16, the first thing I bought for myself was cookbooks!!  I've always said that my goal in life is to write my own cookbook, and I guess, I did so, for a wedding gift for my niece, Kimber Lane Gilbert.

Now, back to your question about learning from a cookbook...when you look at a cookbook from southeast Nebraska, you will probably find good, hearty foods, predominately with beef, pork, and chicken.  Contrast that to a cookbook you might find in Florida that might have many fish and seafood recipes, and not as many beef and pork recipes.  Even different locations within a state can be very different.  For example, out around Hutchinson, Kansas, you might find a cookbook with a strong Mennonite heritage within the pages, while in Manhattan, you might find more "healthy" recipes, as Riley County is one of the healthier counties in the state, and in other areas, the traditional "farm-type" foods of beef and pork.  I don't have any cookbooks from Alaska, but I bet they are even more different, and probably showcase some wild game, such as moose.  (I am hoping to make a trip to Alaska in 2015, though, so will probably stock up on cookbooks!!) :)

I also enjoy reading cookbooks from locations I live.  A couple weeks ago, I purchased several cookbooks from Atchison, and have enjoyed seeing how recipes have changed over the years, but also who submitted the recipes.  Did I know them?  Do I know their family members?  Were they as good of cooks as my family members were?  I think you can almost learn about other families based on these recipes.

This is a new experience for me, blogging, but I do enjoy writing, reading, baking, and unfortunately eating, and I hope that I can entertain you and educate you all at the same time.  Till next time, pick up a cookbook and see what you can learn!!

Here is a recipe for you to try in the meantime...One of my staff named them "heavenly cookies."

Heavenly Cookies

(Recipe developed by Merri (Wright) Leach)

2 c. shortening                                                                                    
1-1 ½” piece of ginger root

1 ½ c. brown sugar                                                                              
 2 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ c. sugar                                                                                        
1 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

5 eggs                                                                                                 
 zest of one orange

1 tsp. vanilla                                                                                        
 3 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. butter flavoring                                                                         
3 ½ c. oatmeal

1 ½ tsp. baking soda                                                                            
 1 pkg. cinnamon chips

½ tsp. salt (optional)

Cream together the shortening and sugars.  Add eggs and flavorings and mix well.  Grate the fresh ginger root, nutmeg and orange zest into sugar mixture; add cinnamon.  Mix well.  Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and oatmeal, and then the cinnamon chips.  Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, depending on desired doneness.  (Merri’s notes:  I have made these with dried ginger, nutmeg and dried orange peel and they are still good, but the freshness of the ginger root, whole nutmeg and fresh orange brighten these up.  I have also used butterscotch chips in place of the cinnamon chips.  ENJOY!!!!)