Moose Track Cookies

We were preparing for our summer vacation trip and I was looking for some "countdown to vacation" ideas. I found these Moose Track Cookies and thought they were pretty cute. I gave them a try, but I made my own variation. I combined this recipe and this recipe. Here's what I came up with.

MOOSE TRACK COOKIES
2 recipes combined by Me

TIP: When baking, it's important to lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cups and then level with a knife. It's particularly important in this recipe, directly scooping out the flour with a measuring cup will result in dry, crumbly dough.

Ingredients:
 1 c. real butter, no substitutes!
1 c. sugar
1 egg, extra large
1 1/2 t. almond extract (you could use vanilla instead- which I always use)
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 T. cocoa powder
1 t. butter, melted
Caramels, cut into small pieces (I used the Kraft caramel bites, like chocolate chip-sized)

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg and the extract and mix to incorporate.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
3. Divide the cookie dough into 2 parts. Mix the cocoa powder and butter. Add cocoa butter mixture for ONE of the cookie dough parts and mix in. Now chill your dough.
4. To make the chilling and cutting process easier, roll the dough 1/4" thick between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Lay the sheet of dough flat on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes or place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
5. Cut cookies in circles (I use one of my glass cups) and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. The cocoa sugar cookie dough should be cut with a smaller circle than the sugar cookie dough (I use a smaller glass cup). (The cocoa dough will be the hoof mark of the moose track cookie.) Cut the cocoa dough circles in half. Place about 4-5 caramel bits on top of the sugar cookie and press down slightly. Then, place the cocoa halves on top of the caramel bits.
6.  Bake in preheated 350* oven for 8-12 minutes on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. For soft cookies, bake 8-10 minutes or until just set. For lightly crisp cookies, bake 10-13 minutes, or unti the edges are golden brown. If you're making large cookies, or ones with small parts or heavy frosting, you wil want to be careful because they might break when they're super soft,
7. When the desired doneness is reached, allow to cool on the pans for about 5 minutes and then transfer to the cooling racks and let the cookies cool completely. 

Yield: 3 dozen 2-3" cookies

{menu plan} September 2015

School is in session and we're getting back in the groove of things. I've been cooking up a storm! Find these yummy recipes here, or coming soon to this blog!

Cafe Rio chicken atop salad

Alice springs chicken

Zesty green beans

{our best bites} baked fish sticks *

Crockpot Mac and cheese

Paps baked chicken legs

Congo Bars

{our best bites} chicken Caesar salad *

Baked sweet potatoes *

Crockpot chicken teriyaki

Cauli Pizza

Herb roasted chicken

{our best bites} roasted red potatoes and Pearl onions

{our best bites} weeknight chili (found in their Savoring the Seasons cookbook)

{our best bites} pear pomegranate salad

Tangy hamburgers

Grilled chicken

Three cheese chicken and penne

Alice springs chicken

Wet enchiladas

{our best bites} streusel-topped pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (found in their Savoring the Seasons cookbook)

Crockpot chicken teriyaki

Priest Lake Lasagne

Apple Crisp

{our best bites} baked creamy chicken taquitos

Ham & cheese quiche

* new recipe coming soon

baked sweet potatoes

This recipe is hardly a recipe. It makes a easy, low-carb side for dinner, or a warm snack with a little sweetness.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350*.
2. Wash your sweet potatoes. Poke them a few times with a fork. Place them in a baking dish that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Bake for 1.5 hours or until tender.
4. Cut in half to serve. Top with a little butter and/or brown sugar and cinnamon.

black raspberry jelly

Pap picked us a BUNCH of black raspberries from the back fencerow. Woohoo! We were OUT of our Black Raspberry Jelly. Look at my 2 cute helpers. :)

Levi washing the berries and putting them up to be mashed.

And here's one of my mashers. 

BLACK RASPBERRY JELLY
Recipe from Sandy Holmes

To make the *juice:
5 c. crushed black raspberries
2 c. water
2 T. lemon juice

To make the jelly:
3 1/2 c. *juice
2 T. lemon juice
1 box pectin
5 c. sugar
1/2 t. butter

Directions:

1. Fill water-bath canner half-full with water. Bring to a simmer.
2. Wash lids, screw bands and jars in hot soapy water. 
1. *I usually run my jars through the dishwasher. When they're finished in there, I put them on a cookie sheet and put them in my oven on WARM. This helps keep them warm until I'm ready to use them.
3. Wash berries and crush to get 5 cups crushed black raspberries.
4. Place crushed berries, water and lemon juice in a 5-8 quart sauce pot. Bring to a boil. 
5. Place 2-3 layers of damp cheesecloth of jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit (from #4) into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drop into bowl until dripping stops (about 20+ minutes). Press gently.
6. Measure exactly 5 cups of sugar into a bowl. Set aside.
7. Measure 3 1/2 cups of your juice and place back in your big saucepot, along with the lemon juice, pectin, and butter. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
8. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.
9. Remove jars from the oven. Ladle your jelly mixture quickly into your jars, filling to within 1/8" of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2"; add boiling water if necessary. Cover. Bring water to a gentle boil.
10. Process jars 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration in necessary.) Let stand @ room temp for 24 hours. Store unopened jellies in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerated jellies should be used within 3 weeks.

{menu plan} August 2015

We're having a great summer. Trying to squeeze in a lot of fun with some yummy food. Here's what's been cookin' around here. Find these recipes on my Recipe Page.

Cafe rio pork atop salad

Priest Lake Lasagne

Crockpot French dip sandwiches 

Paps baked chicken legs

Roasted sweet potatoes

Taco soup

Crockpot chicken teriyaki

Slow-cooker Roast beef and mashed potatoes

Paleo Pork and sauerkraut

Crockpot Mac and cheese

All 30 parks! And prize day!

WE DID IT! WE DID ALL 30 PARKS THIS SUMMER! WOOHOO! What an accomplishment! Way to go US! (The drawing for the Grand Prize for completing all 30 parks isn't until October. If that should prove fruitful, I'll post something then.)

I had told the kids there would be a special prize if we could do all 30 parks this summer. The prize was...a trip to BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOP! "YES! Best Mom ever!" they chanted.

They picked out their new friends (complete with bubble gum smells for their bellies and sounds for their paws), helped fill them with fluff, and now they're giving them their first bath (which is actually a blow dry to fluff them up). They're pretty stoked!

All loaded up and on our way home with our new friends!

Alivia brought home Star. Isn't she perfectly Alivia? :)

Jackson brought home Spotty, this cute snow leopard, complete with Karate gear. Sweet!

And Levi brought home Toothless, complete with wings, and a saddle.

It was a great day! I was so happy to give them this reward after all their hard work at the parks this summer! Maybe we'll do it again next year too!

{craft} bird feeder ornaments

For Jackson's birthday party back in March (!) we made a couple different bird feeders.

BIRDSEED FAVORS: I made a bunch of these first ones ahead of time (3-5 days before the party). I wasn't sure how long they'd take to dry. I put 1 in each of the kids goodie bags. They turned out really cute and I loved seeing them hang in the trees.

 Image & recipe from IntimateWeddings.com

Birdseed Favor

If you don’t like the idea of spending a bundle on favors, or if you are opting for favor donations instead, birdseed wedding favor hearts are a sweet, simple, eco-friendly way to thank your guests – and the birds:)

Birdseed wedding favor hearts are so easy to DIY, my second grader can make them. And they’re incredibly inexpensive.

Here’s the DIY:

Birdseed Wedding Favor Hearts

(Makes approximately 21 two-inch hearts)

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2.5 teaspoons)
• 3 tbsp corn syrup
• 4 cups birdseed

You will also need:

• large mixing bowl
• heart shaped cookie cutter (I used a Christmas tree mold for our nature theme)
• nonstick spray
• chopstick or bamboo skewer for making a hole in the ornament
• parchment paper
• cookie sheet
• jute or raffia (These italicized items are to make the tag)
• card stock
• rubber stamp
• ink
• rounded corner punch
• hole punch

Directions:

1. Mix flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup. Add birdseed and stir well.

2. Spray the inside of a heart cookie cutter with vegetable cooking spray. (You could also wipe it down with veg. oil.)

3. Place cookie cutter on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Spoon mixture inside of cookie cutter, pressing mixture firmly with greased fingers. (The more you press it down, the less shedding of seeds you will have.)

4. Using a chopstick or bamboo skewer, make a hole near the top of the heart. Remove chopstick.

5. Carefully pull cookie cutter away from birdseed heart.  Repeat until all the mixture is used up. (You should spray the cookie cutter after every six hearts, that way it won’t stick.)

6. Let dry 6-8 hours. (I let mine sit overnight.) Cut 10-12 inches of jute for each heart. String jute through heart and add a tag. I created my thank you tags by using a rubber stamp, card stock and a rounded corner punch.  Tie the jute in a knot after you have added the tag. (You can tuck the knot inside the hole so it doesn’t show.) You can hang these from branches at your wedding, or place inside bags or boxes.

Note: A couple of brides left comments stating that they made the favor hearts a couple of weeks prior to their wedding, and they molded. If you are making these before your wedding, don’t make them more than a few days ahead just to be safe.

BIRD FEEDERS: I had the kids make 2 each of these for their craft at the party. It went really well. They liked what they were doing and I love how easy they are to just slip on a branch. No crazy hanging supplies needed.

Picture & recipe from growingajeweledrose.com

Bird Feeder

Materials needed:

• Toilet paper rolls
• Peanut butter
• Bird seed
• Spreading tools (we used butter knives)

Method

 1. Give each child a toilet paper roll and have them carefully cover it in peanut butter

2. Once covered have kids roll the toilet roll in bird seed 

3. That's it!  Once the feeder is covered in seed it is ready to be hung