Before I go back to Oklahoma stuff I wanted to share something that Dianne and I did...

When I was a kid my Mam-maw made Bread and Butter Pickles with the cucumbers she grew in her garden.  I have such wonderful memories of her house and all the food she cooked and I can still remember the way the kitchen smelled of sweet vinegar and the fresh cucumbers when she started the task of making her Bread and Butter Pickles.

So one day while Dianne and I were at the Farmers Market, we decided to make a large batch of pickles and can them.   Dianne and I have never made pickles or canned before so we thought it might be easier if we did it together... and the fact that I don't have a kitchen at the moment we had to do it at her house.   

So we looked up a few recipes and and decided on The 14 day Bread and Butter Pickle recipe.   I mean they would have to be good if it took 14 days to make right?? 

So we talked to a farmer at the farmer's market and he picked out a huge box of the best pickling cucumbers he could find.  We took them home and scrubbed them.

Just look at all those good looking cucumbers!

Then we started cutting... and chopping... and slicing...

Nice thick slices.

We chopped until we had 5 pounds of cut up cucumbers. 

Then we added boiling water with more salt than you can imagine into each bucket...

And they sat in a cool place for 7 days.... Yes 7 days!  

Here are the ingredients that were used after 7 days.

After adding all the ingredients in gallons of vinegar we wait for it all to boil. 

Everyday for another 7 days we waited on the vinegar to boil. We added boiling vinegar plus the spices and added sugar to the pickles everyday.   

On the 14th day they were ready to can...  Don't they look good?   We had to stuff the hot  jars full of pickles,

 then pour the boiling vinegar mixture into each jar and quickly put the lids on so they would seal. 

 Just like my Mam- maw used to make!!!

My best friend Dianne made these wonderful cookies when she came for a visit a few weeks ago.   They were so good I have made them at least 4 times since... 

Dark Chocolate Steal Cut Oats Cookies

I mean these really are the best cookies in the world!!  Then the best thing to do with these cookies is this....

yep ice cream sandwiches........

The best ice cream sandwiches you will ever eat!

If you like to bake, then you use vanilla extract.  But have you ever used homemade vanilla extract?   There is nothing like it!!

So how do you do it?   It is so easy!

First buy some vanilla beans.  They usually come in a jar of one or two.  They can be a bit pricey...

Cut the bean so that it opens and you can see all the little seeds.  This is where all the flavor is!

Get a nice jar that has a lid.  Place the vanilla bean in the glass jar. 

Here is the fun part... Get some decent Vodka.  Yep Vodka.   Take a shot  the glass jar.....

Fill it with the vodka close the lid and shake.   

Wasn't that easy?  The hard part is that it has to cure for three weeks.  So put it in a cool dark place and every three days take it out and shake the jar for thirty seconds.   It gets darker as it gets older. 

After three weeks or longer use it for all your baking.    It will be wonderful!!!

We have been slowly getting packed up and moving a little bit at a time.  I think I like moving this way.   Take a few boxes,  unpack them, hang pictures etc then take a brake  a few days later take a few more boxes..   Then when it is time for us to actually live there everything will be all ready.   

This weekend we stayed at my Aunts house.  I baked my famous pumpkin bread.     This bread is so good!   It is so moist.   

Now my Aunt does not cook and her kitchen is not set up at the moment for baking.  So it was a little bit of a challenge and I had to bring all the supplies.    The mixer is being borrowed because it belongs to the ex.   I will miss that mixer!! 

Looks a little chaotic...  yes it was... 

What ! Is that a vegetable steamer in that bowl?    Why Yes it is...  I forgot to bring a flour sifter.  But guess what.. a vegetable  steamers worked just fine as a flour sifter if you are in a crunch. 

It helps  to have a helper butter the pan for you.   This is my baking secret.  Always use butter to grease the pan before flouring and cooking.   It works wonders!!

Pour in the batter...  It has to cook for a long time like an hour and a half.   

Man oh man...  is it worth the wait!    By this time the whole house smells like pumpkin.. 

After it cools for 15 minutes I just turn the pan upside down and out it pops!   (see why I use butter to grease and flour)

It says to wait until it cools completely before cutting .  I have no idea who makes these rules but there was no way in heck I was going to wait.  My mouth was watering!  The kids were in bed, the house was quiet and the smell of pumpkin bread filled the air.    As soon as I dumped it out of the pan it got sliced, and it got eaten...  for a moment I was in my own utopia.   I didn't have cream cheese but this bread is wonderful with cream cheese spread on it.    

So I bet you would like the recipe huh?   Well I sort of left it at my Aunt's.   I will have to post the recipe after I go back.     I promise I will...

The next morning after we all stuffed our bellies with pumpkin bread we got busy and decorated the tree.    That tree has a ton of ornaments on it because Terry and I put our ornaments together.   Camille had fun going through the ornaments that belonged to my grandmother. 

This was an ornament I remembered being on my grandmother's tree when I was a kid.   Cool huh? 

I decided to try and get a picture of all of us for the Christmas cards.    Like I said I tried.   Griffin decided to be in one of his silly moods.   

I think we took maybe 30 pictures and most of them have Griffin looking like this...

Poor Sadie she has no eyes...

and this...

and even this...  what am I going to do with this crazy kid?

I guess just laugh and love him..    I will post the recipe soon...    

After I spent the entire day cleaning and scrubbing and scraping and sweeping my kitchen,  And I mean the whole day...  I had a pretty dirty kitchen,  the kids and I made my very favorite chocolate chip cookies.     I haven't made these is a very long time so I thought I would share the recipe and how I make cookies.    Because it is way more fun to cook and take pictures than it is just to cook.. 

Here is what you will need to make these wonderful cookies:

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter



• 3 cups brown sugar



• 1 cup granulated sugar



• 4 eggs



• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract



• 31/2 cups all purpose flour



• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt



• 2 teaspoons baking soda



• 1 1/2 cups best quality chocolate chips

Go ahead and heat the oven to 375 degrees

If you have not been able to get your butter to room temperature then put it in the microwave for... maybe... 10 seconds just to soften, not melt .  Yes that does look like A LOT of butter for one recipe but this makes a lot of cookies

It is very important to whip the butter before adding the sugar.  And it helps to have a little boy to watch the butter as it whips.     Makes it "whip up" much better!

ACTION SHOT!!

Dump in the 3 cups of brown sugar...  O.K.  here is where I had to adjust the recipe,  I didn't have three cups of brown sugar just two cups.    So I added an extra cup of regular sugar.     It turned out o.k. but I suggest having enough brown sugar for the 3 cups.

Dump in the white sugar.   Remember 1 cup not 2 cups. 

Add the vanilla.    For the life of me I could not find my measuring spoons.   (Brian must have them)  So I had to do the best I could with a regular spoon.  My Grandmother would have just poured it in from the jar until it looked like 1 1/2 teaspoons. 

4 eggs.   I always beat my eggs before adding them to any batter.   I have an egg phobia.  I DO NOT like raw eggs.  When I cook with them or make eggs before I can move on to the next thing I have to clean the eggs up.  Wipe off the counter, wash out the bowl, and wash my hands.   Yuck. 

Now beat until very smooth.  The smoother the better. 

While I was putting the wet ingredients together I had the two kids add the dry ingredients.   The flour, salt and baking soda has to be sifted.   This is a great job for the kids to do!!!

Thats right Camille keep sifting!!   Great Job!

Slowly add the flour to the whipped sugar and butter.    Add a little then turn on the mixer slowly or you will look like they do on TV when men or kids make a mess in the kitchen.   Griffin was begging me to do that. 

And now the chocolate chips. It says 1 1/2 cups but if you want to add more then go for it!   I only use semi sweet chocolate chips in my cookies.   Nestles is fine but if you have more money go ahead and get the good stuff like Godiva..  yum mm !

After the chips are mixed in well put 'um on the pan.. bake these bad boys for 8 minutes. And it helps to have a monkey kid jumping in front of the camera  acting all goofy!!

OOPS!!  O.k. wait a minute...  back up..  This isn't right!    This is what cookies look like that don't have enough flour...  Note to self,   when getting the kids to shift the flour,

Premeasure it first.    I let Camille measure the 3 1/2 cups but I think she might have forgotten a cup in there. 

O.K.  this is much better!    After adding about a cup more flour to the batter they came out like this.    These  are very melt in your mouth cookies, 

ummmm   Just the right amount of softness and the right amount of crunch that make them melt in your mouth as soon as you bite into them.   

Doesn't that look good? Can you smell them?  oops, don't bump your head on the computer screen.      So what are you waiting on??  Get on in that kitchen and make some cookies!!  Then let me know what you think.