Afternoon in the kitchen

It's been awhile. Last time i posted was summer and now its Fall! Crazy! Anyway, I have been seriously loving finding new recipes and crafts to make.
So, this is a new recipe i found that tastes wonderful and if you're totally okay with making a mess, THIS IS THE RECIPE for you! :)


Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar (You'll need more for rolling later)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (a full stick of butter if that's what you're using), softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Instructions:
Set your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl whisk flour, cocoa, soda & salt. Set aside until later. In another medium bowl beat sugars, butter and a 1/4 cup of peanut butter until completely fluffy (takes about a minute to fully get it to the right consistency.) Add vanilla and the egg. Stir in flour mix and blend it together REALLY well. Set that aside, too. In your last bowl, mix powdered sugar and the rest of the your peanut butter until smooth (the electric mixer doesn't work too well with this mixture unless you are using a really tall bowl.)
Now that all your mixtures are ready you can officially start making your cookies, which is the best part!
Take a HEAPING tablespoon (or you can just eye the amount, that's what i did) and flatten it. Take 1 teaspoon (again it doesn't have to be an exact teaspoon) and put in the center of the flatten dough. Press all the corners around the peanut butter and roll in a ball. Now this is where that extra sugar comes into place. Pour some sugar in a bowl to make it easier. Roll the ball in it and make sure EVERY brown parts are completely covered in sugar. Place each ball about 2 inches apart. Take a cup and flatten each ball (about an inch and half thick, if not more) with the bottom of the cup.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Mine took longer but that's because my oven has to be set ten degrees higher than the given temp. So, just keep an eye on it. When the outer part is a little hard they are perfect!



I hope yours turns out just as wonderful as mine! I loved these!

Joel says he loves them! So thats good :)
Enjoy!
-CML

Weekend fun

 

Chicago view from Michigan City. Went to the lake for 4th of July. BEAUTIFUL day. 

Seeing it made me REALLY want to go back - but NOT in the winter. That was a crazy mistake!

We FINALLY got to enjoy our lovely deck tonight. (I especially enjoyed the smores) It is so peaceful out in our back yard. If I had a little bug spray I might have enjoyed it a little more. 

Evening time with my hubby now :) BYE!

DIY

I have always wanted to make things. I used to make my own cards, picture frames, i used to scrap book but I am quickly learning that's not my forte. I have ALWAYS wanted to make things i can physically use. I came across a website called pinterest.com. Most people who are crafty probably know of this website. MILLIONS of ideas, pictures, videos, tutorials etc.
I fell in love with more than enough of the ideas. My bookmarks on my mozilla is full from what I have been saving from the beginning. :) So, i finally decided to buy a sewing machine!!! My mom doesn't sew and never really has, so this is something SUPER new to me. Thank God for her friends who know how to sew (my teachers in this whole new hobby). I haven't made a single thing on the machine as I am still learning and practicing.
But, I am going to explain another new found love of mine - wood working. :) YES! I have an absolutely patient and loving husband to help me with this new love. It's not only cheaper but custom made!
We are outside people, I love to enjoy the cool nights by a firepit. I also enjoy it even more on comfy furniture. So, I have been looking for an outdoor sectional but the prices run soooo high on those. I came across Ana-White.com. She is an amazing woman! Sooooo blessed to have found her website.
We made our own outdoor sectional! The best part about it? - IT TURNED OUT AMAZING. No! More than amazing!!! We saved over 300 dollars on making our own! Total price - $225! We found our own cushions on craigslist for $8 a piece! They are $30 cushions! We then had someone alter the top cushions to fit properly. It took us an entire day to do this project, but it was way worth it. We even enjoyed making it a little, too.

I have brand new (clearance) throw pillows to be able to lay your head down and take a nap. Which I am sooo looking forward to! So, needless to say, if you have enough time and energy, it is cheaper and way worth it! Try it! :)