"Monster" Cookies

My kids love it when I make my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe but instead of just using chocolate chips add other "flavors" of chips like white chocolate and M&M's. When I do these kind of cookies they call them "Monster Cookies" because of all the goodies in them and the fact that I use my large Pampered Chef scoop rather than the small scoop.

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (4 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups M&Ms
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, white chocolate, and M&Ms. Stir in nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets(I use my large Pampered Chef scoop!).

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease two 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Notes: I have been known to split the dough in half and do half as a pan cookie/brownie and the other half as individual cookies.  When cooking the larger cookies it will take up to the 11 minutes to get the cookies to the golden brown state.

This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace!
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!
• Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff!
• This Week's Cravings at Mom's Crazy Cooking

Nothing Without Christ

I heard this on the radio yesterday and it hit me that without Christ and His love for us to die on the cross for my sins, I would be NOTHING without Him!

Nothing Without Christ
by Eddie Carswell & Leonard Ahlstrom
Recorded by Newsong


I was like a blind man on a road that led nowhere
Just an empty-hearted beggar in desperate need of help
I was poor in spirit, but he was rich in love
I was down to nothin' when he came to lift me up
Now I will never let myself forget all he has done
How he came and rescued me and where he brought me from

Chorus:
I am nothing without Christ, he is everything to me
He's the reason that I live, he is my only need
I know I couldn't make it through
One day without Jesus in my life
I am nothing, nothing without Christ

There is nothing good in me that did not come from him
Nothing I could boast of that he did not give
From the moment I cried out to him to heal my troubled soul
He welcomed me with open arms, said all that's mine is yours

Now I will never let myself forget all he has done
How he came and rescued me and where he brought me from

I am nothing without Christ, he is everything to me
He's the reason that I live, he is my only need
I know I couldn't make it through
One day without Jesus in my life
I am nothing, nothing without Christ

Bridge:
Like a wave without a seashore or a kingdom with no king
Without Jesus in my life, I know I wouldn't be complete

I am nothing without Christ, he is everything to me
He's the reason that I live, he is my only need
I know I couldn't make it through
One day without Jesus in my life
I am nothing, nothing without Christ

I am nothing without Christ, he is everything to me
He's the reason that I live, he is my only need
I know I couldn't make it through
One day without Jesus in my life
I am nothing, nothing without Christ

Stronger by Mandisa

I heard this song on the radio this morning as her new single!!  The song is on Mandisa's new album coming out in April, 2011!

All I can say is...AMAZING!  It is amazing to me how the Lord loves to put different songs into my life at just the right time!  This song definitely spoke to me today!

Stronger
Artist: Mandisa
Album: What If We Were Real?

Hey, heard you were up all night
Thinking about how your world ain't right
And you wonder if things will ever get better
And you're asking why is it always raining on you
When all you want is just a little good news
Instead of standing there stuck out in the weather

Oh, don't hang your head
It's gonna end
God's right there
Even if it's hard to see Him
I promise you that He still cares

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
And things can only get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger
Gonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger
Believe me, this is gonna make you ...

Try and do the best you can
Hold on and let Him hold your hand
And go on and fall into the arms of Jesus
Oh, lift your head it's gonna end
God's right there
Even when you just can't feel Him
I promise you that He still cares

'Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
In time it's gonna get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger

WFMW: What Doesn't Work for Me---Plastic containers in the freezer!!

I do a lot of batch cooking or once a month cooking and so that makes for needing lots of plastic containers being placed in my freezer on a regular basis. Well that was until recently when I found that they do not as good of a job as a ziploc bag!

I want to be environmentally friendly when it comes to putting the food in the freezer so I was working my way towards using all plastic containers and ridding my house of ziploc bags.  I have a variety of plastic containers from Tupperware to Rubbermaid to Ziploc brand containers.  I don't have much in the way of plastic containers but enough to use some in the fridge for those dinner leftovers to use for lunches the next few days and then the rest to use for my freezer cooking. The Rubbermaid plastic containers are a bit heavier of a plastic than the freezer containers so I thought it would help a bit with freezer burn and just overall easier to stack the same type of containers together in the freezer. However, when they get bumped and slide out of the freezer when I am getting something else out of the freezer and drop to the floor and crack it does not matter which type of plastic container I use in the freezer.

Since switching to containers from bags, I have dropped many plastic containers both the freezer type containers and the Rubbermaid/Tupperware containers!  Needless to say, I have had to pick up food that has scattered all over the floor more than once from the container dropping to the floor and cracking in the process!  Or I have found that a container was dropped and it wasn't realized that it had cracked a little bit and it put back in the freezer for me to find at a later date. I never had a problem with ziploc bags being dropped and splitting open with food going all over the place. Just so that I have covered all the bases, the contents in any of the plastic containers that I have put in the freezer have been totally cooled in the fridge before placing in the freezer.

I have come to the conclusion that plastic containers in the freezer just do not work for me! I need to switch back to all Ziploc bags for the freezer so that I do not end up breaking all of my plastic containers in the freezer and I can fit more ziploc bags into the freezer anyway!  Besides I need my plastic containers for leftovers in my fridge and for lunches. :)

This post is linked to:

• Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family!

Menu Plan Monday 1/2-1/8

I really have been doing menus over the last several months, but I haven’t taken the time to post them due to life getting busy on me and reducing my time spent on the computer.  Now that a new year has started, I am working very diligently to getting some resemblance of order and schedule in place so that a routine can be in place for the whole family.

Last week I did a big grocery shopping trip! I have been working at a new system of shopping over the last few months and the new system is working for our family!  My grocery shopping system is I shop the stores within the 5 mile radius of my house and make a trip to Sam's around the 15th and the last day of each month, which coincide with hubby’s paychecks.  The system allows me to cash in on the good deals and then have some time away from the stores so I am not burning myself out chasing deals every week.  I am finding this plan to be working very well!  I can get the good deals on the weeks I shop and get creative in the kitchen on the weeks where I just swing into Aldi for our weekly supply of 3 gallons of milk and 2 dozen eggs.

This week’s meals are simple and using what meat I had in the freezer and pantry items leftover from before my big grocery shopping trip.   We have had sickness in the house, so the menu might change to accommodate those who are on the mend.

This week’s lunches that are listed below are for the kids and me! Unless we are having leftovers, our lunches are served with apple slices or carrot sticks along with fruit juice or water.   Hubby and oldest son usually take a dinner leftover along with various snacks for their lunches so I don’t take the time to really plan their lunches. I just take the next container of leftovers in the stack in the fridge that I have prepared ahead of time.

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus; go check the over 300 other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Laura-Organizing Junkie's site or look down in my right sidebar for my menu suggestion lists!

Sunday (1-2)

Breakfast: eggs, hash browns, sausage and cinnamon rolls

Lunch: mini pizzas and pizza rolls

Dinner:  creamy chicken over noodles, peas and crescent rolls

Snack: snack basket

Monday (1-3)

Breakfast: cereal and leftover cinnamon rolls

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  oven fried chicken, fries and corn

Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (1-4)

Breakfast:  waffles and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  spaghetti(from freezer), and garlic toast

Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (1-5)

Breakfast:  bagels and cereal

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner: roasted chicken, mashed taters& gravy, corn and biscuits

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (1-6)

Breakfast: Pancakes and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  roast, carrots, and potatoes served with homemade bread

Snack: snack basket                                                       

Friday (1-7)

Breakfast: cereal

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  saucy pork chops, rice and green beans

Snack: snack basket

Saturday (1-8)

Breakfast:  Your Choice

Lunch: sandwiches & chips

Dinner: ????? not sure yet.

Snack: popcorn or snack basket