Vacation

I'm off on vacation for the next week and let me tell you, I'm ready for it. I'm headed to Lake Vermilion, MN which is about 1.5 hours north of Duluth, to hang out with family, soak up some rays, do some waterskiing and just relax in the northwoods.

For when I return... I am going to really REALLY try to work on my blog more, so stay tuned.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I was really craving cookies today, wait, I crave them EVERY day, so it was just another day. Last week I had meant to throw some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups into my banana bread, but decided to put peanut butter instead. I still wanted to make something with the cups, why not cookies? I just used a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but subbed the chips for 9 Reese's cups chopped up.

A funny memory of peanut butter cups... a couple of years ago, my roommates and I went to Dairy Queen for a blizzard and Laura ordered a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup blizzard and said she wanted extra cups. When she got the blizzard, instead of having more Reese's, it had an extra cup (like some coffee places double-cup your espresso!) So next time you want more Reese's, make sure you say Reese's, not "cups"


Recipe:
1 c. vegetable shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
9 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

Cream together shortening and sugars. Add in vanilla and eggs and mix. Add in flour, soda and salt and mix. Stir in peanut butter cups. Place tablespoon sized balls of dough on a greased cookie sheet. I use a cookie scoop to ensure they are all the same size, but use whatever works for you. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the bottom edges are golden brown.

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

I love the idea of "everyday cakes" from SmittenKitchen. They are cakes you can make for any occasion, quick to whip up and oh, so delicious when they're hot out of the oven.

"...as a fresh-from-the-oven cake has a way of drawing friends around your coffee table on an otherwise blah Monday night. Home baked goods are magical like that." -SmittenKitchen

I made this raspberry buttermilk cake last night, but made a couple substitutions. I traded raspberries for blueberries 'cause that's what I had in the fridge and all purpose flour for whole wheat. I was skeptical whether or not the wheat flour would make the cake too dense, but it didn't. Plus, it added a nice texture.

It was a yummy little snack as I watched Princess Bride and will be delicious with my cup 'o joe this morning.

MilkMuny Wallets

I'm in need of a new wallet and think these MilkMuny wallets are creative. Making stuff from trash is always interesting. They've taken milk cartons and transformed them into wallets and finding them homes in places other than landfills! The best part of this organization is that they buy cartons from food banks and schools to help them raise money. So if you purchase a wallet from them, you are supporting a lot more than just recycling milk cartons!



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