Etsy is my Perfect Dream! (giveaway post)

*UPDATE* I GOT MY HOOP!!!!! I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT!!! Will be coming soon, with pictures! Purple blue and green colors of course! And ordered from Robyn's Nest, but shhh! Don't tell Logan! Got a sampler pack from her with scents she suggested, can't wait to surprise him with a new smell when he gets here! As for the necklace and spice jars, we are talking about them, but not yet in budget.

I love etsy so so much! You can find so many cool things, and what more fun do people have than trawling around and wanting things they cant afford? Well with the help of Craftgossip. com and this specific post YOU CAN! this is my shamless plug hoping beyond hope that I can win! These are things that I want, my top wish list!

Anyone around me right now knows how much I want this style hoop! $35 it is perfect, my hoop specifications would be a 45" 160 psi with lots of gaffer! Favorite are the UV colors and bright Green, Purple and Blue. I WANT IT! If I don't win, I am still getting this hoop, I am going to kill someone if I don't get a hoop like this. Logan has promised me he will get it for me soon.

If you have been around me since about March you know what my favorite movie is: REPO! The Genetic Opera. I am OBSESSED with it, sing it all the time and I go gaga and watch it 15 times in a row. I own it on American DVD and UK Blu-Ray. Logan and I were talking that at our wedding we are serving "Zydrate" that I am making (blue ice raspberry lemonade Kool-aide) So what better necklace for me than This. At $7, a steal and next on my ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE- list.




The next thing on my list that I love is something that would benefit every one around me (well besides the fact that I will kill someone if I don't get them, though this could perhaps Kill Logan and Todd if Todd gets a hold of them, lol) This would be beneficial to every one, especially the people reading my blog because it would mean I have more things to cook with! I think it would look great on my fridge, and you bet I would find 24 spices to fill it with! At 50 bucks though, I am not getting this unless I win the giveaway *sigh*...

Finally, with 8 bucks left in the $100 limit, I am choosing something in memory. I have been looking for a perfume or Body Mist in memory of my Grandma and Rose, my step-mom. When my Gramma died, it was around my birthday and she had wrapped for me, a bottle of Jasmine body spray. So I have searched and searched, and decided that when I do have the money I will be getting a perfume from this place. Robyn's Nest Boutique is a very nice, friendly shop, Robyn even helped me to pick out a scent she think I will like. I would like to try the roll on, but 8.95 is over the budget so I will go with the classic body mister for 6 dollars, and have 2 left over.



That's it! My Wishlist! Hope I win, keep your fingers crossed for me! I could have probably put up a thousand more things but don't want to run out of time and there was the 100 dollar limit.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a Twist)

Close Up Time!

"Oh no! She's at it again!" I wasn't satisfied with normal plain chocolate chip cookies. I wanted some that were really soft and gooey goodness. Well, after the pudding cake thing learned from a friend, why not try it again? I have had some great "Cake Box Cookies" courtesy of Jordon, and have learned that cookies and cakes are quite similar, actually cookies were invented because of cakes. I don't remember exactly where I read it, so if someone wants to claim this information I will give credit. (I think it was from one of my plethora of cook books)

If I recall correctly, a smaller cake was baked besides fancy wedding cakes so that they could be tested for being done without cutting into the actual cake to be used for a ceremony. This stemmed from a time of ovens without temperature gauges or clocks/timers. Eventually, people decided that they liked the little cakes as much as the large ones, and now we bake the small cookies on their own instead of with the cake.

Anyways, I have tried this recipe and it is "fantastic!" as one of my favorite doctors would say. Again these measurements are somewhat estimated, I spilt a bit extra of a lot of things in this one, good thing cooking isn't an exact science! (makes about 6 dozen)

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (unsalted is sooo much  better, but I guess you could use normal, though they cost the same) Please soften before hand, works much much better. One of my sticks was frozen = not so easy.

Cut in 1 1/2 packed cup brown sugar and about 1/2  cup white sugar. (brown gives the cookies color, white the texture I think)

Then mix in 4 eggs and 2 teaspoons of Vanilla (though I must admit my vanilla was 2 teaspoons plus a dollop lol). That plus flour gives you a "normal" dough recipe, but I threw in a large box of instant vanilla pudding mix.

Mix together thoroughly, and slowly add 4 1/2 cups of flour, sifted with  2 teaspoons baking soda. It takes a lot of work getting all the flour incorporated, but they turn out ohhhh so good!

That can all be done with a mixer if you have one strong enough (I don't) but add your bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips by hand, so they don't chip or break up. I also threw in the last fourth of a bag of white chocolate morsels left over from the Delux Carrot Cake Recipe.

When it comes to cookies, there are two things I love: scoops and baking stones. If you don't have them that is okay but they make life so much easier. Scoops make the cookies even, so you don't have a huge under cooked and tiny crisp cookie in the same batch. Baking stones help the heat spread evenly, making more uniform and perfectly done cookies and pizzas. I love it and if my mom doesn't let me take hers I will probably cry and convince Logan to buy me one off ebay.

Anyways, put small equal amounts of dough on your cooking tray and place in 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. NO MORE. They will burn and be hard and crispy if it is anything more than 12 minutes. I don't care if they don't look golden, they will be done perfectly I promise you, please don't burn them you want to keep them soft.

Let sit for atleast 5-10 minutes cooling on the stone before transferring to cool on borwn paper bag, paper towels, or paper plates, anything to help wick away excess oil while they cool completely. (or at-least cool enough to handle and eat while warn with milk! I was worried there wouldn't be any left the way my mom was going at 'em!)




Enjoy! If any survive, store in an airtight container with a piece of bread to keep soft.

Cookies and Milk!

Apple Bars

I learned that my cheap camera is just that, CHEAP. The best pictures I included, sorry for their horribleness.

This recipe has been passed down, was my great gramma's, whom I called my "Choo-Choo Gramma" because she lived next to the rail road and I had a toy train at her house. She was always cooking, you couldn't surprise her and tell her not to make a big meal, she made them anyways.
Anyways, without further ado, the recipe: (these are estimations because they are vocal by sight recipes)

Crust:
2 1/2 cup flour, about 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, Cut in with a pastry knife 1 cup lard (crisco), Seperate 1 egg and reserve the white aside, put yolk in a cup, then add milk till its at 2/3 mark. Mix thoroughly.

Separate in to two equal sized balls. Take one on a floured surface and roll it out till its fairly thin and will completely cover the bottom of the jelly roll pan. Fold carefully and lift and place in pan, unfold and press so it is evenly spread out. if there is overhang pinch it off and press it into thin spots.

Sorry about quality, I will work on buying better Camera

  
Cover with crushed corn flakes evenly, about 2 handfuls or half a box.

Filling: Peel and slice 8-10 apples (5 pound bag), slice carefully trying to use as much apple as possible. Place in a bowl and cover with Sugar and Cinnamon.

Left is what is left after slicing from core, right is cinnamon sugar covered goodness

Put the apples on top of the Corn Flakes and top with the other ball of dough that has been rolled out on the floured surface. That egg white you reserved? Beat it well and use a pastry brush to coat the top crust.

 Place in a 400 * oven for 50 minutes. Let cool.

Mix together powdered sugar and water till a slightly runny consistency, add water very very slowly as it is easy to have it be too thin.  pour over top and let harden in the fridge. Serve and enjoy! Easily reheated in the microwave if you want, good cold too!