How About Cookies???

*SIGH!!*
More tomatoes today!!  I canned some more whole, and I'm working on a batch of sauce that I'll finish tomorrow, and from then on, I'll use the rest of the tomatoes we get to make tomato juice - it's SO yummy!!

So, as happy as I am to be filling my pantry with tomato products, I've simply GOT to do something else around here! :-P  Here is what I picked......

Remember this?  I got this from the thrift store for 40 cents!! :-D
Here's what I did with it.....

I painted it with one of my many sample paints -- it's called Earthenware!  What a GREAT name, right?!!
Then I picked a stencil.....

I am very particular about what types of stencils I want to use on these boxes -- if I'm not excited about it, I end up painting over it and picking something else!! LOL  That didn't happen here, though, I had this stencil out and it just struck me that it's motif would be perfect for this octagon-sided box!

Once it's stenciled, it's time to "distress" it, for the finishing touch.....

TA-DAAA!!!!!

The flash makes the dark paint I swept over it stand out more than it really does -- it looks more muted in real life, which is good!  

That's another thing crossed off my Projects list!! :-D

So today, my family (including my husband) was clamoring for cookies, homemade cookies, and I thought I'd share my chocolate chip cookie recipe that is requested by them all the time....they are soft and chewy, even when they cool off, they don't harden!  It's my basic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe!! :-D

I start with butter and sugar - 2 sticks of butter and 1 1/4 cups of sugar  (I doubled the recipe, so that's why there's 4 sticks of butter!)
It calls for some of the sugar to be brown sugar, but instead of paying more for it, I just add 2 tablespoons of molasses to it.....

(again, I doubled it, that's why there's extra molasses in this picture!)
Also add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla, and 2 eggs (doubled equals 4).....

Mix it all up!
Then, in a separate bowl, you'll need 1 1/4 cups of flour.....

....and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Then add 1 rounded cup of quick-cooking oatmeal....

Stir it together with a whisk (that mixes up dry ingredients the best, I think).
Add it to the sugar mixture, and blend it together....

Then add a full package of chocolate chips.....

I always throw two or three into my mouth first!! :-D  YUM!!!
Mix it up really well....

....and spoon it onto a cookie sheet....then bake it at 375 for 8-10 minutes (my oven cooks them best at 370 for 10 minutes).....and.....

OH YUMMY!!!
Now, when they come out of the oven, they will be flat and spread out, and they will need to cool ON the cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes before trying to move them, because they are very gooey when hot.  They might stick a little, so don't cool them TOO long before moving them to the rack (or plate, if you are eating them now!)

***Update: I now put these on Parchment paper on the cookie sheets to bake -- NO MORE STICKING!!!  It works perfectly, and I recommend it for ALL cookie making! :-D ***
 
I think the thing that makes these chewy and soft is the flour/oatmeal combination - more flour would make a stiffer cookie!  We love these just like this!! :-D

So, I didn't get to the cupboard boards today, but I'm satisfied with just that little box....it was fun to use that new stencil and be so happy with the result!
AND....there's always tomorrow!!! ^-^