Homemade Oreos

I do love to cook and try new things. This weekend I was in the mood for "homemade" Oreos, so I looked on the web and found this recipe:

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies With Vanilla-Cream Filling

Cookies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1. Set 2 racks in the middle and upper third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or in a food processor, thoroughly mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. While mixing on low speed or pulsing, add the butter, then the egg. Beat or process until the dough is thoroughly blended and massed together.

3. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto parchment-lined cookie sheets at 2-inch intervals. With moistened fingers, round out the cookies and flatten them a little. Bake for 9 minutes, turning the pans once for even baking, until the cookies are set. Sit the cookie sheets on a rack to cool.

Vanilla-Cream Filling:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Put the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and, at low speed, gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, until blended. Turn the mixer speed to high and beat for 2-3 minutes more, until fluffy.

2. To assemble, place teaspoon size blobs of filling onto the tops of half of the cookies. Keeping the smooth bottoms of the cookies facing up, flip the remaining cookies on top of the filling and lightly press to form sandwiches. (You can also pipe filling onto cookies using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip.)

Makes 36 cookie sandwiches

I thought the above filling was less than spectacular, but the cookies were fabulous. So I tried them again with the following cream cheese frosting. I halved the recipe and it was plenty.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

2-4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Just blend it all together in the mixer until fluffy and the right consistency.

These were WAY better!

Happy baking!

The Last Days of Summer

I like winters in the Northwest: the rain, the early dark evenings, the moderate (above freezing) temperatures. I even like running in the rain on occasion. However, I am also a big fan of summers in the Northwest, and I am enjoying the last few warm days. Today we took our lunch and our school to a quiet park and had a great time together. Seth and Ellie colored while Hannah worked on her reading, we did some nature study, and they had recess in between. We actually accomplished quite a bit, because we were the only ones there and we didn't have any distractions. I wish I had realized sooner that our homeschool doesn't always have to stay home!

Freedom

John and I watched an old Disney flick last night called "Night Crossing." It's about two families in East Germany who yearn for freedom so badly that they risk everything to build a hot air balloon and fly out of the country. Their journey was epic, but what really touched me was how much freedom they didn't have. The couples worked and had comfortable homes, but they couldn't trust their neighbors or coworkers. If they spoke out in any way against the government, people could come in the night and take them away. We enjoy so much freedom in this country, and we don't have to live in fear. I am truly grateful for that.

Ballerinas

Ballet started this week, and both girls really enjoyed their classes. I hope it continues through the long winter!

Butterflies

While in Seattle, we took the kids to the Woodland Park Zoo. The Butterfly House was very much like the exhibit at the Oregon Zoo, but I've never been able to get as close to the butterflies. My attempts at artsy photography:

Old Friends

At the end of my freshman year at BYU my group of girlfriends decided that ten years after the last one of us got married, we would go on a cruise together. When you're 18, you can't forsee that you'll have families with the accompanying responsibilities, budgets and no free time. I also still have one good friend that hasn't married, and one that just got married in July. We are currently deciding that maybe a cruise wasn't such a good idea, but the time has come for a reunion. While I have seen and still maintain letter contact with about four of them, there are a few I would like to see again. So, our plan is to meet at BYU (where it all began) for Women's Conference next year.

While I was in Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit one of those roommates and her family. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how her life is turning out. She married three weeks after I did, but waited a long time for children to come to their family. Finally, she has two little boys, 18 months and 6 weeks old.

True old friends are so wonderful. You feel like you are continuing a conversation from last week instead of 5 years ago. And there's something about the genuine love and acceptance you can feel from someone who has known you for 20 years. She knew me as a child, at BYU, and also saw me grow into an adult. She loved me in spite of my glaring weaknesses, which we all know manifest themselves the WORST in a roommate situation!

I loved BYU and the women who helped me on my path to becoming who I am today. They encouraged me to serve a mission, helped me learn how to be a good friend, and strengthened me in the gospel. Go Cougs!