Mother Mayberry

Chocolate Chip Cookies has to be one of those ultimate “mommy” type recipes everyone should have in their arsenal.  The making of chocolate chip cookies is really a complete experience that you should enjoy.  What I mean by complete experience is that each step in the process has it’s own joys.  Having the kids help you (or hinder you but in a good way) with making the cookies, that delicious aroma of the cookies baking, then taking them out of the oven and eating one before they cool, the warm gooey goodness just making you feel all warm inside.

So, don’t look at this as a chore, look at this as an experience of culinary cookie making wonder.  Here’s one of my Chocolate Chip cookie recipes.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 1/2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt unsweetened chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally until smooth. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light. Mix in the chocolate mixture until well blended. Stir in the sifted ingredients alternately with sour cream, then mix in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.   Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  

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What can I tell you about clam chowder other than I have to say it with a Maine accent because it puts me in the clam chowder type mood.  This is a basic easy to make recipe for it. 

Enjoy

Clam Chowder

1 c chopped Onion
1 c chopped Celery
2 c chopped Potatoes
3 6-oz cans minced clams
1/2 lb bacon - approximately 1/2
to 1/4 pound Basic White Sauce
3/4 c olive oil
3/4 c flour
1/2 ts Salt
4 c milk

Drain liquid from minced clams over vegetables, and if necessary, add enough water to just cover vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Sauté bacon, and add to vegetables. Add clams; then add white sauce.

Basic White Sauce
Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add flour and salt. Stir quickly until smooth. Remove from heat and add the milk at once,
stirring constantly to eliminate any lumps. You may need a whisk. Return to heat. As sauce begins to come to a boil, the mixture will thicken. Remove from heat when it is the desired consistency.

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I’m a firm believer that the families should spend time together in some group activities.  It doesn’t matter if it’s time at the dinner table, watching a movie together, or playing games together.  Quality family time is needed for a healthy happy family.

All you have to do is watch the news for a day or two and you’ll realize that if parents spent more time with their kids lots of these troubling problems could be avoided.

So, my solution, GO FISH!  okay, this may be oversimplifying the problem, but having a fun time with some low tech games is one of those things everyone can do.  You don’t have to have an expensive x-box to have a good time with your kids.

Here’s the rules for this classic game:

Go Fish!!

Number of players: Two to Five

The Deck: Standard 52 card deck

The Draw: Any player is allowed to deal one card, face-up, to each player, and also low deals, with cards ranking from Ace (high) to a 2 (low).

Shuffle and cut: The dealer shuffles the cards and the player at the right cuts them.

The Deal: Cards are dealt one at a time to the left, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. If there are two or three players, each one receives seven cards. If there are four to five players, each receives five cards. The leftover cards are placed face down on the table to form the stack.

The Play: The first player to the left of the dealer starts by stating to any other player, “Give me your king.” He may name any rank, proveded he or she holds at least one card of that rank. The player addressed is required to hand over any or all cards asked for. But if that player has none, he or she replies, “GO FISH!” Then the asker is required to draw the top card of the stack. Once the player has had to fish, without making a catch, the turn to ask now passes to the left.

Object of Play: The object of this game is to form books. That is, a book is any four-of-a-kind. For example, four kings, four queens, four jacks, and so forth. The player must place them on the table before he or she is allowed to proceed.

If the asker is given one or more cards of that named rank from the player addressed, he or she asks again, and could request a rank of the same player or any other player. As long as the asker is successful in getting the desired cards, he or she is able to continue. Furthermore, when told to go fish, the asker gets the fourth card of the book in the designated rank, shows the book and continues on.

A variation is possible. Some prefer playing that the turn continues when the fisher obtains the card desired from the stack, even though it does not complete a book. This is optional and may be used to provide some variation if the game is played several times in the session.

The game concludes when the ownership of all 13 books has been decided. Suppose one player is left without cards. The player may in turn draw the stack, and ask for cards of that rank. But once the stack is gone, that player is out of the game.

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If you’ve ever watched Forrest Gump you know that shrimp is the fruit of the sea.  The first time I saw that movie and the character was rattling off all the ways shrimp can be prepared I was pretty pleased with myself that I had a family recipe for almost all of them.

Here’s one of my favorite ways of preparing shrimp:

Creole Shrimp

Ingredients
2 c. coarsely chopped celery
2 c. coarsely chopped onions
2 medium bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick oleo
2 medium cans tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. hot sauce
2 pounds of deveined shrimp.

Simmer all ingredients for 30 minutes and then add the 2 pounds of shrimp. Can be served on top of rice.

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A tool box?  Does Gucci make toolboxes?  I know this isn’t the first thing a woman thinks of buying for themselves, after all, we have to leave something for men to do, but let’s rethink this idea of getting a toolbox for ourselves.

Let’s face it, if the doorknob of your bathroom comes off, you want to hang a picture, or need a screwdriver to reach that earring you dropped behind the tv stand…you need tools.  Fine, let’s use our significant other’s toolbox, that would be a good idea but where does he keep it? Why can’t I find a screwdriver in one of these 9000 compartments?  Why does he need all these tools when all I want is a hammer!

So, you see why you need your own toolbox.  Now, what to include in your toolbox?  You don’t have to start with lots of tools, but slowly add the tools you need.  A hammer, screwdrivers (flat and philips head), a wrench, and a few quality tools bought from a hardware store.

I know they sell those cute pink toolboxes for women.  If you don’t mind the stereotype of having pink tools, by all means go and buy that, but definitely get yourself a toolbox.

Another handy thing that I carry around in my purse is one of those multi-tool things.  The price range can be anywhere from $20 to $200 for these multi-tools, but the first time you find yourself somewhere and you need a tool you’ll say to yourself, money well spent.

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