Snow Daze....

While this is going on out side....

This is going on inside....

Cookie recipe below.

Nothing heats up the kitchen like baking cookies and canning some berries on a cold winter day. I found some blackberries in the bottom of my freezer from last summer. I don't know about you but I can not keep up with all the berries in the summer time that come in. There are only so many fruits and vegetables that I can put up on those hot days. For all of the berries I can not get to goes straight into Ziploc bags and then into my freezer for winter pies and jams. If you ask me, there is no better time to can and bake then on those cold winter days.

On a side note here; I am throwing a Tea cups and Slippers brunch party at my house in a few weeks with my bible study gals...any good tea and brunch ideas? I found a really yummy french toast recipe that I am going to make but would love any fun and creative ideas for our get together. Games, devotions decorations, etc. I am serving tea out of all the tea cups I inherited from my grandmothers. Everyone is to wear their slippers, thus the name of our get together, "Teacups and Slippers." I want it to be informal and comfortable. Lots of throw blankets and pillows too. So ~ any ideas... would be greatly appreciated and used by me.


Here is a really good peanut butter cookie recipe I found on the quakeroats.com recipe site. If you have a moment, go check out their site. They have a lot of really good recipes to share with us, including this cookie one. After making these cookies a few days ago I woke up to a note on my counter in front of the cookie jar on a napkin that read; EXCELLENT COOKIES MOM!!!
That has never happened before! It says to refrigerate the dough for a couple hours. I did not follow that instruction and mine still turned out great.

Peanutty Crisscrosses

• 1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Granulated sugar

Preparation

In large bowl, beat brown sugar, peanut butter and margarine until creamy. Add water, egg and vanilla; beat well. Add combined oats, flour and baking soda; mix well. Cover; chill about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with tines of fork dipped in granulated sugar, forming crisscross pattern.

Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Cook’s Notes

For best results, use regular peanut butter, either creamy or crunchy. Reduced-fat peanut butter is not recommended for baking.

Yield

ABOUT 7 DOZEN

Was talking to my sister in law, Jackie, this morning about how pretty all this snow is. She mentioned that out of all the colors God could have chosen to make the snow that he chose white.... a peaceful, clean and ever so bright ~ blanket of white.

~enjoy