CHOCOLATE CHIPS

You might have heard of the saying, "In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips"....or you may not have but it's sounds good, doesn't it?  Most people like chocolate.  Most people in my life like chocolate chips with the exception of The Husband.  Right.  That doesn't affect the truth that I buy chocolate chips at my local wholesale store by the VERY big bags.  And I use them quickly.

I have lots of friends that really enjoy my chocolate chip cookies.  No brag, just fact.  There's The Pastor, The Accountant, The 101 Year Old Neighbor, many more, and most of all The Grandbaby.  Does she love chocolate chip cookies most?  Uh huh.  So being The Neema that I am, I keep them in the freezer.

With the success of these cookies lately, I thought I would share the recipe.  I will say that my cookies have taken a drastic change for the better since I bought those silicone baking mats (see Amazon and search for silicone baking mats--mine are Amazon brand--and they fit perfectly in my warehouse package of large baking pans).

 I have made many batches of cookies lately and I have just frozen a couple of packs so I will have when any of these folks need....especially The Grandbaby.  She needs them every time she visits.

Another thing I have been careful of is having my ingredients at room temperature.  That does make a difference.

Here's my recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. butter flavor shortening (I use Crisco sticks)
1 1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chocolate chips (ok, I admit I at least double this amount, sometimes more.  Who wants a
                        chocolate chip cookie without mega chocolate chips?)
1 c. pecans (optional--I often leave out as The Grandbaby prefers no nuts and I aim to please.)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.  Beat egg into creamed mixture.  Combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Mix into creamed mixture until just blended.  Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Drop rounded tablespoon of dough 3" apart onto ungreased baking sheet (or onto silicone baking mat).  Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Remove to wire racks for cooling.  (I have found that if you take out the cookies when they are almost done and slightly soft in middle and let them stay on pan for 5 minutes or so before removing, they make a softer cookie.  Getting more brown and done makes a crisp cookie.)

I freeze these cookies to remove as needed to eat.  I freeze in plastic bag like this:

It only takes a couple of minutes out of the freezer to be delicious!

So, now you can be a chocolate chip in someone's life AND enjoy eating chocolate chip cookies!

FROM THE MOUTH OF A BABE....

The Grandbaby is learning the art and joy of playing games.  She loves board games, puzzles, and card games.   The Grandbaby is certain that she should always take the first turn.  She told me a week or so ago that this was because it said so on the Kerplunk box.  "See right there on the box, Neema.  It says Caroline goes first, then Neema,"  she said.  I just "played" along...pun intended.

Knowing this joy of games and being the Neema that I am, I purchased her a set of three card games the other day. (All my board games are vintage but still work, cards tear up easily.)  The games were Paw Patrol oriented.  For all of you unfamiliar with those pups, they are rescuers and have names such as Chase, Marshall, Skye, Ruble, and many more.  I still can't keep Chase and Marshall straight but you can be certain that The Grandbaby can.

One of the games is Go Pup, a version of Go Fish.  Another is Tug of War and the third is Old Bone, a Paw Patrol version of Old Maid.  Instead of a "maid" card, there is a bone card.  Uh huh.  Quite the game.  Oddly, on each of the instruction sheets, it says plainly that the youngest player goes first.  Huh.  That did give me a chuckle.

I was teaching The Grandbaby the art of Old Bone on Monday.  After two games with each of us winning one, she quickly got the hang of it.  When she was matching her pairs on the third hand, she had the bone card.  She took it out of her hand and handed it to me and said, "I don't want this one."  I explained that she had to keep it and that maybe I would draw it from her.  That was not exactly what she liked but she did and I did draw it and she did win in the end.

Well, ain't that how life can be?  It gives us things we don't want....sickness, pain, loss, problems that seem unfixable, old bones, and the list goes on and on.   I often say, "I don't want this one."

I have learned, though, in this life there will always be problems.   I can rest assured that the Heavenly Father is watching and have faith that when this game of life is done, I will "win"!  Heaven lies ahead....so hang on!

Consider.....

SUPER

The Husband and I somewhat planned a fall trip this year.  You faithful blog readers might recall that we often do our vacation in the coolness of fall.  You might also recall that the past 2-3 years I have been surgically sick in the fall.  I am happily humbled to say that I have gone slightly over 14 months without a surgery.  That's quite the record for me in the past few years.  I will take it with SUPER thankfulness.

Anyways we planned to go to South Dakota and Mount Rushmore, flying into Denver just the past few days.  We considered this more just recently and for various reasons, decided to not do it but take a Smoky Mountain trip instead and invite The Girl, The Son-In-Law, and The Grandbaby to go along for fun.  We just returned tonight from a 3.5 day trip.  Oh, and did I say that I heard on the weather channel just yesterday that roads were closed in Denver and that a there was 30" of snow in North Dakota?  South Dakota is between Denver and North Dakota so I figure that state was hit as well.  I heard the high was 28 degrees with the low in the teens.  Yes, I love cooler weather but not that cold and especially not that many miles from my warm home.  So we dodged a bullet by making a right decision.  I like to think the Lord guided our minds in the right direction which was only slightly north of us instead of a lot northwest of us.

At the "mountains" as The excited Grandbaby called the trip, we toured the aquarium, went to Dollywood, spent a day of games and indoor swimming at the condo, and visited the Dixie Stampede.  It was a very busy hot trip for the first day and a half with the temperature reaching 85 degrees in Dollywood.  In October.  In the Fall season.

Knowing the interest in photos of my SUPER faithful blog readers, I knew a posting of some of my favorite pictures would be wanted.  So here we go with the photo overload....Scroll fast if you are bored.

The Grandbaby loved the seahorses...."Aw, they're so SUPER cute..."

She decided this was a Poppa Shark...

...and she loved the "Nemos"...

Poppa proved his worth when he crawled into the penguin lookout with The Grandbaby....

SUPER Gatlinburg pumpkins and scarecrows...everywhere.

Dollywood didn't disappoint with plenty of rides for The Grandbaby and lots of decorations to please the adult girls.

The Grandbaby is obviously going to be a thrill ride kind of girl.  Her favorite ride was the Star Shooter and she rode it once....

..and again....

....and again.   She does not inherit her thrill ride love from The Neema.  Obviously.

Plus she loved others.....

"I don't need you to stand by me, Mommy.  You ride a horse too."  😢  Crying face symbolized The Mommy, not The Grandbaby.

"Let's raise our hands, Daddy."

All that riding can surely tucker out a toddler....she was SUPER zonked and fell asleep after waiting fifteen minutes for the bear ride.  There were several minutes more to wait but the zonkedness merited the spot in line be terminated right then.  Poor Mommy.

After leaving the park for a lupper (a combo lunch and supper in our world), we returned to see the lighted pumpkins in the very crowded park.  "These are SUPER 'cary."

The second full day was spent in the condo by The Poppa, The Neema, and The Grandbaby while The Girl and The Son-in-Law shopped the morning away at the outlets.  The stay in the condo group enjoyed Hi Ho Cherry O, Candyland, and Go Fish.  After lunch there was 'wimming in the 'wimming pool.

 The final night found our group at the Dixie Stampede.

The creative part of me really enjoyed the idea of this costume...so SUPER clever.

We took time for a photo shoot with the camera's self-timer with these results.

My favorite picture of the trip of The Girl and The Grandbaby was this one....SUPER joy!

The Neema (me) and The Grandbaby twinned in our denim jackets.  How about a photo as we pose at the large jetted tub in my condo bedroom?

Without a doubt, the most favorite photo of the trip was amazingly one of The Neema and The Grandbaby.  Somehow the photo taken by The Girl leaves me all warm and fuzzy inside.  For a Neema who doesn't enjoy having her photo taken, that's a pretty big deal.  Or as The Grandbaby chooses to describe most everything in her world, "It's a SUPER big deal!"

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I am blessed.  SUPER, SUPER blessed!