To Do List & Recipes

I took off work today b/c Darrin is hosting a home tournament and I thought the games would start during the day.  Last week, I realized that the games don't start until 4:30pm, but by then, I already had my heart set on a day off.  My mom, Darrin's parents, Crystal, Steve, Olivia & Ava will all be in town this week.  I'm so excited to have everyone at our house.  I tackled a long 'to do' list to get things ready...

First on the list was an early morning work out.  I take a class at the gym called Cardio Intervals. It's offered Monday & Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings at 5:30am.  Since I have to be at work at 7am, I can't go to class on Fridays.  I was happy to go today since I can't sleep late anyway.

Next on the list was helping Miles learn to tie his shoes. It wasn't actually written on my list, but Darrin & I decided that we would let him choose who he wanted to help him learn this, and he chose me.  

He nailed it in less than five minutes.  Now, it's just going to take practice.

Next, I had to make cookies for the volleyball tailgate tomorrow.  Chewy Brownie Cookies are a favorite around here.  

Chewy Brownie Cookies

Mix together:

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 Tbsp water

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup Crisco

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 tsp baking soda

After everything is well blended (I throw everything in my KitchenAid and mix for a minute or two) stir in one package of semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Drop spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on 350 for 9 minutes. Make sure oven is thoroughly preheated. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to a tray. They will be gooey until they cool completely.  

I also made a bowl full of party mix...made famous by my boss.  I love to have it for everyone to snack on throughout the weekend.  I always start with a large bag of plain Chex mix & a small bag of Bold Chex mix, and then add whatever else sounds good.  This weekend, I added a bag of peanut M&Ms, a jar of honey roasted peanuts, and some candy corn.  You can't go wrong with this stuff.

I made a breakfast dish for tomorrow morning. It's called Cinnamon Flop & it's always a hit.  I really like this recipe b/c I typically already have all the ingredients, so it's easy to throw together.

Cinnamon Flop 

Mix together:

2 cups self rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 - 1.5 cups of milk (can substitute almond milk)

Mix these ingredients together starting with 1 cup of milk and adding more as needed.  Stir until well blended. The consistency should be similar to brownie batter.  Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Top with 3/4 cup of brown sugar and then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Pour a melted stick of butter over the top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. While baking, mix together 2 cups of powdered sugar and a little water to make a runny icing.  Pour over the top when you remove from the oven. 

After all the baking was finished, it was time for some errands with Miles. He was much less thrilled than this picture indicates.  On days like today, he despises leaving the house for any reason.

Somewhere in the day, I also did 5 loads of laundry.  I told Darrin earlier that I could be a great stay at home wife.  Thank goodness I took off today b/c I never would have gotten it all done otherwise.  Now, here's hoping Miles will cooperate while I take a 30 minute power nap.  Then, it's time for guests & volleyball.  YES!!!!!!!!!