Cookies and soups and buns, oh my!

This morning my daughter told me her stomach was hurting. She barely ate any of her breakfast (not typical for her... breakfast is the only meal she consistently devours!) and continued complaining of feeling ill. I wasn't going to take a chance by sending her to school since I've heard about a wicked stomach bug that's been making its rounds. In the end, I think she could have gone to school. After some cuddling and mummy time, she was just fine. Better than fine! I asked her about it this afternoon and she told me she just misses me (and Daddy) while she's at school sometimes. Rhianna is one of those kids who is a bit of an over-achiever. She wants to do everything and ends up doing it all so well. She's a straight 'A' kind of kid, a great little dancer, a determined competitor (hello, provincial bowling champ), a wonderful friend and an extremely gentle and giving soul. Right now she's on a mission to raise money for Japan (more on that another time). I think she over extends herself sometimes, and I've been trying to keep her 'roped in' a bit. It's not easy because she has such strong desires to participate in everything under the sun. My point is, I think she wanted today to regroup. She wanted some one on one time with me to bake cookies and cuddle and talk. We had some great bonding time, and I think it did her a world of good. Of course, she couldn't stay away from school related things, so she made projects, drew pictures about dance and made herself some math sheets to do. Haha! Now she's ready to head back into school tomorrow with a re-energized mind and soul.

This morning before school, I asked the boys what kind of cookies they wanted and they responded with 'CHOCOLATE'! Rhianna, on the other hand, wanted Skor bit cookies. When it came time to bake the cookies, Rhirhi suggested adding mini chocolate chips to the Skor bit cookies, so that's what we did. We tried one when they were warm, and they turned out wonderfully! The best of both worlds.

Skor Bit Cookies (with chocolate chips!)

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup cane sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Skor bits and chocolate chips, to taste (I eyeball it)

Heat oven to 350.

Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Cream margarine with sugars in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients and combine well. Add the Skor bits and chocolate chips and blend.

Bake by spoonfuls for 9-11 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner today was supposed to be yesterday's dinner. Originally I was going to follow Savvy's recipe for a slow cooker vegetable soup, but I ended up changing a few things and it morphed into a different recipe. It turned out pretty good... I certainly enjoyed my bowl full! I served it with a side of baby spinach & seeds and Red Lobster-esque buns. Yesterday I visited an old food blog I had back in 2002 and 2003. Looking through it made me laugh because honestly.. I wasn't much of a cook. I still ate meat back then, and apparently leaned towards a lot of processed foods. Browsing through this blog reminded me how delicious these cheese buns are, so I added them to dinner tonight. They were just as Red Lobster-y as I remember, and also, just as easy and processed. Oh well... my tongue didn't care tonight! ;)

Crockpot Cream of Vegetable Soup

2 tbsp butter

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 small onions, chopped

1 inch chunk ginger root

3 yellow potatoes, skin left on, cubed

3 celery stalks, sliced thinly

1 cup frozen peaches and cream corn

4 cups vegetable stock

3 cups water

1 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups cream

In a skillet, melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the sage and thyme, and stir to coat. Add to the slowcooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the salt, pepper and cream.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Add the cream and season with salt and pepper, and cook another 20 minutes (careful not to boil it). Serve and top with some grated cheddar cheese.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red Lobster-esque Cheese Buns

4 cups Bisquick

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp garlic powder

a couple of pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, add the Bisquick and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until well combined. Add the milk and beat for 30 seconds until a dough forms.

Wet hands, form into balls and place them on a baking tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Melt the butter and mix in the garlic powder and salt. Brush over hot buns when they are removed from the oven. Serve immediately.