"Trash Cookies"

This afternoon, my son and I made cookies.  They were "trash" cookies, to be exact.  The concept seems to be that the cookies contain everything but the kitchen sink!  I originally found this recipe on a blog by Monster Mama.

The ingredients that you will need are listed below.

• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 c butter, softened
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 c choc chips
• 1/2 c each of your trash

Preheat the oven to 375°. 

Stir baking soda, salt, and flour in a small bowl; set aside.  In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla. Adding the eggs one at a time, continue mixing well.  Gradually add in the flour mixture.  

As usual, I didn't read the directions completely. Ben and I mixed the dry goods in the large bowl, beat the butter mixture in the small bowl, and added the wet mixture to the dry mixture.  It's basically the same thing, just backwards!

Add in chocolate chips and whatever trash you choose to use.  Our trash consisted of M&Ms, Rolos, pecans, and pretzels.

My assistant EATING some of our trash! :)

*Notice, we're using the nifty "recipe holder" trick

that I found on Pinterest.

Drop the dough by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes. 

We lightly sprayed our baking sheets with cooking spray, and we baked the cookies for about 15 minutes.  We allowed the cookies to cool on the baking sheets and removed them with a spatula.

As usual, the clean-up crew was on duty!

They tasted a lot better than they looked.  The second sheet actually looked better; but, of course, I forgot to take a picture.  Next time, I will try making the cookies smaller, try leaving the pretzels out, and try adding Reese's Pieces.

Maybe they'll turn out prettier next time!

It's the first day already.

Hello!  This is my first attempt to blog, so bear with me, please....  Over time, I hope to blog about many different things: cooking, crafts, children, school, and who knows what else!  Today, I will be talking about the goody I made for my son's second grade teacher.  I will also be telling you how to make one, too!  

I thought it would be nice to send my child to school with a gift that his teacher could actually use.  To sum it up, I bought a basket from the dollar store and filled it with goodies for the classroom.  Not only is this gift practical, but it’s also affordable.  When I finished this little project, I had only spent about $10.  What a deal!

To begin, I took two thin ribbons and laced them between the holes in the basket.  In the center of the basket, I knotted several ribbons and curled the ends.

  Technically, you could put just about anything in your basket.  I put the following items in my basket:  a pack of mints, two sharpie markers (one black and one red), a pack of Expo markers, a box of stickers, a packet of crystal light, and a "special" candy bar.

The candy bar was easy-peasy to make!  The only supplies that you will need are a candy bar, a piece of scrapbook paper, and a "sweet" saying printed from your computer.  I found this idea at The Crafting Chicks website.  

Measure your scrapbook paper to fit the candy bar.  Cut, fold, and tape the paper around the bar.  Print your saying, trim the edges, and paste it to the center of the candy bar.  I used a foam star to add a 3D effect to mine. 

Now, the teacher can have a "sweet" treat at the end of the first day!

Finally, put all of the contents into the basket.  Ta-dah!!