Disneyland Peanut Butter Cookies

I was feeling a little homesick for Disney the other day so I found this recipe and thought I would mix up a batch.  These are some of the best peanut butter cookies I have ever had.  They are soft and so peanutty.  One of the things I love is that they stay soft and chewy. Mix up a batch of these even if you are not longing for a trip to Disney.

This is just about half of the cookies.

 The recipe calls for the peanut butter chips as well as peanut butter.  If you really want to make them and do not have the chips you could probably make them without and they would still be good.

 Start with two sticks of softened butter

 1 cup sugar

 1 cup brown sugar.  Cream these three things together.

 Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter

 2 teaspoons baking soda

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1 teaspoons vanilla.  I used my vanilla paste

 3 eggs

 4 cups all purpose flour.  Add a little at a time.

 I cup peanut butter chips

 Roll the dough into balls.  The dough looks like it would be sticky but it is not.  Place the ball in a bowl of sugar and roll around.

 Place the ball on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

 Smoosh with a glass.

 Finish up the cookie sheet.  Place in a preheated 375 oven. Bake for 7-9.  Don't overcook.  They will finish baking on the sheet for a few minutes when you let them cool.

 Fresh from the oven.  Slide the parchment sheet off the cookie sheet and let finish cooling.

Then enjoy and share a few if you must.

Disneyland Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

1 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips

extra sugar for rolling the cookies in

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake for 7-9 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it for one or a dozen.  There's really not a recipe just a list of ingredients you will need.  It is so good a super easy to make.

The chicken was so good. You could use a flavored rice and that might have been better.

 The cream cheese was a garden flavored but you could use a garlic or chive flavored as well.

 The first thing you need to do is flatten out the piece of chicken.  I put it in a zip lock bag.

 Using a meat tenderizer I beat the chicken.  If you do not have one of these tools, go borrow a hammer out of the tool box.

 You see that is is flattening out.

 Nice and flat.

 Now to lay out the bacon.  It called for four one way and two the other way. No need to weave them.

 Now my piece of chicken was huge after flattening.  So I cut it in half.

 Put the piece of chicken in the middle.  Add a spoonful of the cream cheese spread.

 Spread the cream cheese out on the chicken.

 Grate some cheese on top.  You can use whatever flavor of cheese inside. It would be fun to try different kinds of cheese.

 Fold the two pieces put across the top.

 And then fold the other pieces across to make a package.

 Transfer to a baking dish.  If you want to sprinkle the top with some brown sugar.  It adds a nice little flavor to the bacon.  Place in a preheated 400 oven.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Now I wish I had done this but turn the oven to broil and let the bacon get nice and crispy.  Check the bacon on bottom and see if it is cooked through as well.  You can cook it a few minutes longer too.

 I wished I had drained the grease off the pan during cooking to crisp up the bacon on bottom.

Fix some type of rice and some other veggie and you have a great meal.  I think you will like this dish.  And it can be different every time you make it with a few changes in ingredients.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe

boneless skinless chicken breast
bacon
cream cheese- can be flavored
cheese

Bake in a preheated 400 oven for 45 minutes

National Banana Bread Day

Today is National Banana Bread Day so bake up a batch of banana bread today.  Of course it doesn't have to be the traditional banana bread.  I was surprised at all the different variations there are to the classic bread.  Here are a few of the different types I have made.

Red Velvet Banana Bread

Butterscotch Banana Bread

Strawberry Banana Bread

Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread

I couldn't believe I have not made plain ole banana bread.  The next time I have bananas that need to be used I will have to mix up a loaf. 

Vapor Rub Shower Cubes

Here is another recipe for a bath craft. It might seem a little late in the season for a vapor rub bath craft but I think they can be used year round.  I love how the smell will really open up the sinuses. There are a few things I would do different next time and I will share them with you as we go. I think you will enjoy these as much as I do.

I bought a cheap ice tray to used for this craft.  But you could use anything that you might have at  home.  The silicone molds work well.  I thought these were a good size.

 These couldn't be any easier.  I bought a generic Vick's vapor rub.

 1 cup cornstarch

 3 Tablespoons vapor rub

 2 Tablespoons water.  It says you can use more and next time I might add an additional teaspoon or two.

 Then a little color.  It said to add a drop of green and blue but I had turquoise gel color and used that.  Although the food coloring might have added a little more liquid to the mix.

 Stir, stir, stir.  When the vapor rub gets warm from the stir it will mix a little better.  It was crumbly so I think a little more liquid might help next time.  Add just a little as you go.

 Then put in the molds.

 Tap it down.  I need to find something that will fit inside the mold that will press it down better.  I think that is part of why they came apart a little.   Then need to really be packed well.

 Here is my finished mold.  Let sit to dry.  I left my for two days.

 Then I turned them out on wax paper to contain the crumbs.  A couple broke.  I just poured them straight into my bath that night.

Store these and use as needed.  I really liked mine.  It wasn't too strong but helped open up the sinuses.  The cornstarch is nice too.

Vapor Rub Shower Cubes Recipe
3 Tablespoons vapor rub
1 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons water
food color