6 Chip Peanut butter Oatie Cookies

Since we are leaving for Iowa I was wanting to make some goodies for the trip.  Well these cookies are amazing!! 

 I tried to "healthy" them up in every way I could but you can't do much with 6 different kinds of chocolate chips.  


Heres the recipe.

6 Chip Peanut Butter Oaties

1 cup Butter

1 Cup Peanut Butter ( I used all natural PB)

1 C White Sugar

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 T Vanilla

2 Eggs ( I used 1 small container of Greek yogurt instead of eggs)

Cream together then add

2 Cups Flour ( I mixed spelt flour and Whole Wheat flour)

1 Cup Oatmeal

Mix together and add to the Cream mixture

In separate bowl mix together 

2/3 C Dark Chocolate Chips

2/3 C Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

2/3 C White Chocolate Chips

2/3 C Milk Chocolate Chips

2/3 C Peanut Butter Chips

1/3 C Butterscotch Chips

( I used the milk chocolate/ peanut butters swirled chips)

Mix into cookie mixture.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.  Top with additional chips.

 Bake for 10-13 minutes or until edges are brown.  

Remove from oven and let cool.  These are delish!!

Iowa

I don't know which day is longer; the night before christmas or the night before vacation!?  I am going to Iowa!!  
My mom was from Iowa and our summers always included a complete family vacation to visit her family there.  We would pack up and leave for a week taking the 7-9 hour drive in our own family trukster and  head down I-80 to Iowa.  These are such great memories for me.  It was always so much fun to take these vacations.  We didn't go on a plane, didn't go to any amusement parks, or stay in hotels, we went to see family and honestly those were the best vacations EVER!  Visiting family.  Aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandpa whom we only saw once maybe twice a year.  Playing outside going to dinners and to everyones house to make our "rounds", was every bit as enjoyable as if I was at a hotel or amusement park and the beauty of it was that I didn't miss going to those places.  We would pack a lunch to eat at a rest stop on the way and I tell you what, those were the BEST bologna and cheese sandwiches to this day!
Well last January my favorite aunt and uncle moved back to iowa. 

My Aunt and I at her going away party.

 I have missed them so much, and this week my sister and I along with my youngest Kendall are heading out in my family truckster and heading down the familiar road that leads us to Iowa.  Yes, we are packing a lunch, yes we will stop at the I-80 truck stop and yes I will road up every farm, blue sky, and memory I can munster this week.  I intend to take in every bit of this trip and burn it into my memory and hopefully make it an incredible memory for Kendall.  My ex and I took Hillary, my oldest, to Iowa when she was younger and she still remembers the trip.  I want Kendall to experience the fun of taking a road trip and being bored to death in the backseat and asking "Are we there yet?".  Visiting with family and showing her some of my memories from traveling to Iowa all those years.  Visiting my grandpas old house we would stay at, the park he would take me to every day that I wanted to go and even the McDonalds he would take me to and let me get whatever I wanted.  I want her to experience the fun of a road trip to Iowa.

Olympic Mudslides

We had a nice quiet evening last night, and were going to watch the olympics on TV so we decided to make some popcorn and I went to the store to get ingredients for one of my delicious Ice Cream drinks.  Now I know, Ice Cream doesn't sound very healthy.  BUT I do try to cut back where I can and we have these only rarely , so I figure you gotta live sometimes.  

Mudslides

In blender combine:

2 scoops Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream ( I use Breyers, they only have 80 calories per scoop)

2 Shots Vanilla Vodka

2 shots Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

2 Shots Kaluha

2 shots Baileys

Ice

Put all ingredients into blender and blend on high.  Use as much ice as you need if you want a thicker drink or thinner consistency.  Line glasses with Hershey's chocolate syrup and pour drinks into glasses.  Enjoy!

This makes 3 Martini size glasses or 2 regular 8oz glasses.

Go USA!!!

I'm Baaaack!

I'm back!! Toronto was amazing, Vacation was amazing but boy am I glad to be back home!!  We went to Canada to do some testing over the weekend with a customers car then decided to continue in Canada for our vacation.  We went to Niagra Falls and then headed back to the city of toronto for the final 3 days. It was great!  The city itself...mmmm it was ok.  I don't think we will go back there for any extended time but Harry and I's time together was amazing and we met up with some friends and threw all diets and cares out the window to really enjoy our time.

 

The Bridge to Canada

Welcome!!

Niagara Falls.  Just Beautiful!!

This great restaurant a friend of ours own Dimmi's

Great food!

They end their dinners with Cotton Candy.  Yum!!  Yes i ate it all!!

Glamping

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!!

So excited to read this on vacation next week!  There is an entire section on Glamping and that is something I want to do...BADLEY!!  It's right up my ally.  Now if you ave never heard of it, it's camping just with a little glamor added to it.  This still gives you the outdoorsy feel to camping and it gives you some luxury.  There are places al over that give you the space to rent for a night or longer that has all the luxuries Glamping offers.









This is one place you can rent to stay in outdoors.  Its under a tent and it is outside, but it just gives it a totally girlie feel and I love it!!


Here is a site that shows some of the Glamping spots you can go to in the US


http://glampinggirl.com/location/usa/

Now this is what I think is so cool!!  This is palace you can rent and  spend some old fashioned time out doors.  It has the vintage feel with the trailer and has a lot of added amenities that some of us can't live without!







This is one that is on Mary Janes Farm.  This one would be ideal,for me, since I am love with her books, magazines and products!  It is in Washington state near Spokane. 

This is my idea of being under the stars!!  So feminine and so cute!  I love it.


Make sure you pick up this months issue of Mary Janes Farm Magazine to get a better idea of Glamping!

Grilled avocados

Things I would never thought I would like let alone like grilled is avocados. I tried it the other night and they were a hit! Everyone in the family loved them and they looked amazing

Cut avocados in half and take out the seed
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and put face down on grill. Let grill for 5 minutes. Take off grill and fill with salsa and top with sour cream. So good!!

Barry oh Barry

Yes tonight is the night!  Tonight we are off to see Barry Manilow in concert!! Now I may be showing my age here when I say how excited I am to see this man in concert!  so many of his songs bring back such good memories!  I mean who can ever forget American Bandstand??  I couldn't leave the house on SAturday morning until I watched that show.  It was so great.  To be perfectly honest the dance shows they have on Tv now, (or what they call dance shows) are no comparison to the orginal.

Now this is the wayI remember him.....but he still looks great even today!!

I'm sure you won't be able to take many pic but If I do don't worry I will share them all!!