Lemon Cookie Snaps

Here is recipe 3. These were pretty good ~ I'm not a huge fan of lemon, but David and my dad are. So, I decided to make them. They were easy and moist. There was also a note at the bottom of the recipe ~ you can change the flavor by changing the juice and zest to the citrus of your choice.

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 15
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 12 min

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup(s) sugar
2 large egg yolk(s)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely chopped
1/4 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
2 spray(s) cooking spray, flour-variety recommended
Instructions

* In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.

* In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg yolks and combine thoroughly. Add lemon juice and zest; beat well. Add sour cream and a small amount of flour mixture; beat to combine. Add rest of flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

* Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

* Tear off heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into balls; place about 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Press each ball down with palm of your hand to flatten. Press tines of a fork across cookies in one direction to make lines. Press tines of a fork across cookies in opposite direction to make a cross-hatch pattern.

* Bake until edges of cookies turn golden, about 9 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and leave on cookie sheets for 1 or 2 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Crackle Spice Drops

Here is the second cookie I made. These don't really spread, so you can put them pretty close together. And they are so moist and yummy!

POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 36 (I think I about doubled the size, so closer to 2 points and only 20 cookies or so)
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 8 min

Ingredients
1/2 cup(s) reduced-calorie margarine, soft
1/2 cup(s) unpacked brown sugar
1 large egg(s)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup(s) powdered sugar

Instructions

* Preheat oven to 375°F.

* In a mixing bowl, on medium speed, beat margarine with brown sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and spice.

* Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into powdered sugar to coat. Place onto baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 7 to 8 minutes. Yields 1 cookie per serving.

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

This is the first recipe I've made for our Christmas Cookie Baskets. Everybody is getting 2-3 different kinds of cookies or bars, so be prepared for a bunch of recipes. This one is yummy, but I cooked the first batch for 14 minutes on accident and they were a little over-done. Still chewy and soft, but you could kind of taste the over-cooked-ness (and yes, this is a word!).

POINTS® Value: 2
Servings: 36
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 12 min

Ingredients
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp table salt
3/4 cup(s) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup(s) sugar
3/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
2 large egg(s)
2 1/2 cup(s) uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup(s) dried cherries
Instructions

* Preheat oven to 350ºF.

* Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

* Place room temperature butter into bowl of a mixer and mix with a paddle attachment until smooth, or beat with an electric mixer. Slowly pour granulated sugar in an even stream into butter and mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour in brown sugar, mix until incorporated and then scrape mixture down from sides of bowl.

* Slowly beat in each egg one at a time until incorporated. Slowly beat in flour mixture until incorporated.

* Scrape mixture down from sides of bowl and stir in oatmeal and then dried cherries.

* Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto a nonstick sheet pan, a pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat about 1 1/2 inches apart.

* Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are set. Cool completely. Either serve cookies or stack between sheets of waxed paper in an air-tight container and freeze for up to two weeks before serving. Yields about 1 cookie per serving.

David's Birthday

Yesterday was David's birthday and I told him that everything we did was up to him. We did have to feed the new puppies, but other than that, it was his day. He picked to go to Kobe Steakhouse because he had heard that it was good food and fun. I've been there, so suggested we invite my dad and his family. He was game, so I made those phone calls. We went to Jeanne's to feed the puppies - they are getting bigger every day - and hung out for a while.

Even though it was colder than shit and windy, David decided we should still do the festival. We went to Durham Western Heritage Museum, Joslyn Art Museum, and the Children's Museum. We spent the most time at Durham, and caught the trolley between each place. We were going to stop at the Police Department's Horse Barn, but David was worried about it being cold.

We ran a few errands ~ a little Christmas shopping and then let the dogs out before we picked his parents up for dinner. We fed the puppies again, and then made our way out west.

We got to Kobe and had to wait a little because my dad was running late. We had so much fun. We were celebrating David and his dad, Dave's, birthday (Dave's is the day before David's). They both got chocolate cheesecake for dessert, so they shared - super yummy (tasted like Cheesecake Factory).

We went back to his parents for cake and ice cream. I fed the puppies again - Desi isn't wanting to feed as much so we're having to bribe her and then supplement with formula.

David said he had one of the best birthday's. It was nice to give him an awesome day, and except for dinner and Christmas shopping, it cost us absolutely nothing!

Cycle 19

Obviously, with David's car accident, our chances of getting pregnant this month were pretty slim. But, I always have hope, you know?

Tomorrow is David's birthday; Graduation is Friday; Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. How perfect to surprise everybody and say we're pregnant?

Nope. My body had a different plan for me. AF showed up - no moodiness, no cramping, no acne, no low energy.... just up and showed up. I thought maybe, just maybe, this could actually be the month. Don't we fucking deserve it?

Oh, and all those things that I usually get? Yeah, they hit - every single one of them about 3:00 this afternoon. Seriously, I went to the bathroom, and as I was washing my hands, I looked in the mirror. My face looked like Blackhead Mountain or something - but this morning I was fine!

David's birthday is still tomorrow, and we're going to make the best of it. I've shown him his surprise. We're going to the Holiday Light's Festival Family Festival! Even though he has lived in Council Bluffs all of his life, he has never been to Durham Heritage Museum or Joslyn Art Museum. We can get into BOTH for free, plus tons of other places tomorrow from 12-5! He is really excited, so at least I can give him that.

We are also going to pick out a new Christmas tree (artificial) and run a few other errands.

David's mom's dog is doing well with the puppies. I should post pictures - they are getting so big! The biggest one weights 2 lbs 1 oz and the smallest weighs 1 lb 8 oz. We couldn't believe it! It's my job to find homes for 3 of them, and the mom is starting to wean a little early. So, I'm trying to teach Jeanne (MIL) how to feed them so that I don't have to come over as much during the week. These puppies are awesome and SO FLIPPING CUTE. I would take them all home if I didn't already have the 6-pack and if they didn't shed.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post their pics.

Considering my husband is snoring on the couch, I think it's probably time for the monsters to go to bed and for us to be close behind. And the first cycle of 2009 WILL be my BFP.

Momentum

So, I went to weigh-in tonight. I wanted to see the new program and find out about everything new. First off, they are making everything computerized so it's one simple thing that you carry with you.

The Momentum program is basically the best aspects of Flex and Core. I think I'm going to like it because it really touches on the emotional eating more than the Flex plan did. It also wants you to really listen and see if you're hungry, and if so, choose the foods that will keep you satisfied for longer.

Oh, and the last time I weighed in, I had gained 2 lbs. But, AF was paying her much-hated unwanted visit and I hadn't been listening to my body very well. I posted a "loss" of 1.6 lbs, putting me at .4 above where I was about 5 weeks ago. I've lost - and kept off - 48.4 lbs for 11 months! Now that I have new motivation and time to focus on myself instead of school, I can pound out the last 13.6 lbs!

The one thing I didn't like about the new computerized system: it basically says that tonight was my starting weight. It does not take into account the last 11 months of hard work and hard lessons. So, I hand wrote my starting weight at the top of my weight tracker, and where it said "0.00 lost," I wrote in parenthesis 48.4 because that's important to me. I worked my ass off for that and I'm not going to forget it just because their system got updated.

The end is in sight! I can do this - even with Christmas coming up! Keep an eye out for WW-friendly cookie recipes and other baking that I modify to make it healthier and use more "filling foods!"

Car Shopping 101

Well, David and I obviously had to do something about a second vehicle. Thank God we purchased GAP insurance when we bought the Equinox. We will end up free and clear, only owing $250 for the deductible.

Yesterday, David went to a couple lots and was getting a little frustrated. The place we bought the other two cars had something that he liked. But, when I saw it that night, I realized how close his head was to the ceiling ~ in another accident, his neck would be broken!

We went to a dealership in west Omaha that night. The salesman did NOT listen to what we were wanting. He convinced ME that we needed a 2009 Ford Focus because of all the safety issues. But, he wasn't listening to David. David had some serious concerns about a payment that would have been $75 more than we wanted to spend ($25 more than our absolute max). So, we walked away and said we would come back tonight. After they called David FOUR times throughout the day, and continued to frustrate him, he decided to go somewhere else.

David called me at 3:50 and said, "I want to go to CarMax." He had been yesterday and talked to a salesman, Tony, today. He was really excited about a car he test drove yesterday and he saw a couple new ones online today.

When we walked in, David told Tony he wanted to look through the computer again ~ he set our budget limit as the search and we started going through. He set it just a little bit higher, but as soon as David said, "I've seen 3 possibilities in our price range. I don't want to go higher," he stopped. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. He also asked about a van ~ David's response was "we already have one van, and I'm not ready for a high-profile vehicle after the accident." Tony said "okay, so only 4 door cars? That narrows it down a little more."

Seriously - when they say no-haggle pricing, they mean it! They price their vehicles to get customers the best deal. Their warranty is one of the best we've seen, and they really listen to their customers.

We were worried about the loan because the Equinox hasn't been paid off yet - still waiting for Insurance to do their thing - but 4 lenders came back with offers. We took the offer with a slightly higher interest rate and longer loan BUT under our "like to be" budget and FAR under our "absolutely no more" budget. So, we can pay extra every month and pay it off sooner.

So, here is David's car (well, one like it until I can get a pic in the daylight!):
A 2005 Ford Taurus in gray. I will get a pic of our car as soon as I can. He loves it, it rides really smooth, and it is safe.

YAY! Now we have a payment we can manage much, much better and get back on our feet much quicker!