No Bake Cookies

These cookies are my boys FAVORITE cookies ever and Daddy’s too.  When I need a quick sweet treat (or a gluten free one), these are usually what I end up making. 

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 cup milk or cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cups uncooked minute oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Combine sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine.  Bring to a boiling and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and then oats.  Drop from spoon onto waxed paper and let set.
 
NOTE:  The amount of time you let them boil is very important.  If you boil them too long, the cookies will be dry and crumbly.  If you do them for less than a minute, they will be runny and not set up.

Recipe was taken from the Holdeman Christian Home Cookbook and I tweaked it a little to our liking.

Michelle’s Cake Pops

A couple years ago a friend of mine, Michelle Gosney, shared this recipe of cake pops with our Mom's group.  We have made them so many times and they are one of the boys favorite treats.  They are so easy and fun!  

• 1 box of cake mix (whatever flavor you want)
• 1 can of frosting (whatever flavor you want but preferably something that will go along with the cake flavor you picked)
• White or Chocolate Almond Bark (or colored candy melts)
• Cake Pop Sticks

Bake cake as directed on box.  When it comes out of the oven, crumble it into a bowl and stir in the frosting.  Using a cookie scoop, drop them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Put them in freezer until they are set up well.  Mold them into balls with your hands. 

Melt the candy melts or almond bark in microwave.  Stick the cake pop sticks in the almond bark and then stick into the cake pop so the stick will set inside the cake pop.  Then take each cake pop with the sticks in and dip them into the almond bark mixture.  

My boys love to sprinkle sprinkles on them too.  You can get as creative as you want with these.  As you can tell, ours are not perfect but the boys (and Hannah) had fun making them.

These also can be frozen for a long time in a closed container and they keep very well.  

Velda’s Crock Dill Pickles

Last year I made my first ever crock of fresh dill pickles after my Mother-in-law gave me her recipe and showed me how to do it.  I’m hooked on them now and have already made two batches this summer out of cucumbers from my garden.  They are SO YUMMY!  They never last long around here.  Between Winston and I, we finish them off quickly. 

• 6 cups water
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tsp. mustard seed
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• Dill Weed (preferably fresh out of the garden) – Enough to put some on the bottom and top of the crock
• 1 large or 2 small grape leaves (helps keep pickles crisp)

Wash cucumbers well.  Put garlic clove and dill weed in bottom of crock, then fill crock with small to medium cucumbers.  Put another layer of dill and then the grape leaf or leaves on top.  Bring your water, vinegar, salt and mustard seed to a boil, then pour over the cucumbers covering them.  Place a plate over the cukes and set a jar of water on top to hold it down.  I don’t have a crock so I use my crock pot and then just turn the lid upside down which works perfectly to hold the pickles down into the water. 

They will be ready in 3 days or sometimes the smaller ones are ready to enjoy the 2nd day.  ENJOY!!!