Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

We finally made it to Chocolate Friday - Woo Hoo!  Raise your piece of chocolate to say cheers to the weekend!  :)

Recently I wanted to make some cookie bars.  I had some clearance Easter M&Ms that I needed to use up so I wouldn't eat the whole bag they wouldn't go bad.  :)  I wanted to use them in a chocolate chip cookie bar recipe and started searching online.  It took me a while to find what I was looking for as I didn't want a recipe with shortening and I was hoping to find something with oats.  Finally I found what I was looking for - all butter, no shortening, old-fashioned oats, plenty of chocolate chips, and the option to use whole-wheat flour.

I found the recipe at Tammy's Recipes ~ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.  You can click on the link to get the recipe from Tammy's site.  The only changes I made were to use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour instead of all-purpose flour and to use 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of M&Ms.  My pic isn't the best, but at least you get the idea...

These bars were yummy!  Since I didn't use any all-purpose flour, they were a little crumbly but I liked them that way - they seemed heartier.  My son absolutely LOVED them!!  Gotta love the bar cookies - doesn't get much easier!

Now it's your turn!  Bring on the chocolate posts!  Write up a chocolatey post today or find one in your archives and come link up!  The more chocolate, the merrier!  You can get more info here or look at last week's post.  C'mon, you know you want to link something!  :)

Have a sweet chocolatey day my friends!
 

Wordless Wednesday: What's Your Definition Of Comfort?

Apparently this is my son's definition of comfort!  Er...do the green antennae make it easier to read??!

Stop over at 5 Minutes For Mom to enjoy more fun pics for Wordless Wednesday!

Have a wonderful day friends!

P.S.  Thank you so much for all your kind words and great input on yesterday's post!  Hugs to all!

I Put My Foot In, I Put My Foot Out

After blogging for over 2 years, I know I'm not the only one who can't decide where to go with the whole blogging thing, but sometimes it feels like it!

I can honestly say that right now I have 1 foot in blogging and 1 foot out of it.  I'm on the fence.  I have no clear vision because I can't decide what it is that I really want (or what the Lord really wants me to do).  I change my mind each week and that's been going on for months!  Yes I am a woman and I do like to change my mind, but that is a bit much!  :)

One week I have all sorts of new plans for my blog or even ideas for new blogs and the next week I think about walking away from it completely.  I have my healthier blog which seems fine because I do think it helps me be more accountable in my weight loss struggles and a place for healthier recipes.  I even started a 3rd blog thinking that it might help me to have a spot to just write (no pics, no recipes) when I felt like it.  I only have a few posts there, but it doesn't seem to have helped me to feel different about blogging one way or the other.  I even hoped that my 2-week break would make things clear, but it didn't. 

Now don't get me wrong - I love all my bloggy friends and have benefited and been blessed in so many ways from the blogosphere!  I love my readers and I am honored that you continue to stop by!  I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing my confusion and questions with you!

Do I go to the next level with my blog and spruce the place up, start contributing somewhere else to increase experience and exposure, add in a little advertising and bring in a few dollars?  Do I leave it all as is and cut back on my blogging?  Do I completely change the purpose/vision of my blog?  Do I leave this blog and start an entirely different blog?  Do I temporarily stop blogging and instead start writing articles (or maybe even a book) to see if I have what it takes to be a writer?  Do I walk away from all blogging/writing and just focus on being a better wife and mom (not that the blogging takes away from that - the struggles I have will still be there, blogging or not)?

I know that you can't make a decision for me, but I do ask you to pray for me my friends as I consider these things.  And I do appreciate your input!  Feel free to say what's on your mind in the comments!

Do you ever lose your way in the blogosphere?  Are both your feet fully in blogging?  Or do you have 1 foot in and 1 foot out like me?

Thank you SO much for coming by my friends and have a fantastic day (and a little chocolate)!  :)

Uh...

I

don't

know

what

to

write.

So what's up with you?!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate Friday is here again!!  Did you have a good week?  Did you have a bad week?  Hey, either way you deserve some chocolate today!  :)

I do love me some muffins!  I found this recipe in my Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts cookbook.  It calls for fresh or frozen cranberries.  I just happened to have some in my freezer to use up!  Did you know that you can freeze fresh cranberries up to 12 months?  Then you can use them frozen - quickly rinse in cold water and don't let them thaw.  Stock up next time they're in the store.  If you can't get ahold of any frozen cranberries right now, try substituting another tart berry. 

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder.  Mix together eggs, oil, and milk.  Add the dry ingredients.  Mix until moistened.  Add cranberries and chocolate chips.  Mix well.  Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  Yields 18 muffins.

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Delicious!  I have to warn you that the cranberries are tart, but I like the tart flavor combined with the sweet muffin and yummy chocolate.  I did chop up about half my cranberries, but they started to thaw.  If you used fresh you could coarsely chop them if you didn't want the tartness to be quite as extreme.

Now it's your turn to share some chocolate posts!  Go write or find one and bring it back here to link up!  I do think it makes it more fun with the thumbnail pics!  Be sure to check back later in the day and stop by the chocolate links to leave some comment love!  Get more info on Chocolate Friday here or look at last week's post.  Spread the word - share the chocolate!  :)

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - so many yummy recipes to check out!

What kind of chocolate are you enjoying today?  Have a fabulous chocolatey Friday friends!

WFMW ~ Swag Bucks & My Points

I know that everybody and their relatives have already told you about Swag Bucks, but I had to mention it anyway!  There might be 1 person left who doesn't know about it (or some of you who need a gazillion people to tell you how good something is before you sign up - like me)!

I jumped on the Swag Bucks wagon a bit late - about a month ago - but I'm lovin' it and all by my little self I've already earned enough bucks for a $5 Amazon gift card.  That's FREE, people!!  All I did was install the tool bar and use it for searches every day and kept my eyes open for hints about special codes to earn more SB's.  Now if people sign up through me, then I earn even more.  But even if it's just me, I figure I can earn enough Swag Bucks by Christmas to get $40-$50 worth of gift cards - sweet!

So what are you waiting for?  If you haven't signed up yet, click the button below and get going!  You still have plenty of time to earn lots of bucks by Christmas!  OK - you don't have to wait until then to cash out, but it is fun to see how many you can save up.

I have also been with My Points for a few years now and earn FREE gift cards there too!  You have to be willing to get daily e-mails and click on the links to check the offers, but you can earn additional points by shopping and taking advantage of offers.  I've redeemed the points for many a Starbucks card over the last few years!  I have almost enough points right now for 2 $10 Starbucks cards (they now offer Amazon cards too, and places like Target, Walmart, and much more), but I'm going to use the same approach that I'm using with Swag Bucks and save my points up until Christmas time.  Between the 2 programs, I think I'll have at least an extra $100 for Christmas (hubs will like this a lot)!!

You can check out My Points here and get signed up!  If you would like to sign up under my network (it earns me extra points) just let me know and I'll e-mail you a special link to use.

I know there are plenty of other programs that are helping you earn a few extra bucks here and there.  What are your favorites and how long have you been doing them?

Stop over at We Are THAT Family to see all sorts of great Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips!

Have a great day friends!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Caesar Couscous

I enjoy Tasty Tuesday with Jen and thought it would be a good opportunity to share an easy side dish recipe with you!

I just love the versatility of couscous!  Do you cook with it?  It's actually a very small pasta and cooks up in as little as 5 minutes.  I buy boxes of whole wheat couscous at Trader Joe's, but you can find it in most grocery stores in the pasta aisle.

I found this recipe in a magazine several years ago, saved it, and finally made it a few months ago.  I enjoyed it and will probably serve it up a few times this year!

Caesar Couscous

1 box (10 oz) couscous, cooked according to package directions
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Caesar dressing
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine ingredients in a large bowl, and serve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very simple, but a nice change from the usual salad!  What are you cooking up today?  Link up your recipes for Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a tasty day friends!  :)

Wired Whimsy Giveaway Winner

Thank you all for making my birthday so enjoyable last week!  Turning 40 was fun!  Maybe I can turn 40 again next year - HA!  :)

And thank you to Wired Whimsy for making such a cute chocolate set - the necklace, bookmark, and purse charm!!  I'm so excited that one of you will have a matching set!

And the winner is...

Alicia

Congratulations Alicia!!

If you didn't win, I'm sure you can find something sweet to order for yourself from Wired Whimsy!  She's in the process of listing several new items!

Have a wonderful day friends!

Sweet To Meet

It's always fun to meet a blogger in real life, but it's even better when it's a blogger that you really enjoy and who just happens to live very close to you!

I've known Genny through her blog My Cup 2 Yours for at least a year-and-a-half.  At some point I realized that she lived somewhat close and hoped that maybe one day we'd get to meet.  I had NO idea just how close we lived!!  After seeing a post with pics of some nearby shops, I thought she must be in the general area, but still didn't know how close!  Go over to her post to read what happened next - it was too funny!!

It turns out that we live just a couple miles apart and we got to meet at the coffee shop just down the street (where I have probably been at the same time she was there, but didn't realize it)!  Isn't that great?!  Of COURSE we brought our cameras for a photo!

We had such a lovely time having coffee and chatting - I hope we can do it again soon!  Genny is just as sweet in real life as you would imagine from reading her blog!  It's hard meeting a blogger for the first time - all of the awkward pauses and lack of conversation...NOT!!  We chatted nonstop of course and time flew by much too quickly.

Hugs to you Genny - I loved meeting you!  Stop over at My Cup 2 Yours to say hello to Genny!

Have you met some bloggers in real life?  Do you live close to any?

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Mix-In-The-Pan Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Friday is back!!  OK, so Chocolate Friday can exist without me, but you get to link up your chocolate posts here again!  If you posted Chocolate Friday during the last couple of weeks, be sure to also link up those past posts - we need all the chocolate we can get!  Besides, it's still my birthday week so I need more virtual chocolate (I do NOT, I repeat, do NOT need more chocolate in real life this week - LOL)!

You knew there would be chocolate today and since I had a birthday this week, I thought chocolate cake would be appropriate.  I was going through old magazines the week before and tearing out recipes and found this one!  Chocolate cake all made in 1 pan?  Woo Hoo!  And it doesn't even need an egg!  This could be dangerous...

You whisk all the dry ingredients right in the baking pan!

After adding the wet ingredients, stir really well and then clean up the sides of the pan.

Chocolate chips on a hot cake = Frosting

Mmmmm.........oh...hi there!  Oops - I was mesmerized by all that chocolate and thought I was all alone in my chocolate dream!  :)

After 5 minutes, you can spread the melted chocolate chips.  My 2 cups of chocolate chips actually equal about 2 1/2 cups so I had no problem spreading this evenly!

After 3 days, it's impossible to make this cake look pretty when you cut it.  The top has hardened back to chocolate chip state so it's kind of like eating a chocolate candy bar on top of a cake.  Yeah - super chocolatey and rich and delicious!  The cake is still very moist.  You really could just top the cake with powdered sugar and still be in a happy place!

Mix-In-The-Pan Chocolate Cake (from Womans Day 2/06)

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups lukewarm water
11.5-oz. bag milk-chocolate chips (1 3/4 cups) or 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Have a ready a 13x9 in. baking pan.

2.  Put flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in ungreased pan.  Stir with a whisk until blended, shaking occasionally to settle ingredients. (Flour should be blended completely, but some lumps of cocoa may remain.)

3.  With a wooden spoon, make 3 "wells" in mixture.  Pour oil into 1 well, vinegar into another,  and vanilla into the 3rd.  Pour 2 cups lukewarm water over all.  Stir until blended, scraping sides, corners and bottom of pan (some lumps may remain).

4.  Use a rubber spatula, then a paper towel to wipe excess batter off sides of pan.

5.  Bake 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

6.  Remove from oven to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over cake.  Let stand 5 minutes until soft, the spread to edge in decorative swirls.  Let cool completely.  (Can be stored, loosely covered, up to 2 days at room temperature.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YUM - obviously I take Chocolate Friday seriously!  :)  This cake really was easy to do and oh so rich.  It would be fun to experiment with too!

Hey - join the party and bring some chocolate posts with you!  Go get your old or new family-friendly chocolate posts (more info here) and come back to link them up!  Let's try out MckLinky's new thumbnail linky today so we can see the yummy chocolate pics!  Let me know if you have any problems linking up.

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam 'cause this chocolateyness really should be shared!

Have a wonderful chocolate-filled day sweet friends!

Talkin' About Thursday ~ At The Bottom

Today is Talkin' About Thursday over at My Cup 2 Yours!  The topic is to share a nature photo you took and tell the story behind it.  I was oh so tempted to share my most fascinating nature photo - a hawk eating a dove on our back fence - but I decided to spare you, LOL!  :)

We have been to many beautiful places in nature, but this pic is one of my faves:

That's my son in the pic and I'm sort of cheating because my hubs actually snapped this photo.  I love how the photo shows just how small we are compared to the hugeness of God's wonderful creation!

This particular adventure - hiking up a river in a narrow canyon in Zion National Park (Utah) - was one of our favorite things we've done.  On that same trip we saw the absolutely amazing Grand Canyon, the closer view of interesting formations of Bryce Canyon, and then got to experience being at the bottom of canyons in Zion.  You can see more pics from this River walk if you're interested.

Thanks for letting me share a little nature with you today!  I hope you enjoyed it (or would you rather have seen the hawk - HA)!

Don't forget to check out more nature photos and link up your own with my friend Genny at My Cup 2 Yours today!

Oh - and Chocolate Friday is finally back tomorrow - yay!  Link up your chocolate posts!

Have a terrific day friends!

Too Much Birthday Celebrating?

40 Thoughts As I Turn 40

Happy Birthday to me!  I can't believe I'm actually 40 now! 

I have a few thoughts about turning 40 - there just happen to be 40 of them - LOL!  I know, it's a lot, but I've been around for a LOT of years now so I figure I'm entitled!  :)

~ People tell me I look good for my age.  Nobody tells you that when you're 20.
~ I'm losing hair from my scalp, but gaining it on my chin.
~ My son thinks I'm old.
~ I still have SO much to learn from the Bible.
~ 40 is the new 30, so I still have time to figure out what I want to do when I "grow up."
~ I google every abnormal ache/pain to find out what disease I have.
~ I'm a little closer to that Senior discount!
~ My body has decided it does not understand the definition of "metabolism."
~ Does acne EVER go away??
~ "I've fallen and I can't get up" commercials seem more realistic.
~ If I don't write it down, it will be forgotten.
~ If I forget to check the place that I wrote it down, it will be forgotten.
~ I still stay up too late.
~ I'm not afraid to talk about retirement and making a will.
~ I might repeat myself and not realize it.
~ I might repeat myself and not realize it.
~ I've forgotten what my natural hair color looks like.
~ Getting fit and eating right are more of a priority.
~ I find it scary that the clothes I wore in high school are back in style.
~ I didn't own a computer or a cell phone when I got married.
~ I'm more worried about whether my clothes are age-appropriate (or comfortable) than trendy.
~ I would rather veg on the couch and eat pizza with family than dress up and go to a fancy restaurant.
~ I have not lost the ability to kill house plants.
~ The older I get, the more conservative I become.
~ I'm not afraid to tell you my age, but I am afraid to tell you my dress size.
~ My son is the same age that I was when my Mom was my age.
~ Family history has become more interesting to me.
~ I'm still learning how to be a good wife and mom.
~ It's never too late to learn new skills!
~ The scariness of attending a 20-year class reunion is behind me.
~ My Grandparents, Mother, Stepmother, and some Aunts & Uncles have all passed away.
~ My husband is still my best friend.
~ I refer to people in their 20's as "kids."
~ I still love to laugh!
~ I like the fact that I am frugal (most of the time).
~ I've become a pretty good cook.
~ I drive as if everybody else is planning on crashing into me.
~ I can't break the habit of trying to use a non-existent brake on the passenger side when hubs is driving.
~ I look forward to enjoying my "Fabulous Forties!"
~ As I have matured, so have my tastes in chocolate!

Can you relate to any of my thoughts?  I think you should all have some cake or chocolate today so it's like you're celebrating with me!  :)

Have a fabulous day my friends and thanks for stopping by on my special day!

It's My Birthday And I'll Have A Wired Whimsy Giveaway If I Want To

**Giveaway now closed.**

I'm baa-aack!  Did you miss me??  Did you?  Really?  I'm going to pretend like you did and that you have been counting the days and eagerly awaiting my return!  :)

I really did enjoy my break!  I had hoped to catch up a bit on blog-reading while on break but I honestly wasn't on the computer that much so I am just as behind as ever.  I hope to catch up a little at a time, but I have company coming so it won't happen this week!

Let's see - what else is happening?  Oh yeah...it's MY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!  Not only that, but it's a biggie - my 40th!!!  Yes, I just told you my age.  It's just a number - no big deal, right?  :)  And I sort of had a bloggie birthday while I was on break - I hit my 2 Year Blogaversary last week (yay)!!  I decided to just let it be a quiet occasion this year since I had such a fabulous blogaversary bash last year.

In honor of my being back from break and celebrating my birthday, I have a SWEET giveaway for you!!  If you don't already know Christy from Wired Whimsy, you should get to know her - I just love her!  I "met" her on twitter and read her blog before she even started her Etsy shop.  She has housework struggles just like me and a great sense of humor and she's a talented jewelry-maker and a sweetheart too (and she just happens to like chocolate)!  Her blog is cute too - it's Wired to the Whimsy and you simply MUST read her Ultimate Blog Party post - you'll learn all about Christy and love her as much as I do!

I bought this Rose Garden bracelet from Wired Whimsy for a friend - soooo pretty!

And look at this Lilac Heart Necklace in the Wired Whimsy shop - perfect for Spring!

Christy sent me the cutest early birthday present - my very own Stop and Smell the Chocolates necklace, bookmark, and purse charm!  They are SO adorable!  And 1 of YOU (U.S. Readers only) can win a matching chocolate jewelry set from Wired Whimsy!!  Take a look at the cuteness...

Isn't that an adorable set??!!  Christy calls them chocolate muffins, but I have decided that they are cupcakes oozing with chocolate frosting - 'cause I can, 'cause it's my birthday week.  But if you win this set, I'll let you decide if they are muffins or cupcakes!  :)

*Giveaway closed.*
How to enter this sweet giveaway (required - 1 entry):  Go check out the Wired Whimsy shop, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite item in the shop (I recommend that you also look at the past items that were sold too, to get an idea of custom items you could request!).

How to get extra entries (optional) - Please leave a separate comment for each item you do!:
1 entry ~ Become a subscriber or follower of my blog (or tell me if you're one)
1 entry ~ Follow me on twitter (@stop4chocolate) and/or facebook (Stop and Smell the Chocolates)
1 entry ~ Become a subscriber of Wired to the Whimsy
1 entry ~ Follow Wired Whimsy on twitter (@WiredWhimsy) and/or facebook (The Wired Whimsy Shop)
1 entry ~ Promote this giveaway in your favorite way (blog post, twitter, e-mail, FB, etc.)

This giveaway will be open through Sunday 4/18 and I'll announce the winner on Monday 4/19!

Disclosure:  Wired Whimsy sent me a chocolate jewelry set as a birthday gift and generously offered to give away a matching set on my blog.  My opinions are my own as always and also based on my personal knowledge of Christy and my past purchase. 

I'm linking this to Your Blog, Your Life at Real Life - stop by and read some great posts!


So are you glad I'm back?  I thought this was a good way to come back from a break!  Thank you all for sticking with me through my break!!  Have a marvelous Monday friends!