Confession Time

I have a confession to make.  It's a big one, so you should sit down.

I, Heids McGhee, have been going through the McDonald's drive-through nearly every day for the last month.

I, Heids McGhee, love McDonald's coffee.

Morally, ethically, and nutritionally, I am opposed to McDonalds.  In my mind, McDonalds is like Walmart's irritating step-brother.

Here's how I justify it in my head....

1.  It is only a dollar.  Well, actually it's  $1.09.  (And, truthfully, this arguement doesn't even hold after today's drive through experience....I got caught in one of those "pay for the person behind you" schemes.  So, my $1.09 ended up being $3.76 for the big man in the little red truck behind me who upon finding out I had paid for his heartattack on a biscuit starting honking and gesturing wildly at me.  At which point, I realized he had no clue that this was a "thing" that strangers do for one another and no, indeed, I was NOT being flirtatious.)

2.  I always put any change I have in the collection bin that goes to the Ronald McDonald House.  So, technically, my coffee habit is supporting parents that need housing while their kids are in the hospital.  (And being one of those families, I know how crucially important those houses are.  See, for this reason alone, I should not even feel as if I have to justify this habit.)

 3.  It's really all my grandma's fault anyway.  Grandma loved her coffee and she loved it hot.  Piping hot.  And apparently food temperature preference is herditary, because I inherited Grandma's preference.  And since McDonald's serves its coffee much hotter than any other establishment, (and despite $640,000 lawsuits, they refuse to lower their temperature) that's where I will get my scalding caffeine fix.

So there.  Conscience cleared.

I figured since I may as well give you all something to confess about as well.  I know that most of you are on a New Year's diet, but I just can't help myself from sharing this cookie recipe with you.  So go ahead and make them.  And then e-mail me your confession.  In some weird way, it will make me feel better than blaming Grandma for my bad habit.

Salted Caramel Rounds

• 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 36 milk chocolate covered caramels (AKA Rolos)
• 12 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
• 1 teaspoon whipping cream, half and half, or light cream
• course salt

1.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

2.  In another large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated and brown sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. If necessary, cover and chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Press a chocolate-covered caramel into each ball and shape dough around caramel to enclose. Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4.  Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool completely.

5.  To decorate, in a small saucepan combine vanilla caramels and whipping cream. Heat over medium-low heat until caramels melt and mixture is smooth. Drizzle melted caramel mixture over cookies and then sprinkle cookies with coarse salt. Let stand until set.

Mix your butter and sugar.  

Add eggs and vanilla.

Mix up your dry ingredients.

Add your wet and dry ingredients.  

Make a cookie ball and stick your rolo in the middle.  

 Make sure the rolo is in the middle of the dough ball.  

Bake.  Let cool.

 Make your caramel sauce.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

These cookies were really quite amazing.  I suggest you try them and if you have any extras, drop them off to your McD's coffee-loving friends.

Muffins!!!

Lately, my oldest boy mini has been mistaken for a girl.  Now, if you know anything about my oldest boy mini, you know that being called a girl is the least of his problems right now.  However, this weekend he was referred to as a lady.  As in a gentlemen opened a door for us, and said, "go ahead, ladies."  Apparently being called a lady is much more offensive than being called a girl when you're a 9 year old boy.  Here is a photo of my boy minis shortly after my oldest mini the "lady incident".

Now, I don't see how he could be mistaken for a lady, but maybe that's because I live with him and I know the noises that come out of that body could not come from any lady.  However, I did come home and make appointments for haircuts.

Yesterday was a chilly day and as we were on our way to get our haircuts, I got this overwhelming desire to do some baking.  So I asked my boy minis what they would like for me to bake for them.  My middle mini shouted, "asparagus!" and my oldest minis shrugged and said, "asparagus does sound good."

Well, they're sort of a buzz-kill on the baking endorphins that were surging through my body.  

I decided to skip their recommendation and make a batch of apple cinnamon muffins.  

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups diced peeled apples (I use Granny Smith)

For the Topping

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups diced peeled apples (I use Granny Smith)

For the Topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted butter

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and all-spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Add in the apples and stir until just combined.  

3. To make the crumb topping, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until crumbly.

3. Fill the prepared muffin pan with muffin batter, filling each cup about 3/4 the way full. Sprinkle each muffin with crumb topping. Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool to room temperature and serve.

Combine your dry ingredients.

Mix together your wet ingredients.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until must moistened.  Do you know that I once took a college course over the chemistry of why overmixing muffins leads to flat muffins?  Fascinating stuff.

This is a new cooking spray I tried.  Smells amazing.  Worked well too.

Make your crumb topping.

Fill the muffin tin with the muffin batter and top with a spoonful of crumb topping.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean.

These muffins were delish!   The minis loved them.  See how happy they are....

In case you were wondering, this photo was taken AFTER the haircuts.  Sorry, dad!

Popcorn and Chocolate Shake Night

One of my favorite memories of my childhood was popcorn and chocolate shake night.  It was usually on Thursdays, when all of us would plop down in front of the tv to watch the Cosby Show.  And nothing could ruin popcorn and chocolate shake night, not even the time that my little brother stuck a wooden spoon into the blender, while it was still blending and we all spent the evening picking wooden splinters out of our teeth.


My minis love popcorn and chocolate shake night too.  We pan pop popcorn in some canola oil with a little butter and salt on top, or pop it in butter-flavored grapeseed oil.  And we have come up with the best chocolate shake recipe.  And, lucky you, we are going to share that recipe.


McGhee Family Chocolate Shake

• Dark chocolate almond milk (6 oz per shake)
• frozen banana (1-1.5 bananas per shake)
• 1-2 tbsp all natural peanut butter

1.  Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

**Disclaimer** Dark chocolate almond milk is processed food and contains more than 5 ingredients.

Ready to blend.

Ready to be enjoyed while watching your favorite family tv show.

Breaking the Rules

The little Mother Nature I carry around inside of me is uncomfortable with breaking the rules.  But, it's Friday and I'm feeling like cutting loose a little.  

I'm probably not going to go as far loose as my friend, Will, but these are things I plan on doing tonight.....enjoying a salty dog, eat some processed food, and stay up past 9 o'clock.  The reality is I am too tired to make the processed food I have been dreaming about all week.   So, I will probably make the salty dog, drink half of it and fall asleep before 9.  But, as of right now, the intent is there.


These brownies are my favorite dessert ever.  There is nothing more I can say.  


Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

• one box of  Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
• water
• vegetable oil
• egg
• one pouch of premade cookie dough (or you could make your own homemade cookie dough)
• 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 Tbsp butter

1.  Follow the recipe on the box to prepare the brownie mix.  Pour into a 13 x 9 pan.

2.  Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough into the brownie mix.  Push the dough down so that the top of the brownie/cookie dough mixture is flat.

3.  Bake according to package directions.

4.  Cool.

5.  Once cooled, in a small saucepan heat cream and butter until just before the boiling stage.

6.  Pour over the chocolate morsels.

7.  Let stand about 20 seconds and stir until smooth.

8.  Pour over brownies and let stand before cutting.  

I think I am pointing out the obvious when I say there are absolutely no health benefits to this recipe.  Unless you consider a mega floor of happy endorphins a health benefit.  I would argue it is.

Prepare your brownie mix and pour into a dish.

Drop in cookie dough and flatten.

Once brownies are cooled, prepare ganache.  Put chocolate chips in a bowl....

Add hot cream and butter mixture.

Let sit for 20 minutes.

Stir......

....until it resembles this.....

Pour on top of brownies and let it cool.

If you can resist licking the bowl, you are a better woman than I am.  Better than this girl too.

Delish.  Sinful.  Enjoy.  Rest your tummy.  Go to gym.

80's fashion and Chia Pudding

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to chia seeds.  If you don't remember, there are supposedly a lot of health benefits to consuming chia seeds.  


I agree though.  I still think it's weird to eat these babies.
However, here is why I think you should regularly consume chia.  If they do happen to be the super-food that recent studies are proposing them to be, then you will be glad you have been including them in your diet.  If, in the future, they end up being something that we all are laughing about haven eaten, you will be glad that you are in on the joke with the rest of us.  Chia seeds are sort of like tight rolling your jeans.  We all look back and think, "why did I ever do that?" but, yet, we are all glad that during those years we fit in the crowd with everyone else.  

Could you imagine today being that one person at a party that says, "I never tight rolled my jeans?"  It would be social suicide.


I already told you that you can eat chia in your breakfast oatmeal.  Another way you can try chia is in chia pudding.  


Chia Pudding

• 1/4 cup whole chia seeds
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 scoop vanilla brown rice protein powder (I used plain protein powder, Tera's Whey)
• 1 T rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 drops of liquid stevia, or other natural sweetener
• 1/2 sliced banana
• 1/8 cup blueberries

1.  In a bowl, mix together all ingredients except the banana and blueberries.  Stir.  A lot.

2.  Let sit on the counter or in the fridge for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the banana, top with blueberries and enjoy!

Mix it up well.

Let sit for a bit.  Go tight roll your jeans.  For old times sake.

Combine with your mix-ins.

Eating chia is strange.  But, definitely not the strangest thing I've ever done.  I'll save that story for a later day.