Baking Monday - Double Chocolate Crinkles

These cookies are super-duper soft and yummy! I decided to double the recipe, since it claimed to make two dozen and I wanted more than that - turns out, it makes closer to four dozen (using my 1 tbsp mini scoop!) so we ended up with lots and lots of these! Not that anyone's complaining ... after Baking Monday, we also got to enjoy them when we celebrated Grandma's 91st birthday, and still have some left over to go with morning tea for the rest of the week.

I used chocolate chips for the chopped semisweet chocolate in the recipe. (Most of my baking supplies are purchased in giant quantities from Sam's Club, so there are always chocolate chips on hand!) I even threw in half whole wheat flour, which you can't even notice because they are so crazy-chocolatey. 

Baking Monday - PB Cheesecakes

I made these for Oscar night (hence the blingy wrappers and terrible lighting), hoping it would be an easier-to-make version of this peanut butter cheesecake (which is amazing, but a PITA to make).

They were definitely good, but more dense than light (I could only eat half at a time) and not as peanut-buttery as I had hoped. Good - but not great!

Best Day!

Dora's team won their Odyssey of the Mind competition last Saturday! These kids are over the moon with excitement.



I did think they had a chance to place this year - the story was good and they had really great scenery, props, and an original song that was pretty catchy - but we were all hoping for third. They'd get to hear their school called and go up and receive medals. It would have been a well-earned victory, because they have worked so hard for it this year. Many, many hours put in to this project. (I'm not going to post pics of their actual project yet, because it's on to States in two weeks!)

They were competing against ten other teams. They ended up tying for second for their long-term score and tying for first in style points. But it was their spontaneous score that put them over the top! First place in their problem and number three overall in their division. So great!

The other team from our school also won - for the kids on both teams to hear their school name called back to back was such a thrill. The parents and kids were going nuts.



I told a friend the next day that it was probably the most exciting day of my life. Jeff balked - um, hey, what about getting married and having kids? And I realized later that both those things involved lots of work from me ... this win was pure excitement on my end. Now I know what it's like to cheer for a winning sports team, something I've never, ever done before!



Our kids are not competitive at all, and neither was I growing up. OOTM is the only thing the kids have actually competed in, and certainly the first time they've ever won.



I was wondering how the day would be for Theo, since this is the first year he's opted not to be on the team. He was such a great sport - cheering for everyone and good wishes all around.

The kids on the team are each taking a turn having the trophy at home this week before it will go in the display case at school. Participation trophies are nice and all - our kids certainly enjoy getting them in recreational sports - but now they know that actually winning one feels a zillion times better! 

Baking Monday - Triple PB Chip Cookies

In keeping with the recent triple-chip theme, today's cookie has semi-sweet, milk chocolate, and peanut butter chips. I already have a good pb chocolate chip recipe, but am always happy to try out another! (Also? I had a box of vanilla pudding on hand to use up.)

The pb flavor in the batter is not super strong (which makes Jeff say: "Then why is it there?") but all the chips makes this one a keeper. Very soft and yummy - even better the next day! This recipe makes a ton of cookies - and it was a good thing I kept a jar of them back at home, because no leftovers came back after Monday night! 

Baking Monday - Caramel Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie Treats are not my favorite - again, not a big marshmallow fan - plus, I don't love making them - too sticky and messy, ugh. And the idea they can actually be molded into crazy shapes? Well, Kellogg's can just bite me. However ... I tried these today because I really liked the idea of adding caramel into the mix. They were tasty, but not to die for (IMHO), but I'm guessing that if you are a RKT fan, these would be right up your alley.

And I doubt anyone but me has noticed, but I've been using the same dishes over and over again the last few Baking Mondays, because most of my little plates are currently being held hostage:

Yes, every February/March, this is what our dining room looks like while kids are preparing for their Odyssey of the Mind project. I am very excited for the competition, but even more so looking forward to clean up day!