Amazing Monster Cookies

I had monthly craft night last Thursday.  I always bring dessert.  Why?  Because everyone else brings vegetables so I have to make sure there is something I can eat.  I’m that girl.

Monster Cookies are one of my favorites.  They remind me of college.  The good parts of college.  The overeating of buffet food.  The 3 hours naps.  The only having to be productive for 2 hours on Fridays.  I attended the University of Northern Iowa before pharmacy school (at the University of Iowa).  UNI had THE best Monster Cookies.  I have since been on a quest to find a delicious monster cookie recipe.  Consider it checked off my life list.

These cookies are a deliciously soft peanut butter cookie stuffed with chocolate chips and M&Ms. I don’t know how you can possibly go wrong with that combination.

Ike was not pleased when he wasn’t allowed to sample them.

Monster Cookies (makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup M&Ms
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla (in that order). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Don’t  over mix. Fold in the quick oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips.
3. Rolls balls of dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough per ball) onto baking sheet. Press a few extra M&Ms on top for looks, if preferred.  (Which I did.  Because this girl likes pretty cookies.)
4. Bake for 9-10 minutes.  The cookies will appear undone. Slightly press down the baked cookies with the back of a spoon because the cookies will only spread slightly in the oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cookies will firm up as they cool.
5. Store cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. (These freeze well.)

I took the leftovers to the family this week-end.  They are toddler approved.  My niece screamed “COOKIES!!” Followed by “Aunt Chelle makes good cookies.  Aunt Chelle come to my house with cookies.”  I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that approved.

Are you a Monster Cookie fan?  Any foods remind you of those good ol’ college days?

Spring and The Home Depot Garden Club

Spring?  Spring? Where are you?  Oh, that’s right.  You are never going to arrive in Iowa.  Silly me.

The local weather reporters are entertaining us with talk of temperatures in the 80’s by the middle of the month. What a great April Fool’s joke silly weather people!

The talk of 80 degrees has me pondering the outdoors.



A yard full of green grass.  Dirt on my hands.  Flowers blooming.  I. Can’t. Wait.

I know that I need to be patient and do some planning before any of that can happen.  I’m horrible at planning ahead.  I like to dive right in. I recently became a member of the Home Depot's Garden Club. The Garden Club has some great benefits. By signing up I can save $5 off my next garden purchase of $50.  They will also send me lots of e-mail coupons, garden ideas and info on new products.

One of my favorite features of the Home Depot's Garden Club is the regional to-do list.  You select the zone you live in and you are supplied with a monthly outdoor to-do list. I love checking things off of lists.  It’s a sickness! We live in Zone 5 and part of our March to-do list includes pruning woody plants.  Our little shrubs are getting out of control after 4 years of growth.  Better get on that!
 


Do you think removing Christmas lights should be part of the outdoor to-do list?  Nah, me neither.

We have lots of projects that we need to tackle outdoors this Spring.  We have multiple areas that still need flowers.  The Garden Center will be an excellent resource for finding plants that grow well in our zone.  We need assistance finding plants for a shady area and a partly sunny area.  We also have deer that live in our backyard that like to eat our plants.  We have to be selective with the plants that we purchase.  I’m all about wildlife living in my backyard but I’m not all about feeding them gourmet meals with my hard earned money.





Our back patio is quite sad.  We need color.  We need hanging baskets.  We need help.  (Extra points if you spot a doggy in the window.)



Get excited for a series of posts planned where The Home Depot is going to help us with our outdoor projects.  I can't wait to get started!  In the meantime, be sure to visit the Garden Club by The Home Depot to plan for your upcoming outdoor projects!

***

It's home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need for spring.  No matter what projects you want to tackle, The Home Depot has you covered and can help you #DigIn to spring.

Spring is the perfect time for all your outdoor home renovations. Shop The Home Depot for terrific values on new patio furniture, landscape supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and outdoor grills. Keep your lawn and garden looking great, too, with the huge selection of lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, and garden tools.

Visit The Home Depot Garden Club for product ideas from kick-starting your Spring with seed starter kits to building a window birdfeeder.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.
 
Do you have big outdoor Spring plans?  What project would you like to tackle from the Garden Club?  Has Spring arrived in your area?  Or are you currently suffering in 30’s degrees like us?

BFFs and Why You Should Blog

BFF has a new meaning.  Blog Friends Forever.

I kill myself with corniness.

All kidding aside, I hung out with two of my favorite blog buddies last week-end (Cindy (The Flipping Couple) and Kim (NewlyWoodwards))  I’m still trying to recover from lack of sleep. Even though we went to bed at 10:30.  We’re party animals. I think it’s my “introverts get energy sapped from hanging out with others” theory. Yes, that.

Here’s the only picture of the three of us.  You know, the one where I already look like I’ve drank a pitcher of sangria and spilled it down myself.  (I had a small issue opening some club soda.  Small.  It definitely did not spray all over my kitchen.  Definitely not.  I should probably have my own Food Network show.)

If you would have asked me three years ago if two strangers from the internet would be two of my favorite people in the world.  I would have laughed at you.  I’ve only hung out with Cindy three times yet she feels like someone I’ve known forever.  I currently spend more time with Kim than I do my husband.  If you think about it though, when you read about people’s lives on a daily basis you almost know more about their current lives than the real life friends you only see once a month.  Kind of strange.

Blog friends are great because they get you.  If you don’t blog, you don’t have a complete understanding of how weird the world of blogland is.  It’s hard to explain but it’s like you become part of this parallel universe.  It’s totally cool to Instagram your dinner.  It’s almost rude not to.

Blog friends know what you should serve them for breakfast. I read Kim’s mind.  She totally didn’t demand baked donuts. I fed Henry paper.

Blog friends will pose for ridiculous Instagram photos without hesitation.  (P.S. She totally bought those.)

Blog friends don’t mind when your dog humps their baby.  True story. I was mortified.  Kim laughed.  Henry laughed.  I booked an obedience lesson.

Moral of this post.  Start blogging.  Seriously.  You will meet so many amazing people and there are a lot of fun opportunities that arise if you work at it. (I have some fun opportunities ahead in the next few months.  Outdoor projects.  Reclaimed barn wood.  Flowers.  Navy paint.  Tile.  I can’t wait!)

I truly believe everyone has a story to tell.  My life is seriously not that exciting but you all keep stopping back.  So I keep writing.  Share yours!

Do you have questions about blogging? Ask them in the comments. I’m an open book.

For more BFF reading, click here and here!

Have you met blog buddies?  Do you plan to meet blog buddies?  Are you thinking about blogging?