If you'd like a recipe for a healthy, sugar-free smoothie that taste GOOD, then hop on over to my cooking blog for a recipe for a smoothie I whipped up this afternoon that made the A+ list with my daughter (very important!).  You can click on the link below:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cookalatte

If you're looking for those recipe ideas for tasty treats for the holiday season, you might consider a delightful dessert my husband and I put together yesterday.  We're calling them Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars and you can find the recipe on my cooking blog by clicking on the following link:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cookalatte

These are fairly inexpensive to make if you have some of the ingredients already on hand like vanilla extract, sugar, etc.  Give them a try.  If you're a cheesecake and a chocolate fan, I think you'll like these!

I've recently begun a cooking blog to share my enjoyment in cooking.  I now introduce you to: 

Cook-A-Latte 
Where I share wonderful recipes from frugal meals to comfort food to the quick and easy dinner.  You will also find great recipes for desserts, breads, breakfast and more.  In addition, I offer tips to help you in the kitchen whether it's time-savers, money-savers, how to pick out food at the store, etc.  I hope you will find lots of help for your kitchen when you visit Cook-A-Latte.  Here's the link:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cookalatte

This afternoon I decided to make some shortcake.  This recipe makes a biscuit that is not too sweet.  They're great by themselves, with a little jam (we like to use all-fruit spread), or with a fruit topping and whipped cream. 

INGREDIENTS
Dry
4 cups flour
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar (a little more if you want them sweeter)

Liquid
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Then add the liquid ingredients.  Try not to stir this batter too much - just enough to get it all mixed together well.  This batter works best baked in a muffin pan.  However, I baked mine on a cookie sheet.  If you bake on a cookie sheet, drop by tablespoonful and be sure to space them closely together.  They will spread out.  So putting too much space between each one will make a flatter biscuit.  Bake until they start to brown on top.  Let cool on a wire rack before putting them in a container. 

Here is the recipe for the Oreo Bon-Bons my family made a few days ago.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Oreo cookies - I use store brand
1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 lb. bag pwd. sugar (you won't use the whole bag)
1 pkg. chocolate bark

With a mixer, blend the cream cheese and about 1/3 bag of powdered sugar until creamy.  Crush cookies (yes the whole package) and add to cream cheese/sugar mixture.  Mix together well.  We usually mix it all together with a mixer.  But it is very thick.  You want to get a creamy-like texture, not chunky.

Melt the chocolate bark either in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.  It only takes a little time in the microwave.  You can't go by the looks of the chocolate.  It can be melted but still look like it's in chunks.  How weird is that??? 

Form the cookie mixture into little balls.  You can determine how big you want them.  These can be very rich so usually a smaller size works well.  Place the formed balls on wax paper and spoon the melted chocolate over each one, covering them entirely.  Let the chocolate harden.  After the chocolate has hardened, I sometimes cut away any excess chocolate from each bon-bon to make them look better.

We have done other bon-bons besides the Oreo filling.  We've done cherries as well as marshmallows.  The Oreo ones seem to be a huge hit with most people.

Here you go MamaBugs.  I did good.  I got it posted tonight!  This recipe is actually called Scottish Scones and I have no idea where I got it from.  I think it may have called for something other than chocolate chips. But I can't remember.  So here is how I make them:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup oats, uncooked
1/4 cup (or more) chocolate chips (or raisins, etc. whatever you'd like)
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together.  Cut in oil until crumbly.  Mix in oats and chocolate chips.  Fold in milk.  Turn onto floured surface and knead only a little.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown.

I usually kind of roll out the dough on my pizza stone in a circular shape and then bake.  When they're done I've cut them in squares and I've also cut it like a pizza.  You can shape these however you want. 

I hope you enjoy these!

Recipe source unknown.

I called my sister tonight and she had the sugar cookie recipe!  So I now can share this recipe with you all.  This is the one that the family in the past has asked me to make for them and it kind of became my thing to do there for awhile. 

These cookies are highly fattening!!!!!!!!!

Sherry's Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Thoroughly cream oil, butter, and both sugars.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl.  Then sift into other mixture and blend well.  Either roll into balls and roll in sugar (and cinnamon if desired)  OR  roll out dough and use cookie cutters.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes

Note:  Raw dough keeps well in refrigerator.

(This is S.M.'s recipe.)

My notes:  When I make these, I usually cut out the cookies.  I then make icing or buy the icing already in tubes at the store and decorate the cookies with the icing.  These are really soft, yummy cookies that are excellent with the icing on them.  From what I remember, the cookie itself is not overly sweet.  But when you add the icing, they are absolutely delicious!

I had a request for the banana bread recipe I mentioned in my Monday Meanderings.   I have a recipe for zucchini bread that was given to me years ago.  (I don't remember the person's name who gave it to me.)  What I am probably going to do is make that recipe but substitute banana for the zucchini.  So here's the zucchini bread recipe with my substitution(s) in brackets.

Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
3 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon [I may leave this out, although it may be good to leave it in...]
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini (don't unpeel) [I will substitute mashed bananas]

Mix together eggs, sugar and oil.  Add remaining ingredients.  Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans or 6 mini pans.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour in large pans or 30-35 minutes in mini pans.