Sunday, November 24, 2013

Did Family Guy really kill off Brian?? Yahoo, He's Back!!







Omg, we just watched Family Guy, was sad to watch Brian die, but we both thought, for sures, Stewie would go back to the dump and make another Time Machine, go back in time and get Brian back - but has Family Guy actually killed of Brian??  What on earth??  Why would they do that? Isn't Brian so beloved by his adoring public, that he can't be removed? Iz so crazy. We liked the new 'dog', Vinnie, and I loved Peter's line, 'Oh, yeah, like Vinnie the Pooh' - very funny, Vinnie the Pooh, but can't they keep the new dog, Vinnie, bring back Brian, since the Time Machine concept is already in the show, have new adventures with both dogs, new avenues to go down with the new dog? Omg, is so shocking!  If there's enough pressure from the Family Guy fans, could we bring Brian back?  Should we have a Bring Brian Back campaign?? Say it ain't so, FOX, Bring Brian Back!




Let me know what you think!  Ailsa xox

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Yahoo, Brian came back, like the cat came back - lol! Mah' fave!  Loove these pics o' Brian!

Friday, November 22, 2013

#OatmealCookies #ChewyOatmealCookies, Baby! #Oatmeal, the little Miracle Food! #Diet #Yum! Add More #Fiber to Your Diet : ) #Fibre #Prebiotic #OatmealChallenge


Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! Yum!


Chewy Oatmeal Cookies - soo crazy good!

1 section of Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
and
1 section of Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

While you have all your Dry Ingredients out, make 2 extra batches of the first 4 ingredients - add the rest, the next time you make your cookies, so, extra baggies of the Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda and Salt - Label it, Oatmeal Cookie Base : )

Baking Trick: Use a knife and fork to mix the ingredients - is so much faster and easier!

Double Batch: Makes at least 84 cookies! Yum!

Mix in a giant bowl:

1 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar

1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar

Then Add:

6 cups Oatmeal (I like to mix half and half, Large Flakes with Quick Oats)

Mix in a medium size bowl (or whatever bowl you have around...)

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine (3 bricks) (or a mix of both) 
(soften it so your arm doesn't fall off...)
(I just microwave the margarine for 120 seconds, whatever makes it liquid is fine, no need to struggle : )

ADD:

4 tsp. Vanilla extract 
(I use 4 capfuls - dat jus' me - is prolly a tsp - lol! And Artificial Vanilla is totally okay!)
4 tablespoons of milk (or water, I always use milk)
2 eggs (Make sure no shells get in there - I canny take that chance! I never want to break another tooth on a tiny eggshell...)

1 bag of Chocolate Chips : ) (And, not the whole bag - maybe half the bag is plenty! : )
Options: raisins, dried cranberries, whatever else you might like to pop in here.. walnuts, maybe?)
(You might want cinnamon - aah, is debatable...think I like them better without the cinnamon - choose, yourself! lol!)

Bake at 350 for 12 - 20 minutes, depending on your oven - keep checking them, turn them around if one side gets brown faster than the other side - Yum! You' gonna love these cookies! 

Melt your margarine FIRST, set it aside while you're mixing your Dry Ingredients, so it'll be cool enough to add the eggs, without the eggs 'cooking' - you don't want that - haha!

Pour the liquid onto the oats, mix with a fork and knife, is waaay easier than a spoon... we're nontraditional, here, and it works way better! lol!

Mix until that's nice and creamy and light : )

We make half the batch as 'Regular' Oatmeal Cookies, set aside one roll for another day, and then add the chocolate chips - sometimes we add in walnuts, too - and set one roll of the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies aside, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge, for another day, too! Yum!

Start with the Baking Soda and Salt, then add in the sugar and brown sugar, then the flour, sift with your hands, then gently add in the oatmeal - use forks or a knife to run through it, but be super careful with the knife, of course - lol! And your hands to mix it through, as well : )

Make your first batch of cookies plain, then add in the Chocolate Chips - so good!

Hmm, I was just reading mah' recipe, and I see me has a newer technique - me mix all the dry ingredients, first, then add the 6 cups of oatmeal in - and, if you have 2 kinds of oatmeal, half of quick oats, half large flakes... and I melt the margarine right off the bat, set it aside so it'll really cool, then add all the vanilla and eggs and milk... and me no put in any cinnamon, and we looove them that way - we discussed the cinnamon, but changes the flavor, so, now we da purists with the oatmeal - haha! 

Oh, and not all that many chocolate chips, either - we used to pour the whole bag in, and with these oatmeal cookies, maybe half the bag, maybe a little less, is juuus' right! Yum! Now me wants them, again, too, and I got 2 gigantor bags of oatmeal at the Wholesale club, yesterday - should last for another month - yippee!!

You can scoop the cookies onto the Parchment Paper, or lay out a few sheets of Plastic Wrap, make 'Cookie Rolls', which are super easy to cut into slices, or pop in the fridge to make another day : )


This recipe will make soo many cookies, you might want to wrap up a couple of cookie rolls to save in the fridge for later : )


You can add a little oatmeal to your favorite cereal, too - is nice with Granola : )

Take The Oatmeal Challenge : ) (Yep, it's another Oatmeal page! lol!)

I loove Oatmeal - I just love it!  I have always believed in the powers of oatmeal, to lower your cholesterol, to lose weight, to maintain a healthy weight, to lower your blood pressure, to moderate your blood sugar - wow, that's a lot of stuff for one little bit of oatmeal, right?? lol!  It's like the one-stop-shopping for Healthy Food, right?? lol!

I often have Scottish Porridge, which I love, of course, since I'm Scottish, and it makes me think of my Dad every time I make it (!), and I was able to come up with an Oatmeal Diet, with an Apple Crumble recipe I really loved, so it helped me lose 35 pounds after I had my little man, Aidan....and now it's really important that I keep my cholesterol down, and maintain a healthy body weight, right, so I wanted an easy and quick way to increase the amount of oatmeal I eat every day, so I've started adding a 1/4 cup of oatmeal to my bowl of granola in the morning - it's delicious, filling, delicious (did I already mention that? hahaha! I want to say it again so you'll try it! lol!), and super fast and easy. You feel like you are sooo healthy, you're totally doing the right thing for your body! hahaha!

So here's how I do it, so you can try this, too.  I buy the big box of Granola, because I also like to save money (who doesn't?? lol!), and I buy the giant bag of oatmeal, too. The other fantastic thing about all the health benefits of oatmeal is that oatmeal is super cheap - I think I paid $5.47 for that giant bag of oatmeal I have, right now - lasts for ages. What else can you quickly and easily add to your diet that makes this kind of change in your body, for $5.47, and will probably last you for months on end? lol!  And there will maybe be a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies (yum!) on the side of the bag or box, but I'll post my favorite Oatmeal Cookie, too, since any way you get more oatmeal in your body is a good way, right?? Especially for the kids, too : )

You can get lots of really great information on the powers of oatmeal at this site - http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=54

Well, now I'm pouring in less of the Granola and way more of the Oatmeal, sooo, maybe 1/2 cup of Granola, 1/2 cup of Oatmeal? lol! Wo knows, I just pour things in, dat mah' thing - you knows how me be! haha!

You'll find the right mix, but any time you can Add More Fiber To Your Diet, you're doing your body a very nice favor! : )



Just use your fingers to mix the oatmeal into your cereal : ) 

We'll all be super-healthy, together! lol! See you soon!  Ailsa xox

See the little 1/4 cup measuring spoon? I just leave that right in the big bag of Oatmeal? Makes it super easy to just sprinkle the oatmeal on my granola. : )















Here they are - just took them out the oven - man, Oatmeal Cookies are a LOT of work, but, they're delicious, and they're super-good for you, so I guess I can justify making them every so often... and I double the batch, since I figure if I'm gonna do all that work, I might as well make a lot, right? And those are the little fancy Flower Trees I make - think I need to make one, tonight, relax a little! lol! I'll put the recipe for the double batch under the 'Flower Tree' picture! lol!



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies  (You can skip the chocolate chips, it you like them straight-up oatmeal, or add raisins, or dried cranberries - really good with the chocolate...just make them the way you really like them!)



Baking Trick: Use a knife and fork to mix the ingredients - is so much faster and easier!

Double Batch: Makes at least 84 cookies! Yum!

Mix in a giant bowl:

6 cups oatmeal (I like to mix half and half, Large Flakes with Quick Oats)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Start with the Baking Soda and Salt, then add in the sugar and brown sugar, then the flour, sift with your hands, then gently add in the oatmeal - use forks or a knife to run through it, but be super careful with the knife, of course - lol! And your hands to mix it through, as well : )

Make your first batch of cookies plain, then add in the Chocolate Chips - so good!

1 bag of Chocolate Chips : ) (And, not the whole bag - maybe half the bag is plenty! : )
Options: raisins, dried cranberries, whatever else you might like to pop in here.. walnuts, maybe?)
(You might want cinnamon - aah, is debatable...think I like them better without the cinnamon - choose, yourself! lol!)


Hmm, I was just reading mah' recipe, and I see me has a newer technique - me mix all the dry ingredients, first, then add the 6 cups of oatmeal in - and, if you have 2 kinds of oatmeal, half of quick oats, half large flakes... and I melt the margarine right off the bat, set it aside so it'll really cool, then add all the vanilla and eggs and milk... and me no put in any cinnamon, and we looove them that way - we discussed the cinnamon, but changes the flavor, so, now we da purists with the oatmeal - haha! 

Oh, and not all that many chocolate chips, either - we used to pour the whole bag in, and with these oatmeal cookies, maybe half the bag, maybe a little less, is juuus' right! Yum! Now me wants them, again, too, and I got 2 gigantor bags of oatmeal at the Wholesale club, yesterday - should last for another month - yippee!!

Mix in a medium size bowl (or whatever bowl you have around...)

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine (3 bricks) (or a mix of both)
(soften it so your arm doesn't fall off...)
(I just microwave the margarine for 60 seconds, whatever makes it liquid is fine, no need to struggle : )

Melt your margarine FIRST, set it aside while you're mixing your Dry Ingredients, so it'll be cool enough to add the eggs, without the eggs 'cooking' - you don't want that - haha!

ADD:

4 tsp. Vanilla extract
(I use 4 capfuls - dat jus' me - is prolly a tsp - lol!)
4 tablespoons of milk (or water, I always use milk)
2 eggs - Make sure no shells get in there - I canny take that chance! I never want to break another tooth on a tiny eggshell...)

Pour the liquid onto the oats, mix with a fork and knife, is waaay easier than a spoon... we're nontraditional, here, and it works way better! lol!

Mix until that's nice and creamy and light : )

We make half the batch as 'Regular' Oatmeal Cookies, set aside one roll for another day, and then add the chocolate chips - sometimes we add in walnuts, too - and set one roll of the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies aside, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge, for another day, too! Yum!

You can scoop the cookies onto the Parchment Paper, or lay out a few sheets of Plastic Wrap, make 'Cookie Rolls', which are super easy to cut into slices, or pop in the fridge to make another day : )

Bake at 350 for 12 - 20 minutes, depending on your oven - keep checking them, turn them around if one side gets brown faster than the other side - Yum! You' gonna love these cookies! 




 Uh-oh! lol! The Chewy Oatmeal Cookies were flying off the plate as fast as I could make them - Yahoo! That's the sign of a great cookie! Yay!! : )

Looks like a Love Heart Cookie, right in the middle - so cute! 
And Oatmeal Cookies ARE good for your heart - in every possible way! 
Yippee!


See, just leave them in for a wee bit more - you want your cookies to be lightly browned, will be all lovely and chewy!
   



 Haha! They're gone before I can even get them on the plate - lol! A Very Good sign! ; )
 Mix the dry ingredients, starting with the salt and baking soda, then the sugars, white sugar and brown sugar, then the flour, then the oatmeal... use your fingers, if you like : )



Use Parchment Paper when you're baking - everything will turn out perfectly - yippee!!





I always use Parchment Paper, since it pretty much makes sure your cookies won't burn, and after all that work, you definitely don't want your cookies to burn... I pressed some of the cookie dough into  9" X 13" pan, just to see if I could easily make Oatmeal Squares, right? Hmmm, don't know if I really saved myself any time - I think a thinner layer of Oatmeal Cookie Dough would've cooked faster, for sure, but we also made regular cookies - just drop by the spoonful onto the cookie tray - make whatever size appeals to you...



Bake at 350 Degrees for about 15 minutes, depending on your altitude (not your personal altitude - a'hahahaha!) - I check them at 10 minutes, just in case, then just keep having a wee look. Pull them right out of the oven and check underneath the cookies - if they bottom is browned, you're good to go, they're cooked! Yippee!



The great thing about Oatmeal Cookies is that they are super-healthy, so a nice wee treat any time at all, no guilt, just fun! Okay, I admit it, it was worth the work to make them! lol!



Happy Schnacking! Ailsa xox


American Heart Association:
Unprocessed  oats contain manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc and Vitamin E.

Whole unprocessed oats are a very good source of fiber, especially beta-glucan. They are the only source of 20 unique unique polyphenols, a group of antioxidants called avenanthramides, known to prevent against heart disease.

Eat yer' Oatmeal! lol! : )

Entertainment Books - what a great gift! (For other people, too, not just for yourself! lol!) Aliexpress - 50% off deals for Cyber Monday - woohoo!!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Joel Osteen - Amazing Books! I love them all! lol! #JoelOsteen #God #Jesus #PowerOfPrayer

Oh, man, I looove Joel Osteen!  I love him!  His books are amazing, so inspiring, so uplifting, it's like I just can't get enough of Joel Osteen! lol!  I started with Break Out!, then I read It's Your Time (fantastic!), and now I'm reading Become a Better You (soo wonderful, so sweet!). I just can't say enough good stuff about Joel Osteen's books - they're so wonderful, and you'll feel so great about yourself, about your life, about where you're headed, what kind of greatness is in frot of you, what kind of great abundance is coming into your life.. I love this stuff!  It's so uplifting! hahaha!

Now I want everyone to read Joel Osteen's books - I would love to see them in every school library, lots of copies so all the kids have easy access to these life-changing books and thoughts. And I know it's very Christian-based, of course, and there's a big movement to remove religion from the schools, but, come on, has that really helped anyone? Meaning the students, not the adults in a big knot about religion... just present ALL the religious and non-religious views, let the kids decide for themselves, but so many kids aren't getting the messages of hope, messages of understanding, messages of great abundance coming into their lives, and I don't think that's helping the next generations. These kids are floundering, and that's not fair to them. I'm sure this is not politically correct, but you know, I think a lot of the political correctness out there has removed too many important works of art, works of literature, books of great influence, right out of the hands of our students. That whole thing where God Forbid you have a book in a school library, a book that is a great piece of literature, with any kind of swearing in it, because certainly we can't expose our children to that - ugh. Puh-leeease. That's ridiculous. We need to man up on this one, put great books in the hands of kids - for free. Let them choose whatever they want to read - can you imagine if we had grown up in this very cloistered new environment - it's too much Big Brother (is George Orwell still allowed in the school library?? Ugh!  Makes me so mad.) How dare the schools limit our children's growth by pre-determining what they can and cannot have access to at school. I don;t like it. The whole notion of Freedom of Thought starts early, and is very keen through the teen years, so we want to let our kids grow as much as possible, be exposed to all sorts of great books - then you'll create lifelong learners - show kids that books are wonderful, fabulous, amazing, uplifting, and will open brand new worlds to them - that's the key to a better society, and higher learning.

Well, I'm not sure how I went so far off-course, there, so-to-speak, when, really, I just wanted to say how much I love all the books by Joel Osteen, and I hope everyone gets a chance to read them! lol!  You'll love them!  We'll all grow in abundance, together! lol! Happy Reading (anything you want! lol!)! Ailsa xox