Fried Okra

We LOVE fried okra! I will not eat okra any other way. :) Normally when we get okra I wash it, cut it up, and freeze it. This summer when we got a ton of okra I wondered if there was another way to put it in the freezer. A lady at church suggested that I wash it, cut it up, bread it, and freeze it that way. I thought I would give this a try...I am so glad I did!

I washed the okra, Isaac cut it up, the little boys and I put it in buttermilk and then in a bowl of flour, then Sarah laid it out on a parchment lined cookie sheet, we placed it in the freezer and when it had froze we removed it and put it in zip lock bags to go back in the freezer until ready to eat.

This has been great! I love already having the okra ready. The sad thing is since I didn't know how this would turn out I didn't freeze all of my okra this way. I will next year!! :)

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Isaac's favorite cookie is the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake Mix cookies. We discovered those while we were living in Alabama and someone made them for church. I got the recipe and they were so easy and quick to make. I have made them lots of times and even made them using Strawberry cake mix, or Red Velvet cake mix. BUT not the "best for you" cookie. :(

As we are trying to get away from processed foods and eat more healthier foods, even when it comes to sweets :), I found this recipe for Whole Wheat Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. Yes, it is from Heavenly Homemakers website, her website is full of great stuff! So I thought I would try these for Isaac's birthday last month. They were easy and quick to make and best of all they were sooo yummy and healthy! So I just have to share this recipe.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (Whole Wheat Chocolate Crinkle Cookies)
3 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (butter would also work)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour from hard white wheat.)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Whip together eggs, cocoa, and sucanat. Stir in melted coconut oil, baking powder, and vanilla. Mix in flour until a nice dough has formed. Fold in white chocolate and chocolate chips. Spoon teaspoon sized balls of dough on to a greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350° for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet for about five minutes before removing. Makes about 24 cookies.

*This recipe is from the Heavenly Homemakers website. She calls her cookies Whole Wheat Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, but we call ours Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. Call them what you want, just TRY them!!! :)

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Pie

We spend the majority of our time in the kitchen...we love to cook! Bryan and I both like to try new things and we have made some really good things and some really not so good things. :) Yes, Bryan loves to cook just as much as I do and he does a great job!

Thought I would share with you one of his "coking ideas". He made this at Christmas while my parents were here and it was a huge success.

Chocolate Pie!

Chocolate Pie

1 Deep Dish pie crust (baked by directions on package)
Chocolate graham crackers
Chocolate chips
1/4 cup of cocoa
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of flour
1 egg
1 stick of butter
4 cups of milk
1 tsp of vanilla

Bake your pie shell. Mix cocoa, sugar, flour, and egg together. Then slice your butter and add to mixture. Next add your milk gradually and whisk together. Microwave for 5 minutes and whisk. Repeat til mixture is thickness you would like (you may have to do this 4 or 5 times). Then add vanilla and whisk together well. Pour half of your pudding mixture into pie shell and place crackers on top. Pour the rest of pudding mixture on and top with chocolate chips. Serve warm or refrigerate and then serve. Enjoy!!