Friday, June 1, 2012

Baking with Bellamine & Wendy


It's Bellamine and Wendy here with our Friday post. We didn't post last Friday cause we didn't have a single thing to write about. It's been a very boring time for us cause we have been shut-ins. A shut-in is someone who nevers gets to go outside and play.

For more than a week it rained nearly every day and we even had thunder bumpers. That’s what Robbie, Rudy and Bartholomew call thunder storms. One day when the storm was really bad we couldn't find Oakley cause he was hiding in the bottom of the linen closet cause he doesn't like the thunder. Mom won’t let us outside, even on the porch wearing full rain gear and carrying umbrellas when it rains. She’s afraid well get wet and then get moldy and lumpy or something we’re not even going to guess at. She is one big worry wart so we were stuck inside for days and days with hardly anything to do. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t been busy with her dumb experiment.  
On Wednesday it cleared up for most of the day and we took our camera outside and took some pictures of our bushes that had some pretty flowers before the rain made a mess of things. Maybe Mom is right about going outside in the rain. Just look what happened to some of our pretty flowering bushes. The ones that are out in the open really got messed up.

Almost all of the flowers are on the ground.


The poor little things look pretty sad because they lost most of their flowers. The ones with trees protecting them didn’t get as badly damaged.




There were some really, really big bumble bees in Mom’s herb garden and we tried taking some pictures of them but they kept moving and when we looked at the pictures we couldn’t find them. Mom says they’re as big as humming birds.


Tuesday evening Santa and Mrs. Claus came to our house for Spaghetti Super night and we asked Mom if we could make the dessert. She did some hemming and hawing and finally gave us the go ahead but only after we promised to clean up our mess. You’d think she’d have learned not to ask us to clean up after what happened the last time but apparently not.
Once we got permission to make the dessert we weren't sure what we wanted to make. We got out the recipe box and some cook books and looked for something but couldn’t find a recipe that we could both agree on. Wendy suggested we make up our own recipe. Like an experiment.
We figured we’d make cookies since we’ve made cookies before and they turned out really good. We went to the pantry and started taking ingredients from the shelves. We knew we needed to have sugar in the cookies but couldn’t make up our minds about which kind to use so we brought out two different kinds. We both wanted chocolate chips. Walnuts are always good in cookies and we like coconut too so why not use both? Then we found some pumpkin in the fridge left over from the muffins that Mom made and we thought, why not? It was good in the muffins.
We measured and poured and stirred and whipped and blended and folded and scooped and chopped. Then we dropped spoons full of cookie dough onto the baking sheets and stuck them in the oven.
We had plenty of volunteers when the first batch had cooled. Every bear said they were good. When we asked Mom to try one to see what she thought and she said, “These are wonderful. Where did you find the recipe?”
When we told her it was our own recipe she asked us what we were going to call them and at first we were stumped. They weren’t chocolate chip cookies like Mom makes and they weren’t oatmeal cookies either. We had used some of this and some of that and then we decided that was just as good a name as any so they are our “This & That Cookies”.
After dinner that night we were helping clear the table when Santa said to Mrs. Claus, “See if the girls will give you the recipe for these cookies.”
Talk about being thrilled!! We were smiling ear to ear. Mom gave us one the recipe cards she uses and we wrote down everything we did and gave it to Mrs. Claus when they were ready to leave. We decided that since Santa likes these cookies so much that he wants Mrs. Claus to make them you might want to make them so we’re going to give you the recipe too. If you make them and like the way they turn out let us know. With some positive comments we might get more kitchen time and who knows, maybe someday we’ll have enough recipes that Mom can make them into a book. We can see it now. How about “Cooking with Bellamine & Wendy”? Or maybe something like, “Bellamine & Wendy’s Best Recipes”. We have plenty of time to come up with the perfect title since we’ve only one recipe so far.


This & That Cookies
Place the following in a large bowl…
1 stick softened butter
½ c. softened coconut oil
1 ¼ c. brown sugar, packed
¾ c. granulated sugar
Beat together until creamy. Then add the following and beat until fluffy:
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. canned pumpkin
Add the following and mix until thoroughly blended:
1½ c. flour
½ t. baking power
½ t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
Fold in:
3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Using soup spoons drop spoonful’s on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees F or about 180 degrees C for 14 - 16 minutes. Leave cookies on baking sheets for 2 minutes after removing from oven then transfer to cooling rack or paper toweling. Once completely cooled store in covered container. We suggest storing them in a Snowman cookie jar but that’s just our preference although we wouldn't mind if Mom would get a teddy bear cookie jar. This recipe makes 5 dozen delicious cookies.
Mom has put a photo of us on the side bar and would like to put photos of our bear friends there as well. We already got permission to put a picture of Prudence there and would love to include the rest of our bear friends so let Mom know if it's alright to put your photo there too.
Speaking of bear friends, we'll be seeing many of you at camp after only 42 more sleeps. It won't be long now.
We're going to go visit our friends' blogs now so see ya later.
Hugs,
Bellamine & Wendy

16 comments:

The Bear's Blog said...

Hi Bellamine & Wendy,

Boy, the rain really beat down your pretty flowers. We had that kinda rain here yesterday and lots of thunder. Molly & I don't like the storms.

Your cookies look yummy. Wish I could come over and have one with a glass of milk.

Not many more sleeps till camp time - yippee.

Hugs ♥
Prudence

Bren Graham Thebeau said...

The great cookie adventure was a hit, thanks for the recipe! Those are some wonderful photo of your beautiful flowers

Kays Kids said...

Hi Belamine and Wendy. Did you know you could get so famous you could go on Master chef. Your cookies sound so yummy, I could have one right this minute.
Tell your mum I feel sorry for her Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Hugs Wilbur.

Hill Top Post said...

Thanks, little guys, for the recipe...surely will try this one! We really could use some of your rain...got none in May. I will never complain about too much rain again! Tell your wonderfully talented Mom I am sorry I missed her post with pictures of the four finished Santas...love them all!

The Bear's Blog said...

Bellamine & Wendy,

Tell your Mom that birthday celebrations last more than 1 day. I mean - 1 day? How much celebrating can you get done in 1 day. Good mohair!

Here's to celebrating birthdays for a whole week. Yippee!

Hugs ♥
Prudence

orchid0324 said...

Hello Dearest Bellamine and Wendy,

Oh, I feel so sorry for your bad weather and poor pretty flowers. Your Mom must have felt really sad.
Wow, Spaghetti Super night with Santa and Mrs. Claus and you've made cookies out of your own recipe which is called “This & That Cookies”♬♬♬
The cookies look SO yummy and made me wish to try!!!
I am glad to know that your womderful guests liked them and you are generous enough to wrote down how to make it.
Tell your mom that her bs in Japan is Very Glad to see you in the side bar, guys♪♪♪
Yeah, the recipe book will come true someday(^_^)v

We are expecting dreary rainy season soon here in Japan. But we know we need the precious rain.

Love you always, xoxo Miyako*

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Hello my little bear cubs. Sounds like you had the wet weather blues. No it doesn't make you the color blue it just colors your mood. But the visit from Santa and the Mrs. sounds like it perked you right up. Yummy cookies and quite a compliment when Santa wanted the recipe for the Mrs. I am so very proud of you and your sweet cookie making paws.
I am going to share this recipes for the little beasts that live here with me. It will be fun to try your recipe and let you know how the grands do in making and cleaning up as well as the eating of the cookies.
Ask Mom if you bear cubs are going to be part of my Return to Celebrate Oz this year? I think you would all be cute as the characters tinman, scarecrow, lion and Dorothy.....or maybe even the good and bad witches. I hope you'll talk Mom into playing. XOXO to the bestest bear cubs in the world, Oma Linda

Ascension said...

Siento ver tus preciosas plantas en ese estado, seguro que con tu cariño y cuidados enseguida se recuperan.
Gracias por compartir esa receta, a ti te han quedado genial.
besitos ascension

Boo-Bah AKA Iris said...

Poor flowers! Mama loves thunder storms, we can't understand why. Too much noise and flashy lights in the sky. We like full moon and starry skies.

Wow those cookies sound good. Maybe you can bring some to camp?

We would be honored to have our pictures on your side bar.

Hugs
Sissy
Sweet Pea and Blossom

Carole Burant said...

Hiya Bellamine and Wendy:-)

I think you sent that rain over this way because today it's cold and rainy and supposed to be the same tomorrow so we're gonna be shut ins as well! Mama Pea says we're gonna drive her crazy! hehe We haven't been around for a little while but we're back now and will have a post up next Friday. Yippee!! Your mom's flowers are so pretty and although the rain really did a number on them, it won't be long until they're all happy again:-)

Yummy, those cookies you guys made look so delish, we're going to copy the recipe down and ask Mama Pea if we can make some today!!!

Lots of bear hugs, Misty & Tiffany xoxo

Maggie said...

I loved this post, little bears! Your This and That recipe sounds really good. I wonder if shortening can replace the coconut oil?

Lois--Huckleberry Lady said...

Boy, the weather sure have been damaging our outside plants/trees!!!!!

Lois

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Bellamine & Wendy, enjoyed this post and the recipe even more! after stopping in from Mona's Whisper Sweetly of Cottages blog. We're also buddy bloogger bears, Beatrice & Grenville Boyd and you can visit anytime cause we're always posting about "stuff."

Crystal said...

Thanks for the cookie recipe. they sound delicious. I'm afraid to make them though, because I might eat them all. :-)

Katy Cameron said...

Oh we have shut ins all the time here *sigh* We knew we were getting near home again when it started to rain as we drove up from London...

The cookies sound yummy though, and always good to know what to bribe Santa with :oD

Hugs

The Clan and Jack

Anonymous said...

Bellamine & Wendy, what nasty weather you have had to endure. I am so sorry and hope it gives you a long reprieve. Oh those cookies...my mouth is watering. Hugs to you both and your precious mom. Mina