Y’all, I think we’re officially in the Christmas season! I’m excited to share with you Anna Marie’s favorite cookie recipe. It’s simple to make and easy to include littles.
Vanilla Butter Cookies
1 cup butter 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt 2 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and mix well. Add salt and flour (1 cup at a time). Form 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Stamp with cookie stamp. Bake at 350° about 8 minutes or until edges are barely turning golden. Enjoy about 3 dozen cookies.
(Note: Anna Marie’s cookie stamps are Rycraft brand.)
Lydia, Ruthanne, and Anna Marie Maxwell
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Happy Monday! I hope your week has started off well. I love mochas, and the question has been posed on how I make mine. I tried to be quite detailed for your sake, but it’s not hard at all. Feel free to leave me a question in the comments below if you need clarification on something.
At the end of the post, I’ll include links where each of the items can be purchased, but you don’t need the exact products to make something similar. For your reference, this makes about a 16 ounce mocha.
To begin with, add some hot water to your cup (several inches’ worth). I’ll explain why in a moment.
Next, heat water to 190 degrees. We have a handy Cuisinart that does that.
Grind coffee beans. Dump out the water in your cup, and add about 2 TB. chocolate syrup (more or less depending on how sweet you like your drink). The hot water warmed up your cup so the syrup will be more room temperature if it’s been refrigerated. You can use my recipe here, or any kind of syrup. I’m a fan of peppermint mochas and often use some peppermint syrup in mine (so in that case, I would do about half chocolate and half peppermint for flavoring).
Now put your paper filter in the pour-over cup, and add 2 TB. freshly ground coffee.
To make the most of your time, pour milk into the frother. I love using whole milk, and I pour to the max line which is 8 ounces.
Next, pour hot water over the coffee, ensuring all the grounds get a nice amount of liquid. As the liquid drains into the cup, add more water. Lift up the white pour-over cup and check the liquid level. I aim for about half full. I let the water-coffee mixture not quite drain out of the pour-over and then set it in the sink. I read somewhere that if you let it all drain into your cup, it’s kind of bitter.
Stir the coffee and chocolate.
The frother should be done, so simply pour the frothed milk into the coffee-chocolate mixture. Top with whipped cream for an even sweeter experience.
Enjoy!
Equipment I use to make my pour over mocha. These are all Titus2 affiliate links, and the earnings bless our ministry. (See our Privacy Policy for more information.)
Kuissential Milk Frother(important note: I’m sharing this because it’s what I use, but to me, it’s not an outstanding product. You have to make sure to clean it really well, as milk sticks to the bottom, I guess due to the heat. Even if it’s cleaned, the milk will build up. Last fall, when I went to purchase a frother, this seemed middle of the line price wise, and I didn’t want to spend a lot. The price has gone up about 20% since I bought!).
Simple Modern 20 oz. Tumbler: this is a favorite for me, and it comes in tons of colors. Some of the colors are $2 or more off, and the price extremely reasonable. The lid it comes with has an opening, so I recently purchased a closeable lid, and I like it.
Again, the items I use are not necessary. You can figure out substitutes if you want, even using brewed coffee instead of the pour over method. The grinder and the frother would be the two biggest expenses. You could simply heat your milk if you prefer or use already ground coffee.
Love, Sarah
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
This cornbread has become a favorite at our house. Its moist texture combined with a simple sweetness makes it a perfect complement to any soup. It even made it on our Thanksgiving dinner spread at the Maxwell house. Another added bonus is that it is very quick to throw together!
1 1/2 cups Masa Corn Flour (sold in the Mexican section at the grocery store)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the 2 tablespoons of unmelted butter in 9×13 pan. Place pan in oven and let butter melt. Once melted, roll butter around in pan to grease pan. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together milk, maple syrup, eggs, melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Pour into pan. Cook for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Then add foil and cook until done approximately another 6 minutes.
Note: If you want this to be less sweet, reduce the maple syrup by 1/4 cup.
Serving Jesus, Anna
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalms 119:103
I love planning and preparing food for our trips. I asked Mom if I could take over that job and have been doing it for about a year now. I believe one of the biggest keys to success in the meal planning is having master meal and shopping lists. I am so thankful that Mom has taught me to use master lists so as not to forget even the smallest details.
I plan the first few weeks of meals although it is a guide, and I do not have to follow it exactly. I also have a master list of pantry and other food items that we bring with us on our trips. I will go through the meal plan and master list before we leave and add whatever we don’t have on hand to one of our shopping lists. We shop at Sam’s Club, Costco, Walmart Supercenter, and a local grocery store.
Some have asked how we fix and manage meals on the road. Each week varies, depending on how much we are driving, where we are in the trip, and if we’ve grocery shopped recently, but this will give you a glimpse into our first week of the trip we just completed. For many meals, I had prepared the meat before we left, but I can cook it on the road when needed. Fridays are a bit different because we eat a bigger lunch, no dinner, and then snack after the conference.
Our breakfasts consist of some of the following: smoothies, granola, granola bars, and yogurt. Also, with lunch and dinner, we have salad, but instead of repetitiously listing it, I thought I would just let you know here.
Serving Jesus, Anna
Friday Lunch – Breakfast burritos (eggs, sausage, cheese, spices) Dinner/late night snack – Smoothies and snacks after conference
Saturday Lunch – Chick-fil-a (brought in by conference hosts) Dinner – Shredded Mexican beef (made before we left) in tortillas or on lettuce
Sunday Bigger breakfast/brunch – Leftover biscuits and gravy from Jesse’s birthday Dinner – Campfire roasted hotdogs and Maple Oat Cookies (some ate these uncooked and some cooked theirs on foil over the fire)
Monday Lunch – Leftovers Dinner – Sloppy Joes and roasted red peppers
Tuesday Lunch – Sloppy Jo sliders (toasted whole-wheat homemade rolls, topped with leftover Sloppy Jo meat and cheese) Dinner – Chili with corn chips
Wednesday Lunch – Cracker Barrel Dinner – Nobody was very hungry so we had leftovers and smoothies for those who wanted them.
Thursday Lunch – Tuna burgers (made from canned tuna, spices, egg, mayo, and then cooked) or tuna melts (tuna burger on an open-face, toasted, whole-wheat, homemade roll with melted cheese) Dinner – Campfire dinner with hot dogs and onion/potato packets (cooked in foil over the fire).
Friday Lunch – Tacos (cooked ahead and frozen) Dinner/late night snack – Smoothies and snacks after conference
“… hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalms 43:5
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