Monthly Archives: September 2012

Gotta Try This Recipe

Alright. So this isn’t about Halloween. So? (Remember in my last post I said I was going to be writing all about Halloween?)

After you read what I have to say, you’ll be grateful for my sharing this with you.

Chocolate chips. Chocolate chip cookie dough. Two simple pleasures in life, right?

A few minutes ago, I stumbled across this fabulous recipe. Actually, the recipe found me. I wasn’t looking for recipes. I was writing a freelance article when out of the blue my mouse clicked on a link. And then another. And another. When the clicking flurry died down, this recipe was staring me in the face.

Now, I’m not hungry at the moment. Really. I’m not. But who, I ask you, in their right mind could not get excited about a recipe for bar cookies that consisted of chocolate chip cookie dough topped with a frosting made out of melted chocolate chips mixed with peanut butter? I’m just saying.

So here’s the skinny about the recipe. It doesn’t have raw eggs in it. Nor cooked eggs. It is egg challenged. Which is good.

However, it has sweetened condensed milk — which IMHO is nectar for the gods.

You make the cookie dough, refrigerate it, make the frosting and smear it over the bar cookies, refrigerate some more, and then cut into bar cookies and snarf them all down in one sitting.

Grandchildren would absolutely love this recipe! I’m sure that they always snitch a taste of dough when you make cookies together. My only thought is that they might not have the patience (nor the time) to wait for the dough to chill.

If your grandchildren would be around for several hours, this would be an easy recipe to make together before all of your activities. Then, you can eat them just before they go. They will leave with a stomach full of deliciousness and be enveloped in a warm glow of your grandmotherly love because you made this recipe for them.

Oh. Right. The recipe. (I bet you thought that I had forgotten about linking to the recipe . . . But I didn’t. Really . . .)

Here’s a link to the recipe of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars.

Now, please excuse me while I grab the car keys and head out to the grocery store to get a case of sweetened condensed milk. I need to make 30-40 tons of these bar cookies.

Halloween Ideas

I told myself that I would NOT write about Halloween until it was October.

So much for my resolve . . .

When I looked over my list of ideas for Halloween, I just knew that I couldn’t wait. Kind of like the stores who can’t wait to sell Christmas items until after Halloween . . .

So, here are two bat ideas. The first is a fun, fun idea of making bats out of clothes pins. So easy! Spray paint them black, cut out a bat from construction paper, glue it to the paper clip and be done with it. You could easily make a whole gaggle of bats in one sitting. Grandkids will love making these critters.  If your grandkids can’t come to your house to make them, send a package with all of the necessary items so they can make them.

Next bat idea.

Here is a simple idea for a vampire bat that you make out of a soc. You can download directions to make this soc bat. It has a photo of the completed bat and step-by-step directions how to make it. You might have to sew on the facial features if your grandchild is too young. But, I think that you could easily adapt this pattern to use marking pens or paint for the facial features. That would be lots easier for young grandchildren. Again, if your grandchildren do not live nearby, you can mail them the materials and pattern so that they could make the bat themselves. And then maybe e-mail you a picture of their creation.

Here’s to a long and happy Halloween season this year!

Play Mind Games with Grandchildren

Do you ever worry about getting Alzheimer’s? Like to play games with your grandchildren?

Well, why not combine the two activities and get the best of both worlds?

AARP has some great games that are fun to play that will help you improve your memory, solve problems, and develop language skills. These would be great fun to play with your teen-aged grandchildren.

There is Countdown. You get several numbers and you have to  use different mathematical functions to calculate the target answer. If you have a math buff grandchild this game would be great to play together. Try to see who comes up with the correct method first.

If you want a challenge for your analytical skills and your visual acuity, try Private Eyes. In this game, there is a grid of symbols and letters. You have to find the one that does not belong. Sounds simple, huh? However, the clock is ticking and you have to find the one that is different before the time runs out.

Shapes and Colors is a fun game to play. You memorize 6, 8, or 10 figures. Then you have to recognize that shape when it’s displayed among slightly different ones. What a visual and memory challenge!

Split Words is a game where you have to form complete words by combining syllables of the word. This is a great vocabulary tester/building for both you and your grandchild!

They also have The Right Word, Writing in the Stars, Entangled Figures, and the Squeaking Mouse.

You’ll get quality time (and loads of fun) playing these games with your grandchildren. A two-for-one deal. Two activities at the same time.

Can’t beat that!

What are some other games you could play with your grandchildren that would be fun (for both of you) that would keep your mind lively and quick to off-set Alzheimer’s?

Improve Your Vocabulary

I love words. Short words. Long words. Easy words. Not so easy words. Sophisticated-sounding words. Simple words.

I have the personal philosophy that using 4-letter words does not make you look cool, smart, or manly. Instead, I think it takes lots of brainpower to learn words that can eloquently describe your thoughts and feelings.

It is my hope that you, Dear Reader, use your brainpower to use more than just 4-letter words. Not to be uppity, mind you. But so that you are master and commander of how you express yourself.

So, it is with great pleasure that I share with you a terrific app that works on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It’s called SAT Vocab.

Do you have a teen-aged grandchild that will be taking the SAT test in the near future? If so, I highly recommend this free app. It is a great way to study and learn new vocabulary words. It’s also great for people in general who are interested in improving their word power.

Let me tell you what this app does.

It has 967 flashcards for words that students need to know to be prepared for the SAT. If you use the flashcard feature, you see the word so you can learn how it is spelled. You can tap on an icon of a speaker and hear how the word is pronounced. It can also speak the definition. You can tap the card so that it ‘flips’ over to reveal the definition. And, you can indicate that it is a favorite word.

If you use the quiz feature, It will give your a definition and then a list of 4 words. Tap on the word that you think is the definition. If you get it correct, you go to the next word. If you miss it, you get another try. There are ten words per quiz. When you have finished the quiz, you can start a new one or go back to the flashcards.

You can select if the front of the card shows the word or the definition or randomly selects between words and definitions. You can have the cards in alphabetical order or shuffled. You can choose to view cards that have never been quizzed, ones that were answered poorly, or words that were answered well.

For the quizzes, you can have the question ask a word or ask a definition. You can have the answers be the word or the definition.

I’ve seen a couple of vocabulary apps and I like this one the best. That being said, I must say that there are a few typos. However, it isn’t so bad that you would make mistakes. I guess since it is free you can’t complain too much.

If you don’t have an SAT focused teen-aged grandchild that you can tell about this app, it is still a good one to have to help you improve your own vocabulary. You could also help your younger grandchildren improve their vocabulary, too.

You could e-mail them a ‘word of the day/week’ with the word and definition. You can challenge them to e-mail you back and use the word in a sentence. When your grandchild comes for a visit, you could take a few moments to see how many sentences she could come up with that uses the word.

You could also have a ‘word candy’ jar. When a grandchild correctly uses one of the words that you are learning together, she can get a piece of candy out of the candy jar.

DISCLAIMER: I did not get paid to review this application. Nor did I receive a gift, accolades, or a coupon for a free hamburger at the local hamburger joint.  I am not connected in any way, shape or form to the fine folks that made this app. I just wrote this on my own volition.