Chewy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

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I’m always looking for quick and easy recipes that taste like you spent a lot of time on them. This is one of those recipes! You’ll love how simple it is. It’s my husband’s favorite cookie. Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Makes 3 dozen, 3″ cookies.

Mix together:
1 Chocolate cake mix of your choice
1/4 C. packed brown sugar

Add the following ingredients and stir until it forms a thick batter
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Melted butter or margarine (melt in microwave)

Fold-in the following ingredients:
1 C. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C. Chopped walnuts or pecans

Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees: 10 minutes for chewy cookies or leave in a few minutes longer for crispy cookies. Cool and store in air-tight container.

Date Pudding – Great Holiday Recipe!

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Date Pudding is Craig’s favorite recipe from his late Grandma Alma Henkener. I’ve been making it for my family for more than 30 years. Grandma’s family came from Germany, so we are reasonably sure of it’s origin. Date Pudding is a very different type of dessert. It really has nothing to do with the making of pudding! It is more like crusty nut bread, broken into pieces, and gently folding whipped cream into it. That’s pretty close! Hope you enjoy! Continue reading →

Hunting in South Dakota

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Craig and I just returned from a buffalo hunt in Custer State Park, located south of Rapid City, in South Dakota. We were also there on a vacation last May, when Craig asked a park ranger if hunting was allowed. He got the information, applied for the hunt over the summer, and was drawn in the lottery in August. He was one of about 25 hunters allowed to take particular bulls and cows during herd management hunts, staged in October and November. Craig’s bull was only about two years old but already weighed about 1000 lbs.

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80th Birthday Party

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My mother-in-law, Pat Henkener, turned 80 on September 30 and we threw a surprise birthday party for her at our place (inside Craig’s mancave) on October 3rd. Had all the goodies (including cake and ice cream and pie), decorations, and most of the family. Thought I’d share some photos, especially for the benefit of other family members who could not attend. (And you know who you are!) Continue reading →

Perfect Bug Holes

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How the heck do they do that? Have you ever asked yourself that question when you’re trying to figure out how someone painted something? Isn’t it funny that “Bug Holes” could easily qualify as something we really want to learn how to paint! And it’s also funny to realize that an ugly blemish can be the key to enhance, create interest, and make your leaf painting more realistic. And it should help you to know that big holes are really fun to paint! I’m sure there are many different ways to paint them, but I’ve found these steps to be quick and easy:
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