7 Layer Cookies

These cookies are my absolute favorite. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we make them. I remember the tattered scrap of paper that had the recipe written on it. My grandmother gave the recipe to my mom. After a while, no recipe was needed. Every member of our household knew it by heart. I have seen a similar recipe now, on the back of the can of sweetened condensed milk. They are super easy to make, kids can help and you can tweak and modify them to your preference. The 7 layers are butter, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans and sweetened condensed milk. I would say the only ingredients that you must have are the butter, graham cracker crumbs and sweetened condensed milk. The other stuff you can leave out or add more of or add less of. You just melt 1 stick of butter. Add in about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs, mix together. Mash this down into a 9x13 pan to form a crust. Then layer in your stuff, and top with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. I use about 2 cups of coconut, 2 cups of chocolate chips, 1 cup of butterscotch and about 1 cup of pecans. Some people like to put the condensed milk on the crust first, but I prefer it last. After the condensed milk layer you could sprinkle a bit of coconut on the top. The layers don't have to be even and with measurements this vague my kiddo can make these (mostly) on his own. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Cooking time might be longer depending on how thick you make your cookies.

Vegetarian Chili

So, I realized that I haven't posted in nearly a month. WOW that went fast! But, I am back, with something wonderful. Vegetarian chili. It is perfecto. Super simple and in a crockpot. Full of veggies and delicious. What more can you ask for? Well, I found the recipe and procured the necessary items. I did ASK my boy to do the actual cooking. I came home to the house smelling lovely and I had a wonderful meal. I used tortilla chips for dipping and added some shredded cheese.

There are several variations around, but this is the one we went with.

Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, not drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomato puree
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced chilies
• 1 -2 jalapeno, chopped  
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.
2. In a slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno, chilies, and celery.
3. Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil (and cilantro if using).
4. Cook for about 6 hours on low.

ENJOY!!!