Chris Cooks Days 2 & 3

On Monday nights, Phil and Chris are always in charge of dinner since I work late. They alternate between spaghetti, breakfast, hot ham sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. So, for Chris Cooks week, he planned breakfast for dinner.

Monday nights are busy for the boys as well. Chris has both Scouts and baseball practice now, so dinner has to be put on the table very quickly. As a result, Phil played a pretty major role in dinner prep.

Nevertheless, they enjoyed their waffles and bacon immensely.

On the menu tonight was "Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad", Peaches and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. The pasta salad needed to chill, so we started preparing dinner as soon as he got off the bus. Both recipes tonight were perfect for him to prepare. I did very little to help.

We started with the cookies and worked on the pasta salad while the cookies were baking. Chris's friend Tristan joined in the fun tonight, too. Too bad I didn't take pictures. I was too busy managing the chaos.

While the pasta salad was chilling, Phil, Chris, Tristan and I made a quick trip to YMCA to work out for bit. We returned home and enjoyed our dinner outside.

Here's the recipe for the cookies. These are great for your kids to make...easy ingredients, measurements, mixing, etc.

Emeril's Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Everyday Food

1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven racks in the upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients adn stir with a wooden spoon. Divide dough into 24 portions (I didn't get quite that many), about 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place dough balls, 1 inch apart, on two ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork, press on dough in two directions to form crosshatch pattern.
Bake cookies until puffed and lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets.

Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!