Easy, cheap, DELICIOUS recipe for chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies!

I do not claim to be an incredible cook or baker, but I have always been pretty good at following recipes.  The things I make have generally turned out just as they are supposed to, but rarely do I experiment in the kitchen.  This is something I would like to do more of, but have been lacking the time and resources. 
Just recently I was at a friend's house and she made some tasty chocolate chip cookies.  They did not taste like your typical Pillsbury or Tollhouse frozen cookie dough cookies because they were not.  Instead, she used a white (or yellow) cake mix and chocolate chips to make them.  She said it was so simple, and they were really good!

Later that night, I got an idea.  You see, I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate together and thought maybe I should try to create my own "simple" recipe for cookies.  I did it, and they were DELICIOUS!  I told Mark that maybe I should keep it as my own secret recipe (since I don't have any others), but after making them again last night, I realized they are too good not to share.  I do not claim to be Betty Crocker or anything, but here is the yummy (and cheap!) recipe:

CHOCOLATE/PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium sized bowl, combine:

1 box of chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 bag of Reese's peanut butter chips

After it is all mixed, roll the dough into little balls and bake for 9-10 minutes.
(Note: The consistency feels slightly different than regular cookie dough.)

**This recipe makes 3 dozen medium sized cookies.

March MADness!!!

I grew up around sports.  I preferred watching football, hockey, and basketball on TV with my brother and dad, to shopping with my sisters and mom.  I played soccer and basketball all four years of high school. I played intramural volleyball in college.  The men my sisters married were very into playing and watching sports. It was just a given that I also would marry someone who liked sports, because it would be weird to even date someone who didn't. It was all I knew of how a man was supposed to be.  Then I met Mark...he was everything I wanted in a man - and he LOVED sports, especially basketball.  How perfect, right? Well yes, of course.  The only thing I didn't realize was how much he loved sports. When March rolls around, basketball is life, life is basketball.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am all about participating in March Madness Bracketology. As I type this, the channels are being switched back and forth between 4 games, and I could start today 3-1 (while Mark might be starting 0-4). I am in 4 different contests because it is competitive and it is fun! BUT, the terminology March MADNESS has a new meaning to me this year.  Before the tournament actually began, I thought I was going to go MAD.  You see, my husband does not just root for one college team.  He has his hometown team (Gonzaga Bulldogs), his childhood favorites (NC Tarheels), and now an interest in the local University of Buffalo Bulls. So, when he was not going to those games, he was watching other games, or talking about the games, or reading articles about the games, or watching ESPN highlights of the games, etc. You get the idea.  It was driving me crazy!!! I told him that he was the reason that I didn't even enjoy basketball anymore!  It was too much of a good thing.  (Of course, this is not really true, but I was being a woman and overly dramatic.)  The truth is, I was just missing him and his full attention.  Now that the tournament has begun, life is better.  We can spend time together watching games, talking trash, and snacking on food that we shouldn't really be eating (chips and dip, doritos, ice cream, pepsi, etc.)  I just have to keep reminding myself that I can only talk so much while the game is on - that is, if I want a response.  For example, I just asked Mark if he wanted to hear my latest blog post, his answer, "Sure! After this game..."  That pretty much sums up the MADNESS! :)

Soul Surfer & The Bachelor???

As I was laying in bed the other night unable to sleep, I was thinking about how I could do a blog post all about how I felt after The Bachelor finale. I wanted to list all of my thoughts and opinions about why Brad chose Emily over Chantel, if I really thought it would it last, how pretty both girls looked for their big night on national TV, why I won't be watching next season with Ashley because I find her to be extremely annoying, etc. I know many of my friends wouldn't even care to read about this reality show romance, but I thought it might still be fun to write. Then last night I was fortunate enough to see a sneak peak of movie coming out called Soul Surfer. This movie was not only very entertaining (as is The Bachelor in my own opinion), but also extremely inspirational! (And, although I joke with Mark that I would like to go on The Bachelor if anything ever happened to him, I really do not find it an "inspirational" show.) Anyway, I was truly both surprised and impressed by how great this movie was! When I use the word "inspirational", I do not mean it in a cheesy Touched By An Angel way. It is a true story about Bethany Hamilton, the young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack. Bethany and her family go through so much in this film, and it is truly heartwarming! I lost count of how many times I cried both sad and happy tears. It is a wonderful story about faith, courage, family, community, and love. It is also a great reminder of God's promise to give us a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11) even when we can't fathom that it's even possible anymore. I am continually amazed at how God can use great tragedies and turn them into beautiful stories. This movie is a great example of that and I highly encourage you to see it! I believe it comes out nationwide on April 8th. Please go show support for this since it is a good, clean, family film (which can be hard to find without bad actors and cheesy lines.) I can honestly say that it was better use of my time than watching "the most dramatic rose ceremony ever."

Why is it so hard to keep up a blog?

These are just a few of my thoughts as to why it is so hard to keep up a blog...


1.) A child/children - I only have one right now, but he keeps me busy.  Stryder has just started getting mobile and I feel like I always have to have my eye on him.  And truth is, if he is napping, I either want to cuddle up and nap with him, or take advantage of the free time and get other stuff done.


2.) Trying to keep up with other "Mama" duties - the other stuff I mentioned, such as paying bills, doing laundry, putting clothes away, cleaning, etc.


3.) Lack of creativity - sometimes I just don't know what to blog about.  I feel like there is either nothing that interesting going on, or too much.  Lately, there has been so much happening, I feel like I don't know which event  or story to blog about, so then I don't do it at all.  I am going to try though...


4.) I rarely get on the computer anymore - I check my e-mail and facebook from my blackberry phone or  my iTouch, so I rarely take the time to get on a "real" computer.  


5.) I usually share all of my photos in other ways - sending texts, posting on facebook, or tweeting seems to be an easier way to share pics, so I figure there is no point in blogging them.


Anyway, these are my excuses, but I am going to attempt to get this thing going again!

Autumn in New York

I am discovering that autumn is easily one of my favorite seasons now that I am back in Buffalo.  The crisp cool air, colorful leaves, caramel apples, COLD cider (I don't like it hot), pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and football games at sunset have reminded me why I enjoyed the months of September, October, and November so much growing up here.  I have included some pictures of my autumn experiences thu far.

Who doesn't want their movies alphabetized?

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the temperature is in the mid 60's - basically, a perfect fall day in NY. Instead of being outside enjoying it, I decided that it would be a great day to organize. As most of you know, life with a newborn is pretty chaotic at times. I love every minute of it, but sometimes I feel like I don't even have time to do laundry, let alone put it away. I finally caught up on some of that last night while Mark & Stryder were watching the baseball playoffs. That felt great. But, today is the most fun task! I am organzing all of my parents movies. For those of you who don't know them, they love movies (especially my dad.) They are a mix of old black & white, wars & westerns, musicals, John Wayne and Elvis, Disney animation, modern romantic comedy, the Star Wars, LOTR, X-Men, Back to the Future trilogies, Cosby Show & A-Team tv collections, etc. Today, I am doing my best to alphabetize and sort them all according to category. I know that people might thing I am crazy, but I LOVE it!!! Ever since college I was teased for my love of having all movies and cds arranged alphabetically. But to me, it just makes sense to have them that way. How else can you find what you are looking for?

Anyway, I should get back to work...just wanted to share about one of my "passions". :)

The Name Game

Stryder Jayton Crouch - that is the name that we chose for our precious baby boy. We gave the impression that we were pretty undecided about baby names all the way up until his birth. This was mostly true. We were never quite sold on any girls' names. Of course we had a few we liked, but nothing that grabbed us. Interestingly enough, we had pretty much decided before we even got married that if we had a boy, his first name would be Stryder. We have been asked many times where this name came from. The truth is, when Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came out to theaters in December of 2001, I went to see it with my family. It was then that I fell in love with the name Strider. You see, not far into the movie we are introduced to a mysterious, masculine, heroic warrior with this name. He is later called Aragorn, which is how most people know him. I thought it was a great name for a man, and decided that, if my future husband approved, I would name my baby boy Stryder (with a "y", not an "i".) I am not, by any means, a LOTR fanatic, I just loved the name and the character that it represented.

When I met Mark in 2006, it didn't take long before we knew we were meant to be together, and would eventually get married and have kids. I told him about my love for this name, and he loved it too! (I also made him watch the movie so he would know who the character was that it came from.) So, the first name was decided pretty easily, but kept secret because we didn't want any one else to use it before we had kids. :) A middle name did not come so easy. We actually didn't decide on Jayton until 2 days before Stryder was born. I used to love the name Jayden, but then it became so popular that I just put it out of my mind. So, we talked about Jonathan, Jaxon, Payton, etc., but we couldn't agree on any. I then saw Jaxton in a baby name book, and we liked it, but again we weren't quite sold on it. We wondered about swapping the x out for a y. Amazingly, we both liked it and Mark said if we had the baby that day, he would be happy with that name.

There you have it - the name "Stryder Jayton" was decided on July 25th. I sure hope he likes it! ;)

Where I am at...7 weeks later.

WOW! Stryder was born over 7 weeks ago and I don't know where the time has gone. Obviously it was not spent blogging, as I am way behind. Instead, it has been full of kisses, feedings, naps, kisses, diaper changes, vistors, kisses, swaddlings, sweet bedtime prayers, and many more kisses. :) Seriously, I cannot get enough of kissing his sweet little cheeks! I wonder if Stryder ever gets sick of me kissing him and saying "I love you" over and over again. I just can't help it. These 7 weeks have flown by and I know that time is not slowing down. I feel the need to make sure everyday that he knows his mama loves him. I think he knows now. He has just started smiling and it is adorable!!! It feels like his way of saying I love you back to me. He is also "coo-ing" and making all kinds of other cute noises (as well as some other not so cute noises that sound like they are coming from an adult - if you know what I mean.) This boy is so much fun!

When I was pregnant, people were always asking what I wanted, a boy or girl. I always said that I just wanted a healthy baby (although there were a select few who knew the true desire of my heart.) I felt as though I couldn't really say aloud that I wanted a boy for two reasons. One, if the baby was a girl, she would hear me in the womb and then her whole life she would think she wasn't wanted. (A bit extreme, I know.) Two, if I had a girl and people knew I wanted a boy, they would think I was disappointed and that would just be horrible. But now, I feel the freedom to say to all that I wanted to have a baby boy so badly and always have! It was so amazing to hear the doctor say "It's a boy!" In that moment, I thanked God for granting all of my silly desires. You see, I also really wanted a July birthday. In both of our big extended families, there are no July birthdays. We have every other month covered except that one. So, I was hoping to have the baby early for that reason, and because I love the ruby birthstone. I know, I know - I am a bit crazy. But, I wasn't due until August 8th and so many people told me I would go late since this was my first child. Thankfully, they were wrong. God blessed me with a healthy, gorgeous, July 27th born, baby boy! I am proof that God does listen to our prayers - even the silly ones. :)

IT'S A BOY!!!

As you can tell, I have already slacked off with my blogging. I have a REALLY good reason though! On July 27th, I was blessed with one of the greatest gifts of my life - Stryder Jayton Crouch. Of course, there is a whole long story to tell about how he made his entrance into the world (and even a video of the c-section for those who might be interested.) But, the story will have to come at a later time since I am typing with only one hand right now since my sweet baby boy is asleep on my other arm. This will just serve as my "official" announcement of Stryder's birth. He was born at 5:34pm weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. He is beautiful - and after only three weeks, it is hard to imagine what life was like without him. I am completely smitten! :)

What are you having?!? Boy or Girl?

I didn't realize how often this question would be asked of us once we reached the 20 week mark in the pregnancy. Rarely do we even get asked "Do you know what you're having?" It is more often assumed that, of course we would already know. Why in the world would we not want to be prepared? It is quite interesting to get people's responses when we say that we do not know and that we are waiting to be surprised. Some people think it is so wonderful and commend us for having the patience to wait. Others say that it is great, but they know they could've never done it themselves. And then there are even some who appear to be mad at us for not finding out. This is quite entertaining to me. I mean, really, you are mad at me because I am not finding out MY child's gender until the day he or she is born??? Weird.

I have always had the desire to be surprised. When we first got married and talked about it, Mark seemed to think that I was crazy. It didn't really matter much to either one of us at that point though because we knew children were not in our near future. Then, about a year and a half ago when we started feeling like we might want to start trying to have a baby, Mark informed me that he didn't want to fnd out either. I was very surprised, but excited. It just seems that since we are now living in this world of facebook, twitter, blogs, etc., everyone knows everything about each others' babies before they are born. Gender, name, and sometimes even the date that the baby will be born are often revealed way before the child has entered the world. Sometimes the only thing left to hear is how big the baby was at birth. I am not criticizing people who find out because that is what works best for them and it can definitely help a lot in registering, decorating, etc. But this is what works for us, so I don't know why people seem upset that we decided to wait.

There are just so few surprises in life...

Buffalo - The Best Food in the world?

For those of you who are from Buffalo, I am sure you know where I am going with this blog. Those of you who are have never experienced it firsthand, I am truly sorry and I encourage you to make the trip up here. We use Niagara Falls as bait to try to get people to visit, but they usually leave talking about the food more than one of the Wonders of the World. So, since I am pregnant and think of my favorite foods often, I have compiled a list of the places that are going to make it very difficult to lose my baby weight living here. :(

#1.) Swiss Chalet - anyone who knows me knows that this is my all time favorite restaurant in the WORLD! There are no longer any in the U.S., but just across the bridge on Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, Canada, one can be found - and it is tasty!!! Their rotisserie chicken is amazing, as well as their fresh cut fries - and both are even better when dipped in their delicious Chalet sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking of it.

#2.) Sorrentino's (Main & Mill) - This has now become one of Mark's favorites as well. We LOVE their pizza (with burnt pepperoni) and BBQ wings - and they have a great House Italian dressing too. (Yes, we do actually eat salads once in a while up here.) Their only downfall is that they don't give free refills on pop, and although I did it the other day, it is not easy to drink water with pizza and wings. (Almost forgot, their bleu cheese isn't too great either.)

#3.) Pizza Works (Maple & North Forest) - My favorite things to get here are the chicken finger subs - no veggies, just chicken fingers with medium sauce, mozzarella, and bleu cheese, and then of course their garlic bread with cheese. Both are AMAZING! They also have GREAT wings (but you have to get medium, my dad likes the mild and they are a completely different flavor.) The pizza is usually very good too, but for some reason it is best when you get a sheet instead of just a round one. Don't know why this is, but there is a difference in the taste.

#4.) Mighty Taco (numerous locations) - Taco Bell has got nothing on them. Mighty Taco has the cheapest and best fast food around. Beef & Cheese tacos are awesome there - soft shell, medium sauce, no sour cream. Mark prefers the burritos because, obviously, you get more.

#5.) LaBella Sicilia (Genessee) - This does not seem to be a place that is talked about by many people, but it is a family favorite. They have all different kinds of wonderful pastas - spaghetti, baked tortellini, stuffed shells, lasagna and fettucine alfredo (just to name a few that we love.) They also give you great bread to start off the meal. Unfortunately, no free refills here either.

#6.) Duff's (Dick Rd.) - Although I don't feel the need to eat at Duff's as often as my siblings and their spouses, they do have excellent wings and it is a must-have for anyone visiting the Buffalo area. This newer location may not have the same ethos as the original on Sheridan, but the wings taste better and they provide much better service in a bigger space. We prefer the "Medium Light" wings there.

#7.) Ted's (numerous locations) - Sahlen's hot dogs are served here and they are a great treat. The regular size is good, but it's always tempting to get the footlongs once you see them being grilled in front of you.

#8.) Greek Open Beef Soulvaki - I never knew that this was a Western NY food until I moved away and couldn't find it anywhere in VA, FL, MO, TN, or WA. I don't necessarily have a favorite restaurant that serves it, but it had to be mentioned. (Sheridan Family Restaurant & the Eastern Hills Mall food court both do it well.) It is basically just a Greek salad with beef, feta cheese, tomatoes, and a great dressing on top with a pita on the side. Not sure why it is so good - it just is.

This is all for now...let me know your favorites! Now that I am living here, I just might have to go try them. :)

Trying this out...

I love reading other peoples' blogs and some friends have told me that I should do one myself. This may not seem like the best time to start since I am 36 weeks pregnant, but these days I find myself somewhat bored. I can't go out and do much because my feet swell into chubby bear-like paws and my ankles look like tree stumps. And, I can't do much to prepare a nursery since we are living at my parents' house for the time being. Instead, I am spending a lot of time inside with my legs elevated and not much to do except look at Facebook and play Words With Friends (joynoelle) since there is not much good on TV anymore these days. Sounds fun, right? I can't complain since I know my world is about to change drastically when our precious little baby arrives in (hopefully) less than 4 weeks. I guess I just figure that while I have this time, I will blog about life - where we have come from and where we are going. And although it is called Mark & Joy's Journey, I highly doubt that Mark will ever blog on here. I just thought I would include his name since my journey is not complete without him. :)

Here goes nothing...