Week 18: Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

This week I chose to bake chewy chocolate raspberry cookies.  Victoria and I have been eating A LOT of raspberries lately, so I figured I'd incorporate them into a cookie for this week.  I found the recipe on the internet and it sounded yummy, so I chose it.  This recipe is different in that there are no eggs, and it calls for canola oil.  I usually substitute apple sauce for oil in all my recipes, but in this case I did not.  I have substituted apple sauce in the past when I have baked chocolate crinkle cookies (week 5),  and I did not care for the consistency of the cookie once it was baked.  This recipe looked similar as far as the consistency of the cookie, so I stuck to the oil.  I am happy to report that the cookies are delicious!  They are chewy and chocolatey and decadent.  If you like raspberries and chocolate together, then you'll love this cookie.  Here is the link to the recipe that I used:  http://www.food.com/recipe/chewy-chocolate-raspberry-cookies-323753



Victoria with fresh picked
raspberries

 I love raspberries.  I always have.  I especially love to eat raspberries that I have picked myself.   Unfortunately, I haven't picked raspberries in a long time because I cannot find a local orchard that is organic.  Berries are on the "dirty dozen list" of produce that contain high levels of pesticides.  Some lists include raspberries and others only include blueberries and strawberries.  Since I am a big believer in eating and serving my family as much organic food as I can, I only buy organic raspberries.  In truth, I only buy fruit or veggies that are certified organic.  Admittedly, there are some food products that we love that I cannot get organic, but when I can buy organic I do. If you are interested, here is a link to a website that lists the "dirty dozen" http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/04/29/2010-dirty-dozen-produce-list-released-by-the-ewg/

Blake's Fall 1993

Growing up, my family used to go to pick apples every fall.  Blake's was and still is our family's favorite orchard.  As a kid it used to take a long time to get there, since we lived in Eastpointe and Blake's is in Armada.  Today, I can make the trip in about 8 minutes.☺  Despite the fact that Blake's doesn't offer organic produce, we still enjoy picking apples there in the fall.  I use the apples we pick in pies or bread, so I can peel them and not eat the skins.  Besides, having my family eat non organic apples just once a year is alright.☺  Our first year in our current house Dan and I planted  "The Sutherland Orchard."  We have apple, pear, and peach trees. Once our apple trees are mature enough for picking, I'll have my very own organic orchard right on my property. I cannot even imagine how cool it will feel to make my pies and other sweet treats, with apples that I grew organically, picked myself, and then baked with love...I cannot wait!  ♥



My Mom, Victoria, and me picking raspberries

 When my family would go pick apples, we'd always pick raspberries too. I love love love the rows and rows of raspberry bushes.  I could stay there for hours.  It was so peaceful... being in the fields and searching for just the right berries. My Mom loved this too.  Truth be told, we probably ate just as much (if not more) than we took home.  I cannot think about picking apples, raspberries, or gardening in general, and not think of my family.  My grandparents were wonderful gardeners and so was my Mom.  As a kid I remember playing in my grandparents gardens and feeling like I was in a special little world all of my own.  Once my paternal grandparents moved to Capac, I literally was in a new world.  They had 10 acres, which at the time seemed gigantic.  I know that 10 acres is still is a lot of property, but I have since driven by their old place in Capac, and marveled at how much smaller everything looked through my adult eyes.  I swore that their driveway was at least a quarter mile long...it took forever to walk out and get the mail.  Boy was I wrong.  Through my adult eyes, their old driveway isn't much longer than my current driveway which is only 100 feet long.  It is still so crazy to me that I remember everything about that property being so big, when in actuality it isn't.



The garden in Capac...I am on the left

 I used to love to help my grandparents garden. I have tons and tons of memories of their various gardens.  One time when I was about 4 or 5 years old, my Sito Vicky lost her favorite bracelet while gardening.  I was so upset that I ran out into the garden and began to search.  I found her favorite bracelet in the carrot patch.  I felt like a hero! I also used to pick grape leaves with Sito Georgia, and Sito Vicky all the time. When my maternal grandparents moved to an apartment, I went on a "field trip" with my Sito Georgia and my Mom to pick grape leaves. We drove somewhere in Detroit and into an alley behind a restaurant.  Sito got out and started picking grape leaves off a fence that separated the alley from the freeway.  While we were picking, one of the restaurant employees came out and asked us what we were doing.  My Sito proudly explained that we were picking grape leaves and then explained to this random guy how to make them.  I remember being afraid that he was going to yell at us for trespassing,  but instead he thanked us and said "...for years I have seen 'middle eastern' women picking those leaves, and now I finally know what they were doing."☺  One of my favorite memories of Capac, is of picking green beans with my paternal grandfather Gene.  He had dozens of rows of green beans and I was the official "bucket holder."   We'd start picking at one end, and by the time we got to the other end, the bucket would be empty. He'd laugh and laugh at me because I could literally eat the beans as fast as he could pick them.☺

We used to visit my grandparents "in the country" every Sunday.  Since that time in my life, I knew that someday I HAD to live in the country.  I love love love that I live pretty close to where I spent so much time as a child. It took Dan and I awhile to actualize our dream of a home "in the country", but it was so worth the wait. My Mom used to love to go to my Grandparents place on Sundays too.  I remember my Mom and my Grandmother Ann sitting at the kitchen table for hours... talking, laughing, and trading recipes.  My Mom told me that my Grandmother Ann (my Dad's mom) was her best friend.  To this day I think it is so cool that I grew up surrounded by people who really loved each other... loved each other all the way.  Today is my Grandma Ann's birthday...I cannot believe it has been 29 years since she passed away. I hope with every fiber of my being that my Mom and her best friend are in heaven together, swapping recipes, laughing, and enjoying each other's company once again. ♥

Blake's Fall 2001





Blake's Fall 2005

Ryan at Blake's Fall 2005