What Shall We Bake Today?

Food 1 Minute

The second offering in our Back-to School desserts is Mint Chocolate Cookies. These promise to taste like a version of Girl Scout Thin Mints.  I’ll let you know when I try them!

ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 2⁄3 cups mint chocolate chips

directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until creamy.

Add eggs; beat well.

Stir together flour, cocoa and baking soda.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture beating until well blended.

Add chocolate chips to batter.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Enjoy!

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Published by pat frederick

Published

68 thoughts on “What Shall We Bake Today?”

  1. Morning All!
    the number of hummers has decreased dramatically. yesterday we had 2 or 3 fighting at one time. were they the same 2 or 3 we saw several times? who knows? but this morning I’ve only seen one so far.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Liked by 1 person

  10. Just The News: “Multiple employees, from teachers to firefighters, have lost their jobs or are on leave due to statements about the death of Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk. 

    School employees in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Mississippi and Pennsylvania are currently under investigation for what they wrote on social media regarding Kirk’s death. 

    One teacher in South Carolina was fired for a post that read, “Thoughts and prayers to his children but IMHO America became greater today. There I said it,” according to The Hill newspaper. A teacher in Oregon wrote that Kirk’s assassination “brightened” up his day. 

    Kirk was killed at a rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

    Kirk had become one of the most influential voices on the right in recent years, notably founding Turning Point USA, with chapters at universities across the country and hosting speakers’ summits for young conservatives.

    The U.S. Secret Service put an agent on leave after he posted on social media that Kirk “spewed hate and racism on his show.” “Let me be clear, politically motivated attacks in our nation are increasing — seemingly every day,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement, according to CBS News. “The men and women of the Secret Service must be focused on being the solution, not adding to the problem.” 

    Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn called for the agent, Anthony Pough, to be terminated from his position. “As our nation mourns the devastating loss of Charlie Kirk, a rogue @SecretService agent posted on Facebook suggesting that he deserved to be murdered,” Blackburn wrote on X. “I am calling for this agent’s immediate termination. It’s time to root out the rot in the Secret Service.”

    A firefighter in New Orleans wrote in a now deleted Instagram comment that the bullet that hit Kirk was a “gift from God.” She got pushback on social media, but it is unclear if she has been fired or is on leave. 

    Former MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd was fired by the news outlet for making comments on air during breaking news of the shooting, saying that Kirk pushed for hate speech “aimed at certain groups.”

    Conservative influencer Laura Loomer posted on X that she would make sure everybody who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination would be “famous.”

    “Charlie Kirk’s death will not be in vain,” she wrote on social media. “I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death Famous, so prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death. I’m going to make you wish you never opened your mouth. These people need to be condemned in society and there must NEVER be a place for these people to gather without facing the shame of their behavior.”

    Author Stephen King was forced to delete a social media post smearing Kirk after his death, claiming Kirk advocated for the stoning of gay people. He also apologized for the post. 

    “Charlie was never anything but kind to me and my husband,” podcast host Dave Rubin said in response to King. “We broke bread many times, and he never treated us with anything other than respect. He even came to our house not too long ago and, plot twist, didn’t throw rocks at us. Write about that sometime, you hack.”

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Just The News: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several military secretaries on Thursday night warned service members against posting anything that mocks or celebrates the assassination of another American, and promised retribution for those who do.

    The warning comes after conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk died Wednesday after being shot in the neck at an event in Utah. He died at the hospital. Kirk was one of the most influential voices on the right in recent years, notably founding Turning Point USA chapters at universities across the country and hosting speakers’ summits for young conservatives.

    Hegseth stated in a post on X that the Pentagon was “tracking” comments from military service members and defense civilians who post celebratory things about Kirk’s death, after Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell warned that the behavior would not be tolerated. 

    “It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American,” Parnell wrote on X. “The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.”

    Navy Secretary John Phelan, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and the Coast Guard have also warned they are aware of “inappropriate comments concerning recent political violence,” and such comments are counter to core American values.

    “Airmen and Guardians are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and conduct at all times,” Meink wrote on X.”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Just The News: “Multiple lawmakers this week canceled or postponed outdoor events in the aftermath of a shooting Wednesday that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is expediting a review of member security.

    Kirk, who was fatally shot during a speaking engagement in Utah, was one of the most influential people on the right in recent years, particularly known for founding Turning Point USA, which has chapters at universities across the country.

    Democratic Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan have all canceled events recently, including a town hall scheduled for Friday, because of heightened tensions related to Kirk’s death.

    Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, who is running for governor, also canceled all of her in-person events for the foreseeable future, claiming she no longer feels safe, USA Today reported. “Our lives are in danger,” Mace said. “I don’t feel safe walking outside right now.”

    The cancellations come on top of Johnson promising reporters on Thursday that congressional leadership is doing a “thorough review” of security measures for members, but said it would be impossible to provide a full security detail for all members of Congress.

    “There are many security measures in place for members of Congress, at their homes, at their offices, and when they go about,” he said. “But we live in a dangerous society, and it’s difficult to cover even the president of the United States from every angle.”

    The concerns come as threats against lawmakers are on the rise. The United States Capitol Police said it is expected to work through at least 14,000 threat assessment cases involving members this year, up from 9,000 last year, per NBC News.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. it’s amazing that while these efforts are being put in place, no one seems willing to point to the WHO is causing the violent rhetoric and causing these events.
      I am tired of the “we’re BOTH guilty” stuff.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Just The News: “The South African white-only town of Orania has lowered its flag to half-staff to honor Charlie Kirk, citing his efforts to raise awareness about the oppression of the Afrikaners in the country.

    Orania is a small town in South Africa open only to white residents. It is the only such settlement in the country and has attracted attention as a focal point for anti-white sentiment among the country’s black majority. Oranian leader Joost Strydom confirmed that the town’s citizens had spontaneously requested the honor, which they normally reserve for the passing of an Oranian citizen.

    “The community of Orania shows respect for Charlie Kirk and empathy for our American friends after receiving the tragic news of his passing last night,” he said in an Instagram post. “A spontaneous request came from the citizens of Orania, and that request was that the leadership of the town council showed our communal respect to commemorate the life and the impact of Charlie and the plight of Christians worldwide.”

    “The leadership, the board that this suggestion from the community was very fitting and they thought not only because of Charlie’s conservative ideas resonated with so many Afrikaners around South Africa, but also because the public awareness that Charlie raised for Afrikaners and the challenges in South Africa,” he added.

    Kirk was one of several conservative influencers that highlighted the discrimination against white South Africans in recent years. The issue came to the forefront of American politics after Elon Musk spoke out against a land seizure proposal in the country, leading President Donald Trump to admit refugees into the U.S.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “Appeals Court Quietly Lifts Injunctions On Trump’s Plans To Defund Planned Parenthood — The Trump administration can effectively end the flow of millions of taxpayer dollars to the abortion giant for one year.”

    The Federalist, By: Jordan Boyd, September 12, 2025

    Planned Parenthood waiting room

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “The Trump administration will move forward with its plans to defund Planned Parenthood after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted two preliminary injunctions that aimed to hamper the tax dollar withdrawal.

    Republicans in Congress first moved to defund Planned Parenthood earlier this year via a provision in the Big Beautiful Bill. Shortly after a tiebreaker vote sent the legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law in July, Planned Parenthood sued the administration. The abortion giant claimed the cessation of federal funding was “unlawful” and would put nearly 200 Planned Parenthood facilities at risk of closure.

    On July 21, a district court, led by a Democrat-nominated federal judge, demanded that the administration halt from “enforcing, retroactively enforcing, or otherwise applying” the policy designed to strip Planned Parenthood’s stream of taxpayer dollars for one year. The court also ordered the administration to “take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and time frames to Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and other Planned Parenthood Federation of America [m]embers.”

    In a second preliminary injunction issued less than a week later on July 28, the district court expanded the order beyond Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. to include Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and “all other members” of the abortion giant’s network.

    The court order, posted on Thursday, however, declared that Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had adequately demonstrated their “entitlement to a stay” and need not heed the injunctions any longer.

    The greenlight means the nearly $800 million in taxpayer funds collected by Planned Parenthood during the 2023-2024 period, in which Planned Parenthood performed a record number of abortions, will no longer be available to the abortion business.

    Historically, Planned Parenthood’s steady stream of taxpayer funding sustained its widespread effort to end unborn lives (or botching its attempts to do so), allegedly flout federal law and waste tax dollars, dispense castrating drugs to confused minors, reportedly traffic baby body parts, enable abusers, allegedly perform unlicensed procedures and violate health and safety standards, oppose free speech, and allegedly conducting procedures that have resulted in mothers’ deaths.

    SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser celebrated the court’s slap down of “Big Abortion’s desperate money grab.”

    “The American people, through Congress, spoke clearly with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Taxpayers should not be forced to spend a dime funding a brutal industry that ends at least 1.1 million lives a year, harms women while providing dwindling, substandard health care services, and engages in partisan political activism – especially when more accessible, more comprehensive options outnumber Planned Parenthoods 15 to 1,” Dannefelser said in a statement. “We are confident the Trump administration will prevail against the abortion industry’s lawfare.”

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Former President Joe Biden’s new effort to raise money for a presidential library is struggling to attract Democrat donors, according to a report.

    “More than half a dozen people who were once major Biden donors or fundraisers spoke to NBC News. Most said they have no animosity toward the former president, but they either would not give to the library or would only give a limited amount.”   

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Mary McCord is their “legal analyst”…
    FTA
    A legal loophole means the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk will not face a single federal charge, despite the FBI’s high-profile involvement in the case.

    Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, all felonies.

    The decision not to pursue federal charges stems from a narrow set of legal criteria that limit federal jurisdiction in homicide cases.

    Unless the murder occurred on federal property, targeted a federal official, or qualifies as a hate crime based on race, religion, or another protected category, none of which currently apply in Kirk’s killing, the case defaults to local prosecutors.

    ‘Right now, based on the facts I’m aware of, I don’t see an obvious federal crime,’ said Mary McCord, a longtime federal prosecutor to Politico.

    ‘Of course, there’s hate crimes that sometimes can be applicable, but not for politics.’

    Indeed, federal homicide charges typically require one of three elements: a killing on federal property, an attack on a federal official, or a hate crime based on race, religion, or another protected characteristic.

    Robinson will be tried solely under Utah state law, but it also means the entire trial, from his arraignment to sentencing, will be broadcast on live television, unlike in federal court.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15094193/Legal-loophole-Charlie-Kirk-assassin-Tyler-Robinson-federal-charges.html

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Patience
    September 13, 2025 9:56 am

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump

    A LETTER SENT BY PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP TO ALL NATO NATIONS AND, THE WORLD:

    “I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia

    👉🏻when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing,

    and
    👉🏻when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA.

    As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.

    Anyway, I am ready to “go” when you are.
    Just say when?

    I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR.

    China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip.

    This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have started if I was President!), it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s WAR.

    I am only here to help stop it, and save thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives (7,118 lives lost last week, alone. CRAZY!). If NATO does as I say, the WAR will end quickly, and all of those lives will be saved!

    👉🏻If not,
    👉🏻👉🏻you are just wasting my time,
    and
    the time, energy,
    and money of the United States.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter!

    DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

    Liked by 1 person

  19. SMDH – this is why I’m not on FB!!! There was another one that purported to be a tribute from Bob Seger (who retired in 2019) that was pure BS!!

    “Last night in New York City, Paul McCartney turned a packed arena into something unforgettable. Midway through his set—right as the guitars roared and the lights dazzled—he suddenly stopped playing. The legendary Beatle stepped forward, gripping the mic, and asked the crowd to join him in a one-minute moment of silence for Charlie Kirk and the lives lost on 9/11.

    In an instant, 20,000 fans fell completely silent. No cheering, no phones—just a stadium holding its breath.

    Then, as the silence ended, McCartney began to sing “God Bless America.” His voice, rich and steady, filled the arena, joined by thousands more until the entire crowd became a single, powerful choir. Flags waved, tears streamed, and what began as stillness became a roaring anthem of unity and hope. Paul didn’t just play a concert—he turned it into a historic, emotional tribute the world will never forget.”

    Here’s the amazing part – McCartney didn’t play there last night and that report (since deleted) on Facebook was 100% bullshit. See what I mean about social media?

    According to Google, Paul McCartney did not perform at Madison Square Garden “last night” (September 11, 2025); his most recent performance at the venue was in September 2017. That year, he played a concert on September 15, 2017, where Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt joined him to play the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.”

    Liked by 1 person

  21. “A Stark Warning to America: America’s Survival Hinges on the Willingness to Confront Tyranny”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Sep 13, 2025

    “I have been warning America for more than a decade (in uniform and out of uniform) about the rise of Islamism and Marxism, an unholy alliance that doesn’t accept any form of God at its very core. I have been consistently standing up against these dangerous ideas and I have been persecuted for speaking TRUTH TO POWER.

    I have the distinct “honor” of being fired by two presidents, one because he couldn’t handle the truth and the other who was told a lie by those Judases around him. Judases who still exist today.However, this short missive is not about me, it is about America’s Future.

    We are in an existential Arch of U.S. history, and we must act. Our leaders, starting with President Trump, must fight through the noise of those advising him that this is about political differences between a two party system. IT IS NOT and far from it!

    Large swaths of our government have been taken over by radicalized groups, like cancer takes over the human body and eventually destroys it. It is vastly deeper than most realize. It goes from the federal government all the way down to the local levels (consider the takeover of our local school boards, for instance).

    I understand it better than most because I have been witness to it as a high-ranking insider, as well as on the outside, intently studying and observing the dangerous domestic and global shifts. I stood against it, and those who control it tried their damndest to crush me and my family…to bury us, hoping we would fade away. We will only lose if we quit and I was taught to never back down from a fight.

    Why is this happening?

    There are many reasons, but the main reason is complacency by the American people over decades. Yes, there are others, but putting my finger on the pulse of America, this is the primary reason.

    What Now?

    President Donald J. Trump must act now. He must give full authority to everyone he put into key leadership positions to systematically and professionally remove people, resign them, retire them, and in some cases, investigate them for criminal prosecution. He must consider the use of his national security and national emergency powers that only he has.

    The POTUS has extraordinary powers to “preserve” our constitutional republic. It is his and only his to apply these authorities, but he must seriously consider using them. There are moments in history that are seminal turning points. Others call them inflection points. During those Arches of history, great leaders stood and passed the test.

    Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were two leaders who stood on the front lines of freedom, took charge during existential Archs of U.S. history and demonstrated extraordinary leadership. Both paid a heavy price, but each saved our nation, one from it not being created, the other from it splitting in two.

    We are experiencing another of these existential moments with its own unique blend of characteristics. Everyone can see and feel the challenges. If we cannot overcome this moment, we face losing everything.

    To every U.S. citizen who reads this, wake up to the fact that our freedom MUST be sacrificed for. Just ask the millions who have gone before us who have given their lives.

    Freedom is fragile, and to maintain it requires each citizen to accept some of the responsibility for why we’re here now.

    To secure our FREEDOMS requires great sacrifice, always has and always will. Take this warning as a gesture of love.

    Love of God. Love of family. Love of country. Ephesians 6:16-17

    God Bless America 🙏🏼

    Elon Musk, thank you for providing us with X, A FREE SPEECH platform.”

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Liked by 1 person

  32. Toasty out there in the sun wearing a black t-shirt! Finally got the entire inside of the fence line weed-eated; just have to spray the last small section, then one final weed eating on the exterior. I’ll finally be done with the fence!

    Liked by 1 person

          1. yes, she has nothing to write on. so I am going to the Post Office Monday morning to mail a clipboard and a portfolio type thing so she has something to write on.
            there was a package at the PO for me and I couldn’t get the key to work–so I was going back anyway,

            Liked by 1 person

  36. “Three elderly nuns flee retirement home in Austria to return to abandoned convent”

    Saturday 13 September 2025 at 6:18pm

    Sisters Bernadette, Rita and Regina spent decades living and teaching at the Goldenstein Monastery in Elsbethen, near Salzburg.Credit: EBU

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Three Catholic nuns who ran away from their retirement home in Austria to squat in their former convent say they have not committed a crime. Sisters Rita, Regina and Bernadette – all now aged in their 80s – spent decades living and teaching at the Goldenstein Monastery in Elsbethen, near Salzburg.

    The trio were taken from the convent two years ago on the grounds they could not live independently and relocated to a retirement home in the nearby town, Oberalm. But the nuns claimed they were taken against their will and insist they are capable of caring for themselves. Earlier this month, the nuns returned to their old convent with the help of some former students and a locksmith.

    The nuns have moved back to their former convent in Elsbethen near Salzburg.Credit: EBU

    “It’s not a break-in,” Sister Bernadette said. “The basis for this is our contract of transfer, which states that we can stay here until the end of our lives. And we are now exercising that right again, that we can indeed stay here until the end of our lives. This is not a crime or anything like that.”

    The building had fallen into disrepair and kitchen and elevator were blocked off. But water and electricity have since been restored to the site.

    Sister Bernadette said it was their right to move back into their former convent.Credit: EBU

    The nuns are financially dependent on outside help because their bank accounts have been frozen. But former students and volunteers have been supporting the nuns with food and other assistance. A doctor has also visited to check on the sisters’ health.

    “It’s simply a matter of audacity,” Sister Bernadette said. “They promised us things and we believed everything, we believed that we would never be lied to. And then the whole contract turns out to be a lie, because everything has been revoked.”

    But the convent’s Provost called the move “completely incomprehensible” as the rooms were no longer usable” and did not meet “the requirements for proper care.”

    Liked by 1 person

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