Debbie's Lake Travis Peanut Butter Chocolate Ritz Cookies

Making these cookies is so easy and requires no baking. I learned how to make them when we stayed with my parents in Texas over the holidays. I don't think we'd been there ten minutes when my dad walked up to me with one of these cookies, trying to get me to take a bite. Of course, I did, and the whole thing!! I asked him if it was a Girl Scout cookie. He said his friend Debbie made it.

Joe and Debbie are my parent's friends and they live about one minute away in Point Venture, TX, where my parents also live. Point Venture, population 861, is huge compared to what it was when I was a kid. I can't find any published population information before the town was incorporated, but I would guess there might have been 247 people when I was young, probably less. I don't remember much of my life before I remember Point Venture. We used to spend summers there and some weekends in the spring and fall, too. Yes, it's a little more crowded than it used to be, but I still absolutely love it.

I should add that Debbie told me everyone in PV loves these cookies! She has no name for them so I named them myself. I sure hope she approves!

See the middle rack. Click for a close-up!

Debbie's Lake Travis Peanut Butter Chocolate Ritz Cookies

Ritz crackers
Peanut butter
Chocolate flavored coating (this is the brand I used)
(optional - you can mix half chocolate and half vanilla together)

The instructions are so simple. You make peanut butter sandwiches with Ritz crackers. Then you melt the chocolate candy coating and dip the sandwiches in, covering them completely. Set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them cool. That's it. Make as many or as few as you like!

Love,

P.S. Debbie says a man in PV loved these cookies so much, he requested they be served at his funeral when he died. And they were.
P.P.S. My friend Gary is in charge of a large law firm's food and beverage division. Somehow one of his caterer's knows about these cookies (she must be related to Debbie, ha!). Gary says when they hire her they always request a batch.
P.P.P.S. What I'm trying to say is...they're great.

Cards Pizza

Dad and I are playing cards tonight. Just the two of us. Right now. We take turns picking what game we play. So far he's won every game out of 5. We used the Elvis cards. Elvis has been bad luck for me tonight and I'm the one who bought the cards at his museum in Tupelo! No loyalty!

Marry a Milk Duds Man

I feel I've learned a lifetime of lessons in the last six days. So many lessons, I won't be able to cover them all in this post. Or even two or twenty posts. But, I really want to try to cover one in particular, my sweet girl.

The Emerald Love Story

Dear Lauren,

I told you these stories would not be in order. Who cares?

Story 2:

As you know, our trip of 11 Hickmans included my parents (Grampa and Cojo to you), my siblings (Aunt Mary and Uncle Matt), my brother's girlfriend (Britt), my sister's two children age 12 (Carson) and 15 (Taylor), Dad and I and you and Shelby, both age 23. Wow, y'all are getting old. We live all over the U.S. and we met up in New York City. It was a very busy week, but really a good one. Carson and Taylor had never been and neither had Britt. It was great to see the city through their eyes and we played tour guide much of the time.

Usually we play a lot of cards on family get togethers, but there was no time. Cojo decided to pack up some of her jewelry because she wanted to see if any of the girls - me, Beth, you, Shelby, Taylor - wanted any of it. We started referring to it as her garage sale but she seemed offended, so I changed it to her trunk show. I think she liked that better.

Here are my prizes! I can't seem to remove the white one from the velvet board. I can't get the clasp open. I think I need new glasses.

Beth (that's Aunt Mary) wanted none of the jewelry, and neither did Taylor. They're not jewelry people. You wanted 90% of it, but settled for 85% so that Shelby could have some and, if you recall, you two decided to share custody of a few items. Now, some of the pieces were "real" and Cojo loves southwestern stuff, and so do you. But, some the the pieces were costume and I was surprised that you and Shelby wanted so much of it. Costume parties, I later learned.

French Food Candles

Dear Lauren,

I never tell stories in chronological order. I probably never will. And even when I tell about a single event, I often tell it out of order. Does it matter? 

I have a lot of stories to tell from our recent trip to New York City. You were there! But, I'm not sure you saw the trip in quite the same way I did, so I thought I would tell you some stories. Consider this to be our Family Album of New York City 2013 - 11 Hickmans.