Eating DNA

Today I made a replica of some good old deoxyribonucleic acid.

Mmm. More commonly known as DNA,  it is hidden in tiny, long structures called chromosomes. During cell division these chromosomes are duplicated in the process of DNA replication, providing each cell its own complete set of chromosomes. It grows something like this: One cell makes two, two makes four, four makes eight, etc. 

 I first chose a sequence, and then placed adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine in that order. Those are just four types of nucleobases (aka, bases).These four nucleobases, along the backbone, encode biological information, like your eye color or your hair color. Marshmallows were my base pairs, and a Twizzler was the backbone. The backbone is made up of a residue of chemical sugars.

Yum! Cytosine!

Labelling my base pairs. 

                            Adenine always pairs with thymine, and cytosine with guanine.

Twisting it into a double helix.

quick and easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4ingredients

• 1/2 cup  peanut butter
• 1/2 cup  butter, softened
• 1/2 cup  granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon  vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour

directions

1.In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by making crisscross marks with fork tines, dipping fork in sugar between flattening each cookie. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

ENJOY! I've made these for my church banquet, my 4-H group, and my family-they're my specialty!

muy delicioso spicy Dr.Pepper pulled brisket//

This recipe for spicy pulled brisket is quite possibly the best food ever, paired with homemade tortillas and guacamole. Oh yeah. :)
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You will need:
1 brisket
1 small/ medium onion
2 cans of adobo peppers in chili sauce
2 cans of Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
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1. Place the brisket in a foil-lined 13 x 9 pan.

2.  Slice the onion and place all around the brisket.

3. Add the adobo peppers and the Dr. Pepper.

4. Sprinkle brown sugar on. Once everything's been evenly distributed, pop it in the oven @  300 degrees Fahrenheit.  

5. Cook for 6 hours. You can tell when it's done by the awesome smells and the way the meat falls apart. The same way you check brisket for doneness. 

Yummy. Seriously, try this recipe- you won't regret it.

Cookies 'n' Cream Cookies!

Andrew and I decided to surprise Mom with some yummy cookies when she got back from getting her blood test done at the doctor's.The cookies were great!

Cookies and Cream Cookies

Recipe adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Oreo's, broken up into small pieces

- Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

-Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).

- Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

- Add flour, baking soda, and salt.

- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

- Gently fold in Oreo pieces.

- With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 1-2" apart.

- Bake for 8-10 minutes*, until the edges JUST start to brown. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe yields about 30 cookies.

*If you take the cookies out early and let them harden, they'll look more cookies- and-creamy and not as brown!