A Little Time Off and A Little Taste of Home

If there is one thing I have learned from becoming an "adult", it is that you have to take full advantage of your days off. Recently, my life has been moving at 100 mph and my to-do list is ever growing. It was like a dream this week to have two days off, in a row, with no other commitments. I was able to deep clean my apartment, catch up on all my laundry, and do some much needed grocery shopping (it had been over two weeks!). The two days sped by, but I was also able to enjoy the pretty spring weather and get a few good runs in. I even did a little reading, which aided in me getting some much needed extra sleep (Charles Dickens is great, but A Tale of Two Cities is kind of a snoozer).

Oh, and did I mention I did some baking? I couldn't think of a better way to end my time off than baking a batch of cookies. Now, I realize that I need to branch out and make something other than cookies on my blog soon (suggestions anyone?), but I was looking for an easy recipe to curb my sweet tooth, and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies fit the bill.

There is something about oatmeal cookies that gives off a comforting and home-like vibe. I think it's the rustic essence the oatmeal gives the cookies that reminds me of home and my small, rural town. Sometimes it's the little things that make you just a little happier inside.

The recipe I used for my cookies was simply pulled from allrecipes.com. If I had been at home, I would have taken full advantage of the old church cookbook my mom has, as I'm pretty partial to the recipes I have tried from it, and if I remember right the oatmeal cookie recipe is a great one. I'm confident there is no better collection of recipes than one that comes out of a group of church ladies.

If You Tell Me My Cookies Aren't THE BEST I Won't Believe You...

Let me tell you what, I think I make some pretty great chocolate chip cookies. Now I don't mean to brag, but when you come across a recipe that makes the perfect chewy, thick, and super delicious cookies you're entitled to a few bragging rights.

A few years back, my mom and I went through a period of frustration with our chocolate chip cookie recipe. We were probably like most people in the fact that we just always used the recipe off the bag of chocolate chips. While the cookies were always tasty, we were disappointed when the cookies seemed kind of flat, or would even fall apart when scooping them off the cookie sheet. Enough was enough, and my mom sought out to find a better recipe. What she found was a beautiful, ingenious recipe that makes THE BEST cookies. She discovered the recipe on allrecipes.com, and while there are similar ones still on the site, I have not been able to find this exact recipe the past few times I've looked.

If you're one who prefers their cookies crispy, this recipe isn't for you, but for us normal people who like to indulge in a super soft cookie every now and again, you have got to try this recipe! I make these cookies quite often, and some tough critics have given them two thumbs up (they've too busy eating the cookies to actually say much of anything). On this particular occasion, I made a batch to bring with me when I went to visit my boyfriend (upon his request) and then snuck a few back to give to a some of my new friends at work. Everyone seemed to really enjoy them and that always makes my day.




Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 & 1/2 C Flour                         2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 C Sugar                                1 & 1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 C Salted Butter                    2 packages Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 Eggs                                            2 tsp. Vanilla
4 C Chocolate Chips

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in instant pudding mix. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

I was so excited to have my first baking "assignment", as I got to finally use my new mixer that was a graduation present from my parents! 

(Helpful Hint: The temperature of your butter is no joking matter. It needs to be soft enough to leave slight indentions when pressed on, but not overly soft as this will make your cookies less fluffy.)

Another great thing about this recipe is its versatility! As you can see by this picture, I actually added a bag of milk chocolate chips and a bag of peanut butter chips upon request. Although I have not tried anything else, I am convinced this batter could handle about anything you put in it! CAUTION: This batter gets thick, so be sure to have a sturdy spatula ready for stirring!

(Helpful Hint: Along with the temperature of the butter, the temperature of the batter is also very important in making this cookies turn out to the right consistency. This batter does well if made in advance and refrigerated, but allow plenty of time for it to come to room temperature...but don't allow it to get too soft either.)

This recipe makes A TON of cookies. I'm talking like 5 dozen. Great for a crowd, or to freeze and pull out as needed (p.s. these cookies are GREAT frozen and would make perfect ice cream sandwiches). I have halved the recipe before, but for some reason I feel that the full recipe makes them taste better. While that may not logically make sense, I'm sticking to it. 

ENJOY!

March 3rd-5th: A Quick Trip Home

Driving home for the weekend is something I'm very used to. All through college I made trips home very regularly, usually once every few weeks. With only a two hour drive, it was easy to find a reason to make the quick trek and escape the college life for a little R&R.

The trip I made home on March 3rd was a much different trip for me, as it was the first trip I made on my own from my new home in Rochester, MN. After completing a quick class in the morning, I began my 6 hour trip. Surprisingly, the trip went much quicker than I had originally expected, and I only started getting antsy with an hour and a half or so to go (I don't think it helped that I was also trapped on a two lane highway behind a truck pulling a horse trailer, 2 utility trucks, and a semi). 

After the 6 hour drive, I was glad to get out of my car and stretch my legs, but more glad to be home with my family, as we had a few things to celebrate. My dad had recently retired on February 28th from the Highway Patrol after 27 years, and that also happened to be my mom's birthday (I won't say a number on that one. You're welcome, mom).

My mom made dinner on Friday (so thankful for her cooking ability) and then I was able to visit my grandma that lives in Macon. We also went out and got milkshakes at Sonic, mainly because I have really been craving one after I discovered Rochester doesn't have Sonic (What kind of place did I move to?!). 

Saturday we all stayed busy with various things. I was able to get my hair cut by someone I actually knew for once, and visit with some coworkers from when I worked at the salon in high school. Then, my dad decided my car needed cleaned (As you can tell by the picture below, I barely lift a finger when I'm at home... I don't complain too much about that). After finishing the detailing, dad and I decided it was a beautiful day for some fishing. My dad was anxious to show me his new fishing boat and we even convinced my mom to come along for the ride. For it being so early for the crappie to start biting, we had great luck and caught 24 in about 2 hours. 

That night, I was able to make dinner with my mom and also prepare her a special dessert for her birthday. Mom decided to make one of our go-to pasta dishes for dinner: Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. We have pretty much mastered this dish as a team, it often headlines for our Christmas Eve dinner. 

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/linguine-with-shrimp-scampi-recipe3

For dessert, my mom really shocked me and asked for an ice cream cake (she is always cold and microwaves her ice cream anyway!), but you might understand why after seeing this cake. It is quick and easy, made with a base of ice cream sandwiches. Between the layers of sandwiches is a hearty layer of peanut butter, caramel sauce, hot fudge, and chopped up Reese's. After the stacking, the cake is simply covered with a layer of whipped topping and put into the freezer. It doesn't get much easier than that, or much better tasting! 

While I'm mainly making this blog to document some of the tasty treats I bake, I'm not at all ashamed to have this delicious frozen dessert as my first post. Quick, easy, and enjoyed by all. It was a great way to end my Saturday night on my quick trip home. 

I Never Thought I'd Be A "Blogger"

When you move to a state like Minnesota, you have to find new hobbies to keep you busy, even in 16 inches of snow. I've had the idea of starting a blog for a few years now, and even started one up a few years ago. It never got published publicly, and I honestly forgot how to get to it. But, here I am in search of a new hobby,  and here's my blog!

Generally speaking, I intend to use this blog to display the yummy things I bake and share a little bit about what's going on in my life, as I begin my new adventure in a new state. While I'll admit I'm not super creative, or a great photographer, or a great designer, or a great writer (there's a reason I became a nurse), I do love to bake sweet things and share them with the people I love, so I thought a blog might be fun.

As far as the name of my blog goes, I'll admit, my reasoning is kind of corny. Being a nurse, I try to give my patients the best or "sweetest" treatment around, and as a full time nurse and part time blogger, the name seemed to work.

I'm excited to share my recipes, and part of my life, with my readers and maybe even get a step closer to my dream of being on Food Network, or Survivor, whoever takes me first really!