Chocolate Chip Cookies After a Long Break

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I've posted!  The truth is, sometimes life gets in the way of posting.  I think of things I want to share (like my favorite tomato soup recipe), and then Laela wants to finger paint, or Kyle actually has a few hours to spend with us, so the recipe and posting gets pushed to the back of my mind, and my family takes precedence.

So where to begin...well, Kyle worked 16 hours shifts, 7 days a week for about a month.  My mother-in-law and her husband came to visit for a week.  Then Kyle went to Shanghai and Laela and I hitailed it to Siesta Key for some sun and fun on the beach for a week.  Now we're awaiting Kyle's return from Shanghai after an entire day of delayed flights.

Delayed flights are not the easiest thing to explain to a two year old.  Thankfully, Laela's is easily made happy by finger painting, making play dough, dressing up, playing hairdresser, and playing with her princesses and princess castle. 

While we were on vacation, we met a really nice couple named Patty and Christopher from Kentucky.  They told me how they always played with their kids, and did their best to be present in every moment, because they knew that one day, their little ones would be grown ups, and they'd miss that time.  I think sometimes, it's very easy to get caught up in the day to day, and forget to really put some time in with the people that we love.  Life goes by too quickly.  I find that Gretchen Ruben says it best:  "the days are long, but the years are short."

While parenthood is a lifelong job, children aren't "yours" forever, so I intend to continue to do my best to really enjoy every moment that I have with my little girl.

Today, while we wait (and hope) to find out when Kyle will be home, we're going to make some chocolate chip cookies, pepper soup, and some of Kyle and Laela's very favorite anniversary chicken with macaroni and cheese and broccoli.  A very dear friend of mine once told me that the memory of licking the spoon while baking with his mom is one of his favorite memories.  I hope that Laela remembers baking and cooking with me as fondly as that.

So you might be wondering...what chocolate chip cookie recipe do I use?  Tollhouse!  This really is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the whole wide world.  I usually use twice the amount of chocolate chips.  Remember two things:  1.  Cookies are still baking for a few minutes when you take them out of the oven.  2.  If you can smell the cookies, they are probably done baking.

Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (I use two packages)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:


PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:

PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.


**If you want the cookies to stay chewy, put them in an air tight container while still slightly warm.

Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Feast!

I thought it'd be fun to share some pictures of our Thanksgiving feast!

The star of the show, the Turkey:

Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese with Toasted Homemade Breadcrumbs:

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

Honey Glazed Carrots:

Green Bean Casserole:

Sweet Potato Casserole:

Dressing:

Rolls:

Roasted Veggies:

The turkey only took 2 1/2 hours, so I had everything cooked and prepped while the turkey cooked, and then baked and cooked the things that needed to bake off and get reheated while the turkey rested for about 15 minutes.

For Christmas, I'm thinking of making beef bourguinon, but I'm not entirely sure yet.  My brother will be staying with us, and Kyle has a few days off, so I thought it'd be nice to make something really special.

A Mac Attack!

Holy Moly.  As I type this my daughter is eating cinnamon toast while making Frankenstein noises, so if this post seems to abruptly end, it's because she's started chasing me and I had to run.

Okay, put down the pitch forks and torches, I'm half kidding.  A while back, I promised some good old fashioned macaroni and cheese, so put down the box of Kraft, bust out a 1-quart casserole dish, and let's do this thing!

You will need:

3 Tbs butter (it doesn't matter if it is salted or not.)
1 small onion (if you hate onions, just use a few good shakes of some onion powder)
2 Tb all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (reg, low-fat, non-fat)
2/3 cup shredded cheddar (about 5 ounces)
1 tsp dry mustard (if you don't have this, use a Tb of any kind of mustard)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 dashes of Tabasco sauce (or more if you like your mac with a little kick!)
6 ounces dry elbow macaroni cooked according to package instructions
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 ounce)

1.  Position the rack in the center of the overn and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter your casserole dish, and set aside.

2.  Melt 3 Tbs of the butter in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.  reduce the heat to very low, stir in the onion, and cook for five minutes, until soft and golden, stirring frequently.  Don't let the onion brown.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 15 seconds, just so that the flour loses its raw taste.  Do not brown the flour.  Whisk in the milk in a steady, slow stream.  raise the heat to medium and continue cooking and whisking for about 1 minute, or until the mixture returns to a boil and thickens.

3.  Reduce the heat to low and stir inthe Cheddar, dry mustard, pepper, salt and Tabasco sauce.  Continue cooking for 2 more minutes, or until the cheese melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly.  Finally, stir in the cooked macaroni and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.

4.  Place the casserole dish into the oven and bake it for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Now if you're like me, and like some extra crunch to your mac and cheese, about five to ten minutes before the casserole is done, mix 1/3 dried bread crumbs (any will do- even panko!) with 1Tbs butter.  Crumble it over the top of the casserole and Wala!  Crunchy topped mac and cheese.

Once you get comfortable with this recipe, get adventurous!  Try it with some fabulous cheese like Gruyere, Gorgonzola, Brie, Camembert, or Asiago!

Happy eating!