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!!

Momspectations

It's wild how quickly days go when you have a toddler.  Between playdates, Little Gym, playing at the park/children's museum/zoo, running errands, keeping house, and cramming in as much family time as possible, I sometimes wake up the next day, wondering where the heck the time from the day before went.  I think people that don't have children, or haven't stayed home with them, can't fully understand how jam packed a stay-at-home mom's day can be.

Lately, I've been re-evaluating where I'm at with my life- what my expectations for myself are, what they were before I had Laela, and what I actually want, versus what other people have tried to tell me I should want or expect from myself.  I love being a mom.  I love staying home with Laela.  I love that I get to help her learn, watch her grow, and help her face each new challenge- whether it's learning to swim, or something that might seem so simple- like getting undressed and dressed on her own.  It cracks me up how adults forget that someone had to teach them to use a fork, peel a banana, read, and yes, go to the potty on the potty.  I've had to give myself a gentle reminder that people that criticize stay at home moms, or try to be negative or rude about the work they do, have never ever been a stay at home parent themselves. 

I treat being a mother as I would treat a job.  I make to do lists, I create objectives, I have expectations, a schedule, and yes, I have spreadsheets.  When my girlfriends have babies, I send them my crazy spreadsheets of what you need, what you don't need, what you might like but probably won't use much.  I have spreadsheets of Laela's books so that we don't buy doubles.  Christmas list?  Spreadsheet.  Moving?  Spreadsheet.  You get my drift.

The single most important part of being a parent to Laela is making sure that she has, as she calls them, "a happy day!"  That is a job.  It is rewarding, it is challenging, and sometimes I think I know too much about Elmo and Disney Princesses, but it's the best job in the world.

In a few years, when Laela is a "big girl" (a phrase that I've avoided like the plague!  I want her to stay my baby for a little while longer!!!), I"ll embark upon starting my own business, but for now, I'm going to enjoy these moments...and continue to make more spreadsheets- including the one with my expectations, hopes, and ideas for my bakery in a few years.

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing an interview with Mark Cuban- businessman, Daddy, and all around inspirational character.  He has some great insights on starting your own business.

Chasing Laela

Holy moly am I beat.  Kyle's been traveling a lot, and as much as I love Laela walking, sometimes it was easier when I could throw her in the baby carrier and get things done.  Now when I clean, I've got this cute little tornado following me, tossing things out of containers and drawers, giggling all the way.  When I bake, I have to give her dough to play with- and then dunk her in the tub promptly after.  The most hilarious thing is that she's totally convinced that she wants to jump out of the stroller and run through the mall, but the second she's two feet away, she turns around, yelps "Mommy!" and runs back to me to hold my leg/arm/pinky because as much as she wants to try new things, she wants that reassurance that I'm there.  So that's where I've been lately- chasing Laela, and being chased by Laela.

What have we been eating, might you ask?  Toddler food.  Edamame and peas as snacks.  Sliced up oranges and grapes.  Sun butter on whole wheat crackers.  Cinnamon toast, turkey and cheese sandwiches, vegetarian lasagne, tacos, roasted chicken, meatballs, or her absolute favorite, hummus and whole wheat pita.  When you're on the run all the time, you want to munch on the go!  I've had to learn to adjust my program.  We sit down for our meals (breakfast and dinner are the constants- that's family time and I won't allow it to change), but on days that we go to the park, or to somewhere super fun like the museum or the playhouse, we snack or have special packed lunches that we eat picnic style either on benches, or tables set up at the museum.  I think it's helping my little girl learn that healthy eating and snacking is important, regardless of where we are.  On top of that, I think it's helping her learn to ease into different situations.  Eating in different places may seem like something small to a grown up, but to a little person, it's a regular introduction to an entirely different atmosphere, thus making the eating experience totally new!

No matter what parenting style you may have, you don't want to get stuck in a situation where you can't go anywhere because your little one can't adjust to a change of scenery or a disruption of his/her schedule.  We have a difficult time getting Laela to sleep in strange places, so we've had to learn what works for her when we travel.  How did we learn this?  By having a terrible traveling experience and going to our friends' wedding feeling like miserable zombies!!  The point is, you can be a good parent and still do fun things.  If you want to go to the park, or meet up with girlfriends, do it.  The worst that could happen is that your kid flips out and your friends look at you like you're nuts (which hey, they're your friends, they probably think this anyway), and you drag your cute little demon home- where he or she will probably be a little angel the second you walk through the door and you'll want to cry.  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.