Lakers!

This is where I'll be tonight....

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been in the mood to make home made chocolate chip cookies. My family is so used to the "break and bake" they were all amazed when I broke out the mixer for cookies. "Mom, you are making home made cookies???" I've had my eye on this recipe from this blog and this blog for a couple days. So I was excited to try them. They did not disappoint!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined.

Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.

Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball (I cute this in half for my second batch). Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.

Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy. *This took about 15 minutes in MY oven but start at 10 minutes and check from there. Do NOT over bake!

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

A cold glass of milk + one of these cookies = Yummy Goodness!

Wanna Take a Dip?

I am a dipper. I love to dip, soak, dunk my food. My favorite is a maple bar in coffee. Yum! I've always done with with my food. Maybe it comes from my childhood days in Texas having a loaf of white bread at the dinner table. We would literally "sop" up the food with a piece of white bread usually Wonder's Bread. This gave a new meaning to "cleaning our plate". I guess that's where it started.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup, biscotti and coffee, garlic bread and spaghetti, oh and the French Dip!

Wait...It's November?

"Time flies when you are having fun", "Where did the time go?", "Every year goes by quicker". These are all such lame sayings but oh so true. This morning I went to change the calendar in my office now that we are in a new month... To my surprise I found this

I didn't even change the calendar last month!! Where the heck did October go? Halloween is already over? And Thanksgiving is 2 1/2 weeks away? Really? Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, the food, the time together with family and of course the "day after shopping" but wasn't it just August? Wasn't it just Summer?

Today my friend D's daughter turns 7! Seven people! Another stupid but true saying "Why I remember that day as if it was yesterday". I do remember the day she was born - I was blessed to be there when she came into the world. I remember that morning, finding out she was in labor and high tailing it to the hospital to be there when little D was born. But has it really been seven years? Time seriously has flown!

I spent most of 2007 planning our June wedding, so it's not surprising that I was "preoccupied" for half the year. But to actually lose a year is crazy!!! My birthday was in June (2 weeks before the wedding) and I turned 39. Either I considered it uneventful or I was in denial - I missed it. I have been thinking this whole time I was 38. When a friend of mine turned 40 recently it made me think... "wait - how old AM I?" This is 2007, I was born in 1968 - Holy crap! I'm 39! Where did that year go to? Unfortunately, life does not slow down. No matter how much we moan and groan. It keeps going. "Make the most of every day"- is also a saying but not a stupid one.

Weekend Happenings

Saturday - started very very early with a soccer game at 8:00am. This was the first to two playoff games we had that day. They won both games!!! Buddy even had a goal in the second game which was a nail biter. I can not sit during the games - I'm usually pacing the sidelines cheering my little guy on. The game was so tight and we scored in the last few minutes to win! We have a very tough game next Saturday against the #1 seeded team in the division, the Evil Leprechauns. If we win or tie on Saturday, we will advance and play another game on Saturday. Very exciting!!!

Big Bang Theory - No, not the t.v. show - Me! after I got my hair cut. I have not had bangs in so long. I'm still getting used to them but it's a nice change. The good thing about a hair cut is if you don't like it - it will grow back - it's not permanent.

The rest of Saturday was spent not doing too much. Cooking and cleaning (what a good little wife/mommy). I made a yummy broccoli cheese soup and an OK banana bread. This would have been a lot better had I followed the recipe. Ooops!

Sunday - aaahhhh time change!!! I'm not one that can sleep in. Sleeping in to me is 8:30. So imagine my surprise when I woke up at 9:00! And better yet I gained an hour - because it was 8:00 because of the time change. It's the little things that get me excited. We all went to breakfast (my mom, sis, Daughter, Buddy, J and me) to a little place right around from our house. The food was good but the company was great! I'm so close to my family - I consider myself so lucky and so blessed to have the kind of relationship I do with them.

The rest of the day I finished up the cleaning and *ugh* grocery shopping. I actually don't mind this - I'm strange I know. But I am a coupon shopper and once upon a time I would spend quite a bit of time clipping, organizing and shopping AND enjoy it.

Made dinner, watched Princess Bride (all time favorite) with Buddy, watched Brothers and Sisters ( I love this show!!!) and then it was time for bed!

I LOVE Sunday nights when my house is clean, laundry and grocery shopping has been done.

Not too much of an overly exciting weekend but a weekend filled with exciting things.

Happy Friday!!!

I'm so happy it's Friday. This weekend will be a busy one starting bright and early. Buddy has two soccer games tomorrow - playoffs! Should be exciting. First game is at 8:00 and the next is at 10:20.

You know your life is sad when you are excited to get your hair cut & colored..... sad as it is - I can't wait!! My hairdresser has been on maternity leave and tomorrow she's back! Mama needs her roots done!!! I'm so tempted to do the Reese bangs.... so very tempted. We'll see what she says.

Because it's an early night we are going to an early show of the new Bee Movie. I love going to the movies after work - grab something quick to eat - a big bucket of popcorn, toss in some M&M's yum!!!!!
The weather has definitely got the "fall" feel to it. Makes me want to Christmas shop and bake this weekend. Since I have to spend bucks on my hair - maybe I'll just bake...

Yummy Spinach Dip

Yesterday our office had a potluck and a co-worker brought in the BEST spinach dip. I'm usually not a huge fan of spinach dip but this one had me going back for seconds and thirds. The recipe is very easy

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 envelope Mrs. Grass dry vegetable soup mix **this is what makes it so yummy**
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, sour cream, dry vegetable soup mix, and water chestnuts. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.

**This is the secret in the mix...**