Find Your Happiness

I really enjoy this family tradition and look forward to it every year. It's no secret that I enjoy baking and Nathaniel loves "helping" in the kitchen so it's a win-win. And I suspect next year, Amelia will do more than just watch and play with the cookie cutters. I'm sure she will want to join in on the cookie making action. And it looks like I finally found a recipe I like both in taste and shape/texture. (I used this recipe and it's definitely a keeper.) I hope Santa enjoyed them because we thought they were really tasty. Now we just need to work on the decorating part! ;)

We celebrated Nathaniel's second birthday early this past Saturday and the theme was Milk & Cookies. I was pretty much a mad crazy woman in the kitchen all week long baking 12+ dozen cookies. It was a lot of work (and waiting for the cookies to bake!) but it was all worth it in the end. Keeping up with the theme, Nathaniel's birthday cake was shaped as two chocolate chip cookies---two since he is turning two years old :) My husband designed and decorated the cake and everyone thought it was such a clever cake. Two Stacked Chocolate Chip Cake 8-inch marble cake covered in caramel-flavored fondant and Hershey Kisses as chocolate chips In the craziness of it all, I forgot to order these paper straws and I would have had to pay $18 dollars for overnight shipping. My prime membership with Amazon had just expired but fortunately, my brother-in-law came to the rescue. I really think they completed the overall look of the theme and I'm so, so glad we had the...

A few nights ago, my husband asked what we're having for dessert. Usually, we'll have a bowl of ice cream unless I've baked something earlier. Well that certain evening, we so unfortunately(!) ran out of ice cream and I did not make anything. I don't remember what we ate for dessert that evening but I still clearly remember his response after breaking the sad news that indeed, we will not be having any dessert. He said: "We have flour. We have eggs. We have sugar and butter. You could have made a pound cake!" Yes, dear hubby. I could have made a pound cake. But I didn't. But I made this Jam Sandwich Cookies out of the ingredients easily found in our kitchen, too. And it was also a great excuse to use my new food processor :) Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Makes 18 sandwich cookies Ingredients: 4 cups Everyday Baking Mix* 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1/2 cup whole milk 3/4 cup seedless jam or jelly *Everyday Baking Mi...

The best cookie I've ever had is the Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookies, which was served in our high school cafeteria. Three giant, always fresh from the oven, soft cookies for a dollar. So ever since I graduated from Ben Davis seven *cough* years ago, I've been looking (and often failing) for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is as delicious as that cookie. Alas, I am sharing with you the recipe for the best chocolate chip cookie EVER because it is just too delicious to keep to myself. Seriously, make it. It will change your life. Makes 3 dozen cookies Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside. In a l...

Our neighbors invited us a couple of days ago for a cook out this evening but unfortunately, we already had plans to go to a birthday dinner with my husband's co-workers. So I decided to bake some cookies for them to show that we appreciate the invite and wish we could come! I had helped using cookie mix from the store but I added my own little spin on it. And you will soon figure out why I named them "Elvis Presley Cookies" :) Elvis Presley Cookies Ingredients: 1 8oz Jiffy Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix 1 egg 3 tbsp of butter, melted 3/4 cup of chunky peanut butter 1 very ripe banana Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all the ingredients. Drop by spoonful on ungreased parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. I would have added more chocolate chips but we didn't have any on hand. But these cookies are very soft and delicious. I'm sure Elvis would have loved them :)