The Art of Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend Rachel inspired me to bake chocolate chip cookies the other day. Or maybe the more appropriate phrasing is, she made my mouth water from this post that I just had to make them! Anyway, I tried a new recipe and told her I would let her know how they turn out, so I thought I would just put it on here for all to see.

Chocolate chip cookies are my all time favorite type of cookie. Growing up, my mom made the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag. They were always wonderful to me because that was the only kind I ever really tasted. I eventually realized that there are WAY better recipes out there than the one by Nestle. I have nothing against my mom and her cooking (she is the best cook I know!), it was just the recipe she was using. So last July when we moved into our new house and I had more free time since I had graduated, I tried a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I found it here. I think I liked this recipe OK, but I don’t really remember it. So I will be trying it again soon.

Earlier this week, I decided to try a recipe from a blog that I really enjoy. I have tried a lot of great recipes from there and have loved most of them. The chocolate chip cookie recipe, however, was a different story. Here is their version:

½ c. real butter
½ c. high-quality tub margarine (like Smart Balance)
¾ c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
¾ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips

Now, let me note that I hardly know squat about baking. I just follow the instructions. Who can’t do that? But apparently the amount of each ingredient is very important, and a slight adjustment can result in a huge difference in your cookies. For example, I have read that using brown sugar instead of white sugar will keep your cookies moister because it contains molasses, which is 10% water. I would think most of the water would bake out of the cookies, but like I said, I have no idea. And I guess if you add more flour, it makes the dough stiffer and less liquid evaporates while baking.

Well I thought this recipe called for entirely too much flour. But I started with 3 cups like they said. As I added it in, the dough just kept getting thicker and thicker. I finally stopped adding it because it was so thick I didn’t think I could mix it up any more. I probably left 1/4 – 1/3 of a cup out. Besides that, I left the rest of the recipe alone.

When I pulled the first batch out of the oven, I was very pleased with how they looked. They stayed big and thick. (Those Nestle cookies always went flat it seemed like.) I tried them after they cooled off and they tasted great. Nothing amazing to hoot and holler about, but they were pretty good. Jim came home later that night and got a couple of cookies out of my airtight Tupperware container, and they were hard as a rock! The only way you could eat them was by dunking them in milk. So needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. I don’t know if I should have put in all the flour or what. But I won’t be making that recipe again. On to another one please!

So if you have any suggestions on what to do or any great recipes I could try, please let me know!

Fun Weekend So Far…

I LOVE not having to work on Saturday! It just makes the entire weekend 10 times better. When I have to work on Saturday, that means I have to stay later on Friday too. Then I can’t really do much on Friday night, because I don’t want to stay up late since I have to be up early the next day. So I’m very grateful that I don’t have to work every weekend.

Anyway, since I didn’t have to work today, Jim and I had a date night last night. We went to eat at Carlos O’Kellys, my favorite restaurant! We only had to wait 5 minutes, which was wonderful considering it was a Friday night. After that we had about 2 hours until our movie started, so we did some shopping. We have been talking about doing a lot of landscaping this spring, including growing a garden. So we went to Lowe’s and looked around. It seems like a lot of work! But I think it will be fun. Anyone have any suggestions on what to grow? We are thinking peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, green beans and maybe some grapes.

After shopping, we thought we would visit Kathy since Brian was in Abilene for his marathon. We love to play with their kittens and last night Phoebe was hilarious! She lays on her back, rolls around, and makes this noise that’s half purr and half meow. Jim compares it to a velociraptor. And when she does it she closes her eyes and rears her head up like a horse does when it neighs. I need to get a video of it.

We finally went to our movie at 9:25. We saw Date Night, the new one with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It was pretty funny. Too many sexual references for me, but other than that it was good. I always like Steve Carell’s movies though. My favorite movie of his is Dan in Real Life. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s a good, wholesome, family movie.

So that was Friday. Today we woke up early and drove up to Abilene to surprise Brian at his marathon! To be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled about giving up my one day of sleeping in. But it wasn’t that early. We got up at 8:45 and left around 9:30. We thought we weren’t going to make it in time because we thought they were half way done before we even left. But we found out later that was not the case. We got there probably 45 minutes before they finished, so just in time! It was so cool to get to see him and Joe finish. Here are some pictures:

The banner for the marathon.

Brian and Joe approaching the finish!

Brian realizing Jim and I were there. I think he was very surprised!

Crossing the finish line!

Glad to be done.

It was a fun morning/afternoon. When we got home we were kinda tired and didn’t really feel like doing anything. We did take Kahlua for a walk, but now we are just bored. So that is why I’m blogging!

Well that’s all for now. I hope to post some new recipes soon!

Chicken and Dressing

I’ve decided I’m going to start putting our favorite recipes on here, as well as the new ones we try. I appreciate other people blogging about their recipes, so I thought I would share mine. I don’t have fancy recipes by any means. Just simple but yummy ones! Most of them are from my mom or grandma, or our church cook book. Your suggestions on different things to try or ways to improve are always welcome and appreciated!

My mom is from Louisiana and my dad and I are from Texas. And in the south we have chicken and dressing. When my family moved to Kansas, we discovered it was called stuffing here. We thought it would taste the same as dressing, so we tried some of this Kansas stuffing. But let me tell you…it is very different. At least I think so. So here is our family recipe for Chicken and Dressing:

Ingredients:

• Boiled chicken

• Cornbread mix

• 3 slices of bread

• 1 tsp sage

• Dash of poultry seasoning

Now keep in mind, most of these recipes are just for two people, so adjust accordingly.

I start by boiling the chicken, since that seems to take the longest amount of time. I use 5-6 tenderloin strips, or one breast. Next mix up your favorite cornbread mix, or if you are brave, make your own from scratch.  I always like to add some sugar to sweeten it up; tonight Jim added some honey. While the cornbread is cooking, tear apart the 3 bread slices into teensy, weensy pieces in a medium size bowl.

Since you will probably have extra time at this point, I would start making your sides. We usually have homemade mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn. For the gravy we use a can of cream of chicken soup with a can of water added. I think it goes really well with this meal because it gives the dressing even more of a chicken flavor.

After the cornbread has cooked and cooled off…

…crumble 4 muffins into the bowl with the bread. (We eat the 2 extra muffins as an “appetizer”). Then shred up the boiled chicken and toss it in. Add the sage and poultry seasoning to your taste. I always like to add some of the chicken broth to the mix as well just to help it stick together and not seem as dry and crumbly. Mix everything together really well. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and then pour in the mixture. Cover with foil and cook at 325º for 20 minutes. Then take the foil off and cook for another 15 minutes. It will be golden brown and crispy on the top when it’s done.

And that’s it! Like I said, nothing fancy. This makes enough for two people and one serving for leftovers. Enjoy!

Internet!!!!

We FINALLY got the internet in our home. Not that we were dying without it, but it is so nice to have it. I can look up recipes when I want to, pay bills online, watch Grey’s Anatomy and The Office, and most importantly, look at remodeling ideas on HGTV! I used to have to wait until the weekend to do all that. And I think Jim likes it because he can play his PS3 online. And I get to play Mario Kart on my Wii online!!

I just hope we don’t spend all of our free time on the internet. We have so many projects to do around the house. Now that Jim is going back to school, we have a plan. In 2 years when he is done with the program, we will talk about having kids. And I want to get the house fixed up before we have little ones running around. So we only have 2 years to get it done! We have been organizing the office since Jim is going back to school. I guess he will need space to work. Although I bet he will be doing most of his homework on the couch in the living room. Oh well. I want it organized so I have somewhere to scrapbook!

We also want to put up a fence this spring. Jim still wants his German Shepherd. But that dog would definitely jump the short, chain-link fence we have now. And we can’t leave Kahlua by herself out back because she will get into the neighbor’s yard. I think she will enjoy being able to be outside more. Oliver on the other hand…I think he’s had enough of outside for awhile. Somehow he escaped last week when it snowed and we didn’t even realize he was gone for probably an hour. We were getting ready for bed and couldn’t find him. So we drove around the block several times and checked the backyard and all around the house. We finally decided it was too dark to look and we would have to continue our search in the morning. So Jim let Kahlua outside before we put her up for the night and here comes Oliver! He was soaked and muddy and not very happy. The next day he laid on our bed all day long. I think the poor thing was traumatized.

On another note, does anyone know how to create your own design for a blog? I don’t really like any of the designs WordPress has to offer, but I don’t know how to make my own.

Long Time, No Talk

So it’s been quite awhile since I’ve updated. Since I’m done with school I should have more free time. I think I’m just spending it on other things.

A lot of things have happened since I last posted, but I won’t go over everything. Since it is the start of a new year, I think I’ll reflect on 2009 and the amazing year that it was.

Important Events:

I graduated in May from WSU with my degree in Marketing, with emphasis in real estate. It’s so nice to finally be out of school! I get to come home and read, or cook a nice meal, or just watch a movie instead of having to bury my nose in homework all the time. And I’m definitely less stressed than I was. I think Jim will agree with that. I haven’t had those dizzy spells once since I graduated.

We bought our first home! It is so nice to be out of that tiny apartment. We have more rooms, a bigger living room, a bigger kitchen, a basement, and my favorite part….a 2 car garage! I am loving having that this winter. The kitties love the extra space to run and play in.

We got a dog! Jim and I have always wanted one, so we went to the Humane Society and loved her as soon as we met her. She is a chocolate lab and her name is Kahlua. Ollie really likes her, but Stanley swats at her every time she walks by. She is the sweetest dog alive and is usually good about listening. She is scared to death of firework and gunshot sounds. Won’t be a hunting dog. I think she really wants a doggie friend, so we will probably get another one this spring. Jim wants a German Shepherd, which is fine with me.

I received a promotion at MACU. I’m not a teller anymore, but a Financial Services Representative. I work up loan applications, answer phones, open accounts, things like that. I LOVE it! It’s much more challenging that being a teller and I seem to keep busier. The days go by pretty fast. And getting a raise was nice too.

We didn’t take a summer vacation this year because I used my vacation time to go to summer camp. I had to miss summer camp 2008 and I hated it, so I really wanted to go. It was super fun, but I missed not having an actual vacation. So next week we are taking a mini vacay to visit my Meme in Texas. Hopefully this summer we can do something fun, like go on a cruise again! Anybody want to join us?

This Saturday is the Brad Paisley concert and I’m super excited! He is my favorite country artist and it’s going to be in the new arena, so I’m sure I will be blogging about that experience.

Until then, Happy Late New Year and I wish everyone the best in 2010.

Love,

Kristi

Oh The Irony

At work today, my coworker Daniel walks in and says all nonchalant-like, “Kristi, do you realize that you have a flat tire?” I say, “Nuh-uh. You are joking!” He says, with a big smile on his face, “No, you really do.” Well I thought he was just playing a rude joke on me, because he is that kind of guy and because he was smiling so big, so I said he was lying. And he replied with, “Now why would I lie to you about that?” So I ran outside and sure enough I had a fricking flat tire! Now a flat tire isn’t really that big of a deal, I suppose. And I guess it was better that I got it at work instead of driving down the highway. But I don’t like when unexpected problems come up with our cars that result in unexpected expenses. I like to stick to my budget. I don’t like when the plans change. So I was a little upset about that.

But let me tell you what was so ironic about this situation. For my marketing class, I had to develop a sales presentation for an actual product that I had to purchase. I decided to try to sell an emergency car kit, which included the Slime tire sealant and a small air compressor. Well, I did my presentation on Tuesday to my prospect, and she decided not to buy the car kit. So I thought I would just keep it and leave it in my car incase I ever got a flat tire. I was going to put it in my car on Wednesday and I just forgot. When I realized that I had forgotten it, I thought to myself, “Ok, now I’m going to get a flat tire or something and won’t have the car kit with me.” And then this happens today. I guess it’s kinda funny, but still frustrating.

Two guys at work offered to change my tire for me, but my wonderful, kind, sweet, thoughtful, husband came up after work and changed it for me. He drove my car since the spare looked kinda iffy and let me take his car home. And tomorrow he is going to get a new tire for me. Isn’t that nice of him? I am very thankful to have a such an amazing hubby!

So I just thought that was a funny story to share. I have never had a flat tire before, and then when I actually have a car kit to fix it but don’t have it with me at the time, I get a flat. To be honest it probably wouldn’t have helped anyway because there was a huge gash in it. Maybe someone slashed my tire…..

My Guilty Pleasure

So I’m not usually that fascinated by celebrities or obsessed with their lives, but I have to say that I really enjoy keeping up with Ashton Kutcher on Twitter. First of all, I have to say that Twitter has become my new favorite thing. I like it much more than Facebook I think just because it is simple. I’m kinda over Facebook. Twitter seems a little more mature. People can’t tell their whole life stories in their updates like they can on Facebook. And I don’t spend near as much time on Twitter, which is a good thing.

But back to Asthon Kutcher. I’ve never really been a big fan of him. I mean, I like some of his movies and I think he’s funny. And not bad looking. But I wasn’t keeping up with him and his life. When I rejoined Twitter, I heard someone on Air 1 say they were following him and that he had some pretty interesting updates, so I thought I would follow. He updates more than any other person I follow. It seems like he’s updating all day. The thing he’s been talking about the most lately is the race to 1 million followers. I guess he has the 3rd most followers on Twitter, behind CNN and Britney Spears, and he just found this out and thought it was really crazy that so many people would be following him. So he posted a video on YouTube and has challenged CNN to see who can get to 1 million followers first, just because he thinks it’s funny. And now he has gotten Larry King involved and is going to be doing interviews with him and Oprah about it. He is even making t-shirts with his username (aplusk) on it. Crazy fun. If he beats them to 1 million, he says he is going to go ding dong ditch Ted Turner and film it.

So I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is that I’m very interested in it. This event has me checking Twitter often. I think it’s because I feel like I’m involved because I am getting updates on Ashton’s life and what is going on with the challenge so quickly. And I get the information straight from him before the media gets it and turns it into something else, ya know what I mean? I don’t want you to think I am become obsessed with Ashton Kutcher. I just like how real he seems. He seems like a pretty cool guy. And he said in his video that he really likes the conversations he as with all his followers. So I know it’s probably silly, but it’s my guilty pleasure. I think it’s fun.

52 Days Remaining!

I bought my graduation things today. I am just going to use Jim’s cap and gown because it is the same thing and the same size I need. So I just got my ugly colored business tassel (they call the color “drab”, doesn’t that just sound exciting?!?!), my commemorative tassel that is black and gold, and then my honors cord. I didn’t order invitations because I’m not going to invite people to sit through an hour and a half long, boring ceremony. But I will be making my own invitations to my graduation party! So you all better come! My grandparents aren’t going to be here for my graduation or party, which to be honest, I’m quite disappointed about. My sister’s graduation from high school is the same day as mine, so they are missing hers as well. I just think that’s something that they should be at. They were at my high school one, so why not college? I don’t get to see them that much anyway, so it would be nice to visit with them then. I guess they are going to be hosting a campground or something. Whatever.

Side note: School has started back, which means I have been studying and reading, and yet I haven’t gotten dizzy anymore.

Last Day of Spring Break

Well, my break has come to an end and I’m not too disappointed. I’m ready to get back and get done.

My doctor called me today with my blood test results and said everything was normal. I guess he did thyroid, iron, and sugar tests, and a couple other that I didn’t understand. So I’m glad everything is OK. He said if I’m still dizzy in a couple of weeks to come see him. But like I said, I think I will wait until I graduate. Maybe I just needed a break and I won’t get dizzy for the rest of the semester. 

So March Madness has begun! We have a contest at work to see who picked the correct final four teams and the overall winner. I picked Memphis, Louisville (both good choices I was told), Florida St (just because), and Oklahoma. And I picked Louisville as the overall winner. A lot of people picked North Carolina but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that since Mr. Roy Williams left us a few years ago.  

You may have heard of this, but check out how this flight attendant does announcements:

Spring Break Day 3

I went to the doctor today to get my dizziness checked out. I explained to him that I think it is just stress related and told him how I haven’t gotten dizzy since spring break started. He asked me all kinds of questions, like if my chest hurt when I was dizzy or if my vision got blurry. And then they took some blood and are doing 5 different tests. He said he will call me in a few days and tell me the results. But he agrees that it most likely is just stress. He asked if I thought I could be pregnant, and I said no. I mean, I guess there is a slim possibility, but I really don’t think that’s what it is. Although a friend at work is convinced I am. Not yet please!

I’ve been trying to relax and not do as much homework. I’ve done just a little reading each day to try to not fall behind. Today I tried to write a paper that is due next Thursday, and I just got frustrated so I stopped. 

Jim wants to get a leash for Ollie so we can take him for a walk. I’m not sure how well that would work. We let him out on the balcony yesterday since it was such a beautiful evening, and he was going crazy. He would not sit still for even a minute.

Tomorrow I get to wear jeans to work and a basketball t-shirt since it’s the start of the tournament. I love jean days.

I wish I knew what I was going to do after I graduated. I’m worried that since people are losing their jobs everyday that I won’t be able to find a new one. I won’t mind staying at the credit union for awhile, but I don’t want to stay there forever. I really don’t get paid that well compared to other credit unions/banks. I could find a different job as a teller and probably start off at $10, which is more than I am making now. I know it’s not about money, but since we want to buy a house soon, I would like to be making more once I have a degree. Isn’t that how it works anyway? Once you graduate and have your degree you get paid more? That’s how I see it anyway. My boss told me the other day that she’s not going to let me become a full-time teller once I graduate (even though there will be an opening) because she doesn’t want me to do it for only a few months and then leave once I find a new job. She said she doesn’t want to have to replace a full-timer, which doesn’t make sense because when I leave the part-time position she is going to have to find my replacement for that anyway and the training for both are exactly the same. She wasn’t making any sense. 

Jim and I just watched this movie called The Strangers, and at the beginning it said it was based on true events. Well I figured that the main plot about the guy and girl getting terrorized all night and then killed was the true part, but we looked it up and that’s not the case. Kind of disappointed. Not that I was disappointed that people didn’t get killed in real life…I just wanted to see if it was a real case and if they found out who did it. But it turned out to be an event from the director’s childhood. Someone knocked on his door one night and asked if someone was there that didn’t live there, and then he found out that houses in his neighborhood had been robbed that night. Strange.

I don’t want spring break to end! Less than 2 months to graduation, though. And only a couple weeks until Brian and Jessica’s big day. I like having things to look forward to.