RECIPE TO TRY: CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

So, since I posted the cinnamon swirl loaf recipe I’ve baked chocolate chip cookies from scratch (three times!) and made two loaves of zucchini bread. I haven’t baked bread yet but it’s on the list as well as a decadent chocolate cake. It’s funny how I look forward to baking these days and I have a feeling that this is something that I’ll continue to enjoy once life resumes to “normal’.

I came across this chocolate chip cookie recipe on Kat’s blog and although I haven’t tried every chocolate chip cookie recipe this one is pretty darn good. So if she’s claiming it’s the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, then I’ll just nod my head and agree. I find the recipe to be easy and straightforward so you can’t mess up especially since I was that person who had never made chocolate chip cookies from scratch before. The only tip I would add if you’re a beginner baker (like me) is that when you take the cookies out of the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes and then transfer it to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes. They are incredible! Warm, gooey and chewy, just the way I love a chocolate chip cookie to be. The day after I made the cookies I put one in the microwave for about 10 seconds and they were as if they had just come out of the oven. I’m sure I’ll be baking them again this weekend. I did halve the recipe like she recommended since it's only Sean and me eating the cookies and because self-control, what's that?

BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar (dark or light doesn’t make a difference)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg one by one, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add to the batter. Stir in the salt, flour, and chocolate chips. Scoop spoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.





I hope you are well and that you have a wonderful weekend! ♥

A drive to nowhere

A little over two weeks ago, Sean suggested that we go for a ride to nowhere and put on clothes as if we were going somewhere. I was a bit hesitant because I thought the suggestion was a little silly as I’m perfectly OK with wearing only lounge wear during this time. But also because being outside at any given time was making me incredibly anxious.

The thing is that I am fully aware that getting fresh air while practicing social distancing is perfectly fine but try convincing my worrisome self. It was difficult getting me to relax while I was outside even while I was doing all I could to be safe.

I told myself that I did not want this time in life to create a problem where I was afraid to go outside because I was finding myself making all sorts of excuses not to take our dogs for walks, etc. I reluctantly agreed.

And I’m glad I did because that day changed a bit of how I behave now. Just being in the car, listening to our favorite songs was enough to transport me to anxious free days. When we ended up by a river we got out of our car and took in the fresh air, feeling grateful for the moment. That day I found out that that fresh air is good for mind, body and soul; it's not just a cliché saying.

And well, dressing up to go nowhere … well that isn’t so bad either.
Funny thing is that I didn’t even notice that Sean didn’t exactly dress up until I reviewed these images, ha.











I've been saying this phrase a lot lately but really, what a time to be alive!

Easter Dinner 2020

Easter was certainly different this year as I'm sure it was for all of you but it was good nonetheless.

We’ve had a tradition of buying a turkey and freezing it for several months prior to Easter. We purchase the turkey months in advance as we’ve run into the situation in the past where Easter rolls around and a turkey is no where to be found. Well, how fortunate we were this year because I’m pretty certain that we would not have found a turkey this year.

This year, we felt pretty grateful to celebrate Easter together. Our health in tact and our love for each other in tact.

Sean requested that we have our Easter dinner the day before Easter and I think it is because he wanted to eat turkey two evenings in a row. But it ended up being a great suggestion because when Sunday rolled around we already had dinner ready.

Setting our dining table:

Our Easter dinner closely resembles our Thanksgiving dinner and we wouldn't have it any other way. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing with dried cranberries, corn, roasted green beans, gravy and red wine. Our wine came from a winery in Sonoma and was incredible; my favorite Pinot Noir to date. I’ve already ordered two more bottles and I’m looking forward to receiving them. They currently have a 30% off promotion in case you want to take advantage. It is a lot of food for just two people (we intended to host Easter dinner in our house this year) but we had left overs for days and froze the remaining turkey as I plan to make turkey chili or turkey soup soon. It has been unseasonably cold the last week so soup sounds really good.

Carving the turkey which Sean learned how to properly do from YouTube after all these years, haha.

On another note, I find that picking up my camera and snapping pictures at every possible angle makes me feel good. It’s something that has always been consistent in my life so it makes me feel ... normal. So, I’m making note to pick up my camera more often even if it means taking pictures of the remote control.

I hope you all had wonderful Easter weekends. Take care & stay safe! ♥

Recipe to try: Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

Earlier this year, I noted that one of my goals this year was to bake more. I love to cook but baking has never been something I've enjoyed due to exact measurement requirements. But I put it on my goals for this year as it’s something I decided I wanted to be better at in the kitchen. Also, I find baking to be something that requires patience and I'm working on that too.

Now that our weekends have freed up considerably there is no better time than now to start baking. So, on our last grocery shopping trip, I picked up some flour and yeast. I’ve never purchased yeast before, yet alone used it but I'm told that I need it if I want to bake some homemade bread.

I am aware that this might be something frivolous to blog about considering everything happening in the world; but I’ve decided that my blog shouldn’t be the place you get news on COVID-19. There are far more experienced people who are sharing the news surrounding it and doing a standup job. With that being said, here’s the recipe for the cinnamon swirl loaf that I found on @erincsousa's Instagram. She notes that it is her mom's recipe and it's a wonderful one at that.

RECIPE: CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF



INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp real vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder

TOPPING:

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

HOW TO:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line loaf pan with parchment paper * Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl * Mix sour cream and baking soda in a bowl, set aside * In large mixing bowl, blend softened butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy * In separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Alternate with sour cream mixture into your butter mixture ensuring you don’t over mix * Layer batter into your loaf pan: one layer batter, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar, swirl with a knife, add second layer of batter and sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar, swirl with knife * Bake for about 45 min, checking with a knife or toothpick for doneness.

She notes that this recipe doubles and freezes beautifully!

It turned out so good and I was surprised. I kept on telling myself not to get upset if this was all a waste of ingredients. I didn’t have parchment paper on hand so I used aluminum foil and coated it with cooking spray. I also did not have sour cream on hand so I soften some cream cheese in the microwave and added some milk to get that sour cream consistency and it worked! It’s amazing all the things you can substitute when you would rather not go to the grocery store.

Sean absolutely loved it and we finished the entire loaf in two days, just the two of us. I already can’t wait to make it again.
Next on my list is to make some homemade bread! I’ll share how that goes once I bake it.

I hope you all are doing well and are staying safe ♥

Craving sanity

I haven’t wanted to blog the last week and I know you all know why. My mind has been bogged down with all the information we are learning minute by minute. I don’t think I’ve ever seen information be updated as quickly as it has. It’s like each minute there’s a new positive, a new death … and it is just all so much. Sanity is completely all I’m craving at this moment.

The news has been on constantly and I realized how it was affecting my mood, my skin, my outlook … basically everything. I’ve never been so on edge. Wash your hands, wash your hands … the water so hot that I am literally burning my hands. I’m working from home and I’m still washing my hands and using sanitizer like an unhinged person. Thank God that I have a job that affords me to work from home because I know so many that do not have that luxury. Sean does not have that luxury and I am praying over his life so much harder these days. Reminding him to use the sanitizers I luckily had on hand because hygiene has always been a priority. Telling him to keep his distance but I know it’s difficult for the work he does. I’ve given him so much information that he has had a lot of things I’ve mentioned implemented at his work which gives me a sense of relief. But I’m not sure if relief is the word I’m looking for because relief is the last word I’ve been feeling.

Over the weekend, I had to turn off the news. I could not take it another minute. And guys, what a difference in my attitude. I felt so much better, the tightness in my chest gone. I know how important it is to stay in the know but even I know that all the information will be there when I return.

We did things around the house, finally filed all our rental paperwork that we’ve been putting off for YEARS, Sean grilled steak for dinner and it was so, so good. We binged ‘On the Block’ on Netflix, a show we both enjoy and took the dogs for long walks as we were blessed with sunny days. You don’t realize how much you crave the company of people until you must social distance. We were supposed to visit Colleen last weekend and of course we had to cancel … and it sucked because Colleen and I have been talking about this visit for months. But I’m reassuring myself that this too shall pass … and that soon enough I’m going to be craving these quiet weekends at home.

I’m not taking this time to do ALL the things. I’m just trying to do things that I have put off or procrastinated on because of things I felt had more priority. Granted, my weeks are the same, nothing has changed there. It’s my weekends that have. So, with the free time on the weekends I’m slowing down, cooking more (I know, how is that possible?) enjoying the fresh air when we walk the dogs, talking to my family and taking it day to day.

So this blog will be different during this time. I’ll pop up when I feel the need to write and pop out just as quickly. I just want you all to take care of yourselves during this time. This isn’t an easy time for anyone. I’ve always stressed the importance of enjoying the little things … and wow, is now that time more than ever. There is a silver lining in all of this … we now see how much we need each other to survive, to thrive and to live. Be kinder than you’ve ever had to be, be generous if you have the means, and be loving as for the one time in our lives, we really are in this together. We need each other now more than ever. I’m praying for all of us while remembering that this too shall pass; if there is one thing I’m certain of it is that. I love you all. Take care.

15 shows to binge on Netflix

Although, I started this year with goals of less Netflix, I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a bit of a whirlwind; and the crazier part is that it has only been 3 months! I've seen a few people jokingly apologize to 2019 for telling it, it was the worst year and that they were just being dramatic and if 2019 could forgive them and take them back. But I digress ...

The new and very dire phrase this year is social distancing so since we're all spending more time at home until things are less up in the air, I figured what better time than now to watch a few shows on Netflix? Hopefully things will be figured out soon since spring is right around the corner but for the time being we might as well get those last indoor activities out of our systems.

The below are a few of my favorite shows on Netflix in no particular order. If there is an asterisk next to it, it's a feel good show (in my opinion) and may just be what you want to watch during this time of social distancing.

The Office *
Scandal
How To Get Away With Murder
Atypical *
Greys Anatomy
Being Mary Jane
Criminal Minds
Wentworth
New Girl *
Call the Midwife
Dear White People
Schitt's Creek *
Stranger Things
Orange is the New Black
Sex Education *


Stay safe, stay home (if possible) and happy watching! ♥