boo

Why rake them up when you can take pictures of them instead?

While I was shooting leaves, Nelly stopped by for a visit.



Somehow between being sick this week and all the homework, including creating an edible model of the earth in layers for science last night, Iz managed to put together this Halloween costume. She says she's a nerd zombie...





Have a great Halloween!

. . .

i only like you when you give me cookies

I love cookies. A tiny dessert. Not big enough to fill you up. Betcha can’t eat just one. Quick to make. Easy to eat. Easy to pack. In a lunchbox. In a purse. Perfect with a cup of tea or cold milk. My dog thinks I’m eating one of her doggie treats. She stares at me in anticipation.

Can you imagine some people actually buy ready made cookie dough? I did this once. It was a fundraiser item for my daughter’s school. People were raving about it. Blech! It tasted very chemical like. On the package it said there was no need to refrigerate it for up to two months. Yikes! What’s in that stuff?

In the first historic record of cookies, they were test cakes. A small amount of cake batter was dropped onto baking pans to test the temperature of the oven before the cake was baked (of course these early ovens, which were fueled by wood, didn’t have thermostats).

I made these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this week. The recipe makes four dozen and they’ve already been devoured.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups oats (rolled or "quick," but not "instant")
2 cups chocolate chips (about 12-oz.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated.

Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.

Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread.

Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center.

Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.

. . .

random life updates

It's been too long since I've posted here. Here's what I've been up to:

Getting ready for Halloween. My daughter has always had a love/hate relationship with this holiday. When she was younger, several months leading up to and following this holiday there was lots of angst. Now that she's older, she seems to love it for the most part. We drove out to our favorite pumpkin patch yesterday and gathered up a few orange orbs for the occasion. I was very disappointed with the size choices this year. They seem to only come in small and extra small. I started a tradition of hosting a party at our house several years ago to help ease her stress. At least that way she could have friends around to make it a bit easier to deal with.



School started. This is always a rough time of year at our house. Iz does not love school and each year brings some of the same challenges. Social drama. Schedule changes. Homework. There's been lots of this!



I'm getting into cooking scrumptious comfort foods again. I made this yummy risotto (recipe is from Bon Appetit) last week. I served it alongside a marinated, grilled pork tenderloin. I made so much that we tired of it after eating the leftovers for several nights.



We went to see Where The Wild Things Are over the weekend. Quick review. Disappointing. Did not enjoy it. I found it very disturbing and unsettling. Thought the wild things were whiny. My husband, on the other hand, enjoyed it.

I had a birthday.

I got new glasses.



What's new with you?

Are you enjoying fall?


. . .