Where Is My Medal?

Man-o-Man yesterday was a long day for me! Good thing it was Friday. If it had been a Tuesday and I still had the rest of the workweek ahead of me, I might have cried.  I had scheduled to do a Secret Shop after my radiation.  Wouldn't you know that the one day I had a time-sensitive errand is the day that the radiation appointment took literally three times as long as usual? 

I made it to the secret shop with about 20 seconds to spare and then the shop took just under two hours. Ideally, it would have taken  40 min. So that was longer than expected. 

But then we get to the real trying part of my day.  I went to Jewel at 6pm on a Friday.  That's just crazy. The worst time to go!  Busy and all the carts were wet because it was raining. Wait, there is more. Then Jewel was sold out of all the really good 3-day specials that were the basis of my grocery list and the whole point of going to Jewel over Aldi.

Nevertheless, I persisted. I was home by 8pm. Long day.  I would have skipped the grocery store if not for the looming "Winter Storm Warning." I was freaking exhausted.  The fact that I don't like the family to put away the groceries because they don't know how to do it the right way really worked against me. I plan to spend the weekend recovering from my very long but not bad Friday.

In all honesty, it's a delight to complain about simple things like a lack of $1.99 ground turkey.

5 radiation treatments down, 20 to go.  The universe smiled upon me this morning when I was greeted by 5 crocus buds about to blossom.

Over 10% Done!

It's only Wednesday.  Doesn't it feel like it should be Friday already?  Even though I am only working half days during radiation, I am still prone to whine about working five days in a row. 

If I was running this country, we would have higher taxes and in exchange, we would have healthcare for all and free public college - and trade school training.

Businesses would participate in robust training/internship programs for their employees and would get tax credits for that-- we would be leading the world in green energy innovations and best of all -- a four day work week model. Some people might Monday thru Thursday, other people might work Wednesday thru Saturday.

While I'm at it, add to my platform, 1 year paid parent leave -- and in my country that would mean 1 year paid leave if you had a child or adopted a child as well as if you had an ailing parent and wanted to care for them. Dual paid parental leave options.

We could totally do all this if we wanted to make it happen. Think of all the worry and stress that would disappear if people didn't have to worry about healthcare and college costs. Plus the worry and stress families having juggling that first year with a baby or the last year with a parent.  Plus think about how the Earth would flourish if we embraced alternatives to oil and gas. 

And those sweet, sweet 4-day work weeks.

In any case, I'm over 10% done with radiation. After Friday I will be one fifth done. Yippee. 

Big Milestone Today

Seven days into the new year- heck the new decade- and I've already lost a pair of gloves.  This is why I can't have nice things. This is also why The Man got me four pairs of cheap $1 gloves for Christmas. Now I have 25% fewer gloves to make it through winter. 

I think we all know that by February 29th, leap day, I will be down to one pair which is actually made up of two different colored gloves and at least one of the two gloves will have a hole in the thumb. This would be, as they say, par for the course when it comes to me and outerwear accessories. In case you have not guessed my track record on retaining gloves or scarves long term is not great. 

I need glove clippies.

Lucky for me, today's weather was warm enough that my bare hands didn't suffer too badly.

Heard anything good lately?  I have been listening to the album Bubba by KAYTRANADA on Spotify--the free version because I am trying to cut down on monthly service fees in general. Good stuff it makes me feel like it's the first Saturday in June and the sun is shining and I have Monday off work. Two earbuds up!

Looking For Answers to Life's Big Questions?

The answer is usually to drink more water.  No, really it's true.  Stressed out?  Have a glass of water?  Want better-looking skin or hair?  Drink more water.  Tired?  Drink a cold glass of water.  Hot flash? Drink a cold glass of water.  Mad at your spouse?  Have you considered...a nice tall drink of water?

It's true though, water cures many ills and prevents even more. 

Today was treatment #1 of 25 and guess what I did?  Oh yes, I made sure to drink extra water before the treatment and more water after it was done. Hydration, a healthy diet, and regular exercise are the name of the game during radiation therapy--and pretty much all the time really!

How was radiation? You can't tell when the actual radiation is going into your body, so obviously it doesn't hurt.  I think that the machine should have sound effect options. I would have liked it to make the sound of a Tie-Fighter laser-blasting as the radiation was beamed into me. 

That would make the whole radiation experience more exciting.  Alas, it's pretty quiet and kinda boring just laying their all alone, on a table waiting for voices to come in over the intercom letting me know when to breathe and when to hold my breath. Boring does beat painful, so I will take it and I will hope that the next 24 treatments are as uneventful as the first. 

Happy Monday!

Sunday is for Soup: January is for Joy

I don't like winter.  I will admit snow looks pretty and a day off work due to a blizzard is a nice way to break up the monotony of a workweek but other than that I'm not a fan.

However, winter is a quarter of the year and I don't want to spend 25% of my year crabby.  I have done an excellent job of achieving 100% crabbiness for the 25% of the year known as winter in the past; and now that I am nearly a full 50% of a century years old, it's time for a change.

Therefore one of my goals for January is to find the joy in January.  Today is day 5 of January and here is what I've come up with thus far...

When I am out for a run and it snows the snow makes everything quiet and muffled like I am alone in the midst of everything around me.  It also cushions my fall when I slip on the ice I couldn't see. 

Lucky for me so far, so far this year it's been mild and the snow isn't sticking around for more than a day on the sidewalks.  That fact helps me enjoy winter.  The gloomy grey sky is like a blanket blocking out the arctic air keeping our temps above freezing during the day. 

A cozy blanket of clouds is better than a blanket of snow!

The smell of a wood-burning fireplace is an unmitigated plus in my book, so that is nice and also during the winter it is much easier to stay home and not feel compelled to go out and do stuff. Winter is also when I regret not buying a car with a remote start.  As you can see my quest to find the joy in January is a work in progress.

One thing I do know is that winter is a good time to try new soup recipes and a bowl of flavorful soup is a joy.  This week another soup from Real Simple Magazine.

I made a few changes. I used 1 lb of ground pork and 1/2 a lb of ground turkey. I didn't have mirin so I used pinot grigio and I used 3 tablespoons of grated ginger. 1 tablespoon in the meatballs, 1 tablespoon sauteed in the pot and then 1 tablespoon more when the soup was done. I also added a splash of oil when the soup was done because it needed a little something more and toasted sesame seed oil was the right little something.  Lastly, my grocery store didn't have baby bok choy so I cut up 1.5 full-size bok choy like you would cut celery.  (see below)

Happy Sunday!

I tried it

I saw this meme on a friends FB page:

I laughed and scrolled on, and then last night... 

The kids love Martinelli's sparkling apple cider. It's a bottle cap top. If you have to refrigerate it, you are on your own because it has no cork.  If you are like my hubs and drink the cheap staple wine sold at Walgreens known as Looking Glass Wine,  well those corks do not fit either.

Guess what does fit in the Martinelli's bottle?  You guessed right? Something that is always in our fridge!

Note. Right after I took this picture P. came in the kitchen and ate half of the cork. LOL

Happy First Weekend in 2020!  Cheers!  keep that fridge stocked with bubbly AND carrots! 

Just Me Talking About My First Friday in 2020

How did you spend your first Friday in this new decade? I had a groovy time this afternoon hanging out in the Radiation Department of my hospital.  Today was the dry run for my upcoming radiation treatments.  I am happy to report both my doctor and the nurses said I am very good at holding my breath.  I credit all the running I do.  Is this a skill I can add to my resume? 

Why holding my breath? It is supposed to help move my heart and lung away from the beam of radiation. This technique is called Deep Inspiration Breath Hold.  Very zen sounding. I'm all for whatever I can do to keep my heart healthy-- especially since I had chemo and that can impact the heart.  Like the cancer isn't bad enough!  Insult to injury and all that.

It would be great if I could zone out and listen to a book on the audible app while I am laying there with the machine moving around me, but I have to listen to them tell me when to breath, hold my breath, and most importantly when I can stop holding my breath.  So no listening to a book.

Today I spent one of my credits on a thriller that takes place in Australia.  The bad guy is killed right off the bat, so now the question is what all went down prior to his death.

I've been a member of Audible off and on for years and now is a really good time to be a member. They have a special where if you listen to 3 books between now and March 3rd, you get a $20 Amazon Credit. Then I can use my $20 Amazon Credit to buy some paperback books. You can join Audible anytime this month and get in on the deal. If you are already a member you don't have to do anything, it's all tracked through the website.

Noom was the best app I ever bought

If you listen to podcasts or watch TV you've probably seen ads for the app Noom. Last year their ad campaign was basically, Noom is not your mom's Weight Watchers.  I have news for you Noom, my mom never did Weight Watchers, but I  did after Anna was born and it worked short term. 

By March of 2019, I was ready to make a change in my diet but I wasn't sure which way to go.  I knew that in the past a diet that makes some foods forbidden never worked  out for me past the first two weeks of food restriction. I knew a keto diet, which seems to have been very popular with people on my social media, wasn't going to work for me. I also didn't want to do Weight Watchers again because in my experience I was good at cheating the system. This was obviously stupid and hurt no one but me, but that's the reality of it.

I did some research, read some reviews and completed Noom's online evaluation. Noom gave me a price for 4 months of their program and I decided the price was decent, but I wanted to line up my two week free trial with my paycheck. So I waited another week and then I joined.   Because I am someone who likes to get my money's worth from goods and services I purchase, I followed every step of the program. I weighed myself daily, I logged all my food, I read all the articles, and followed all the instructions therein.

And it worked. I lost 43 pounds over five months and I have kept it off for five months. Theses days I am in the healthy BMI range. 

But wait there is more to the story!

You have to consider that I started Noom in March and then in May I found out I had cancer. Now I had a serious reason to continue Noom or a great excuse to throw in the the towel. I decided to stick with Noom and now my goal was not about feeling better about wearing a swim suit. Now I needed to get down to healthy BMI before starting chemo.  According to the research I read, a healthy weight and regular exercise and the best things you can do to avoid cancer. Among the stress of shitty diagnosis and a major surgery, I reached my goal, and again I was at a turning point.

 Food and chemo don't really mix.  Either your taste buds have gone on strike or you a flirting with vomiting.  Eat healthy? exercise?  Ha!  A great time to give up on using Noom- or a really good time to use Noom as a major tool in my arsenal to slay chemo.  I chose to slay. :-)

 I completed chemotherapy without gaining weight and I exercised,either walking, running or riding a stationery bike,  almost every single day ( I skipped about 7 days over five months). The gentle nagging of my notifications and the curriculum  Noom provided was a life saver for me in 2019.

I didn't know what I was in for last year, and I am very glad I had Noom to help me get through some very turbulent times.

Want to check out Noom?  This is my referral link.

New Decade, Who Dis?

Well as you can imagine, I didn't participate in the look where I was in 2009 and look where I am now in 2019 retrospectives that were on Facebook and the like.  In 2009 I had more hair and boobs. Now an inch of hair and the boobs. Welp. It beats letting my boobs kill me.

Anywho... New Decade and I'm still here. In my head, I picture myself at 32. I think far too often as if I am not yet a grown-up and that middle age and retirement are thirty years away.  Turns out, that this year I will be half a century old.  I've already lived longer than many people and I'm much closer to retirement age than my high school years.  Wild how time goes by slowly and far too fast at the same time.  How can I be almost fifty and have two kids that are over 18?  It happened so fast and so slowly at the same time. 

For today, the sun is shining, I'm still here and I think I will go for a run.  Later I'll have another bowl of my soup from yesterday and read a book that I got for free for being a member of the Between the Chapters Book Club run by Kensington Books on Facebook. 

My Goodreads book goal for 2020 is 50 books. Get it?  50 years 50 books?  I love numbers tying into my life and my goals. 

Happy New Year. 2020 is going to be amazing (that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

My year kinda sucked, how about you?

I was planning to write loads of posts in 2019.

Instead, I wound up having cancer and getting to experience surgery, CT scans, MRIs,  and chemo. Chemo is terrible and not that bad at the same time. I was lucky in that I didn't have terrible side effects. For what it's worth, if what you know about cancer and its treatment is derived from TV or Movies rest assured, it's really not like that, of course in TV and film they usually kill off all characters who have cancer which is clearly suboptimal. I do not want life to imitate art in this case.

I like living and I would greatly enjoy getting four more decades on this planet.  The cancer I had, better just stay gone.  To that end, I'm going to be spending the beginning of 2020 doing radiation, I'm all for doing what it takes to get my rate of recurrence as low possible and then I look toward science with my fingers crossed hoping that research going on right now will lead to treatments that will make cancer a chronic disease and not a life-shortening disease for all of us.

Cancer is a real buzzkill when it comes to having fun, making plans, and writing.  Talk about being blindsided by life- or potential death depending on how you want to look at it. Fortunately for me, now that the chemo is over and I've had months to adjust to my genetic predisposition to various cancers, I am ready to get back to life.  Rather I should say back to living and so here we are on New Year's Eve 2019.  Am I doing anything exciting? No. But I am writing, I ran three miles today and I made a new soup recipe.  Exciting?  No. Living? Yes.

The recipe is from this month's Real Simple magazine. Yes, I have the hard copy. I got a deal on a year subscription for $2- can't beat that.

Here is the soup.  It's vegan but still very hearty. The recipe calls for store-bought pesto to be added to the top along with Parmesan cheese crisps, but as you can see I skipped both of those and served it as is.

I looked for a link to the recipe, could not find one, in the magazine it's called Whole Grain Minestrone Soup.  In any case, the ingredients are in the picture above and you can see the directions below. Enjoy!

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in your big pot. Add the first 5 ingredients and cook for 10 mins. Stir occasionally so nothing gets burnt -esp the tomato paste. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the baby kale and simmer for 30 or so minutes until the farro is tender. Take out the rosemary sprig and add the baby kale and simmer for 5 more minutes. If the soup is too thick add up to 3 cups of water.  I added some salt and pepper and Italian seasoning for just a wee bit more flavor.

Happy New Year! I will be focused on a year full of everyone and everything I love to do- so more time with friends and family as well as writing, running, cooking and my resolution for the year- TRY NEW THINGS!

5 Days Left, I Recommend Eating More Cookies

We have reached the point where you can count the number of days until Christmas on one hand. This is when random people will start asking you "So are you ready for Christmas?"

Most people who ask me this are surprised when I say no. I always say no. I'm never ready for Christmas. There are always a couple more gifts I could have bought, a DIY decoration I was meaning to try to make, or a new cookie recipe to bake. 

My philosophy is to be one with the not doneness of the season. I'll do what I can, and we'll see how much I manage to pull off between now and 12/26.

Christmas: It is what it is. And just to clarify, I'm not one who has gone crazy burdening myself with expectations and complicated traditions for the holidays.  I've always thought Elf on the Shelf was creepy, I don't make handmade cards, and my decorations are a pittance of Clark Griswald's.  However, this time of year there is so much one can want to do,and I find I always have too many to-dos. Thankfully, today is the day this year that I give up on my self-imposed holiday expectations and go with the flow.

I recommend giving up as the best self-care from this point forward.  I also recommend homemade chocolate covered Oreo cookies.  Sugary satisfaction at its best!

All you need to do is melt almond bark--taking care not to  liquify the bark--if it is too hot the Oreo's will separate-- and coat the Oreo in bark, sprinkle some sprinkles and let the cookies cool. 

Merry do less Christmas!

xoxo

Avoid E. Coli! Eat More Cookies!

There is a recall on cauliflower!  Oldest sons favorite vegetable is not safe?  Ack! More cookies are needed!

When I was very small I remember having a chocolate crinkle cookie and breaking a tooth.  I think what really happened was that I had a crinkle cookie and I had a loose baby tooth, memories can be misleading. In any case, this all happened decades ago and yet, I have harbored a grudge toward  chocolate crinkle cookies.

Until now! These are a great cookie to make. You can make the balls and then refrigerate or freeze them until you are ready to bake. When ready to bake just roll in powder sugar and bake in the oven.  If you want to shortcut the heck out of the cookie making, start with this cake mix. Then you only need to add one stick of butter and an egg. Or use this recipe from all recipes to make the cookies from scratch.

This weekend I got a chance to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with the boys. Pro Tip: if you go to the earliest showing at an AMC theater, the cost is just over $5 per ticket. This movie was fantastic, an engaging story, fun one-liners, and visually stunning.  It is an incredible looking movie. The movie has lots of action and chase scenes, but I did not get motion sick, so that was an added bonus.  Really, go see the movie at the theater it's wonderful.  The rating is PG so you can take younger kids and the bad guys shouldn't be too scary.

Mom, What's Different About These Cookies?

Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 11 reporting for duty.

BMO has been surprisingly enthused about my cookie baking.  In the past he has had a strong preference for only two types of cookies.  He only cared for the eating of chocolate chip cookies and those Keebler cookies--the shortbread ones with the stripes.  Outside of that he's been patently disinterested in cookie consumption.

However, this holiday season he has embraced all that cookies has to offer and has tried--and dare I say, enjoyed every type of cookie I have made.  He has expanded his cookie horizons and now appreciates how much better homemade cookies with plenty of butter are compared to their factory-made counterparts. I mean those factory cookies don't even have a smidgen of trans-fats anymore!

On this the 11th day of Cookie making, I made small monster cookies.  Technically monster cookies are supposed to be rather large. So it's probably an oxymoron to call these 1 1/2 inch diameter cookies- 'monster.'

There are lots and lots of variations on monster cookies, you can make them with or without flour, with butter or with margarine (why though?).

I found and like this recipe.  It has a nice cheat, you use a boxed cake mix as the base.  Obviously I used butter instead of margarine--and because I believe peanut butter is an essential part of the monster cookie experience--I used 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 a cup of creamy peanut butter.  I also used 1 cup of oats vrs 1/2 a cup.  Also, I substituted 1 cup of red and green chocolate candies instead of walnuts.  Basically, I really altered the recipe.  In any case.  The results were satisfactory for BMO and now the freezer is overflowing with cookies.

I still have a pound of butter, chocolate chips, mint chocolate candies, dried cranberries, and chopped hazelnuts, on hand- so more cookies to come!  I'm thinking I've got to make some more Spritz cookies since Youngest Child took all those to a bake sale and a shortbread cookie?  Decisions, Decisions.

xoxo

How many cookies is too many cookies? Let's find out!

More Adventures in Cookie Baking- Day 10! My freezer is getting very full. Youngest Daughter says what are you going to do with all these cookies?  I say for the 44th time, I'm going to give them away. This time she answers "Ok."  Apparently she wasn't listening the many other times I said I was making cookies to give away for Christmas.

Onward.

As my life has been quite busy with work, and picking up and dropping off kids and attending Holiday events; I decided if I wanted to continue baking, I needed to  chill some balls.  to that end, I rolled these lemon cookies and then let them chill in the fridge overnight before glazing and baking them.

Katie C. recommended this recipe from Martha Stewart.  She likes to make these cookies into Christmas Wreathes.  I took a cue from Katie and decided to put some festive sprinkles on mine.

Let's say you are sitting around wrapping presents and would like to indulge, I recommend these cookies with a nice prosecco. How delightful! You could even, take it to the next level by adding some fresh raspberries to your plate or to your glass.  Lemon- raspberry is such a lovely flavor combination.

And while I'm here just 4 days left to enroll in the ACA ! Get Covered!

What about Gluten Free?

Happy Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 9. I didn't bake for today's post because I didn't have time.  I almost had some time, but I was very tired and took a pass on cookie baking or cookie prep. 

Of course, I remain in a cookie state of mind.  To that end, I found a recipe from Food & Wine for a gluten free cookie that is probably super difficult to make.

Smores Linzer Cookies

And if that wasn't good enough, I found a recipe at Food & Wine  to make a gluten and dairy free Chocolate Crinkle Cookie!  This recipe starts with a bag of gluten free pretzels!  You can see the video below:





I think I may try making the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie recipe in the upcoming days. So many kinds of cookies, so little free time!


Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day!  Don't forget to leave a shoe out tonight!

xoxo

It's Finally Here! The Day We've Been Waiting for All Year!

Happy #NationalCookieDay!  It's Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 8!

Today's cookie isn't really a cookie, although you do bake it, so it's almost a cookie.  Cookie adjacent we can call it.  What is it?  A cookie bar that loads of people enjoy!

7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars!

Here is an up close picture of the 7-layer bars cooling.  You can't see it here, but several family members have already helped themselves to a piece.  A very gooey piece of the bars because the recipe hadn't cooled off and set yet.

If you like these you can make them as directed or swap out ingredients as you wish.

7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars (See cookies is in the title; ergo, these are a perfect fit for #NationalCookieDay)

Step 1: Preheat Oven to 350



2 1/2 cups of crushed graham crackers. (I couldn't find crushed graham crackers at the store and got tired of looking so I bought graham crackers and used a cheese grater to crush them.  It worked.

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

Mix above 2 ingredients and then press evenly in a 9x13 inch pan.

Pour 1 can of sweetened condensed milk over the cracker mix evenly-don't try to smooth out, just pour it over and leave it.

Next layer each of these in order:

1 1/2 cups of butterscotch morsels

1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of coconut flakes

1 cup of  walnuts

Place in a 350 degree oven for 23 minutes and then try to let cool completely before sampling.

You could swap the butterscotch for white chocolate chips  or peanut butter chips--you could add dried cherries or cranberries. You could use pecans or hazelnuts.  It's a very flexible recipe.

Happy #NationalCookieDay!

xoxo

Do you have FOTO? Fear of the Oven? Here's a cookie recipe for you!

After my Oatmeal Scotchies debacle, I needed a few days to recover and a couple more trips to the grocery store, and now I'm ready for another butterscotch morsel-centric cookie recipe. 

Not much is simpler than a 3-ingredient recipe and only using a microwave.  Note: you can melt the butterscotch chips on the stove if you don't use a microwave. Of course if you don't use a microwave, you probably don't eat processed items chock-full  of  sugar.

Butterscotch Haystacks

You can find many variations of this recipe on Google, Pinterest, etc.  This is what I did:

1/2 a bag of La Choy Chow Mein Noodles.
1 bag of Butterscotch Morsels
2/3 ish a cup of dry roasted peanuts.

Put the noodles and the peanuts in a bowl.  Put the Butterscotch Morsels in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the morsels for about 90 seconds, until they are melted.  Pour over the noodles and peanuts. Mix until all is covered; then put bunches of the mix onto a tray. My tip is to use some plastic gloves to mix everything and  to put the little bunches of mix --i.e. haystacks onto a tray or cookie sheet. Next chill in the fridge or freezer.  Once the haystacks are solid you can store in Tupperware or in a plastic bag in the freezer etc.

You can put the haystacks on waxed or parchment paper and let it cool on your counter tops as well--whatever works for you.

I think Butterscotch Haystacks date back to the 1970s, so it's a nostalgic treat!

Happy Day 7 of Adventures in Cookie Baking (making)!

xoxo

A Twist on Brownies, Tastes Great, Looks Very Homemade!

Hello!  Well here I am, Adventures in Cookie Baking day number ah, 6. The other day a random dessert thought popped into my head.  What if I melted dark chocolate orange slices on top of brownies.  How good would that be?

Today my mission was to find out how good that would be.

This is the chocolate I melted and put on top of the finished brownies. I used a brownie mix to make the brownies. I don't think I've ever made brownies from scratch.

Turns out I don't currently own any square baking dishes. I should really buy at least one 8x8 pan.  Or maybe someone could get me one for Christmas.

After I baked the brownies, Tom and I ran up to the High School for the annual A Christmas Carol dinner and show. Before the show the actors in character serve the diners dinner and then the Madrigals and Jazz Band perform and then the final show of the year takes place.  Youngest child did a great job in her part as a scoundrel.

When we arrived home much later, BMO had helped himself to some of the brownies. Frankly, I was surprised at how small a piece he took.

I cut up half of the brownies and left them plain for BMO and the Man.  The rest I frosted with dark chocolate orange.  Once the top had hardened, I attempted to cut the brownies.  It didn't go well.  But, they do taste delicious!

This afternoon I need to run out and get more butter and the adventure shall continue!

xoxo

Ever Have a Day When You Just Need a Cookie?

The odds are pretty good that you have the 3 key ingredients for this cookie.  There are loads and loads of variations on this cookie recipe, but in a pinch, you can make a couple dozen tasty gluten-free cookies with just one egg, one cup of sugar and one cup of peanut butter (crunchy or creamy-you pick)

 Today I took a tip from Summar E. and added one teaspoon of baking powder to my dough and this made my cookies look like very traditional peanut butter cookies.  If you skip the baking powder, the cookies will only spread just a little.  Either way, they hit the spot when you need a cookie and you need it now.

Here is my official recipe:

Preheat oven to 350:

1 cup of Natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
1 egg

Mix in a bowl, roll or plop about 1 tbsp of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Us a fork to make a criss-cross on top.  Bake the cookies for 10-12 mins. 

If you want the cookies to last more than 15 minutes, I suggest putting a dozen or so into the freezer, preferably in a Country Crock container that has KALE written across the top to throw children, significant others and roommates off the scent of your cookie stash.

Happy Day 5 of Adventures in Cookie Baking!
xoxo

Taking the Guesswork Out of Cookie Baking

Welcome to day four of my adventures in cookie baking!  Today I started with a mix and whipped up a batch of delicious thumbprint cookies.  This is a mix and a recipe I've used before so I was 99.5% certain these cookies would turn out *chefs kiss* perfect.

On to the cookies,

I used the my favorite cookie sheet, which was purchased by the Man, so I'll give him credit for finding a quality cookie sheet at a good price. I don't know what he paid for it, but he loves to shop for a good deal.

The mix I used was the Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix from Tastefully Simple I got my box from my good friend Becky McNeill.

All you need is the mix, 1 stick of butter, an egg, a wee bit of water and the jam of your choice. I had a jar of the Tastefully Simple's Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread so I used that, but in the past I have used apricot jam and the best of all jams: Currant Jelly.

You mix the ingredients and then bake for 10 minutes after which you remove the cookies from the over, make the thumbprints, add your jelly of choice and cook for another 4-6 minutes.  What sets these cookies apart is the almond flavor in the mix. 

Here is my finished product.  I ate a couple and the kids had a couple and now the rest are in my garage freezer--safe from easy consumption and ready to be added to holiday cookie trays.

What cookies will I make next?  Stay tuned!
xoxo

They Claim to Be the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Let's Find Out!

Welcome to my adventures in cookie making day three. Today I tackle, with the help of Ms. Anna, everyone's favorite cookie, the chocolate chip cookie.  I found a recipe that calls itself "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" and I had to try it. What did I have to lose right?

We followed the recipe exactly, and I think the one instruction that sets this recipe apart from other chocolate chip cookie recipes I have used is this:

"Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt."

After making the first dozen, Anna lost interest and left me to my own devices. Out of the goodness of my heart, I proceeded to make two dozen more walnut free cookies.  By the time I had finished with the last of the plain cookies, Bryce had eaten the first dozen.

The last two dozen cookies are the best of the batch because those cookies have delicious walnuts in them. Walnuts, as you may know are not cheap but add a richness and crunch the the basic chocolate chip cookie.  Nuts are also good for you; therefore, adding nuts makes the cookie more of a health food than a treat.

This recipe did deliver excellent results.  The cookies are a little crispy on the edges and soft and gooey on the inside, but not too gooey.

Tomorrow's recipe is going to be super easy for me because it starts with a mix! We won't even need the Kitchen Aid.

xoxo

Adventures in Cookie Making Day 2

I really like Oatmeal Scotchies. Or should I really say I think I remember really liking Oatmeal Scotchies.  I know that they must have orange zest to be great and so you can be sure I zested an orange instead of using vanilla extract for this recipe. Below is the original Toll House recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies.  Now I followed this recipe with precision, however my cookies cooked in much less time than instructed and spread flatter than a pancake.  Should I have used more flour and less oats?  Was it the baking soda?  I went online to see what other bakers had to say.

According to the reviews, for this very recipe on the cookie morsel website, I am not alone, super flat scotchies abound. It's not me; it's this recipe.  I also found a blog done by a wise woman who on her first time out the gate with this recipe reduced the oats by 1/2 a cup. Her resulting cookies look thicker than mine. 

When my first dozen came out so flat and brown, I put the remainder of the dough in the fridge and then made the rest with chilled dough.  Alas, that didn't matter. Sigh. Can't win them all I guess.  I have seen there are recipes for Oatmeal Scotchie Bars, maybe next time I'll try that --or better yet if I want a butterscotch treat- I should try a no bake option and make butterscotch haystacks. 

Tomorrow with assistance from Anna I'll be tackling a recipe called "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" 

Happy Tuesday xoxo! 

It's Christmas...Cookie Time!

Recently, I got it in my head that this year I'd like to make many different kinds of Christmas Cookies.  Thanksgiving has passed and the time is here. Plus there were a couple of really good sales on butter, and I have a bunch of butter on hand.  Is there a better way to use excess butter beside cookie making?  I think not.

For my first batch of cookies I got out my cookie press and made these spritz cookies. The recipe is very short and simple. I used almond extract instead of vanilla because that is the flavor I expect in my spritz cookies. 

As I was sampling my work, I pondering a key question. What beer or wine would pair best with these bites of goodness? 

Here is what Food & Wine has to say: 

 Simple Cookies: Prosecco
I don’t mean “simple” in a bad way here; these cookies just don’t have a lot going on: sugar cookies, spritz cookies, shortbread cookies, basically anything light in color and straightforward in taste. There are no mix-ins, no fillings, and no complex flavors from caramelization or browning. Not surprisingly, these cookies pair well with simple, light, even sparkling beverages. 

Now on to beer, the internet says spritz cookies and a nice pilsner pair well. If you would like to actually put beer in cookies, here is a round up of some beer cookie recipes.

Happy Baking!  Next up I'll share my attempts to make oatmeal scotchies.  

xoxo! 

Did I predict the future?

Three years ago today I said this "Tip for the day: It's almost Halloween, so skip the makeup this morning and get a little more sleep."

As I stood at the train station this morning waiting for my train and scrolling through Facebook the above status update popped up in my memories from three years ago. I thought to myself.  That's a good post, I'm pretty funny sometimes.

Then I realized...I had forgotten to put on any makeup before leaving for work!  Look at me, predicting the future! 

If only I had used my magical powers to play the billion dollar Powerball. Alas It would seem I can

The kids of Halloween Past...

only predict my own personal behavior, which is probably really common and not at all magical.  Nevertheless, on the Eve of Halloween, I'm calling myself a psychic, consider it my costume!


Happy #NationalCandyCornDay !!! Will you be buying a bag to enjoy or throw directly into the trash?  Candy Corn brings out strong opinions!

The Incredibly Silly Thing I've been Doing

Nostalgia is a very effective means of stress reduction. Note, I have no scientific basis for that first remark.  Life is stressful!  The news is stressful, people are bonkers.  And let's not forget it's unseasonably cold in my area.  I hate turning my heat on before November.  I gave in and started wearing my winter coat a week ago.  It's madness I say.  Also stressful is being the passenger as BMO works on reaching 50 hours of driving time to get his driver's license!

I bet there are tons of happenings in your own life stressing you out.  If you are like me, you really can't afford to take up a daily drinking habit--so what is a girl to do?

Some people turn to ASMR on YouTube.  I have turned to watching old commercials.  To be more specific holiday commercials.  Did you know there are hours and hours of commercials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s curated on YouTube right now? 

Yes Virginia, hours and hours of Christmas Commercials awaits you!

I know it's silly, but it's so relaxing to revel in the Nostalgia of childhood.  Try it! You'll like it!  

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

When was the last time you tried something new?

It was a funny thing, for most of junior high Anna was very opposed to continuing band in high school.  Even as we discussed her schedule for the upcoming year, she didn't really want to continue.  So yes we nudged her a bit, nagged a little for her to give it a try for the first year,  just the basic band and if she didn't want to continue after that, she could stop.  Then out of the blue, just before eighth grade ended, she decided to attend the marching band meeting.  This was a surprise development, we went to the marching band meeting and saw the well-made promotional video and Anna decided to join marching band.

This was the same girl who said previously, "I'm never joining marching band, marching band is like a full-time job."  The first couple days were rough, not knowing how things worked and where to go and how to act, but after a few weeks she was warming up to it.  This was due, not in small part, to the band matching up Seniors to mentor Freshman.  By the time band camp arrived-- note, I didn't know band camp was really a thing--she was all in.

Saturday was the last marching band performance of the year at the University of Illinois, it was about 20 degrees below zero outside and the wind was a brisk 30ish miles per hour.  We froze as we watching the band perform, and we respected Ms. Anna's request that we not acknowledge her in any way.  If you ask her how the band did, she will tell you they had a bad run. She is more critical of the ensemble than the band director!  What I saw was all the kids giving it everything they had all season long. In the aftermath of the season finale, Anna has now been hit with the cold that has been going around school for weeks.

Moral of the story, nudging a teenager to try something, to push themselves,  can work.  Really, this also goes for adults, especially those long past the high school years.  Give yourself a nudge, try something new, push yourself.

xoxo

The thing about blogging is...

The thing about blogging is that it would be cool if lots of people read my blog; however, in order for that to happen, you have to invest a ton of time and some money to try and make that happen.  It's a bummer but that is the way of writing really, anyone who writes doesn't write with a guarantee that anyone will ever read their writings.  Even Stephen King doesn't know that whatever he is writing today will ever reach the masses --sure it's fairly likely in his case, but no guarantees. 

Today we are driving down to the University of Illinois to Ms. A in the marching band competition.  She said she would like us to be there, but she doesn't want us to try to talk to her or make contact while we are there because she needs to concentrate on her performance.  I admire her dedication and was also a little annoyed, as is to be expected when dealing with teenagers. If it was up to me we'd stay home and watch the live stream, but when youngest child asks us to be there, well we are going to be there even though we are going to have to drive over two hours to watch an 8-minute performance and drive back.  I'm really not complaining, much.   

Need Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Your Ear Holes? Listen to the Dresden Files!

Death Masks by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listen to this series on audio, I don't read any of the books--James Marsters is perfection as Harry Dresden. This is book #5 of this enjoyable series that I tend to pick up, listen to a book and then a few months pass and then I pick it back up. There is enough reiteration of who the main players in the series are to help you remember if you don't binge read the series. I am going to make more of an effort to get through this series in a more timely manner. I have to say I don't really care about the romance aspect of the book, but if Harry is happy I'm happy. Whenever Harry talks about his cat Mister, I think anew that Mister is the perfect name for a cat. And speaking of perfect character names, I hope the next book has more Murphy- the perfectly named police detective- in it.

Love that this book takes place in Chicago. Nice that Harry and modern tech don't get along as this is handy for plot building. The pacing of this book was good, I personally wouldn't mind if there had been a bit more downtime - like maybe 2 fewer battles, but that's just me. I'm going to go see if my library has book #6 before I get distracted by another book on my TBR pile.


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 #ThursdayThought :  Today marks  the 4 week countdown until Thanksgiving.  😱😱😱😱  I'm hungry right because it's lunchtime and my mouth is watering as I am adding to my Thanksgiving Feast Pinterest Board.  Click to see what I'm planning on serving this November. I've also begun creating a Christmas menu as well.

Happy Thursday!

xoxo

Is Being a Morning Person a Choice?

My goal this Fall is to become a morning person. Is this goal achievable? I really want, need, to finish the book I've been slowly writing over the last year so my latest scheme to make that happen is to become a morning person.

To that end, I started setting my alarm earlier- from 6:15 to  6:00, to 5:35AM. Yes that's right I can't yet push myself to be up at 5:30AM, I need that extra 5 minutes. To show the extreme lengths I will go to try and make this morning person thing happen--I even set an alarm and got up before 7AM on the weekend.  On the weekend! Sunday I didn't even take a nap!  Did I get more writing done?  Barely, but slightly more than the previous few weeks is an improvement.

Here I am near my window, daylight has just broken.  You can't see the sun because my window is Southwest facing and I didn't feel like getting up and trying to get a picture w/the sunrise in it.

I wonder how long this transformation will take?  weeks? months? decades? Can you reset your internal clock for good? Or will one week of vacation set me back? 
******

Frost is now upon the pumpkin, soup weather is here! Please do yourself a favor and make this fantastic soup

xoxo
V

Who loves Halloween? Who loves Hocus Pocus?

Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel by A.W. Jantha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fall is here and when it's Fall I fill my TBR pile with Witches and Ghosts. I also fill my DVR with movies and TV shows featuring Witches and Ghosts. When I saw there was a book version of the movie and a sequel to the -dare I say- cult classic movie--I had to read the book ASAP.

"Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel" was a fun nostalgic read. I really enjoyed the sequel and am looking forward to seeing the movie version of this follow up to the classic Hocus Pocus. The sequel features some of the children of characters from Hocus Pocus and of course those terrible witches are back too.  Note, I read that the sequel won't start the same actresses as the Sanderson Sisters, which is a bummer to be sure. That's was makes the book even more fun, as reader of the sequel, I was able to picture the original witches. The pacing of the stories is on point with a nice build up to the final confrontation between the witches and the humans. In the original story I thought the 8 year old Dani was too mature for her age in words and actions--she really seems more like an 11 year old. The teens in the stories are perfectly age appropriate which is a nice change.

This would be a fun book to read with kids at bedtime as you count down to Halloween. I borrowed the book digitally from my library, so I'm sure it's easy to get a copy to enjoy before October ends. Once you finish the book you can have a family movie night, pop some popcorn and watch the classic movie! 


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Dr. Death is the Must Listen to Podcast of the Fall

Have you heard about this podcast?  Oh my gosh, it's fantastic and awful. This is a horrifying tale of  medical malpractice.  Dr. Death is new podcast by Wondery, one of my top three favorite podcasting companies. This is the same group that brought Dirty John to ear holes across the land. Interestingly, Dirty John was also a shady criminal in the medical field.  Dr. Death is a neurosurgeon you never want to meet, let alone allow to operate on you.

This podcast is very compelling.  These patients, like Barry, who decided to have surgery instead of trying diet and exercise one more time, will break your heart.  Patients were butchered by this doctor and then Dr. Death went on to practice at another hospital!  You cannot listen to this and not be shocked at how long he is able to 'practice' medicine.  He gets away with murderous malpractice via bravado, a slick website and the greed of the medical establishment.

 Keep listening, he will get his comeuppance---and that will only because a couple of doctors kept sounding alarms and going to the medical board. Frankly the police should have been involved after the second surgery gone wrong.   This guy is an extreme example of systematic problems in our medical system that values profit over lives far too often.  It's also an unvarnished look at how far a white man with Dr. before his name can get before finally being stopped.

A couple of facts from the Wondery website "1.3 million 'bad doctor' reports on the National Practitioner Data Bank," and "in 2017 13 state boards never checked the data bank." Ugh!  Oversight doesn't work if no one uses it!

Patient beware! If you have to have a surgery, get that second opinion and research your doctor.  This organization provides doctor report cards. 

Got a couple hours? Read this book!

Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everything about this book made me feel as though I'd stepped into a small town in the 1950s or 1960s. The only tell I could find that this is actually more contemporary is  Catherine says that abortion is legal. I would describe this book as a novella and as such it has very good pacing. In other works by Charlaine Harris there tends to be, in my opinion, too much time spent on housekeeping details. In this book, fortunately, there is only one long scene of Catherine cleaning.

The mystery is solid, there are some nice red herrings and the main character doesn't foolishly put herself in harm's way but once.

The killer's motive is the weakest part of this book in my opinion. If you enjoy mysteries, you'll likely enjoy this book.


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What's going on with my writing?

Thanks for asking!  I am a solid  63% done on my first draft.  My plan is to finish my draft before 2019 shows up. Actually,I'd like to get it done before December arrives. If I get stuck in my writing lately what I've been doing is writing out of sequence.  Yesterday I was working on the book's final scene.  Bad news, I thought I had it all figured out and then I realized I didn't like where it was going. Today I'm writing in sequence and maybe that will help my final scene whenever I get back to it.

Socially to help with my writing I just joined the "Guppy" Chapter of  Sisters in Crime. This is an online group for first time writers of mysteries.  With my membership I can join a critique group to get feedback on my unpublished work.  I'm very excited and also overwhelmed.  The business of publishing is not easy. (understatement).  The important thing for me to keep reminding myself is to focus on finishing my book, then try to get it published.  Don't put the cart before the horse and all that!

Happy September!

xoxo

What if Fairy Tales Were True in the Age of iPhones?

I have to share with you this book I've read!  If you aren't a big reader, check out the audiobook. After you read this tale, which you will love, get excited for the FX adaptation!


The Changeling by Victor LaValle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If this whole book was just the story of Apollo & Emma's first year of parenting Brian in NYC, I would have enjoyed it immensely. However, this is not a simple tale of parenting, this is an old school- Black Forest Germany - fairy tale where children are spirited away and monsters walk among us. I completely enjoyed the way Mr. LaValle weaves classic fairy tale lore into the 21st century and works with all the trapping of modern life while telling this ancient tale.

"The Changeling" doesn't shy away from the reality in America where for a black man, any encounter with the police can end in death. This story doesn't shy away from reminding us that far too often the concerns of new moms are brushed aside as they suffer silently with postpartum psychosis. This story doesn't shy away from reminding us we all cling to fairy tales we tell ourselves in order to sleep through the night.

In the end, Victor LaValle gives Emma, Apollo, and Brian some happiness. It's not forever but it's happily for now.


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*****

The summer is already winding down and with that I'm ready to enjoy Fall. I'm hoping for lots of sunny days, low humidity and temps that stay around 70 degrees throughout all of  September. Frankly, I'm in no hurry to break out my boots.  I am ready to enjoy spooky stories and for that I'm subscribed and enjoying each installment of the podcast Spooked (from Snap Judgement and WNYC Studios). Each week they are counting down to Halloween with a new tale of the paranormal.  Are the stories real, are they fiction?  I don't know!  You can listen via the website or subscribe at iTunes, Stitcher, Npr.org, etc. 

Did you know you can listen to all the best selling novels out there for FREE?

In addition to listening to a bunch of podcasts, I also listen to audiobooks when I'm out running or am cleaning around the house. The best way to listen to books is to borrow them from your local library and these days you don't even have to go to the library.  They have an app for that!  My library uses Libby/Overdrive.

It doesn't get any easier or cheaper to read a novel or twenty.  Currently I'm listening to "The Outsider" by Stephen King.  The Kindle version is $14.95, a gently used hardback is $17 and to purchase it the Audible member price is $24.49.  The cost to me via my library: $0.00. You can't beat it!

Just before starting "The Outsider"  I listened to "A Cast-Off Coven" by Juliet Blackwell.  "A Cast-Off Coven is the second book in her "A Witchcraft Mystery" cozy mystery series. Lily Ivory is a witch and owns a vintage clothing store so the series has lots of supernatural lore and vintage fashion nods.  I recommend it, a fun series to listen to as you are out running or walking while the leaves change.

A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook. The reader does a nice job with the various character's voices including the potbelly pig. It's fun to read this series as fall approaches. This book's pacing was spot on, and the audiobook runs just about the right length of time for a cozy mystery at 8 hours.

I am enjoying how Ms. Blackwell intertwines San Francisco in the book, allowing for a small sense of community as she makes friends inside the big city setting. Each book in the series has a main mystery along side the slow parceling out of Lily's backstory. I have to keep reading to find out what the deal is with her father!

When I finished this book, I had the undeniable desire to go visit a vintage clothing store!


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