Saturday, January 28, 2012

two


two things asa loves for breakfast...
hot dit (grits)
pancakes

two things asa loves to do...
climb on marshall's bunkbed
chase the chickens with a stick

two places asa loves to go...
church (really the nursery)
kayak with momma

two shows asa loves to watch...
dinosaur train
cat in the hat

two books asa loves...
mary engelbreit mother goose
big red barn

two things asa loves to wear...
yellow boots
hoodie

two reasons we love this boy more than anything...



                                               happy birthday asa!




Monday, January 9, 2012

technique


a relaunch doesn't mean a full cruise schedule. just in case you've been waiting with baited breath for my next post. these things take awhile for me.
with that said, i have made a discovery and need to share with you fine friends. cookies are a staple and they don't take a genius IQ to get them right. they do, however, require some tweaking along the way to get them just right. i am one step closer.
here is what i do with my chocolate chip cookie dough. after mixing it all together, chill for at least a half hour. you can do this! then, roll into balls. make sure your hand is good and greasy, just like mine. that means you've used the appropriate amount of butter.
then, do something crazy with that ball of dough. rip it in half. right through the center. take the two torn halves and smoosh them together ripped sides up. this makes the tops prettier and the cookie bake more evenly. place them on the tray and bake away.
make sure you have a bed-head toddler lying around the house. that way, if you mess them up, he'll never let on.
i, however, have full faith in you and know you are good for this task. your cookies will be one step closer to that holy grail we all know is out there. the perfect cookie.

and for your baking pleasure...

                                      white chocolate almond cookies
2 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix the dry ingredients: the flour and baking soda, together in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and two sugars together. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix. Now add the dry ingredients and mix till an even dough forms. Add in the chocolate chips and almonds. Mix till evenly distributed.
Now you can divide the dough how you choose, into 1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tbsp portions for 36 smaller cookies. Divide your dough and shape each portion into a ball. Then pull each ball into two equal pieces. Turn both pieces so that the jagged side of each half faces upwards and then squish them together. Place them jagged side up on parchment lined baking sheets.

For the larger cookies, bake for 12-15 minutes, and for the small cookies, bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and set and the centers are still soft and puffy. Do not overbake. Take them out of the oven and let them finish baking on the sheets, placing the baking sheets on cooling racks. Enjoy!

Makes 18 large cookies or 36 medium cookies.