So today, I let 2 strange men into my home. It helped that they had been scheduled. That they were expected. Wearing uniforms and carrying a clipboard. That they were bringing a replacement TV for the piece of junk Samsung was passing off as a TV a year and a half ago. But still. I detest having people in my house for deliveries, repairs or installations. Cleaning, well, my tolerance shoots way up for that category.
First off, they are always MEN who are delivering, installing and repairing. Not once in the 25 years that I've been in charge of getting stuff done has it been a woman. Second, these things always have to occur during the week which means Bill is generally at work. What educated, savvy woman flings open her door to complete strange men types? Thirdly, they always expect me to know lots of things I don't. Like where was the last cable run? Where is your water main? Will it be okay to drill a hole through the wall? Fourth, they have occasionally been...condescending...like the water heater delivery/installation dude who wanted to just go ahead and flood my garage because he didn't want to wait for the thing to drain properly (and slowly) through a hose out into the gutter. He actually rolled his eyes when I said...'Uh, no? Let me call someone and see if that's okay.' Unable to get Bill on the phone, I was able to get my trusty brother-in-law on the phone who then chewed the guy a new one for me. Gotta love family. And finally, what if they're really casing the joint? Looking to see how to best get in later to murder us all in our sleep??? I'm just sayin'. A little paranoid. I think it's all those Ellery Queen Mystery shows my dad let me watch when I was little. Timothy Hutton's dad sure was handsome though. And I do go through my whole house afterwards making sure they didn't leave a window unlocked for later. Welcome to my little corner of insanity. It's cozy here. And why I told Evan to look Very Big while they were here.
AND, because Judy and I both feel guilty about throwing our recyclables into the trash...here's my blue ribbon winning Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar recipe. If there is someone who is just not letting you off the hook...make 'em some of these. It might help smooth things over.
I bake these in a 15" x 9 3/4"ish black jellyroll pan. It's one my grandma gave me one day, so I have no idea where it came from. I mention this only because some people swear the pan must be what makes these awesome. I'm not so sure because I've baked them in other pans too, you just have to sort of adjust your cooking time if the size is different.
You'll need:
2 1/4 cups flour (Don't just scoop it out with your measuring cup, that packs it in and then your cookies will be dough heavy. I'm all about less dough and MORE CHOCOLATE. Kind of fluff up your floor and then spoon it into the measuring cup with a big serving spoon like I do.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (Use regular, salted butter. Don't even think about margarine. It won't taste as good.)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup PACKED dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (Again, use the real stuff. It's probably the difference between blue ribbon and honorable mention.)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I get mine in the huge bag at Sam's club so I have no idea if this translates handily into a smaller bag size from the grocery.)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a smallish bowl. Use a whisk to mix and sift the ingredients together.
In a different bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer. I love that thing. Worth every cent it cost. Unlike the worthless TV...), beat together the butter, sugars and vanilla. Add the eggs and beat some more. Gradually beat in the flour. You can do all this by hand by the way, I have, and the cookies still rock. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Spread dough into a greased (I just use Pam) jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes. They will be a nice golden/light brown all across. Cool, in pan, on a wire rack. Divide the pan up into however many servings you want and enjoy with some icy cold milk!
Love ya!
~S
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