Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Lists and chocolate chip cookies. They go together.

I'm totally a list maker.  Once a long time ago, before I retired to be a full time mom, a friend I worked with was listening to the radio.  They were talking about personality types, and how that is reflected in the lists they make or don't make.  Some of us, apparently, are a bit obsessive about the whole thing.  They will add things they've already done to a To Do List just so they can cross it off.  That's me.  I absolutely do that!  Before that, I thought it was just me.  When life gets busy...I think in lists.  This is today's...

1.  I didn't vote in last week's election.  It was a conscious decision.  With a super excusable reason - I was taking my child to an ER 70 miles away at the behest of our pediatrician.

2.  If I had been able to vote (and please know that I stopped at our polling place and nobody cared to let me skip the line despite the fact that I was on the way to the hospital with my kid), I would not have voted for a particular incumbent city council member.  Why?  Because he lives around the corner from me and each and every morning on our walk, my faithful beagle chose his yard to do his business in, as soon as Mr. Incumbent Council Member put his little campaign sign up in his yard.  I took that as a sign.  Charlie hasn't steered me wrong yet.

3.  My 13 year old son is on the edge of a growth spurt and is eating us out of house and home.  He's about to be taller than his 6' dad.

4.  While I was out this afternoon, somebody used up all the flour...but there were no baked goods in the kitchen to show for it.  There were however a couple dozen chocolate chip cookies stowed away in my daughter's room.  She says she didn't know if we could all eat them since we don't know if she's contagious.  Really she didn't want to share with the above mentioned 13 year old who would have wolfed them down in the space of an hour.  I'll be making her reservation at the local teen girl eating disorder clinic tomorrow morning.  Kidding!  But I do know now that she is capable of cleaning the kitchen to spotless perfection when necessary...

5.  We actually still don't know what's ailing her. 

6.  We got a Bass Pro Shop mailer today.  I can't wait to read it after dinner.  I love Bass Pro Shop.

7.  And country music.  (That's Bill's fault BTW.)

8.  My mother is rolling in her grave over numbers 6 and 7 right now.

9.  Sometimes the perfect time to feed my family dinner is 7:30pm.

10  This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the missing flour....and it is straight out of Trisha Yearwood's cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen.

2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed (don't use the light brown, trust me on this)
1 large egg, room temperature (I'm pretty sure I don't plan ahead this far)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we've already had the discussion - only use the REAL stuff)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 oz. package) semisweet chocolate chips

Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the electric mixer (I use my Kitchen-Aid but I'm sure a hand held would work too), beat the butter, sugars, egg and vanilla together until smooth.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together and, with the beater running, slowly add to the butter mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  (Okay, I NEVER sift anything.  It gives me a headache.  I just get out my whisk and whisk all of it in a bowl until I think it looks fluffier.  Precise right?)

Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Carefully remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Store in an airtight container.  (I make big teaspoon drops because I like 'em chewy in the middle!)

I just found this recipe about a month ago, maybe 2, and I can't tell you how many countless batches I've made.  It is hands down my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Second ONLY to my chocolate chip cookie bars.

11.  You knew there had to be an 11 right?  A nice and tidy 10 is so not me.  We all laughed so hard at dinner tonight that I was sure milk was coming out of somebody's nose.  Life is good.

Make cookies,
~S

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