The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I don't understand people who prefer crispy cookies.  

The word combination in itself just sounds wrong to me.  Crispy cookies.  No.  No no no.

In short, might I warn you that if I ever post a cookie recipe, and you are a "crispy cookie person", then my recipe is not for you.  Doesn't matter what cookie it is.  I like 'em soft.  Snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, peanut butter...Soft, soft, soft.  Like pillows of ommy nommy goodness.

These chocolate chip cookies are absolutely amazing.  I don't even know where the recipe came from anymore...But they have been my standard recipe for a while.  There is a secret ingredient that sounds a little weird at first but please trust me.  You won't be disappointed.  

You will need:

3/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. Cornstarch (TRUST ME!)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar.

I'm going to add a little tutorial for creaming butter and sugar.  I don't know if it's common knowledge, but I know for the longest time, I just mixed my butter and sugar together.  My cookies used to be too flat.  This is why.  

Start out with just your butter in the mixer.  It must be soft.  If you're impatient like me, you get the notion to do something and you want to do it RIGHT THEN.  Or else you lose motivation and those cookies that you promised your husband never happen.  No time for taking butter out and waiting an hour and a half for it to soften.  So I do this:

It only takes about 15 minutes this way.  SO anyway, you start out with just the butter.  Beat it on medium speed with the paddle attachment for about 1minute and a half.  It'll look soft and moist:

Then you add your sugar.  In this case, you've got 2 kinds of sugar.  I alternate between the 2 types.  I don't know if that's necessary, but that's just how I roll.  Once all your sugar is incorporated, beat it on medium for 6-7 minutes.  Yup, SIX OR SEVEN MINUTES.  Scrape the bowl periodically.  Eventually it'll look light and pillowy, kind of like frosting:

And voila.  Your sugars and butter are creamed.  This allows all of the wet and dry ingredients to incorporate together more thoroughly.  It makes a difference.

Now you add your egg and vanilla.  If you like vanilla-y cookies, go ahead and do 2 teaspoons.  I do.  But not everyone likes it that way.  Buncha crazies.  Stir in the egg and vanilla until JUST INCORPORATED.  Don't over mix at this point.  You will get stiff dough that doesn't bake down.  Not that that has ever happened to me.......

Moving on.

Combine your dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, and stir in gradually.  Splash guard may come in handy.  Keep this on a low speed and, again, don't over mix.

Add your chocolate chips.

Om nom nom.

Cookie dough.

DON'T EAT THIS RAW.

Eggs, bad.

Ok, eat it raw.  I totally do.  And I have never regretted it :]

Amber Nora likes to help me bake already.  She helps by contentedly sitting in her bouncy and watching the mixer go around and around.  A not-fussy 5-month-old is a truly helpful thing.

Now it's confession time.  I do not own a cookie scoop.  It's one of those things where I don't think of needing it until I'm actually baking cookies, and then we get back to the whole "Have to do it now or I never will" thing.  So, I have this tablespoon that's perfectly round.

I use that.  And it works just fine.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

And bake for about 8 minutes.

Now, listen to me.  Come VERY close.  Closer.  Closer.

DON'T BE TEMPTED TO BAKE THESE FOR LONGER THAN 8 MINUTES.  9 tops.

These cookies may not look done yet.  But please.  Please, just trust me.  In my opinion, the #1 cookie mistake on the planet is opening the oven and thinking "These don't look done.  Just 2 more minutes".

Cookies keep on baking themselves even after you take them out.  They aren't dough.  They won't give you salmonella, or whatever it is raw eggs give you...Although I believe that we have already established that I laugh in the face of salmonella.  Still.  THEY WILL BE DONE AT 8 MINUTES.  To be certain, look at the bottom.  If the bottom is a very light golden brown, they are done.  The bottom is the best indicator.

Cool them on some wax paper, or a cooling rack.

And enjoy!

Ommy nommy nom nom :]

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. Cornstarch 
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cream butter and sugars
3. Add egg and vanilla, stir until just incorporated
4. Combine all dry ingredients, then slowly stir into butter mixture
5. Add chocolate chips
6. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet
7. Bake for 8-9 minutes.  Do not overbake!
8. Let cool and eat up :]

Homemade Sloppy Joes

You want to know something that pretty much always consistently sucks?  Going to the dentist.  You know what else?  Seeing cop lights flashing behind you.  You know what ELSE?  School lunch food.

It's been a while since I really partook in the eating of cafeteria food.  I believe it was around 6th grade when I learned that the $20 my dad was handing me each week would be much better used on things like sodas from the vending machine and school spirit tee-shirts.  When I got to college, my meal plan was used on Taco Mayo and the little hibachi bar in the student union food court and chai lattes from the coffee shop.  Never once set foot in an Oklahoma State University cafeteria.  Never. Once.

But I remember always looking forward to sloppy joe day in elementary school.  The hubs and I got to talking about it one day..."Do you remember how AWESOME sloppy joes were?  Man, that was the stuff, right there".  Which led to a can of Manwich and an introspective look on our young selves questionable taste in food.

But I conceded that things are rarely very good when they come from a can.  Except green beans.  I could eat canned green beans all day long.  Fresh green beans are an intense disappointment for me.  So waxy and unpleasant to chew.  But that's beside the point.  I decided to try my hand at homemade sloppy joes...And they have been a staple at my house since I started making them.  My husband loves them and they are super simple to make.  They use mostly ingredients that I usually have on hand, and they're a bit more interesting than burgers when you're just not really in the mood for a meat-hunk.

You will need:

1 TBSP vegetable oil (to coat the pan)

1.5 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP montreal steak seasoning (or whatever steak seasoning you have on hand)

1 medium onion

1 green bell pepper (my husband hates bell peppers so we opt to leave it out)

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP worcestershire sauce 

15 oz. tomato sauce

3 TBSP tomato paste

Rolls (Hearty, crusty rolls are best, but I had some hamburger buns that were creeping a little too close to their "Best if used by" date, so...There ya go)

Chop up your onion.  I like to chop it pretty small so that the onion has very little textural presence in the dish.  I know the onion is necessary but if I could just forget it was there, that would be fantastic.

Heat your oil over medium high heat, then add your ground beef and start to brown it.  Ignore how ugly my pan is because your momma raised you to be polite.

Mix together your brown sugar and montreal steak seasoning.  Add to the pan before the meat is completely brown but after you've got a little build-up of grease.  I know that sounds gross.  But just trust me on this.

Once meat has browned, add your onions, vinegar, and worcestershire to the pot.  If you're using peppers, now's the time to add those as well.  Cook it up for 5 minutes.

Now you're going to add your tomato sauce and paste.  Mix it all up and then reduce your heat to a simmer.  Keep it on a very low boil for 5 minutes more.

If it ain't pretty, you're doing something right.  Now taste it and make sure it's yummy yummy nom nom.  Season with salt and pepper if ya wanna.  Serve on buns.

The omnomnomnomiest side to go with this is deviled egg potato salad.  But I didn't have time to make that last night.  So because I'm such a culinary master, it was mac and cheese and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and green beans (why, yes!  They were canned green beans!) and the hubs' not-so-sophisticated pallet didn't mind one bit.  I'll include my recipe for the potato salad below, though, in case anyone's interested.

Deviled Egg Potato Salad:

9 prepared and peeled hard boiled eggs

5-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I use russet)

Kosher Salt

1/4 onion, grated

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon tabasco (or other pepper sauce)

Salt and pepper

Remove yolks from eggs, but do not dispose of the yolks.  Chop whites of eggs into small chunks.  Boil potatoes in water seasoned with kosher salt until tender, but not falling apart (about 10 minutes).  Drain the potatoes and return to warm pot for 2 minutes to dry out.  Spread on a cookie sheet to cool.  In a medium bowl combine yolks, onion, mustard, mayonnaise, paprika, and tobasco.  Mix well.  Add potatoes to the yolk mixture and distribute evenly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Fold in chopped egg whites.

5 things I've learned about mommyhood so far

5)  Everything is a phase

This is both a relief and a burden.  It's great news to learn that the incessant middle-of-the-night, can't-I-just-go-back-in-your-tummy, I-CAN-NOT-PHYSICALLY-BE-FED-ENOUGH, screaming is just a phase.  However, when your baby has seemingly gotten into the habit of sleeping until 9 in the morning, and your life is so perfect you just want to cry from well-rested happiness…That makes it so much harder when you hear that formerly familiar 4 a.m. cry.  Currently we're waiting for the end of the I-don't-want-to-be-swaddled-but-if-you-put-me-to-bed-sans-swaddle-I-will-only-suck-on-my-hands-until-I'm-bored-and-then-I-will-cry-because-I-am-so-exhausted-but-you're-crazy-if-you-think-I'm-going-to-bed phase.  But at least I know it's just that…a phase.

4)  Stop to smell the roses…And take a video of those dang roses, even if they don't do much

When Amber Nora was brand new, I was kind of surprised to discover how little newborns truly do.  I don't know what I thought.  I was aware of their total lack of motor skills and inability to control literally every single part of their body.  But seriously.  She just slept, and ate, and pooped, and cried.  Nothing too terribly interesting.  I took my first video of her when she was 3 weeks old, and she wasn't doing anything other than sitting in her swing, staring out the window.  But now I look back and I wish I had earlier videos, before she could even stare.  The memories it sparks…That time when she was so little and so fragile and so perfect and so new…You will never be a brand new mom again.  When you have another, I'm sure the love and wonderment is just as strong…But I imagine your confidence and honestly, your competence is at a much higher level.  That brand new feeling is something to capture and cherish…And now, I try to have a camera within reach whenever possible.  I was fortunate enough to get most of her "seconds".  Her second smile, the second time she rolled over, her second belly laugh.  Once I knew to look out for it, I had the camera poised and ready.  And I already look back on those videos, reminisce, and lament on how fast my perfect little baby girl is growing up.  I love my videos.  I'm pretty sure I'll love them even more 10 years from now.

3)  A decent camera is a good investment

I am an obsessive documenter of my daughter's life, it's true.  Everything she does is picture-worthy to me.  My family just got together and bought me a fabulous DSLR camera for my birthday, so mine wasn't really an investment on my part, but OH, the difference!  I was using a little point and shoot before, which will still get it's fair share of use (and takes 1080p video…Can't imagine trying to hold my big 'ole DSLR to take videos of her while she lays in my arms…) but I am so excited about the possibilities and the memories I'll be able to capture with a camera that can capture every drop of water, every type of lowlight setting, every crazy-swirly-dancey moment.  All I see on Facebook is camera phone photos of babies, and I have had so many people tell me, even technology bloggers, that cameras are an obsolete appliance because of smart phones.  In my opinion, not.even.close.

2)  There's a reason you chose to make a baby with that oaf who hogs half your bed

My husband, Jon, and I have always been adamant that our relationship is different.  When we had kids, we would still make each other a priority.  We wouldn't lose ourselves just because we made a commitment to a tiny chunk of human.  We loved each other too much to let our relationship fall by the wayside.  PUH.  Those tiny chunks of human are a lot more all-consuming than you bargain for.  And I, as a brand new mommy, was like a bitchy tiger going through hormone replacement therapy or something.  "I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE BABY POWDER.  Are you trying to kill my child?  The butt paste does the same exact thing and she's not inhaling tiny specs of doom!  Why don't you listen to me?  Why don't you care?  If you didn't want a baby you should have just said so.  All I wanted was a back rub!  I'm sorry baby….Baby, I'm sorry.  I love you so much.  I shouldn't have said all that.  I didn't realize all the butt paste was gone.  I love - WHY ARE YOU HOLDING HER LIKE THAT?  She doesn't like it when you put your hand under her kneecaps!  Why do you never listen to anything I say???  I know she's your baby, too but did you carry her in YOUR body for 9 months?  No?  Well then newsflash, buddy, I know her a heluva lot better than you do.  Oh, baby.  I'm sorry.  I love you." That sort of a vicious cycle that I'm sure will continue to have a psychological effect on my husband for years to come.  So as my hormones started to level out and I started getting more than 45 minutes of sleep a day, the hubs and I reevaluated the situation.  We remembered the promises we made to each other…And decided to make date night a priority at least twice a month.  That was an extremely difficult thing for me at first.  I cried as I touted my little girl, along with pretty much every single one of her belongings, to grandma's house.  I felt so guilty, I was nauseous.  But that guilt is unfounded.  Grandma wanted time with her and was perfectly capable of taking care of her.  The hubs wanted time with me and really, truly deserved it.  It got easier, and as I relaxed, it really became something to look forward to.  There are other ways to strengthen a post-baby relationship, and we've executed a lot of them, but date night is an oft-forgotten, really important staple…And a good step on the road to being a wife/husband, mother/father, as well as an individual.  It's easy to lose yourself.  Don't.  

1)  Oh, that love…

You know that love that everyone tells you about?  That one you couldn't possible understand until you have a baby of your own?  That cliche that you can't run from because it's everywhere?  It's there for a reason.  Maybe you can't fully register it at first.  You may get depressed because you don't think you love your kid enough.  You're so tired and terrified and hormonal that you really don't know what you've gotten yourself into.  That's ok.  Just wait.  This all encompassing love is what makes it all worth it.  This little thing will poop on you, puke on you, snot all over you, say it loves your mother-in-law more than it loves you, take take take and give nothing in return, and probably go through a 7-year-phase where it hates your guts.  I don't know.  I haven't been there yet.  But I do know that there is nothing this little pain-in-the-ass could do to diminish this love so powerful it aches.  And there will be millions of mommy moments that completely make it worth it.  Like when she's crying in her crib and when I walk in she gives me the biggest grin because she knows I'm there to make it all better.  It's magic.

Let me introduce myself...

Hey, There.  I'm Sadie.

I have a beautiful family.  I know, EVERYONE has a "beautiful" family.  Everyone's biased.  I am, too.  I'm biased, but I'm right.

My daughter, Amber Nora, is now a 4-month-old bundle of cute. That scrunchy little creature now looks like this:

And, to clarify, yes:  Her name is Amber Nora.  Not Amber.  No, I'm not just using her middle name to be cute and southern and sassy.  Though, technically, all of the aforementioned do apply.  She is named for my late mother and my husband's late grandmother.

I grew up spoiled.  Like rotten milk.  Or whatever is in the vegetable drawer of my refrigerator.  Did those used to be carrots?  I'm not sure.  Point is, they're spoiled.  Perhaps I wasn't quite on the level of mystery-veggie-mush, but I definitely had my week-past-it's-expiration-date-milk moments.  I didn't do much in the way of chores as a kid. I had this whole routine where whenever my dad asked me to do any chores, I threw a hiss-fit about something completely unrelated (Do you remember that time you accidentally ran over my heel with the cart at the grocery store?  THAT HURT LIKE A BITCH.  And NOW you expect me to TAKE OUT THE TRASH??  You are the worst parent ever and I hate you!) and then I would storm up to my room with the satisfaction that I successfully evaded chore-time.  This is why I'm afraid of my daughter growing up.  Seriously.  No interest in having a teenage girl.  None.  But I digress.

I have a long way to go, as far as being a mother and a wife.  I have a lot to learn about cooking, maintaining a house, entertaining a baby.  But I have high aspirations and I'm constantly grateful to be a mommy in a pinterest world.  Whereas many see it as an increase in competition, I see it as a huge network of help and ideas that I use in my day-to-day life.  So here it goes.  These are my adventures, opinions, ideas, endeavors in raising Amber Nora...And everything else.