I feel bad

I keep forgetting that I even have this blog. And then when I say that I am going to update, I forget.

So. News.
My birthday is in a week. I'll be turning 20 which is kinda exciting. The sunday before, I'm having a barbeque where my boyfriend will meet my parents for the first time. I am so nervous for that. And then the day of my birthday is going to be just family and mongolian food then frozen yogurt afterwards. Then later that week, out to the club to  dance with some friends.

At the end of May, I will be moving back home. I already have a deposit on a place to live and I will be taking my dogs and cats with me. I'll be living right next door to some good friends of mine and my dog's son. Which should be lots of fun for her.

My mom has been doing well. She was in the hospital in March for a nosebleed that had gone on for two hours. That's fixed now. She went in again over a week ago and they put two stents into her heart. She has a total of five now. But she is doing well. Her stomach bothers her every day and hopefully that will be fixed soon.

My boyfriend and I are doing well. He and I play video games a lot whenever we hang out. There's a few problems every now and then between us but it's a nice relationship. I don't feel like he is "the one" but you never know. Relationships take time. And that is the only thing I have right now. So why not put time into it?

My singing has been on hold for a while but I hope to audition for a show like NBC's The Voice this season. Or next maybe.

That's about all I have right now. Some recipes next time I post! I promise! ♥

The sun... It burns!

   I think today is the first day I actually got up and out of bed since Wednesday. Apparently, on Tuesday, I caught some kind of cold or something because I have not felt human since. All of my family is down for the count actually. Today though, I got out of bed, put some "real clothes" on since pajamas don't apparently count anymore, and did some yard work. That was... not pleasant. A lawnmower, combined with a massive headache adds up to a very not fun afternoon. Oh, and I also baked some more cookies. I know that I promised a recipe Tuesday but I got dragged out to go clubbing after the Mardi Gras celebration. And... I just haven't felt up to looking at a bright laptop screen since then. Right now, Eucalyptus tea is my best friend.

   But I made up some cookies to bring to the parade Tuesday and they were gone within seconds. The recipes I used were pretty basic and just taken off the packages but, I like to tweak them to fit my needs.

  My first recipe is from the back of the Nestle Toll House milk chocolate chips package.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
•  1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (1 1/2) teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Milk Chocolate Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

   So that's the recipe with my variations done in RED. To me, the extra vanilla just gives it a slight edge and the cinnamon gives it a small kick that sends it over the edge and into deliciousness. I personally hate putting nuts in baked goods but if you like it then go for it. I also do not use a tablespoon to measure out my cookies. I have a cookie scoop like this one http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oneida-Trigger-Cookie-Scoop/15149534 that works perfectly. I love it so much and regret no t buying one sooner.

  My other recipe is off of the back of the Reese's Peanut Butter Chips package and my only variant is, I save some of my cookie dough from the chocolate chip recipe above (without the chocolate chips mixed in!) and incorporate it into this recipe. It gives the cookies a buttery flavor that I think is absolutely great and I think it adds dimension to what is already a great cookie. So here is that recipe, again, my variations in red.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup of Nestle Toll House Choclate Chip Cookie dough without chips

1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 9 (13) minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly (5 minutes); remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

   I found that cooking them for only 9 minutes left the centers of the cookies a bit... doughy. At 13 minutes, they came out just fine. Some did tend to stick to the pan where the chips were but other than that, the recipe is great. I really loved making these and getting cocoa powder all over my kitchen.

   And as my headache gets worse, I find myself drifting off topic then going back and erasing lines that honestly make no sense at all. Forgive me bloggers but I think I will go make myself some tea and then lie down.

  I hope that if any of you try the recipes out that you enjoy them! I know I did. Maybe a little too much.

For the insomniacs

   I finally have a chance to update! Sure it's 2 in the morning and I can't sleep but I finally have a minute! The past week has been absolutely mad! It's Mardi Gras/ Carnivale time here and boy, do these Cajuns use every excuse for a party! This is my first time attending any Mardi Gras events so my amazing friends have been dragging me out to every possible parade, concert, dance or social event available. You know you're having fun when the rain is pouring down on you and you're getting smacked in the face with plastic beads but you don't care because everyone is laughing and spirits are high. I am having such a great time. I also had my very first king cake (cinnamon apple cream cheese!!) made by this adorable little bakery on some random back road. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted!!! Needless to say, I love Mardi Gras and everything that comes with it!

   I have been going to the gym for a week again and was looking into buying some equipment for home. Has anyone else been unsettled by the fact that, in almost all the home gym ads, the people using the equipment are incredibly fit? Just once, I'd like to see an overweight person with sweat pouring down their forehead but really pushing hard on the machine. I know that the companies are trying to say, "This is the body you could have if you just did our 10 minute workout 3 times a week!" That just seems so danged unrealistic to me and I can't stand it. I don't know why but it irritates me to bits. On the bright side, I've lost a couple more pounds. I'm almost at the 20 mark!!! Woohoo!

   I promise, I will get that cupcake recipe up soon. Maybe I'll post it with tomorrow's update. I'm making some amazing cookies to take to the last parade of the season and will definitely post my recipe. Meanwhile,  as I make empty promises, y'all can enjoy some pictures from this week.

There's my dog Luna (a great dane) all dressed up for the doggie parade.

One of the floats at a smaller (not really small, just not "the big one") parade.

I woke up at 6 a.m. to that wonderful peaceful moment right before the sun rises and had to snap a picture in my backyard.

Another reason this week rocked!!! My new Harry Potter books came in the mail! They're all about how the films were made with some input from the actors. They're so awesome and I just love them. Of course, I'm obsessed with HP so this just feeds my addiction.

   So, that's what's been going on lately. I promise, recipes tomorrow. I will be baking in the morning and will update while the sweets are in the oven!

Home.

Hey y'all! I just wanted to update (now that I can finally catch my breath). Mom is out of the hospital now.

She had a heart attack on Sunday in the afternoon. They took her in and put three stints in her heart. They said her aorta to her legs was blocked. So they had to go through that. She had a breathing tube put in and was sedated to keep her comfortable.

She woke up Tuesday after getting the tube out craving a Lemon Grape slush from Sonic Drive-In. Her doctor gave her the green light on that. So she's changed flavors every day. Rootbeer, Diet cherry limade, sprite zero with lime.

She was released from the hospital today and came home then crawled into bed and curled up with her dog. So needless to say she's feeling much better.

I just am so happy to have her home. New recipe tomorrow! For cupcakes :D And now that I've left with you that... Goodnight!

Sickness

So I was going to post a new recipe. But then I got sick. And right now, I can't do a good update because I am sitting in a hospital waiting room. My mom was admitted this afternoon for some heart trouble. Waiting to go and see her in the ICU. Love you all and I should get a recipe up soon! For cupcakes. Mmm.

Ttfn!

Do You Like Cinnamon Rolls?

I love cinnamon rolls. They are my favorite guilty pleasure. I can never eat just one. Sometimes not even just two! I don't think there's anything better than a fresh-out-of-the-oven, drizzled-in-icing, ooey-gooey cinnamon roll. But this post isn't about cinnamon rolls.

Whaaaat? No. It's about cookies. The most amazingly deliciously looking cookies I have ever laid eyes on. I will more than likely be making these later on today (as it is 2:00 a.m. right now).


Thanks to the amazing maggiefiasco of Reddit.com, while browsing Reddit and trying to fall asleep, I stumbled across these bad boys. I asked Ms. Maggie (as I will now call her) if I could borrow the recipe she graciously posted as long as I gave her credit. Here is what she said: 

Actually I modified this recipe that I found on this blog, who found it and modified it from another blog, which was adapted from this blog, who doubtless found it somewhere else entirely...
I find that recipes are an endless passing down of knowledge with tweaks along the way. The current incarnation I have published in my previous comment is with my own modifications and additions.

She happens to have a very good point but again I asked if I could use her version. She said sure! So now, I can share this calorie-ridden, guilt-laden, coma-inducing, butter-friendly recipe with all of you lovely people! Yum!


The Dough:

• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 T. unsalted, soft butter
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1/3 c. light brown sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp. vanilla

The Filling:

• 3 T. maple syrup
• 1/3 c. dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

The Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 2 T. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine the dry ingredients for the dough in a medium sized bowl and bring together with a whisk. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl. Add the egg white and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients by thirds, mix until just combined.
4. Roll between two pieces of parchment paper or wax paper to form a 12-inch square. Chill for about 30 minutes.
5. Carefully peel the bottom paper off the dough. Flip the dough and do the same with the other paper. Top the chilled dough with the maple syrup and then sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar.
6. Carefully roll the cookie dough up in a spiral and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze until firm.
7. Preheat your oven to 350.
8. Slice into 1/4-inch slices and bake on a parchment lined sheet pan for 8-10 minutes. Place the sheet pan on a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the sheet pan and continue cooling them on a cooling rack.
9. While the cookies bake, mix together you glaze ingredients. Should be slightly sticky. After cookies have cooled on the sheet, drizzle glaze over them.

Turns out, I had to make a couple of modifications to the directions because the way they were written didn't make sense to me. So the wheel turns...

I hope all of you lovelies enjoy this recipe as much as I'm sure I will! Can't wait to get the ingredients and make them later! But alas, I know I will eat way too many and then I will feel guilty and have to go to the gym. Oh well! Totally worth it!

Oh, and pertaining to the gym thing... On my diet, I have so far lost 10 pounds. I dropped that the first week and then gained some back (had to eat a little fast food) and lost it again. I am hoping to lose a total of 70 pounds by August 3rd. There's a certain event I will be attending that I'd love to wear a bikini for.

I have been taking SlimQuick as well as eating fewer than 1200 calories a day and exercising at a beginner level. As far as I can tell, it's paying off. I feel more energetic and a little stronger honestly. I know I have a long way to go to "healthy" but I already feel so much better than before I started this diet.

I'm really glad I decided to take care of my body but honestly, who could resist a recipe like this?

Again, my credit for this amazing recipe goes to MaggieFiasco. Thanks Ms. Maggie!

Cocoa powder goodness.

Do you ever get a weird craving for things? Today, I had to actually go to the store (in awful weather I might add) just to satisfy an intense craving. I knew I wouldn't be happy 'til I got it.

Brownies. Specifically, a brownie sundae. I was going crazy needing one of these. So off to the store I went to buy cocoa powder and eggs.

I tried out a new recipe actually. While mixing, I was a little worried because the batter was very thick. After eating one of these... oh my goodness. I will definitely be making these again.

Fudge brownies:
   • 1 1/3 cups butter
   • 2 2/3 cups sugar
   • 4 eggs
   • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
   • 1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
   • 2 cups flour
   • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
   • 1/2 teaspoon salt
   • Powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Using a mixer (I used my Kitchen Aid with the batter attachment), cream together your butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla. Blend well on 4. Turn down to 2 and add your dry ingredients, blending well. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and spread your batter in evenly. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar (optional).

These brownies were so absolutely delicious that I'm surprised there's still some in the pan. If any of you try them, please let me know how they came out for you.

For the record, I topped my brownie with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, Smucker's Hot Fudge and a maraschino cherry. Yum!!!