That Mom

In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would become That Mom.

And for the most part, I'm not. 

For instance, I am lucky to get a shower by noon on most days.  Especially if it is a run day.  Why on earth would I shower in the morning knowing I am just going to get all sweaty and have to do it again a few hours later.  I have no desire to look pretty at the bus stop.

Also, let's talk about what I wear on a daily basis.  Um, mostly workout clothes.  Partially because they are comfortable, partially because I have very few clothes that fit.  You would be proud of me dear readers ... I finally braved the mall and it's teenage clerks and bought myself a pair of jeans that fit.  I hate shopping and having a 16 year old kid try to sell me skinny jeans is anxiety provoking for me.  So, can I get by all winter with just one pair?!?

Hairstyle, mostly ponytails.  Yes, I am 36 years old and my hairstyle of choice most days is a ponytail.  It takes too much effort and time to dry my hair.  And most days, the only people I see are my 3 year old and the clerk at Target.  Don't think either of them care. 

So I am certainly not the perfect looking mom that is bright eyed at the bus stop with her starbucks, but where I do get "that mom" status is my baked goods.

I'm the one that brings home made baked goods everywhere she goes. PTA meetings, bus stops, ballet class recitals, soccer games.

And considering the amount of catasphrophes that I have had in the kitchen, it is fairly amazing;

My fire count is at 3, I think

I've cut myself severely more than a few times with knives, scissors, a mandolin, and a blender

Once, I picked up a pan that had just come out of a 350 degree oven with my bare hands

I've burnt the heck out of a whole lot of recipes

I once mixed up the measurements for salt and sugar ...

I could go on and on

Despite all the catastrophes, I just love to bake.  It's fun.  And stress relieving.  

Here's my secret ... the reason that I bring this stuff everywhere I go ... Really is all about me ... I love love love to bake and play in the kitchen, but if it sits around the house, well, I will eat it and eat it and eat it ....

Seriously, until I am physically ill.  I have a sweet tooth like no other and absolutely no self control.  And I really don't want to have to go back to the mall and buy another pair of jeans.

Those Granola Bars I make ... I may or may not have finished off the entire batch once in 4 days. 

Just add it to the list of self help programs I need. 

And since I started running, while I could induldge more in sweets, I actually don't.  Seems counterintuitive I know, but my logic is that if I just ran my ass off for 50 minutes, I really don't want to ruin it 20 minutes later by eating a whole pan of granola bars.  Make sense?

So I bake, you enjoy, there is nothing to hate about that, right?

I saw these on pinterest and knew I had to try them.  They are so cute!  What a great idea!

They are sugar cookies ... shaped to look like candy corn.

Fun, right?

I used these for bus stop treats.  Packaged them up in little cellophane bags with cute little ribbons.

These were really easy to put together, I thought that they might be hard. 

Basically it is a sugar cookie with colored dough. 

***Just a warning before you get started, you really want to refrigerate this dough overnight!!!*****

Here's the recipe:

2 Sticks Butter, softened
1 c. Sugar
1 Egg
2 T. Lemon Juice
1/8 t. Salt
3 c. Flour
1/2 t. Baking Soda
Red Food Coloring

Yellow Food Coloring

Sugar for Coating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds.

Press one-third of the plain dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with parchment paper. Place another one-third of the dough into a bowl and add yellow and red food dye to make orange.  Once it is mixed evenly, press orange dough evenly over white dough. In another bowl, add the final amount of dough and dye yellow. Press that evenly over the orange dough. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Once chilled, turn your loaf pan upside down on a cutting board and unwrap your dough. Cut loaf into 1/4-inch slices.  

Cut each slice into 6 wedges.  Roll each wedge in sugar then place on pan.

Bake 6 to 10 minutes, until just a tiny bit brown on the bottom.  You don't want to over bake these!

The kids loved them, they were delicious, and this made a ton (though the cookies themselves are small).

Happy Fall everybody!

Hopefully I'll be back later in the week with a scone recipe and a story of how NOT to use a mandolin!

Hallie

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been searching for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe for awhile.  The last time I made the one on the back of the Nestle bag, well, let's just say they left something to be desired.  They came out really flat.  And not a lot of taste.  I needed something different. 

So I searched.

And searched.

And searched.

It seems every blog out there claimed to have the "Worlds' Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe".  They certainly all couldn't be world's best, right?

My neighbor lent me a cook book and I decided to start there.   This recipe is from Baking Illustrated and I have to say, it is delicious.  World's Best?  Quite possibly ... I don't think I have tried enough to give it that title, but these disappeared in my house very quickly.  And I won't be looking for a new recipe anytime soon.

You really should try them. 

Probably you should workout first as you might eat the whole batch.

And if you worked out first, then you wouldn't feel so guilty. 

Still a little guilty, because you did eat the WHOLE batch, but not quite so guilty.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Baking Illustrated

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. **Here is where it gets crazy - Baking Illustrated recommends forming your cookies this way to get a nice jagged edge on top, leaving them looking very professional.  It takes one of two to get the hang of it, but I do recommend it, they come out great!**  Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. You do not want to over bake these.  Cool the cookies on the sheets.

Hallie

Margarita Cookies

One last treat for Cinco de May week ... Margarita cookies! 

I can honestly tell you that I think these are the best cookies that I have ever had.  Ever.  And that says a lot coming from a die hard chocolate girl.  They are very light and fresh tasting and have a yummy lime flavor. 

I can take no credit whatsoever for this recipe, I found it on a fabulous blog called Bakingdom and did not change a thing about the recipe for the cookies. 

Here it is:

Margarita Cookies
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon tequila
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt

Lime Frosting* - (This I did alter slightly from the original recipe)

1 cup (2 stick) butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon tequila
3 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

*This makes enough frosting to frost 2 batches of cookies.  I have never tried cutting the recipe in half, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out and didn't want to post the recipe if I hadn't tried it.  My answer to this problem ... Make 2 batches of cookies ... I promise, they won't last long!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg, then add the lime juice, zest,  milk, and tequila. Mix well. Mix half of the flour mixture in with the wet ingredients; stir until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix again.

Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto baking sheets, leaving room for the cookies to spread. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cookies start looking firm on the outside. Allow to cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: Cream butter until light and fluffy.  Add the 3 cups sugar and beat until the mixture comes together. Mix in the vanilla, lime, and tequila and beat until fluffy. Add more lime juice or more powdered sugar if the consistency needs adjusting.  Add the zest and stir well.

We really hope that you have enjoyed Cinco de Mayo week on Try One.  We have had a lot of fun with it and will probably be doubling up on our challenge exercises to make up for all the calories we have consumed this week. 

Or maybe we will just buy bigger pants!

Hallie