The best (simple) cookie

So 'tis the season to be baking.
Everyone will be baking pies, cakes, cookies, etc. Every so often I like to bake the classic chocolate chip cookie because, well, it's still one of my favorites of all time.

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325; grease cookie sheets or line w/ parchment paper
Sift flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla until light and creamy.
Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
Stir in chocolate chips with wooden spoon. Stir in nuts.
Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time about 3 inches apart.
Bake 15-17 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.



GOT MILK?



GOT KIDS? (if you do, they'll love this recipe)

Dinner is served (Indian style)

I love my husband. He has opened up my eyes to so many different types of things, food being one of them. On any given night we can go for anything, not just the normal burger, fries and a coke.

Last night we decided on Indian. We revisited this place not too far from the kid's school, India's Tandoori. We picked up the food to go and were happy to find out that they deliver to our neck of the woods. The food was great and here are some of our recommendations:



- Samosas (they're huge and hearty)
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Matar Paneer
- Bhindi Bhaji (ask for 'spicy')
- Garlic Naan

~enjoy!

How'd it happen?

This blog was suppose to be all about my family my daily life as mom, wife, daugter, friend, etc. It's turning more and more into a food blog. Could it be that I'm becoming a 'foodie?' Was I always one? Have I lived a sheltered life not able to talk, cook or write about all of the fab food in my life. Dunno, but I do know that I'm having WAY TOO MUCH FUN now.

So for those of you who were only expecting to see/read about what normally happens in my Fab life, be prepared to see what Fab treats I'm eagerly cooking up.

Marathon baking weekend

The inspiration for me going COMPLETELY INSANE this weekend in my baking was my husband's trip to both Temecula and TJ (yes, Tijuana) for a bachelor party weekend. To keep myself from being that insane wife on the 405/5 Fwy at 2am looking for a group of men that resembled my husband's friend, I chose to invite over a group of my friends to enjoy some of my baked goods.

Friday got started early with me baking some Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes with 3 Muskateers and Milky Ways in the center. I froze some of the candies and crumbled them up on top for even more chocolate-ty goodness.

(the ladies in the office really appreciated these little babies)

Later that night I got up enough nerve to complete some past challenges issued by my new sorority/fraternity group of bakers. First up....
Bostini Cream Pie, here's the recipe.


Then, onto the Buttery Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes sans frosting (where I got the recipe was from here)


Salted Carmel Cheesecake (sans crust) followed the peanut buttery goodness. I served this dessert in a glass with apple slices to spoon out the goodness. YUM! I found this recipe here, but she found the recipe here...


This was it for Friday night. Thanks to the "Friday" crew for coming through and eating it all up! Special thanks to Kristen for bringing over the Chandon champagne.

----------

After going to the San Pedro Girls Softball Turkey Tournament with my daughter (where her team kicked Bellflower's butt) on Saturday morning (she is North Torrance 10U #1). I came home and began doing a much needed cleaning up around the house. Chris took an extended nap, and I was free to clean and re-arrange all I wanted. Afterwards, I was all pumped up to bake up something even better than the night before for my next taste testers.

First up, Pumpkin spice cake w/ butterscotch walnut filling and brown sugar icing. I picked up this recipe from here, but she scored it from here...


While the cake was in the oven, I made the crust for the Milk Chocolate Carmel Tart I'd finish up this weekend with. The crust is made with hazelnuts (which I could ONLY find at Bristol Farms - thank goodness). You have to allow the crust to sit in the bowl overnight and then press it into the pan when you're ready to use it. Here is the recipe for this chocolate/caramel sensation.

(ontop of the that tart are carmel fragments that are suppose to be decoration. Mine seem to look like a damn not-so-happy face (I assure you this was not my intent).

All in all I think I had a pretty successful baking weekend. All that sampled were impressed and thankful.

On to my next challenge.

Question?

Am I the only one that gets blog-writer's block? I mean there are so many things that go on in my life, on a daily basis, that I could literally blog about anything (mostly things that you'd not be interested in) all day long.

My friend Nanner said it best that bloggers want to write about things that are interesting for all to read, not just a bunch of crap. I mean, what else makes a blog interesting. Aside from a cool layout, beautiful pictures and snazzy sidebars inforomation; the only reason people keep coming back to your page is to read your thoughts (or out of obligation).

Anyhoot, I'm still trying to be selective about waht I put on this page. I mean, I could literally fill up an entire page with my daily routine of property management, limo driving the kids to and from school/practice and tips on keeping my sanity while raising 3 kids.

I've been accepted.

Although I can't blog about my recent induction to a woman group of exceptional women, please know that I WILL be bloggin' (at the end of November) about my recent acheivement.

I know, I know. I hate it when people begin to tell me something and then don't. It really ruffles my feathers and I normally don't do it. Just believe that I TRULY want to tell you, but I can't. I'm sworn to secrecy until I prove myself worthy.

In the end it will all be worth it, I'll even have a cool new LOGO to post on my page... ... WOO HOO!

Can't wait.

Gosh darn it!

Clif had a Holiday Boo Bash celebartion at his job this past Tuesday. Co-workers were all to pitch in and bring a dessert treat to the 'shingdig' (the execs were springing for - wait for it - PIZZA).

We decided to make a carrot cake (w/ orange-colored, cream cheese frosting) and decorate it as a jack-o-latern.

Here's the cake (during the designing stage):




Here's what it looked like after I put it in the car; drove to Long Beach (from Torrance); sat in the car for a few minutes talking to Clif; watched daddy play with Chris during his short break... and then dropped it on the floor, of the Quest, right before handing it to Clif before he took it upstairs to share with his co-workers.

*&!%^/?$@# cake holding, tupperware dish)