M&M cookies

I sat at the kitchen table staring at an overflowing glass bowl of M&M's.  They were so pretty and colorful peeking through the glass at me.  I could literally hear them calling my name as my hand kept attempting to escape and grab some.  Oh darn.  I considered my options.  A) Eat the whole bowl right then and there. B) Alert the rest of the household of their existence and hope they eat more of them then I do. C) Pour them into a plastic bag and hide them away somewhere - where I will still no doubt be able to hear their daunting little pleas to eat them.  D) Throw them away. E) Bake them into cookies which will help me with portion control seeing as there are only about 6-8 M&M's in each cookie.  Hum yeah.  I am going to choose door "E" for this one.  I measured out the M&M's and they portioned out to exactly 2 cups.  It was fate.  Cookies were in my near future, I could almost taste them.

By the time the cookies were baked I was sick of sugar.  This always happens when there is dough involved.  You think I would have learned this by now and stopped eating the delicious cookie dough.  Somethings in life are just too good to change.  When I die I really hope people throw cookie dough on my casket and not roses - a ball of cookie dough speaks to my soul in a way that a single red rose never could.  Some people don't understand this, then again most people just pretend like they don't understand, but secretly I know they do.

When I over consume sugar all I want is a stalk of broccoli trees to make me feel better.  This is a pattern I have continuously stuck with over the last 30 years I have walked this earth.  Broccoli tree, cookie, Broccoli tree, cake, etc.  If only the rest of life was so easy.  Help a little old lady cross the road, steal candy from a baby - the playing field is even.

I sat at the kitchen table staring at a plate full of freshly baked cookies.  They were so pretty and colorful still taunting me.  Looks like I solved my M&M dilemma, now I have a new one.  Isn't this how it always works? : )

M&M Cookies

adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp hot water

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. scrape.cream.

Add eggs. Scrape. mix until smooth.

Add vanilla and stir.

Dissolve baking soda in water and add to batter along with salt. stir.scrape.stir.

Toss M&M's with flour and add to batter.  Stir, scrape, stir.

Scoop out with mini ice cream scoop onto parchment lined baking pan (or pan sprayed with non-stick spray)

Bake 8-10 minutes, depends on the size of your scoop.  Always under bake your cookies - they are more chewy this way. : )

I know I have posted this song before, but I love it and always like reminding people of how awesome it is. 

Listen to this song, 

make these cookies, 

figure out creative solutions to your problems, 

and have a cookie.

Eat your heart out,

Dagny

Peach Cobbler and turning 30!

I turn 30 tomorrow.  You are probably wondering how I feel about this?  Or maybe you aren't, but I am going to tell you anyway...this is how I feel...

1.  Eh.  I always feel "eh" about my birthday.  Maybe because I don't like celebrating my own birthday, and I like celebrating other people's birthdays so much more.  I don't really mind the whole "getting older" thing, I just don't like being the center of attention....most of the time : )

2.  Nervous.  My kid sister is planning my "Singin' in the Rain" themed party...I am not involved, and not allowed to know the details...this is driving my "always in charge of everything" side crazy...hum, I trust that I have trained her well though and that she will throw me a smashing party. : )  No pressure Mimi. ; )

3.  Milestone birthdays are always a little more important, and a little more special.  The last milestone was 21-and that went really well, so I have high hopes for my 30th.

4.  I have heard a lot of sad tragic stories recently of people dying young, this makes me grateful that God has let me live this long so far...if you want to give me something for my birthday - pray that God has it in His plans to let me live a heck of a lot longer!

5.  Honestly.  Like most girls I thought by the time I was 30 I would have the typical "dream life" - a great husband with a great day job who was also the lead singer in a Jazz band, a few sweet kids with peanut butter smeared in their hair, the quintessential little house with the white fence-garden in the back-fruit trees everywhere, we would have dinner parties all the time.  It would be grand.  I know my actual life sounds so different in comparison to that dream, but obviously God had another plan for me...and it's not so bad if I don't say so myself.

I have my Faith-which keeps me anchored and grounded in things I should be anchored and grounded in.

I have my family - who keeps me on my toes, makes me feel needed - maybe a little too much, and loves me on most days when I am not lecturing them on their inabilities to close cabinet doors and clean the kitchen.

I have my Man - who makes me feel special, takes care of me when I do dumb things like cut my finger with a fork. and basically makes me really happy.

I have my friends - who are amazing and awesome, and make life a heck of a lot more enjoyable and fun.

I have my job - which isn't at all what I thought I wanted, but somehow it works and most days I don't have to try too hard to drag myself out of bed...except on Mondays...ohh Mondays.

I have my Church Group - which keeps me so busy I don't have too much time to cry about getting old - nice job guys, way to distract me from my crying appointments. : )

I have my health - quirky at times, but overall good...it better be after all the exercising I do and all those darn vegetables I cram into my body....darn you lettuce.

I have a roof over my head (that I don't pay for - yeah to living with the parents and free rent), I have food in my belly (usually lots of it and not the fake stuff but real darn good food), I have clothes on my back (and also on my front thank goodness)

I really can't complain.  So what if I am 30 and not living the life I thought I would have by now - what is important is that I am living and I am happy.  So take that 30 - go shake your almost mid life crisis stick somewhere else I am just going to sit here and eat this delicious Peach Cobbler instead.

Peach Cobbler
adapted from Paula Deen

4 cups sliced peaches - I keep the skin on because I like it, but peel it if you want to do more work
2 cups sugar - divided
1/2 cup water
8 TBS Butter
1 1/2 cups SELF RISING flour*
1 1/2 cups milk
Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large pan stir the peaches, water, and 1 cup of the sugar.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Put the butter in a 13x9 baking pan or a 3 quart baking dish.  Place in hot oven until butter is melted.  Remove from oven.

In medium bowl mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk until smooth.  Pour mixture into pan over melted butter.  DO NOT STIR.  Spoon fruit mixture evenly on top of this, pour syrup over it all.  DO NOT STIR.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Batter will raise to the top while baking.  Bake 30-45 minutes.  Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream.

* Self rising flour is not all purpose flour, it has added leavening agents.  If you don't have self rising flour you can make your own