C is for Cookie, and That's Good Enough for Me

If you know me in real life you also know I love to bake. I pull out my KitchenAid stand mixer in honor of birthdays and special occasions, for friends when they or their family members are under the weather, to celebrate elementary school teachers and staff, to support fundraisers and events, and to encourage attendance at meetings. Oh, and on "Cookie Wednesdays" and "Cake Fridays" (my own inventions), because everyone deserves a sweet treat both on hump day and to kick off the weekend.

I've never made these cookies, but they
look like exactly what Hallie would make
if given free reign in the kitchen.

Recently I've had a few requests for some of my favorite cookie recipes. So here they are, in honor of Cookie Wednesday and because the holidays are just around the corner. Happy cookie baking, friends!

I make chocolate chip cookies at least once every couple of weeks, and I use the recipe on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip package. I do, however, decrease the amount of sugar: the recipe calls for 3/4 of a cup of both white and brown sugar, and I use less than 1/2 cup of each.

When I still want chocolate but want to mix it up a bit, I make The Pioneer Woman's chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I use only semi-sweet chocolate chips because I don't like white chocolate chips, and I cut the called for 2 cups of sugar down to about 1 1/4 cups of sugar.

Another favorite is my oatmeal raisin cookies. I frequently make these cookies exactly according to the recipe (the sugar has already been cut in the recipe instructions), but almost as often I omit the raisins and sub in chocolate chips or a combination of craisins and white chocolate chips.

Every summer I make these Raisin Bran cookies, and every summer Will and Hallie tell me they taste like sand. (Quite the salesmen, aren't they?) I, on the other hand, love them. They remind me a little of bran muffins - still tasty, but somewhat healthier than chocolate chip muffins...especially when you use 1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. brown sugar, and butter instead of margarine. 

For the candy bar lover, bake these almond joy cookies. Even with 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. brown sugar, they are plenty sweet and sure to please!

In the fall, these carrot cake cookies hit the spot. I've made them both with and without raisins, and while I prefer the version with raisins, both Will and Hallie prefer raisin-less. I also use 1/4 cup - rather than 1/2 cup - of brown sugar. Also of note, these cookies taste best the day they're made and don't last longer than about 48 hours. 

Pumpkin snickerdoodles are another fall favorite. I use 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar in the cookies, and for the topping I use only sugar (no cinnamon). Also, instead of rolling the dough balls in sugar and then flattening them, I flatten the dough balls first and then sprinkle them with sugar. Like the carrot cake cookies above, these cookies taste best the day they're made.

If carrots and/or pumpkin cookies don't satisfy your fall sweet tooth, give these apple cookies with butterscotch frosting a try. I use 3/4 cup sugar and granny smith apples in the cookies, and for the frosting I use melted butterscotch chips (instead of butterscotch ice cream topping) and 3 - rather than 4 cups of powdered sugar. 

When I want the taste of a sugar cookie but don't have time to chill, roll out, and use cookie cutters on the dough, I make these Amish sugar cookies. (I use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of 1 cup oil, and I use 3/4 cup of both sugars.

In the spring, when I need a fresh and light cookie, I make these key lime coconut cookies. (I use regular limes and skim milk rather than whole milk. If I use sweetened coconut I cut the sugar down to about 3/4 cup, but if I use unsweetened coconut I use the full amount of sugar - the sweetness is needed to counteract the tartness from the lime juice.)

And last but certainly not least... These gingersnaps - courtesy of the Ferris family - are by far the most popular cookie I ever make. Don't cut the sugar here; this recipe is perfect just as it's written. The keys to these cookies turning out perfectly are to 1) leave them in the oven for exactly 9 minutes without opening the oven at all until the timer goes off, and 2) leave them to cool slightly on the pan for exactly 5 minutes before moving them to a cutting board or a cooling rack.  

Happy fall cookie baking, friends!

Six Years of November

In attempt to brighten up your Monday, I present to you the 6th installment of one of my favorite annual posts. Here is "It's November", courtesy of my Hallie Claire.

November 2011


November 2012


November 2013


November 2014


November 2015


November 2016


Slow down, Father Time.

I still can't watch the 2011 version of this video without tearing up. I miss that sweet, spicy, pleasantly precocious two-year-old… 

High Five for Friday (11.11.16)

1. First and foremost, can I get a high five that Election Day has come and gone? While I hate to say goodbye to the Saturday Night Live versions of our presidential candidates, I look forward to less political talk and fewer news stories, television commercials, radio advertisements, and Facebook posts. Bring on Thanksgiving and Christmas!

2. In honor of Veterans Day, I share with you a singing, drumming, xylophone-playing, and recorder-playing version of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" from Will's 4th grade musical program. If this version of one of America's greatest patriotic songs doesn't make you want to burn every recorder on earth stand at attention facing our flag, I don't know what will. (Will is speaking when the video begins and then starts playing his recorder.)

3. Fall - or a mild version of the season - has arrived in Texas! I wore jeans and boots every day this week, and I have hope that within a week or two the evening temperatures might drop low enough to justify lighting a fire in fireplace. Hallelujah!

4. I finally managed to french braid this kid's hair. What started out as a joke turned into a hairstyle both Will and I actually liked. I certainly don't have time to do something this complicated every day, but going the braid route might make it a little easier for him to see the ball on the soccer field!

5. I think our weekend deserves its own post at some point, but the fact that Hallie and I (just barely) survived our first dance convention demands a high five today. Though I feel like a wolf in sheep's clothing at every turn, I am trying - for Hallie - to be the dance mom she deserves.

(Even when my eyes are open they look closed.) 

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:

 

The Cure for Your Election Hangover

Today will be a difficult day for some, a wonderful day for others. RESPECT THAT. BE KIND. If your candidate lost, respect and be kind to those who believe they made the right choice for our country. If your candidate won, respect and be kind to those who believe our country would have been better off with someone else in the White House.

And now that the presidential decision has been made, remember that this election was not our only opportunity to vote. To have a voice. To affect change in our communities and, on a larger scale, make our country a safer, healthier, gentler place in which to live.

At the end of October I wrote about my decision to - on the day after the election - redirect my emotions and voice toward productivity. I decided to back away from the social media battlefield and out into the real world to do at least one good deed or act of kindness. And I invited all of you to join me.

Many of you indicated you would, so here's your reminder. Today's the day - let's get out there and make the most of it!

Will, Hallie, and I have a couple of ideas up our sleeves for this afternoon, and when I share them next week, I'd love to also share some of your good deeds and acts of kindness. Comment or share a picture of your efforts either here or on Facebook, and please feel free to share this "campaign"!

In case you were thinking about carrying backpacks or shielding friends from the rain on the way home from school, here are a couple of pics of how it's done. Will has the market cornered on after school good deeds and acts of kindness... 

Election Funnies for the Win!

When the countdown to the 2016 Presidential Election comes to an end tomorrow, the emotionally-charged television commercials, radio advertisements, and Facebook posts that accompany this season will cease. THANK GOODNESS.

But before that...

I don't believe in political parties. I tend to vote to one side of the center line most of the time, but I don't agree with this particular party on every issue. I wish Americans had more than two competitive party choices, because on most days I - and many people I know - can't support either one. 

I also don't believe in how politics in our country are structured. Thousands of hours and millions of dollars are spent trying to convince Americans that one way is better than another way and that one candidate is better than another candidate. Regardless of whether or not one way is better than another way and whether or not one candidate is better than another candidate, these hours and dollars should be spent on actually solving our country's biggest problems - poverty, homelessness, hunger, job loss, health care, inequality - rather than on talking about them. 

I do, however, believe in voting. Seven years ago, a candidate for the 11th District of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners caught me sitting on my front porch and started talking to me about his platform. I liked what he stood for, and I voted for him on election day. He won...by ONE vote. 

My vote counts. Your vote counts. Whatever happens tomorrow, make sure that when the polls close, your voice was heard.

And to get you through the rest of today and tomorrow, here are a few election funnies. I think we could all use a good laugh. 

A bad lip reading of the first presidential debate.

The first presidential debate by SNL. 

The second presidential debate by SNL.

The third presidential debate by SNL.

And last but not least, six incredibly bizarre but very real 

political ads. There are swords, light sabers, aliens, and more!

High Five for Friday (11.4.16)

We spent last weekend (and the weekend before that, and the weekend before that) running around like chickens with our heads cut off. All fun, but as I type this - late at night and while my pillow calls my name - it feels like it's possible to have too much fun...

Right now I long for 1) cool, fall-like weather, and 2) an activity-free Friday or Saturday night to spend at home sitting in front of the (lit, hence my desire for cool, fall-like weather) fireplace. Anyone else?

1. On Friday night we went to our annual Halloween pajama party. I love spending the evening sitting around the dining room table talking, laughing, and drinking wine with my friends. That our husbands are great friends and our kids are like cousins is just the icing on the cake.

2. On Saturday morning the kids' elementary school hosted Dinosaur George, the largest traveling natural history museum in the country. This company and its creator allowed us to offer our students an incredible opportunity they may not have otherwise had, and I highly recommend going to see - or bringing to a school near you - George and his dinosaurs!

3. On Saturday afternoon we headed to campus to attend Tom's department's annual faculty/staff/student/alumni tailgate. On our way across the tailgating zone we ran into Hallie's first preschool teacher, Holly, and Holly's two-month-old daughter. It was hard for both Holly and me to grasp that now-second grade Hallie was just two years old when we all met.

When we arrived at the tailgate we discovered that the daughter of one of Tom's co-workers had brought A KITTEN with her. Hallie oohed and aahed over that delightfully adorable and peanut-sized  fluff ball for 30 minutes, petting it and styling its hair while it slept on its owner's lap. Her best tailgate ever. (And maybe my best tailgate ever too...)

Before leaving home, Will begged to pack his chess board in his backpack. Tom and I suggested different options, but left the choice of what to bring up to Will; Will chose chess. And then he found someone - a fifth grade son of an alumni - to play against. His best tailgate ever.

4. (Warning: picture-heavy high five ahead. I couldn't help myself...) Hallie and her fellow Mini Company dancers performed on Sunday afternoon at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The stage wasn't big enough for 13 girls so they had to improvise and dance on the crispy, summer-dried grass in front of the stage, but they took the change in stride and did a beautiful job in their first-ever performance together.

Hallie and her "big sis" (every Mini Company member
has an Apprentice Company member big sister), Kaylin.

Avery, Hallie, and Kara have danced together for four years...so far.

Mini Company and their director, Ms. Christi.

Passing the time while waiting to perform.

And here's where I get crazy with the pics...thanks for humoring me!

5. And last but not least, Halloween!

It was a slow year, but we won the annual "who has more trick-or-
treaters" contest (against my parents and my sister) again anyway!

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:

 

Odds on October

As I'm sure you can tell, I STILL can't nail down a solid title for this series. Please help!

Writing
I'm knee deep in a magazine article about must-visit restaurants in Texas college towns. If you went to school in Texas, I’m interested to know where you’d send your friends if they were headed to your old stomping grounds for a weekend of football and good eats. Email me at erin@chasingroots.com if you'd like to share information about your favorite restaurants!

Reading
I just started a new book, but I don't want to share its title and author just yet. The reason, you ask? I have a special post about this book - one that includes a giveaway - in the works. Watch for both in late November or early December!

Watching
You mean besides soccer practices and games?

I've fallen behind on the many dramas and comedies in my DVR, partly because we reconfigured which televisions in our house have cable boxes. Our bedroom no longer has cable, so while settling down in bed at night I have been working my way through Drop Dead Diva - a somewhat cheesy but enjoyable dramedy - and...even though I've seen every episode multiple times...Friends. I miss my Friends.

On the movie front, I watched Goosebumps with the kids, and while we enjoyed the film, I wouldn't watch it a second time. I took Will to see Middle School: the Worst Years of My Life, and LOVED it. Really, friends, go see this movie. The middle school-esque jokes went over Will's head but the humor and message hit both of us exactly where the creators intended. Oh, and bring tissues. (Trust me.) I saw The Girl on the Train with friends, but having read the book, the movie came in a distant second behind simply spending time with my girls. And lastly, I watched Netflix's Mascots with Tom and his parents. The film stars many of the same comedic geniuses as Christopher Guest's Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, and though this group of improv masters do a decent job of moving the plot along, Mascots just isn't as ridiculous hilarious as its preceding mockumentaries.

Listening To
I listen to my favorite podcasts - Serial, Criminal, and Someone Knows Something - while exercising and while getting ready in the morning, and since I'm caught up on all three, I have been on searching for something new. I've tried a few episodes each of Actual Innocence and Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com, but thus far nothing has stuck. Any other suggestions?

On a musical note, while driving to Houston for one of Will's soccer games, I decided to listen to a CD from my long-abandoned car CD case. I pulled out the soundtrack to Rent, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that even though I haven't listened to the music in years, I still remember every word. That's probably why I can't remember the three items I need to pick up at Target unless I write them down...

Trying/Using
Trying...my hand at crafting Halloween costumes. Using...my glue gun. Recovering from...severe glue gun burns on my hands. The things we do for the ones we love!

I'm also using my new sparkly champagne flute to "fancy up" my occasional class of wine!

I didn't make the glass, but my friends who did tell me the process was easy: modgepodge, glitter, then modgepodge again. I think these would be equally fabulous in holiday colors - can you imagine a gorgeous set of red and green glitter flutes for a Christmas party?

Wearing
As I type this, temperatures outside climb toward the upper 80s. I am done, however, with shorts. Bring on the jeans, no matter how hot it gets outside. And maybe the boots too, just because I bought this fabulous pair in Chicago and can't wait to incorporate them into my Texas wardrobe!

Eating/Drinking
I found a few delicious recipes this month!

• Red Beans, Sausage, and Rice (slow cooker) I used a full red pepper and a full green pepper - rather than just green pepper - and could have added at least an additional teaspoon of Frank's hot sauce. I also served the meal with brown rice instead of white or jasmine rice.
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars As always, I used less sugar than the recipe called for - about 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar. I also didn't layer the dough and chocolate chips; instead, I mixed all of the chocolate chips into the cookie mixture.
• White Chocolate Cupcakes w/ White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting I made these for a friend's birthday and after trying one myself, I had a hard time giving them away. I cut the sugar slightly in both the cupcakes and the frosting, but other than that I made this recipe exactly as it was written. 

Enjoy!

What's new, good, and/or interesting in your life this month? Please share!