Recovery Thursday

Sick, of course. I always get sick the week of big tests from the stress and lack of sleep (though I've really tried to be better about that lately). I made a trip to Target to stock up for recovery mode and in addition to some meds, I got:

 Altoids...

because they are so cute, and my taste buds are so insensitive right now they basically taste normal.

Cookies...

because, really, shouldn't this be obvious? There's never a bad time for freshly-baked cookies (and a house that smells like freshly-baked cookies).

These cute little notebooks...

because I haven't been able to get them off my mind for a week now. They say cute little things like, "Looking at the stars always makes me dream. - Vincent Van Gogh," "Joy delights in joy. -William Shakespeare," "Happiness is a bright and shining thing. - Unknown."

Feeling better already :)

Oatmeal raisin cookies

Mmmmm gooey chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. That is all I have to say. What follows is from this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. 

1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream the butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

Separately, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine the mixtures and add oats and raisins (if desired).

Either chill the dough for a few hours or bake the cookies immediately (if you are impatient like I am), for 10-12 minutes or until they are slightly browned on the sides.

Gift exchange

Today I exchanged gifts with my friends. We munched on the cookies I made the other night and the peppermint bark Gracy made (soon to be blogged about when I give it a try!) and gave each other little presents.

I gave the girls knitted headbands with crocheted flowers!

Girl's night: VS Fashion Show

Had fun watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show tonight! Mary and Mandy came over to watch with me.

We ate sugar cookies...

...and drank hot chocolate with marshmallow-sprinkle stirrers (made by pushing a marshmallow onto a skewer and dipping the bottom of the marshmallow into milk or chocolate and then sprinkles).

It was fun watching the show and embracing sugary treats that we knew the models could only dream of!

Apple Pie Cookies

I was playing around with a recipe for apple cinnamon cookies and was in the middle of preparing them (with my inherited KitchenAid mixer pictured below :) ) when I realized I didn't have most of the ingredients called for. Instead, I decided to wing it and work with what I had. I made with cookies that taste like apple pie!

Here's the recipe I ended up using:

2 gala apples diced
2.5 cups of flour, sifted
1 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs. Mix the dry ingredients. Combine with diced apples. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until brown around the edges.

CoCookieokie

This is not just a cookie...

Can you guess what's inside?

It's a mini Oreo!

My roommate made these adorable cookies, a chocolate chip cookie with an Oreo inside!