Sarah-In-Nash (formerly in L.A.)

Chip Chocolate Cookies. First attempt.

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:51:41 -0500

One of the first things I learned about my boyfriend, Cory, is that he doesn’t like cake. Personally, I don’t see how it’s possible. What’s not to like?? And more importantly, how do you even celebrate your birthday, sans cake? But alas, he does not (and honestly, I wish I didn’t either.. It would probably be for the best). Some may consider me un-American for not liking hamburgers, so I thought it best to let the cake thing go..

Anyway, shortly after I learned about his distaste for cake, I learned about his undying, passionate love for chocolate chip cookies. And not just any chocolate chip cookies… THE chocolate chip cookies. Nestled in a cabinet at his parents’ house in West Virginia, lies a cookbook obtained from an old country home-cooking restaurant in West Virginia. This cookbook, I’m convinced, holds every edible secret to a man’s heart. Every recipe includes at least a half-stick of butter. Even the vegetables. So you know it’s good.

With Cory’s birthday coming up in a few weeks, I thought I better go ahead and practice the famous cookies. It may seem simple, but his family has been making these for YEARS, and have it down to an art. One slip-up, I found out, can be crucial to the outcome of the cookies.

Step 1— Obtain the recipe.

Cory’s little sister Gracie sent me a picture of the recipe.

The notations and grease marks only make it more intimidating.

Step 2— Make the cookies.

For the shortening, I used Crisco (not sure what kind, whatever was laying around in the fridge). And I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, and unbleached flour. Everything else was pretty self-explanatory. Here’s how I did it:

Melted the butter and Crisco together in a large bowl in the microwave. Next time, I’m thinking I will do this separately. The butter melts way faster than the Crisco, so I continued with semi-melted shortening, for fear of melting the butter too much. Another idea to try would be melting in a saucepan.
Transferred butter and Crisco into a large mixing bowl. Added the dry ingredients and mixed well, one at a time. Added the eggs and vanilla. Here is where I made a critical error. I found this cool (what I thought to be) teaspoon/tablespoon measuring tool. I poured in (what I thought to be) 2 tsp vanilla, and watched the batter turn a dark brown. “Hmmmm,” I thought. “Seems like a lot of vanilla.” It wasn’t till after the cookies were out of the oven that I found out my cool measuring tool was a melon baller… I probably put in double the amount of vanilla.
Mixed in the flour, 1 cup at a time.
Made sure everything was thoroughly mixed, and then added the chocolate chips.
Put the cookies on a baking sheet (I didn’t need to prep it with anything since I was using a silicone liner) in pretty large scoops. Next time, I may use a round spoon or scoop to smooth out the tops. They came out a little “bumpy.”
Bake for “8-10” minutes. I watched these VIGILANTLY. One tip I picked up on a visit to West Virginia was to take them out the second they start browning—if not sooner. The chewier, the better.

Step 3—Taste test.

I could definitely tell there was some extra vanilla in there. And I think next go round I may try it with baking soda (we are on a lower altitude here in TN) and a pinch of salt. Something was just a little off on this batch. Definitely not on the level of greatness set by “Dale,” the author of this recipe. But, still pretty good. They will most definitely get eaten— by me, if not by anyone else!!

I could see myself wearing these out for a summer…

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:06:28 -0600

I could see myself wearing these out for a summer…

LOVE!!!!!!!!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:40:23 -0500

LOVE!!!!!!!!

Photo

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:31:31 -0500

DREAM CLOSET

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 11:53:48 -0500

DREAM CLOSET

"Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing..."

Mon, 16 May 2011 21:27:55 -0500

“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

- Lao Tzu

You're transforming.

Wed, 11 May 2011 23:03:11 -0500

dailypeptalk:

Pep talk: Your life is exciting and it’s changing all the time to offer you new opportunities for growth. Today is full of possibilities. Be open and watch yourself transform.
Today remind yourself: I’m transforming.

One of those rare mornings when I get my omelet to stay in tact....

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:46:57 -0500

One of those rare mornings when I get my omelet to stay in tact. The flip is hard!!

sweethomestyle: via parisapartment.files.wordpress.com

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:29:51 -0600

sweethomestyle:

via parisapartment.files.wordpress.com

i’m not sure whether or not this really...

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:25:25 -0600

i’m not sure whether or not this really happened…

last night— basement show— apache followed by mumford.

hitrecordjoe: DON’T LOOK BACK by She & Him I just had the...

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:50:34 -0600

hitrecordjoe:

DON’T LOOK BACK by She & Him

I just had the most wonderfully heart-warming conversation with my dear old friend Zooey. And she mentioned her band’s new video. First of all, I love her songs, both albums, I listen to them all the time. Second, as I just told her in an email, this video reminds me of our every-day lunchtime ritual while shooting 500 Days of Summer — hair/makeup trailer dance party! And if you think I’m exaggerating, think again, we really did dance it out after lunch every day.

This is truly heartwarming. thanks JGL and ZD.

copycats: Cousins by Mumford & Sonsoriginally by Vampire...

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:38:42 -0600

copycats:

Cousins by Mumford & Sons
originally by Vampire Weekend
(posted by bunkercomplex)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

das Boot

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:08:39 -0600

I have to wear this boot due to a stress fracture (maybe?) on my right foot..

I just love how COMPLETE STRANGERS take it upon themselves to comment on it.. I mean, I get that you’re nosy and all, but are you really that nosy? You really wanna know what I did to my foot? Do you wanna know my name too? Why don’t you add me to your Christmas card list? I could understand a question or comment after we’ve been talking for a minute or two.. but when you haven’t even given me so much as a “Hello” yet.. I find it to be quite rude!

“Hey, what’d you do to your foot??!!”

“Ummm… excuse me, but do I know you? If you must know, I kicked a complete stranger in the face for asking me what I did to my foot!! You should see the other guy…”

A guy tonight said “You look like a half Storm Trooper.”

Another honorable mention: “Hey, where’d you get that boot?”

Ridiculous.

sexmusic: lost in the world // kanye west ft. bon...

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:38:20 -0600

sexmusic:

lost in the world // kanye west ft. bon iver

download: amazon mp3 itunes

The older I get, the more I realize that my dream of marrying a...

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:09 -0600

The older I get, the more I realize that my dream of marrying a professional chef has some pretty slim odds…

Therefore, I’m learning to cook on my own. And here, I present you with the most delicious (non-desert) thing I’ve ever made: Parmesan crusted baked chicken.

And I say to myself: “you’re welcome.”

I LOVE MY NEW TV!

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:55:48 -0600

Thanks Mom and Dad!

9 More Abandoned Movie Web Sites From the Late 90s | Movieline

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:55:00 -0600

9 More Abandoned Movie Web Sites From the Late 90s | Movieline:

This is awesome! American Beauty actually has a pretty cool “webpage.”

popculturebrain:

By now you’ve likely seen the miraculously intact 1996 website for Space Jam in all its time capsule glory, but thanks to the sleuths at Movieline it’s become evident that the Jam isn’t the only one.

Titanic (1997)

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

You’ve Got Mail (1998) - Dated in both website and film content.

Patch Adams (1998)

Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Wild Wild West (1999)

Man on the Moon (1999)

American Beauty (1999)

Pay it Forward (2000)

Battlefield Earth (2000)

quote..

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 12:20:14 -0600

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” -Kate Moss

Apparently, she’s never had the chocolate molten lava cake from Chili’s.

everythingfab: Makeup Inspiration: It’s all about the eyes…

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:40:06 -0600

everythingfab:

Makeup Inspiration: It’s all about the eyes…

Extreme Home Makeover: Sarah's Bedroom Edition.

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 22:32:31 -0600

Starts tomorrow.