Nothin says lovin' like somethin' from the oven!

.............Or in my case, nothin says emotional like something from the oven.  Doesn't quite have the same ring to it though.  These past few weeks I've been baking up a storm; cookies, cakes, scones, truffle stuffed cake balls, more cookies, more cookies, more cookies! It's getting a little rediculous!  All these yummies mixed with my new passion for sauteing and breading and sauces makes for supreme self sabotage when it comes to my weight loss plans! 
  The past few months have been a roller-coaster.  Actually, it's more like this past year.  The hubby went to work in Alaska for 3-4 months last April.  When he returned home we decided to make the move across 2 states. We were moved by Halloween and in our own place by Thanksgiving.  Talk about a whirlwind!  It seems the dust is finally starting to settle, settle right into spring fever unfortunately.  Now that I have kind of found a routine with the little people and almost feel moved in to our house I am starting to realize how much I miss our 'old life'.  Funny when I reliaze it was the day in-day out monotany (that I so loathed at the time), that I find myself wishing for!  I miss our pot-hole minefield of a driveway, my too-small kitchen, lack of decent radio stations, and living so far from anything that resembled a real city.  And of course, my family and dear friends.  Being able to 'stop-in' for a quick visit, a cup of coffee or for no reason at all other than we were in the neighborhood. 
  Most people would come to the conclusion that since emotions have caused me to make all sorts of sugary sweet treats that I must be an emotional eater.  But I don't think so-I am an emotional baker!  It's not so much the desire to devour these tidbits of goodness, it's just MAKING them.  I think it's a bit of my controlling nature coming to the surface, the sweet, sugary, calorie-filled surface.  I like baking, borderline on love baking.  It's fun, creative, makes my house smell good, and I can CONTROL every aspect of it.  I get to decide what to make, how to make it, if I want to change things in the recipe-or go all out and try something completely on the fly.  And then, I control the speed at which things get mixed up(something I so wish I had control of in my everyday life!)  When all is mixed I get to decide the size and/or shape of what I am creating.  And then the pay-off!  You may think I am referring to eating the finished product, and as much of a benefit as that is, it's not the big pay-off I am referring to.  I mean the completion of a project.  Start to finish, in my time-frame.  That. Is. Huge. 
  We have dreams, this little family of ours, and they are not the small time 'normal' dreams.  We're not talking owning a home with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids(since we already have 3, that part just wouldn't work anyway!).  Our dreams aren't the kind you can save up for and purchase.  They are the kind where all has to be in place by divine order and timing.  The kind where you sacrifice the 'normal' for the small chance of the extraordinary.  Giving all and then some to try for the seemingly unobtainable.  All that being said, our dreams are not like cookies.  So in my life of uncertain outcomes, cookies(and baking in general) give me a sense of power and control.  I made my kids, but I can't control them, I'm trying to make a life here, but I can't control it, I made a routine, but it tries to control me!  But cookies...I can control them, mwa-ha-ha-ha!!!!  I am the Cookie Dictator!!!  And if I'm really feeling the need, I can even control how many I will consume..........but letting go of control sometimes is a good thing, right?  That's what I've always been told!

Sweet Little Somethings....the chocolate cookie saga

   I love cookies.  Especially chocolate cookies, and especially if they look as good as they taste.  This year for Valentine's Day I decided I would make cookies for all those special people in my life.  And since many of those people are out of state, I decided to make them in advance and send out little packages of goodness to spread the love around.  Well, the Queen of good intention strikes again.  I rule over a land of well thought out plans and half executed projects.  (good thing I'm not responsible for real executions!--ewww)  

How could I resist??  Look how cute and tasty.  And they were all whispering sweet nothings to me!

  Anyway, on a sweeter note......  It all started out well enough.  I perused the internet for a great new recipe-which I found here.  Amazing yummy chocolate sugar cookies-YUM!  The only change I made was to use dark chocolate cocoa powder rather than regular.  I'm a sucker for anything dark chocolate!  I admit though-I am not a fan of royal icing.  It takes weird ingredients and I never have them.  At Christmastime I found a recipe for a sugar glaze icing, I call it my 'non-royal icing'...maybe that would make it a 'peasant icing'?  I dunno, but it works well for the Queen of good intentions.  So here is the link for the icing that I love!! It's easy, yummy, and takes no weird ingredients!  Happy Day!

The kid's cookies, I think they did a pretty good job!

  So I whipped up a batch of oh so yummy chocolate sugar cookies and some of my non-royal icing and went to town decorating! Not sure how I managed it, but I was able to get the majority of the cookies decorated before the kids realized what was happening in the kitchen-it was amazing!  Of course I set a few aside for each of them to decorate.  They love the cookie process as much as I do.

Cub-performing his own little taste test!

   The house smelled wonderful and the cookies looked beautiful!  I set a couple aside for our own personal consumption and the rest were for all those special people out there......or so I thought.  I really should have known better.  There they sat, awaiting packaging and shipping, slowly dwindling in number.  .....just one more with my afternoon tea.....and one after dinner........and one for a pre-bedtime snack.......oh look-it's midnight, time for a cookie!  It's pathetic.  But they were so pretty and yummy, I couldn't help myself!  I felt like Alice in Wonderland every time she came across a little cookie that said 'eat me'.  She should have known better-good never came of such things!!  But alas, there were but a few lonely stragglers remaining (one of which I am putting out of it's misery right at this very moment! It goes so well with coffee!!)

mmmm-so yummy!!

    But what of my friends out there who have missed out on such yummies due to my lack of self control?  I apologize, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart shaped cookie.  However, there are two ways you could look at this:  1. You could think of it as a charitable gift on your behalf-given to me for my enjoyment-in that regards, I thank you!  I did thoroughly enjoy them!  or 2. I have given you the links to the recipes so you can relive this saga in your very own kitchen!  Yay!!  It's stretching it, I know.  But even if I made another batch and shipped them out today, it would be after Valentine's Day when they were received, and well, that's just tacky!  Maybe I'll try again for St. Patrick's Day......little green shamrocks could be quite cute..........and tasty........with my coffee.............


Just because I am so sweet (goodness knows I should be with all these cookies in me!)  here are those links again-and a big 'Thank You to the original websites for sharing with myself ad other sugar addicts!
     Chocolate sugar cookies
     Glace icing aka 'Non-Royal-Icing'


                                            Happy Valentine's Day!

Woo tried to resist their power.......

........but it was too strong!!  She too gave in to their sweetness!!