Brownie Cookies (Brookies?)

"Can chocolate solve all of life's problems? No. But it sure can try."

-me  

 

Hello Friends! ♥

How are you this week?  

I have a question for you?  Say you have a batch of brownies.....are you a fan of the edges?  If your answer is YES then I have a treat for you! 

This weekend I made a discovery.  The brownie/cookie (brookie?) does indeed exist.  

It's not just a myth. 

And it's heavenly! ♥

On Sunday I had intended (to curb my chocolate craving) to make regular brownies, but then I came across this recipe for Brownie Cookies on Pinterest and I couldn't resist.  A brownie in cookie form??  Yes please.  They were super easy to make and taste delicious!  Slightly crunchy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside... a perfect marriage of brownie & cookie.  

Where have these been all my life? 

Curious?  Well, here you go... ♥

(do this all by hand, no mixer needed :)  

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. 

Set aside.

Add the butter and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl.  Heat until melted, about 60 seconds.

Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until blended.

Stir in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined. 

Scoop rounded tablespoons of batter onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets.  

The cookies will spread so be sure they are at least 2 inches apart.

Bake 12 minutes. 

That's it! ♥

YUM!!!!

Delectable and waaaay too easy to eat.  And as you might already know about me, I'm a dunker.  

These are spot on for dunking and even better slightly warmed in the microwave. 

A few seconds is all you need...you're welcome : ) 

Enjoy these with a hot beverage and a ray of sunshine.  

Here's a peek at some sun I enjoyed yesterday.  My plant enjoyed it too.  We have to take what we can get these days!  It's freezing cold here and I'm doing everything I can to stay warm and embrace all the hygge I can get my little hands on while I wait for spring ♥

Have a wonderful day friends! xoxo 

Hi there! How was your week? ♥

 Hello Friends! ♥

 I took this picture at 6:50am this morning. That's the time I drive John to school.  I know!!! 

 It's still dark most days and currently freezing cold.  We still have Christmas lights outside that I need to take in.  It's just been too cold I have to admit, I like the glow in the morning. It cheers me up at that ungodly hour. But alas, this weekend they are going bye-bye. Packed away until next year.  

As you can see, thanks to some rain and then sunshine (yay!) most of last week's snow has melted.  What remains are blocks of ice.  I just heard the weather lady say tomorrow's wind chill is going to feel like 20 below zero.  Oh dear.  How many days until Spring? 

We are in the thick of the dog days of winter now.  It's cold, dark, and a blizzard could hit at any minute.  I feel the word "hygge" in my bones these days.  My whole day revolves around finding it.  How do I make it happen. I bake a lot. Sunday I made blueberry muffins from the Magnolia Table cookbook Santa brought me.   I am loving this book.  It's the third recipe I've made from it and they all have been heavenly. 

*always in slippers*

The streusel topping is worth the extra step.  It's so yummy! 

I'm also working on something very exciting.....and here it is.... ♥

This jar contains day 1 of my very first sourdough starter!  Did I not say it was exciting? Well, that's as exciting as it gets around here...lol! Anyway I'm experimenting with this little baby.  I've been "feeding" it all week and on Sunday I should be able to bake a loaf of sourdough bread.  Something I've always wanted to do. 2022 is all about little victories and if I get an actual loaf of bread out of this, that will be a victory.  Remember me in your prayers! : ) 

I only went on one walk this week because it was just too cold and if you happened to see me you would have thought by the way I was bundled up that I was hitting the slopes for a day of skiing, rather than a 30 minute walk! haha.  The air was amazing though and so good for my mental health. More walks to come next week I hope. I'm know I'm asking for a cold blast by walking along the ocean but I just can't stay away. It's too beautiful. 

♥

  Otherwise I worked (still from home of course), ate oatmeal, drank coffee & tea, made more soup, and cashed in some gift cards online, which is always exciting because now I have little deliveries to look forward to.  It beats going to actual stores which I avoid like the plague.  Maybe I've just forgotten how to be around crowds of people.  I find myself getting annoyed so easily and quickly! 

Terrible I know.  

*this is me*

My one venture out this week was to the grocery store. I go early in the morning and it's not too crowded which is nice.  In and out.  Boom.  What's disheartening are the shortages and price increases.  What the heck?  I find myself daydreaming of living on a picturesque farm somewhere with animals.  Growing my own veggies and having fresh eggs and milk right in my backyard.  Country farmhouses are very hygge, don't you agree?  

Do you follow The Food Nanny on Instagram? If not you should.  Her farmhouse is dreamy and I'm slightly obsessed with it.  She also has a baby cow name Cherry.  Also, obsessed. 

DREAMY♥

Last night I made the Italian Peasant Soup (found on the website I linked).  It has sausage, beans, garlic, spinach....all the good things.  And it's delicious. I'll be eating it for lunch for the next few days which makes my heart sing with JOY!   I want to make all her recipes!

And that was pretty much my week.  I hope you all have a cozy weekend.  My weekend plans include bread, laundry, Netflix, and hot beverages! xoxo 

♥

Snow Day! ♥

Good Morning and Happy Friday! ♥

I woke up this morning to a fresh blanket of snow.  Our first significant snow of the season.  I poured my coffee and swiftly stepped out on the back porch to get a look. The snow covered trees and frozen river look like a winter wonderland.  I'm so glad it's Friday and we are all home to enjoy it. It's still coming down and will so until early afternoon.

 

Its a French toast, cozy socks, #hygee kind of morning.  

My favorite kind ♥

January is off to a good start for me. I got my booster shot yesterday, checked two doctors appointments off my calendar, made two new recipes (that I will share here soon!) and made a conscious effort to get outdoors and walk.  I did it twice this week which is good for me! Even though it's cold, the winter air is  wonderful and fills my lungs with joy.  I've been feeling the stresses of life catching up with me recently and I've learned what works for me to quiet them.  One is walking! 

 

One of the benifits to living near the ocean is always having a scenic place to walk.  This is helpful in getting me out the door and once I'm there I don't want to leave.

And once I'm home I reward myself : )

Amen to this! ♥

Another goal I have for the future is utilizing all the cookbooks I have! I have so many beautiful books and rarely make recipes out of them.  I decided to start making some of these lovely recipes.  It's makes me feel so good to cook delicious healthy food for my family. I'm on a food journey this year.  I'll share everything I make with you! 

 

One thing I am really bad at is eating LUNCH.  

I never want to stop and take the time.  Leftovers have changed all that. Knowing I have something hearty in the fridge makes me excited for lunchtime.  I've been making extra portions so I'll have enough to last the week. Especially soup ♥

Hot lunches are way underrated!

I am loving this book right now : ) 

And now we're back to today.  It's still snowing!  

I've already gotten requests for hot chocolate later and I'm going to try to convince my family to watch Harry Potter.  It seems appropriate for a snowy magical weekend.  Don't you agree? 

♥

Have a wondering weekend, friends!  

I hope you are all warm, cozy, safe, and healthy!  ♥

xoxo

What I'm Reading ♥

 I read this book over Christmas break and hung on every word.  What an amazing woman she was.  I remember being seven years old and watching her wedding.  The coach, that dress...just wow.  When she died I did not believe it.  I cried when Elton John sang "goodbye English rose" at her funeral.  It was so incredibly sad.  Still is.  I've watched her sons marry, grandchildren born, and as a curious American  have followed the Queen and Royal family over years, always wondering if they still think of her.  

Now I ask myself, how after all these years had I not read THIS book? This infamous book that caused all the scandle.  She was brave to do it and I admire her courage.  It was an incredible read and even though I knew the story, it was still eye opening reading her words.  Of course after I finished I had to do some "research" and fact checking.  This lead me down a YouTube rabbit hole that I'm still not  completely out of.  I've watched interviews, listened to podcasts, watched The Queen (with Helen Mirren) for the first time, and rewatched the last 2 seasons of the Crown.  I'm still gutted by the way that we have to wait until 2023 for the next season!

I love reading biographies!  So who should I read next?  

Let me know if you have any suggestions ♥

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends! 2022 is here!  

How was your New Years? Mine was very nice.  It was cold and rainy.  I stayed in my cozy clothes, made minestrone soup and pizza in a cast iron skillet (which was a first!).  I recently saw a Martha Stewart video on YouTube where Martha made pizza in cast iron and I wanted to try it.  I figured if it's good enough for Martha.... well, it was a success! 

We ate, watched some Seinfeld, and I'll admit to you that we were all asleep by 10!  Party animals we are NOT but it was still a lovely evening.  

The pizza had broccoli and chicken on it, which is a favorite of ours.  I guess I wanted to end the year eating as many veggies as possible! LOL 

I woke up on January 1st feeling renewed.  I love New Years Day and all the hope it brings.  This is my first photo of the year.  It was still raining  and I took my coffee outside to breathe in some fresh air.  The back river was flooded and still is from all the rain.  It was quiet and peaceful and I hope that's an indication of what's to come.  Fingers crossed! I enjoy the stillness of January after all the hustle December brings.  Time to rest and take in the quiet. 

I stuck to my New Years Day tradition and took down my Christmas tree.  Some think it's sad to pack everything away so soon, but I actually love the process.  I think I might love just as much as decorating.  The "undecorating" makes me just as happy.  Everything feels clean and uncluttered.  It's a nice way to start the year.  Now we are all settled in and ready for a cozy winter.  In case we have to go into hibernation mode, I'm ready. 

                       Today is John's last official day of Christmas break, which makes me very very sad.   I like us living in the holiday bubble.   But alas, it's back to school and work tomorrow.  Today my plan is to get myself organized, plan out meals for the week, list some goals in my planner, and make a batch of blueberry muffins.  Something that's been on my mind all week : )    

                      

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2022!  

May this year bring you peace, love, and joy! 

xoxo

 

The Monday After : )

 Good Morning Friends.  

The Monday after.  How are we all feeling? I hope you had a cozy and wonderful holiday.  Ours was just that.  We spent Christmas eve with Rob's family.  There was food, music, games, and memoires made.  On Christmas day we had a relaxing day at home with my family.  We watched movies and I cooked a yummy dinner.  Another Christmas in the books and now we are on track to a new year and a clean slate.  

Santa arrived and (thankfully) did not disappoint.  John's highlight was definitely a vintage record player with some vinyl records of some of his favorite classic rock bands.  Nothing says Merry Christmas like the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and ACDC! Haha.  There was also an Elvis record in there as well, which made my heart happy.  He was also surprised with a new keyboard from my parents which he loved! He's been playing drums for years but has recently been teaching himself piano and guitar.  Our basement is turning into a music studio, which is ok by all of us.  

John always says that the day after Christmas is sad because it's all over, but I always feel happiness and relief.  All the planning and hard work is done and now we can all exhale and relax.  

We have our memories (and new clothes and books!) to keep us warm this winter.  I've been eating my weight in fudge (boy was it a mistake to make 2 batches!) but we need to get it out of the house, so I guess I'm doing a good deed.  We'll go with that : ) 

Next weekend it all comes down (my New Year's Day tradition) so we have one more week to enjoy the twinkling Christmas tree lights and then it's on to the next phase.  CLEANING and ORGANIZING. My lists have already begun! LOL 

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and  I wish you a cozy week.  This is my favorite week of the year.  It's quiet and peaceful and my mind loves the idea of a clean slate.  Santa brought me a new calendar/planner and I'm anxious to start filling it in. 

Happy Monday lovely friends! Enjoy your day! xo 

Merry Christmas!

Hello Friends! 

Well, my presents are wrapped and I'm all ready for Santa.  All that's left to do is cook Christmas dinner, which I'm quite looking forward too.  This season, although I tried to slow it down, went by in a blink.  It's hard to believe tomorrow night is Christmas eve! Oh how I miss the days when John was small and SO excited for Santa.  He's still excited (don't get me wrong) but in a different way.  We'll still make cinnamon rolls and open presents around the tree on Christmas morning and it will be just as magical as it can be.  The best gifts can't be wrapped, but felt.  Don't you agree? 

What I'm really excited about is next week.  My favorite week of the year.  The week between Christmas and New Years.  It's quiet and reflective and perfectly acceptable to do nothing but rest and recharge.  I'm hoping to read books and watch movies (in new pj's!) and drink as much tea and eat as many cookies as my little heart desires. 

I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday!  

Merry Christmas my friends! 

I love you all!  xoxo