Thanksgiving 2012

This Thanksgiving might go down as one of my favorites.

It was a warm day, beautiful and sunny, but crisp.

My Nana's is always at noon on Thursday.

The food was AMAZING!

The hostess is AMAZING!

She deserves a whole post on her own.

She is my soul sista!  FOR SURE! 

 

In all my years I've never been up to this particular spot on her land.

Typically there was an electric fence in this corner of the land that had donkey(s) so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

Just a few of us walked up there first, but then we convinced most of the rest of the group to come up too.

It was so nice to just be outside.  Free room to run and play.  Warm sunshine on our faces after our bellys were ful. 

Truly a day to be thankful for.

After Nana's we headed home for naptime, only to find Kirby had eaten the very last ra-ra.

We wrestled on the couch for about 45 minutes before Easton fell asleep, but he finally did.

 

After nap, we headed to Grandmomma's.

Still stuffed from Nana's but we enjoyed some yummy food and desserts again.

 

At Grandmomma's each year, we make a craft.  I love this tradition.

This year was modge podging a piece of cardboard with old hymns then stenciling your favorite holiday saying on top and painting.

Below is the example.

Then once dry, you put it in a festive frame and you have a new Christmas decoration!

So easy, and so cute!!!

We truly have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

 

 

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie {Hey! That's Pintastic!}

Hey, hey!  Happy Monday after a long 4 day weekend!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We did!  I'll fill you in on that later this week.  For today, I'm linking up with my friend Ashley, for Hey! That's Pin-tastic!

This weekend, when deciding what 'sweet' I'd take to Thanksgiving, I got the hankering for a Chocolate Chip Cookie.  Pretty simple, right? 

I always use the recipe on the back of the Toll House Morsles bag, but I thought I'd try something different. 

I went to Pinterest to find this recipe. 

Once I figured out I had all the ingredients on hand, I went to town.  I did do a few things differently than the original recipe, so I'll add my changes to this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 Cups PLUS 2 TBSP All Purpose Flour
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Salt
1 1/2 Sticks of Butter (**Called for unsalted, I used salted...instructions says melted then cooled, I did room temp...or 30 seconds in microwave)
1 Cup Brown Sugar (Packed)
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg PLUS 1 Egg Yolk
2 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chip Morsels (1 Bag)

Instructions: (**My version)
Combine Flour, Salt, Soda in small bowl.  Wisk together to combine.

In larger bowl, add butter and sugars.  Mix on low until combined.  Add in eggs and vanilla.  Once combined, slowly add in flour mixture.  After combined, stir in chocolate chips. 

Using your small cookie scoop or a tsp, spoon onto cookie sheets.  I only did 10-12 at a time because I didn't know how they would spread.  Good news...they don't spread!  Hooray for thick, consistently sized cookies!  That makes my perfectionist heart happy. 

Place cookie sheet into a pre-heated (350 degrees) oven. 

Now, this is what worked for me.  Every oven differs...but here's what I did.

Scoop cookies onto cookie sheet.  Place in the oven.  Set your timer for 4 minutes.  Rotate pan when the timer goes off.  Set timer for 4 1/2 more minutes.  Remove from oven after 8 1/2 minutes total (top right picture).  They will look golden but fluffy.  Let cool for 4 minutes (bottom left) Remove from pan to wire rack for final cool. 

Repeat.  Eat a spoon full of cookie dough every chance you get.  It's good. 

I suggest having 2 cookie sheets going, I just had one and it took forever.  But they were PERFECT.

 For half my batch when I rotated the cookies, I placed a few M&M's in the top of each cookie.  Lance likes M&M's in his cookies.  I like to make him happy. 

 

Now, take a look at those cookies!

Are they not the prettiest cookie you've ever seen?

 

Thick and chewy. 

Golden brown. 

Perfect amount of chocolate chips in each cookie.

 

How about packaging up a few for your teachers?

Take these to a Pot Luck and you'll be the star of the show!

Leave some out for Santa too.  You'll be sure to get more than a lump of coal in your stocking!

 

Happy Baking!

 

Report back if you make these!  I promise, you won't be sorry!

 

Head on over to Ashley's blog for more fabulous baking, crafting, decorating ideas!