The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

For as long as I've known how to bake, my go-to cookie recipe has been an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from my mom's recipe box.  I finally tried this recipe that my sister has been raving about all year, and I think I have found a new favorite.  They are the perfect balance of sweet and salty, plus they are made with whole wheat flour.*  I like to keep them in the freezer - perfect for hot days (and for keeping me from eating too many at once :)

photo via Diary of a Locavore

You can find the recipe here, at Diary of a Locavore.

*Andy thought they were actually peanut butter cookies because of the texture they get from the flour. I still don't think he believes me that they are PB-free!

The Saturday Find - morning granola

Today we have "The Saturday Find" instead of "The Friday Find." Why? Because I was giving these jars of granola away as gifts and I didn't want to ruin the surprise!

This past week I made a huge batch of this delicious granola. It came out crunchy and chewy and sweet (and even a little salty, mmm) - everything you'd hope granola would be. It served as a yummy, affordable gift for a few great people. So far, it is the best granola recipe I have found out there on the world wide web.

 

For those who want to make this granola, the recipe suggests stirring the granola every ten minutes, but I would suggest every twenty minutes. That way you get bigger clusters. If you like crunchier granola, I also suggest turning the heat up to 325 for the last ten minutes of baking.

Enjoy! And have a very relaxing weekend :)

Puppies for your Friday

The Friday Find is being delayed until Saturday (I know, I know, lame), because I am giving today's Friday Find away as gifts to a few special people and I don't want them to read it before receiving their present! So, naturally, instead, this post will be about... PUPPIES!

This past weekend in Cleveland, I spent quality time with my cousin's dog Emma. She is a 130 lb Newfoundland. She has black hair, big paws, and a lot of drool. She is so incredibly mellow and lets you sleep in until 9:30 am without making a fuss; yet, when you want her to be energetic, she is a great hiker and swimmer. My ideal dog in many ways.

Emma chilling with Ben in the car

Emma in a waterfall in the middle of our hike

 

 

The only problem is that when she sees a squirrel, you are screwed. That dog is strong. She could pull you for miles if she wanted too. (She doesn't usually want to, because she's pretty lazy, but you get the point.) So then I got to thinking: What would my ideal dog be? And when can I get one?

How bout you guys? What kind of dog would you want?

Happy Friday :)

Gen Y

This weekend I was at a family reunion in Cleveland and we all got to talking about our jobs and the hours that we work and the things that we like to do at night. I found out that most of my cousins in their twenties, including myself, work a 9-5 (really, a 9-6) job and take as much time as possible for long weekend getaways. We don't like to stay late at night and we make sure to take advantage of any and all work perks - free meals, transportation, etc. The slightly older generation of cousins and relatives (those in their thirties and forties), however, get up at 6 am and work until 7 or 8 pm, work weekends and take minimal vacation.

Image via Zazzle.com

Why is this? What's with the change in work ethic? Are the young adults of Gen Y slackers? Or do we simply "work to live" as opposed to "live to work"? What do you think?

Just some food for thought for your Monday. xo