Bean Countess

It's no secret that I'm a coffee addict.  I might as well have JAVAGAL on my license plate.  For one week I went down to five cups of coffee a day from my usual twelve.  Today was the day that I gave in and went back to the bean.  I have it all the time.  Some people drink water.  I drink coffee.

Let's put it this way.  I have little vices.  I don't drink.  While some people may relax with a glass of wine at night after a long day, I turn to a cup o' joe.  Aha!  I know what you're saying!  I'm an addict!  And yes, I probably am.  But I figure there are worse things I could be doing.

The other day I was walking through the hall and a co-worker remarked, "I don't recognize you without your coffee mug."  I guess it's become part of my personality.  I didn't like coffee growing up.  I have memories of my mother making her first cup in the morning, and my stomach turning from the smell.  I could hardly keep breakfast down.

Who gave me my first cup of coffee?  It was actually my ex-husband, during my first all-nighter in college.  Staying up late to complete a bio lab, or rather procrastinate and goof around while pretending to do said bio lab, my ex-husband introduced me to coffee.  History was made.

It wasn't until Kidlet A and B were born that the addiction came on full force.  The boys didn't sleep through the night, and never napped at the same time.  Pots of java were poured as I struggled to keep awake, sometimes days at a time.  My lack of sleep was awful.  I remember walking into a door jam one day in my stupor from days of unrest.  To the coffee I relied, helping keep me awake, warm, and reliable.

The time came where I wanted to get out of the house, as the life of a stay at home mom was making me feel so solitary.  Of course, I applied to Starbucks and became a barista.  It was one of the best jobs I've ever had, and enjoyed thoroughly.  Yes, I was wired on lattes and cappuccinos constantly to the point where I think I saw double.  But I got to interact with so many different people on a daily basis.  Aside from the man who ran his fingers through my hair at the register (eek!) and the woman who screamed so much over her venti iced latte having too much ice we thought we'd have to call the police, I had a good time.

Now my Starbucks days involve bringing my dad, who has the beginnings of dementia, for a coffee and sitting for awhile.  I tell him about my day - full of the shenanigans of my students, what's new with the kidlets, and my hopes for the future.  Yes, I still have hopes and dreams.  I tell my dad all, knowing that he may forget what I say within minutes of us leaving Starbucks.  But for those few minutes, I have his undivided attention and love over shared coffees.  He has a grande Pike Place with room.  Me?  Usually a grande skinny caramel macchiato.

It's not the caffeine that gives me the rush.  It's the promise of the future.  As the warmth of the beverage fills me, I am motivated once more to move on.  Addicted?  Maybe.  But I'm hooked on the excitement of today and tomorrow.  That sip reminds me it will all be ok.  Move forward!

Pinterest Pickings: Kit Kat Cookies! And a bit of OCD...

Once again it's close to ninety degrees, and I'm loving baking in my kitchen with no air conditioning or central air.  I have my mocktail by my side, sipping on a Pelligrino and mixer concoction out of an antique glass.  That cools me down just enough to embark upon making these yum-o-licious Kit Kat Cookies.  They are extra yummy.  And the recipe is easy to follow.

I was reading a book on OCD at the same time the cookies were baking (I know, taking multi-tasking to the extreme).  I started to think about my own kitchen obsessive behaviors.  I do have my routines in the kitchen, that's for sure...

-The Starbucks apron is always on

-Pandora is always playing on the Lorde station, full of Lana del Ray and Florence & the Machine

-I have an order to the way I move about the kitchen with the cookie sheets.  I know this sounds crazy, but it's like a dance routine.  And I'm pretty good at it.  (Well, aren't we bragging, MausiGal?)

-I tap things twice to get rid of excess flour or dough

There's other little things I do, but we'll stop here.  They involve dishtowels, water in the sink, and dish detergent.  I told you, my routines are pretty solid.

The other thing I do is I will only eat one cookie from the first batch I make.  Otherwise, with all the baking I do, I would be HUGE!  Like the lovelies I made today?  I won't eat them.  My sons will take over and nom nom nom on these Kit Kat cookies.

So, onto this recipe, because you definitely need to try it.  It's perfect, except for one thing.  It's SO GOOD that you need to double it.  Your circle of people will be crying out for more cookies, more cookies, more cookies, if you only make the amount specified in the recipe listed.  I doubled the batch, and made thirty-two cookies.  This was rolling them into two-inch balls before baking.  I also used chocolate chips, but I've also used white chocolate chips in this recipe before.  Both ways are just great.  Heck, through in half white chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate chips for variety.  Go crazy!  Kit Kat Cookies are just too good to pass up!

Pinterest Pickings - Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies! NOM NOM

Ah, Vermont.  We had a great time, and made a great little snack that was composed of ice cream cones stuffed with mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips, wrapped in tinfoil, placed on the grill.  Yum!  S'more Ice Cream Cones!  Yes, of course I overbought and now I have bags of mini-mallows every where.  What to do?  I turned to Pinterest, and found this little gem of a recipe.  Nom nom nom.  These cookies are delish!

First things first, here's the link to Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies.  The food porn pics of the cookies alone will make you hungry and running to the kitchen for your mixer.  These cookies involve little mini-mallows, rolling cookie dough - a perfect activity for little kids.  KIDS WILL LOVE THIS!  I'm shouting, because I'd like to get the attention of my SisInLaw, so she mimics the recipe in her kitchen and gives me feedback.  Or she can loan me her own twin kidlets one day so we can make them here.  And make my kitchen a mess.  Love it!  Love those twin kidlets oodles!

First, note, the mini-marshmallows have to be frozen.  Alert!  Alert!  So if right now you're like, "Hey, I'm gonna eat me some cookies pronto!" you're in trouble.  Go grab about sixty mini-marshmallows (I'd say you're safe with half a bag) and throw it in the freezer. They freeze pretty quick.

What should you do while you're waiting?  You could read back entries on my blog, like when I talked about shoes, or road a vintage Harley.  Yeah.  Memories.  Or you could just go crazy and post links in my comments section with fancy shoes for me to look at, because I've only bought one pair in three months (wow - record!).  You could also get out toothpicks and build little forts with the rest of the bag of the mini-mallows.  Gosh, I never did that as a kid.  I should do that myself.  Just don't let them sit around, because then the ants will come.  And we all know how ants ruin our fun.

OK, ok, back to the recipe.  Did you find something to do while the mallows freeze?  Is it hot where you are, so did you stick your head in the freezer for awhile, or get yourself a cold beverage?  Good, good.

This recipe rocked.  I just found I didn't need as many mini-marshmallows as listed.  No biggie.  I also used regular size chocolate chips instead of minis (note last blog entry about being too lazy to go out to Stop n' Shop.  Plus I buy chocolate chips in bulk, and currently have about five pounds).

The dough became sticky, but was definitely workable.  Just make sure to not dump the flour mixture all in at once.  Then you'll have a mess that probably won't resolve itself.  Definitely add the flour mixture slowly to the wet mixture.  Then all will be well.

When molding the cookies I used an ice cream scoop and scooped out dough, placed three mini-marshmallows at the center, and then gently pressed them in.  From there I rolled the dough in a ball to make sure they were completely covered and in the center.  Don't press the cookies down when you add the chocolate chips on top; they'll even out naturally.

Yummy bliss.

Pinterest Pickings - Oreo Chip Cookies

I've decided to add a new side to my blog - critiques of recipes I try on Pinterest.  Why?  Because Pinterest is just so darn big, I know I have a problem finding recipes there that I know will work.  I've had a few be downright failures, and then I see the simplest of cookies, only to open up the ingredients only to find directions that direct me to the path of the Woolly Mammoth in Katmandu for milk.  No.  I want something simple that I can either make at 5:30 in the morning when I've got the extreme hankerin' to bake, or a quick dinner at night when I'm shuffling kidlets to and from activities.  So, here goes.

Oh yes, let's not forget my lame attempt at food porn, as seen above.  This photo is of what I made at 6:30 am today - White Chocolate Oreo Cookies.  And they turned out super yummy.

I was walking through Stop and Shop with Kidlet B yesterday, he was amazed at the new Oreo Thins.  "Who would buy these?  I mean, who wants thin Oreos?" was his complaint.  I became fixated on the chocolate wafer cookies, and just knew I had to put them in some sort of recipe.  Ice cream cookie pie - done before, too easy.  I wanted to BAKE something with them.  So I searched Pinterest.

Now, for those of you on Pinterest, you know the minute you type in any category you'll get a thousand hits back.  Such was the case with "Oreo Cookie."  (And no, I did not buy the thin ones.  Thin Oreos?  I agree with my son.  Bring on the Double Stuffed!)  The first recipe that came up required cream cheese in the recipe.  Nope, not in my house.  I did not feel like dragging my sorry arse back out in the heat, back to Stop and Shop, for cream cheese, which I'll admit I'm not a fan of unless it's a needed ingredient.  Next!  The following recipe called for vanilla pudding.  I searched my cabinets, as I usually have some on hand.  I make a great cookie bar with vanilla pudding, but alas - none!  Search, search, search I did until I came upon this great recipe from The Recipe Critic.  Butter - check.  Sugars white and brown - check.  Oreos - check.  White chocolate chips - check.  I was ready to try this out.

The simplicity of the recipe is what I liked best, and the results were fan-yumsterable-tastic.  The only thing I did differently is used half the amount of white chocolate chips (again, I wasn't about to drag my lazy self back to the supermarket for more).  They still came out fantastic!

Crushing the Oreos was very therapeutic.  How do you crush Oreos, you may ask?  Ah, it's a joy, especially early in the morning.  I took out my cutting board, and laid down two pieces of wax paper.  I put down two Oreo cookies atop one another in between the wax paper, and then slammed them with a meat tenderizer.  Oh yeah!  I must remember to use this method again once the school year starts and I feel stress building.  The pieces were just the right size.  Perfect!

My oven baked them at nine minutes (my oven runs true to temperature), but always test your own, and make sure they don't overcook.  They are so chewy and delish.  Put vanilla ice cream between two to make the perfect ice cream sandwich!

Enjoy!

Goodbye, Vermont

I left vacation a day early.  I know, I know.  With pristine views like the one above, how could I have possibly jumped in that Volvo and sped off?  I had two weeks of blissful days up in the Green Mountain State, but just.had.to.leave.

I adore Vermont.  The longer I stayed there the more I wanted to live there.  I feel like that every year.  There's a certain pace to life that I so enjoy.  People aren't as tense.  There's the natural beauty of the lake, the mountains, which grounds me.  I adore the farmer's markets which seem to spring up in every town on nearly each day of the week.  Perhaps I'm just the yuppie tourist, enjoying her lattes in the gourmet bakeries (Oh my gawd - try Laundry in Vergennes - to die for little chocolate cookies, too!).  I have this view of Vermont that's taken during the warm, summer months, when I'm licking a maple creamy so the sides don't drip down onto my skin.

Yes, vacation was full of fun.  I went on an amazing college tour with my sons at Champlain College, where there's a library terrace that overlooks the lake, and a major in Cyber Security.  How cool is that?  I read, read, and read seven books, pouring through words.  Swimming off the dock and in the sandbar, boat rides with my brother, a bike ride where I almost ran over tourists, all was a good time.

But the closer it got the end I found myself becoming depressed.  A lot of feelings of failure crept in, perhaps triggered from the college visit.  I have so much I want to do, but I haven't done it.  Why?  What am I waiting for?  What am I scared of?  Am I just on the wrong path?

I always wanted to own a summer place, either on the lake or the beach.  Why can't I be ever so thankful that I'm renting a quaint cottage with amazing views and leave it at that?  No, I always want more.  I seem to never be happy with what I have.  I need to change that and make myself express gratitude for what I have, instead of obsessing for what I seek.

So home I came.  Back to the loving meow of my cat, Avi, a stack of mail, and five loads of laundry that needed to be done.  Let the work begin!

I'm trying to think of ways to continue the peace I did gain on vacation back here at home.  One is to keep up my pace of reading throughout the summer until school starts (even though I was just uploading information into my school Skpe account - I can never stay away from the job!).  I've got my pile of books from the library today, so I'm ready.

And gratitude.  Yes, with gratitude comes greatness in life.

Snowcation!

Yes, school vacation is coming to a close, with today being the last day we can remain in our pajamas all day.  It's a staycation for us in the MausiGal household, with Kidlet A on the computer skyping, and Kidlet B going off to snowboard a few times.  Hanging with friends, outings to Starbucks, reading, writing, and generally RELAXING!

It seems to be a concept for February vacation that has been lost.  When my students ask me what I'm doing for vacation, they seem bewildered.

"Señorita, where are you going for vacation?"

"My house.  Starbucks.  Nashua, if I get motivated."

"Hahaha!  No, seriously, where are you going?"

I'm not heading off to Europe or Aruba or Mexico, and for some it's a mystery as to why I would want to spend my free week here in the frigid Northeast.  After all, one of the highlights of my week was having a crew on my roof shoveling off snow in order to stop a leaky ceiling.

 Ice dams be damned!  My staycation would not be ruined!

I finished reading one book, started another, worked on my novel (yes!), sent out postcards, and above all, did what I wanted to do.  All without the pain and suffering of sitting in Logan Airport, wondering when my flight would get out.

I hate airports when I'm flying.  I do enjoy picking people up from them - it's such a happy experience!  But flying?  Blech.  Flights are delayed, usually due to that pesky New England weather at any time of year.  Ice storms, snow storms, thunderstorms.  You name it, Logan is delayed.

That's why I'm such a fan of the staycation.  I can relax, rejuvenate before heading back to all the students I have, the busy schedule of driving from here, there, to everywhere with Kidlet A and Kidlet B.  Cozy in my sock monkey flannels, I can focus on being me and not worrying about rushing about.  No schedules are to be had.

I'm a summer gal.  Let me hibernate until the warm weather comes about.  And no, I do not like spring.  Spring is a harsh tease - a warm day here, a bitter cold one to follow.  I find myself depressed in spring.  It's like showing us candy and then taking it away.  Not fair.  Bring on the eighty degree days of summer, complete with humidity.  The sun, even yes, the thunderstorms.  My little garden in bloom, even with weeds, makes me happy.  At this point as I look at the snow, I would be thankful for a few dandelions.  Their bright yellow on the green of my lawn this year will actually make me smile.  I'll be thankful it's not snow.  And when they blossom into white, I'll blow on them, making a wish, for a winter next year not as harsh as this one.