February Week 1

January 30th - February 5th

Welcome to February!

This week we're continuing a look around our house, specifically in the kitchen.

I am not a great cook, but I love to eat meals at home as a family, and have inherited some pretty decent family recipes from my mom and other relatives, so most nights, when we can, we're at home cooking.

Also, I am probably the pickiest eater you'll ever meet, and my husband is the easiest to please eater, so I have it pretty easy... I just make what I like, and for the most part, he likes it too! :)

Emily is a little picky... but for a toddler, she does pretty well. (She gets that from her dad!)

The one thing I don't like about cooking: the dishes.

Fortunately for me though Pete helps a TON with dishes and clean up after dinner. In fact, when he's home, he does more of that than I do... especially these days, as we near the final weeks of this pregnancy, and that is something I am oh so very grateful for!

So, a look around our kitchen, at some things nostalgic and others... not.

(I never promised interesting blogs... just daily life!)

*A full and cheerful bowl of citrus that makes me happy.

(I LOVE these cuties... I probably eat 2 of them a day!)

*Bright little bowls that also make me smile because they were a small, unexpected gift from a friend.

*Super simple, happy little curtains I made a few years ago

*A pitcher that I bought back when I was living in Spain

*An aloe plant that was a gift from one of the most difficult students I've ever taught!

*The cookie jar some of my girlfriends from high school painted...

well, stamped... and then gave us as a wedding shower gift

*Colorful IKEA prints up on our shelf along with my cookbooks (out of order I might add)

*Another wedding gift, drawn by my mom's friend Nancy...

if you look carefully, to the left of the apple tree there's a barn and near it it says 'Sarah and Pete' and then 'July, 11, 2004'

This is the dinner prayer/blessing that we used to sing often at dinner when I was a kid. :)

*Em's play kitchen that her Gpa and Gma Sasha gave her for Christmas.

...and the YUMMIEST chocolate chip cookies I have EVER had!

Well, chocolate-white chocolate chip cookies :)

They are seriously amazing...

(and I thought all, ok, most chocolate chip cookie recipes were the same... Ha! foolish me!)

Here's the recipe:

(Try it! You won't be disappointed!)

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Mix the butter (I softened it first), sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs until it is creamy. Hint: Mix it a LOT!

2. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing it until it is just mixed. Do NOT over mix this.

3. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Simple, and simply amazing.