The woman who started it all and has shared her skills with the rest of us. As this year's official "cookie counter," Mom was in charge of making sure each of us got our equal share (which ended up around 12 dozen per person!) 
Dress code for the day: aprons
My two personal favorites: chocolate parfait (above) and orange carrot (below). They're melting in my mouth already.
While spending Easter weekend in St. George, I pretty much over-loaded on candy. What do you expect me to do? I was surrounded by every variety of m&m's, jelly beans, Reese's pb cups, licorice, peeps, and mini twix- so naturally I feasted upon the chocolate and high fructose corn syrup. After we got home Sunday night, I was contemplating the large doses of candy I consumed and realized that I can't complain about un-lost pregnancy pounds when I eat like that. So suddenly, in a rash and unplanned moment, I splurted out "I'm not going to eat any treats for a whole week." ("treats" are defined as candy, cookies, cake, chocolate, etc.) Now maybe this is normal for some of you. Maybe you think it wouldn't be that hard. But if you know me at all, you know this is a huge sacrifice. I don't go a DAY without treats, not to mention a WEEK. Now if I had just thought about withholding for a week, that would be one thing. But I said it out loud, to Dave. So I had to stick to it! I thought about forgetting I ever said it, but I felt bad giving up so easy. I then felt like I had to prove it to myself and to Dave that I really could do it! Well, I'm almost there. It's been 6 days, one more to go, and I'm looking forward to Sunday so I can eat whatever I want. It's been tough- my bowl of happy pastel m&m's (plain, pb, and peanut) have been calling my name every night. But I think my biggest challenge will be tomorrow night- I'm working a night shift, a time I usually live off of treats. Other people have diet coke, coffee, red bull to keep them awake. Me? I stay awake thanks to treats. So this is a dilemma. Since my decision making skills and self-control are usually impaired in the middle of the night, I'll probably figure that after midnight it's technically Sunday and I can have treats again!
I guess I'm proud of myself for (almost) achieving a goal I set, but I can't say I feel so much healthier, look skinnier, or have lost a ton of weight. If any of you are thinking about making a similar goal, stop now, go enjoy a treat, and wish me luck for the next 2 days.
We just celebrated one of my favorite days of the year: the Annual Cookie Bake. This is something we've been doing forever and not only do I cherish the memories, but also every bite of every cookie. The girls of the family get together, everyone brings their assigned cookie dough, and we bake for about 10 hours straight. My mom's oven should be on a commercial for Kenmore- everyone would buy that oven if they could have these delicious cookies coming out of it every 8 to 10 minutes.
We roll, dip, cool, and frost all day long until we leave exhausted, with tins FULL of cookies. This year we made 8 varieties, and ended up with thousands of cookies. We share them with neighbors, friends, loved ones, and keep some for ourselves, of course!
The types of cookies we make are special because we only make them at the Cookie Bake. I look forward to them all year, especially the Thumbprints, with their perfect dollop of green frosting surrounded by toasted chopped pecans... yum!
I was in charge of making all the dough for the chocolate crackle. I had 2 mixing bowls full, and I used over 20 eggs and 10 cups of flour! Their ooey-gooey goodness leaves you only wanting one thing: a tall glass of cold milk. For the next month, there will always be something to eat at my house: milk and cookies. No longer is my freezer full of frozen veggies, chicken breasts, and popsicles- just loads and loads of cookies. Just the way I like it.
I'm sorry if I post about food all the time. But let's face it- I just can't get enough. A co-worker brought in some banana bread the other day, and I fell in love. I've already baked 5 loaves of it, and haven't gotten sick of it yet. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, so I will pass it along to you. Enjoy!
Mary's Famous Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 or 4 large bananas)
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour, or 2 1/2 cups white flour
chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts)- optional
chocolate chips- optional
Beat together first seven ingredients until totally smooth and creamed together.
Add in banana, honey, and eggs.
Stir in flour, about one cup at a time, then add nuts and chocolate chips, if using.
Pour batter into lightly greased loaf pan and let stand for 10 minutes.
Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, then lay foil over top of bread and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan, remove and enjoy!!
Marcie recently made the most wonderful key lime pie; it was truly heaven-sent. She got the recipe from Tastespotting, which is like porn for food lovers. If you haven't yet checked it out, stop reading and go there right now. This key lime creation has a thick graham cracker crust, a layer of decadent coconut, zesty key lime filling, and is topped with a thin layer of not-too-sweet whipping cream. Although the dessert is quite rich, I didn't seem to have any problem cleaning my plate as well as a good portion of my nieces and nephews' plates. This is one recipe that is definitely worth hanging onto. 
Lately I've been eating a LOT of taffy. For some reason, I can't resist the colorful, pretty, perfectly packaged bite-sized treats. When I see a big bin in the grocery store, I can't walk past without filling up a bag to take home. Usually when I have a stash of treats, I take them with me on night shifts to share with my co-night owls. But the past two nights, there has been NO sharing going on. I keep the sweet sticky stuff hid in my bag, rationing them throughout the night. I haven't decided which color is my favorite, so I guess I will continue my taste testing.
With St. Patrick's Day today, and Easter next Sunday, I was feeling very "spring-y." So what do I do when I want to celebrate any type of occasion? I bake. Baking always brings me a good feeling and it's one of my favorite ways to spend free time. I decided to take some of my goodies to The Children's Hour for them to sell to their stylish customers. So please stop in, grap a cupcake, and a great book or cute pair of shoes while you're at it.
PLUS
PLUS
EQUALS
YUM! These rolo cookies are a sure-fire hit. The crispy outside and chewy center make it almost impossible to eat just one. A favorite among my friends, family, and coworkers, I've received many requests for these little treats. I've tried peanut butter cups and white chocolate chips with the dough as well, but Rolos make it most delicious. Who knew Rolos could could get any better?
Many of you may already know this about me, but I LOVE frosting. Every bite of cake, cupcake, sweetroll, etc. has to have gobs and gobs of frosting. Actually, I enjoy eating it just plain! Not only do I like to eat frosting, but I like to make it and decorate with it as well. Although sugar cookies aren't my favorite kind of cookie, I get excited to make them just so I can decorate them. I would do this for a full-time job if I could. Anyone hiring? Here is a sample of some of my Halloween cut-outs (the kitty is my favorite).
There's only one show that can really turn me into a food network fanatic, and that would be Ace of Cakes. During the half-hour program, I live vicariously through Chef Duff as I watch him and his very artistic staff create the most amazing cakes you'll ever see. Who knew that a little flour, sugar, water, gum paste, and fondant could make such things as a football field, the Washington Monument, owls, tennis balls, and even a Campbell's tomato soup can. If only one day I too could work at Charm City Cakes, that would be a dream come true. If you'd like to catch a glimpse, tune in Thursday nights at 8pm, and for some great pics, check out www.charmcitycakes.com.
