Cookie Time

Homer Pigeon (I still love him, Charlie!) has escaped his glass-fronted prison and is riding high on the window shelf.

Along with various other feathered fowl...

What can I say? Most things outside my window have turned an unappetizing shade of brown and gray, so I have to have something bright and colorful to at least look through!

I've played around a little more with my Christmas quilt. I decided it needed a red stripe.

And if you look closely, you'll see that the stripe is covered with chickens! Quilts look so sort of naked to me at this stage. I always want to see them finished, and that's a long way off for this little baby!

I know I've been absent from posting for a while. I hadn't realized it had been so long. I guess I've just had the winter "blahs".

But there is nothing like baking a nice batch of chocolate chip cookies to snap you out of that, especially if you sample a few fresh out of the oven!

If you'd like to give these a try, here's the recipe:

Elaine's Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix:

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Add:

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Mix thoroughly and then drop by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375F for 8 to 10 minutes, until light brown. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.

Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

I took a few minutes to put fresh sheets on the bed while the first batch of cookies was baking, and of course Chloe had to supervise to be sure I did it right. She had her trip to the vet last week to be neutered and she's almost back to her old self again. I missed her, and Mr. Sweetie Pie was just almost bereft without her to welcome him home every day! It's the sweetest thing ever. He didn't even want me to get a cat, and sure enough - I didn't. HE got the cat, because she loves him and tolerates me. Thank God for Bruno!

Have I mentioned before how much I love my KitchenAid mixer? Well, I do.

I've made many cookies over the years (and burned up many mixers doing it, too, by the way), and cookie making has never been easier than since I got my KitchenAid mixer I think it was seven years ago. And yes, those are orange shoes on my feet reflected in the mixer bowl. Don't judge me. ;-)

I'm heading back to the kitchen now to bake more cookies - peanut butter cookies this time, I think.

Hope your cooking and Christmas preparation is going along wonderfully well!

Hugs and kisses,