Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well, hello there. You look good enough to eat.

During a "there's got to be something to eat in here!" scavenge through my cupboards the other night I came across a hidden container of a few chocolate chips. Cookies! I pulled out my trusty America's Test Kitchen cookbook and looked up their recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and what came out of the oven were The. Best. Cookies. Ever. No, seriously - they were like the kind of cookies you get from a fancy bakery. So. Amazing. They were firm on the outside and chewy on the inside. Let's just say that it's a good thing that I only made a partial batch.

Side note: I baked the cookies on a silicone mat and the cookies cooked SO WELL. The bottoms were that perfect shade of brown and they came off the mat without the aid of a spatula. Very cool.

I did some googling to see if I could the recipe online somewhere else and the only place i found it was locked down under America's Test Kitchen website. (They do free 14 day trials, but after that you have to pay!). So, because I have much love for America's Test Kitchen because I have never once had a recipe turn out badly thanks to all of their time they put into their recipes - I'm going to respect their copyright on the recipe.

However, you too can get the recipe (and many others!) via these options:

1. Website - 14 days to get as many recipes as possible for free - plan your trial period wisely!

2. Buy the cookbook - for only about $20 on half.com.

3. Drive to my house and get the recipe!

Don't hate me for not giving you the recipe. Love America's Test Kitchen.

The Roller Coaster

I knew that adoption was going to be a roller coaster. I just didn't expect to be on the "roller coaster of emotions" so soon.

I was looking back at my list of countries from a few entries prior to this one that were currently open to singles and began to further research a few of them. The more I researched about Kazakhstan the more excited I became. I even loved the approximate 6 week trip to get my child - I loved knowing that I would be able to spend that long in the country that held the heritage of my child.

I began searching out agencies that placed children from Kaz and looking for groups and blogs that dealt specifically with Kaz adoptions. I pulled out my copy of The Complete Russian Adoption Handbook" and began reading. I spent days looking at photos of children home from Kaz and getting that "in the gut" feeling that "yeah, I can see my child looking like that." I started looking up the info about the country and searching to see if there were any children's book concerning Kaz adoptions.

As I was browsing one of the message boards I had found that deals with Kaz my stomach sank when I saw the topic of one of the threads: "Kazakhstan closing to singles?" And, indeed, it seems that they are. There is chatter and people seem to think that they will indeed close to singles very soon.

I closed my computer for a while and then took a drive down some long country roads. As I was driving and trying not to be depressed at yet another country that may not be an option for me - God reminded me that if Kaz, or any country, is closed then all that means is that that country is not where my child is. And, I should be happy that I got the warning after only a few days of growing an attachment to Kaz rather than after months or even years of growing an attachment to that country.

There are other countries available. There is the domestic adoption which, although that is not where my heart is currently at, could also be an option. And, there are four years to wait and sift through the ever-changing IA laws.

So I've pretty much decided I'm going to stop actively trying to "decide" on a country until the end of my master's degree is in sight. I'll just poke around in all the countries for now and trust that when it's time to get my child that the right door will be open.

Brie with Jam and Bread

Actually, it's Brie with Apricot Preserves and Puff Pastry - but that loses that whole "Ti, a drink with jam and bread" flavor a la Sound of Music.

Anyway.

Here is one of the appetizers I made for the New Year's Day party that turned out fabulously.

Here's what you need:

1 Wheel of Brie
1 sheet of puff pastry
A few tablespoons of preserves (apricot, raspberry, whatever you want. I used apricot)
optional - chopped nuts of some sort - I didn't use any.

Preheat oven to 350

Thaw out puff pastry and lay it in a greased pie plate.

Slice wheel of brie in half so that there are two wheels.

Place bottom of wheel on top of puff pastry rind side down.
Spread preserves over brie, sprinkle nuts.
Place top of brie on top of all that rind side up.

Fold over puff pastry around brie, seal seams with fingers.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes. Serve with crackers or bread or whatever strikes your fancy.

Everyone seemed to like this a lot - and it's really best HOT.

Happy New Calendar!

New Year, New Calendar - and I particularly like this one that is now hanging in my kitchen!

The May photo (beginning of second row here) has an oven that I want! It has like four compartments for cooking!

Anyway. I really enjoy vintage advertisements so this seemed like a great kitchen calendar for me :)

I bought the calendar at a store but I also see this one online that looks like fun: Kitchen Kitsch

And see lots of vintage ads at Adclassix.com

Now I'm off to prepare for a New Year's Day Party. The hostess has asked me to prepare a couple of appetizers so I'm doing Baked Brie and Spinach Balls. The Spinach balls have the special honor of being the first thing I made for a "grown up party" back in my student teaching and they were a hit. Hopefully they'll go over as well tonight. I'll be back with recipes, pictures, and such later!


(technical question for other blogspotters - whenever I use a picture in the "compose" window rather then the "edit html" window I get really random spacing - anyone know what's up with that?)

Book Review: The Pumpkin Patch

After ringing in the new year last night with a friend I started 2009 by finishing the book you see pictured. It's the story in journal form of a single woman in her mid 40s who travels to Ukraine to adopt two unrelated children. She goes hoping for two girls and returns with two boys.

There wasn't anything "new" in this book in terms of single parent adoption information - but it was nice to read the actual story of a woman who took the journey - especially one who adopted two at once - especially because in my heart I'd really like to do the same thing - though I don't know how wise it is for me to do that.

Oh! There was one thing I read that was "new" to me in all of my readings - one of her sons developed a bad case of "exploding diapers" after they returned home. Months and Months of tests and no answers until finally one doctor realized it began when she transitioned him from underwear back to diapers after they left the orphanage. His brain didn't know what was going on and caused his intestines to hold it in and then when it finally came out it exploded. (Look at me..not yet a mother and already talking about poop!) So - mental note tucked away to watch bowel movements carefully if I switch the types of underwear on my child once we leave the orphanage ;-)

This woman was able to take a few months off work to help her children transition and then hired a nanny to watch them once she returned to work. Those of you who have done this before? Do you have any control over requesting travel windows? (Or - I guess - if certain countries have more stable "time charts" I can just choose when to submit my paperwork and hope it works out...) I can maximize "transition" time before returning to work if I travel to get the child in Feb-April is the only reason I ask. I'll obviously pack up and go whenever my child is ready - but I would prefer 5 months of transition time rather than two of course. ;-) If I travel near the end of the spring semester I'll have all of summer off without losing any paycheck before returning to work in August.

I highly doubt I'll be able to afford a nanny once I return to work - but I'm hoping that at least there will be a friend who will keep my child in her home rather than going to a daycare.

In general - it was a good book to read to kind of get a glimpse inside single parent adoption. I'd encourage you to read it to just kind of give your brain a glimpse into the world. I really appreciated how honest she was with her emotions and thoughts.