photo op: reliving baking memories

RER 3.14.17

There was a time when love was blind

And the world was a song

And the song was exciting

There was a time

Then it all went wrong…

No, I know. I’m being dramatic. And a Les Miz fan. Nothing has gone wrong. But…

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RER 3.14.17

 There was a time when I used to bake

And the kitchen smelled like cookies

And there was butter and sugar all over the place

There was a time

Then came adulting…

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A lot has happened over the last few months: Life has just intensified in the most amazing ways from my job, to a status change, to looking forward to and toward the future. There has been little time for baking, but still plenty of time for eating well (pics or it didn’t happen).

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The last time I baked, it was chocolates chip cookies and a foggy memory. Coconut, too. Something about a snow day— a rare occurrence when I was in school, the very same school where I am starting my third year as a teacher (!!).  When I was young, the school would stay open and the less-than-attractive floors would be slippery and squeak with the melted snow from boots and shoes. Classes would be diminished, but we would learn things that you can’t find in books. The snow would be like a silencer for the outside world, but inside school there would be palpable excitement and an ineffable feeling of security and comfort.

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Making those cookies back in March made me feel that sense of coziness, and thinking about the last time I truly baked, makes me feel the same on this humid August day. And maybe, I also feel a little inspired…..

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8.18.17

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photo OP: blondie bomb

RER 11.24.15

Sometimes sweets are in order, especially when the pressure is on and it feels like the world might be closing in, no matter how happy you are. Closing walls, racing heartbeats, and spinning hands on the clock are not exclusive to stress, anxiety, and unhappiness. Pleasure, excitement, and joy can have similar suffocating feelings. My newfound joy comes with intense investment and hard work. But it’s worth it…

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RER 11.14.15

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So are these blondies, which are a spin-off of these. This time our remix included marshmallow, chocolate chip, and pretzel mix-ins. Too much yum.

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11.24.15

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MangiaMore: THREE ingredient cookies

RER 4.29.15

They may not look pretty, but they sure are easy. These three ingredient cookies (yup, you read that right—3 ingredients!!) have that chewy satisfaction that any great chocolate chip cookie has, but has half the hassle. There’s none of that meticulous measuring, none of that creaming butter and sugar, none of that refrigerating for hours and hours; there’s just three ingredients: chocolate chips, graham crackers and sweetened condensed milk.

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The culmination of these three delicious things is pure perfection, not pretty, but pretty delicious. Crunch up 16 graham crackers (use a food processor for extreme ease), mix a can of sweetened condensed milk with your bag of chocolate chips till chips are covered, and finally stir in those graham crumbs. It can’t get much easier.

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I mixed semi-sweet, milk and white chocolate chips, since I am not always wild on straight up chocolate. And since I was doing a double batch (because little effort was involved), I added dried cranberries to half of my second batch. They are a different kind of sweet and a tartness that emphasized the chocolate and the sticky condensed milk. These cookies are super-soft and pliable, but the outside has a little crunch. They remind me of all the best parts of cookies—gooey cookie dough and that candied texture.

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What’s your favorite minimal-effort cookie recipe? Care to share? Follow the food on instagram, twitter, and facebook!

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4.29.15

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