Happy Weekend and a (Can't Miss) Cake Batter Cookies Recipe.

Well, hello, friends!

It's been just a little bit since I've blogged, I've been busy around here - making dressers, transitioning to big boy rooms, celebrating 4 years of marriage...and all sorts of things in between. I'll share here soon.

Sometimes I'm just overwhelmed at the cuteness of my boys.

Like this week, when they were headed out to a Daddy Pancake Breakfast at Coop's preschool.

I mean I can't deal. Does anyone feel the air of greatness Snoop is putting off here?? Simmer down son.

We are having some folks over tomorrow for a little St. Paddy's Day festival in the 'hood. 

A low-key affair, but I see it as an opportunity to make my most favorite guilty pleasure in the whole wide world...Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I found the recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction and I mean...You just have to try it. 

Plan on adapting tomorrow with green sugary sprinkles. Yum!

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cup (160g)all-purpose flour

1 and 1/4 cup (190g) yellow or vanilla boxed cake mix (I typically use vanilla cake mix)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup (180g) chocolate chips (I used a blend of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed. Mix in the egg and vanilla until creamy.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not OVERMIX the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days. This step is mandatory. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookie from spreading too much.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Shape your cookie dough balls to be "taller" than they are wide, as pictured above. Press a few chocolate chips on top for looks, if desired. Make sure to keep dough chilled when working in batches. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned. (Mine took 10 minutes exactly). The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will set as they cool. You may also press a few more chips into the tops of the cookies at this point (the chips will melt down and stick from the warm cookies).

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Like mother like son.

It's the Little Things: Beauty All Around Us.

After a few weeks off I'm happy to be linking up with Jess and Ashley and It's the Little Things Link-Up. Today was easy.

I woke up to snow clinging to every tree and object in its path, and bright morning sun shining through baby blue skies.

I am often blown away by the beauty here in Denver and today I am especially thankful for it! It's there most days, if we slow down long enough to notice it. 

Today is one of those days!

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." -Confucious

Wisdom Wednesday: The Best is Yet to Come.

Life has been pretty good lately. 

And, I hate to say that out loud, because what if just thinking it jinxes something, or causes the other shoe to drop. But luckily I believe in a God who, among many things, is a gift-giver, a blessings-man, and all good things are through and from Him. 

Cooper is so darn cute y'all sometimes I feel like I can explode with happiness.

I look at Coop, feel this budding soccer player drop-kicking in my stomach, and look ahead a few months and think...I get to have another Cooper!! Stop it, right?!

And if I were to look even further ahead, who knows what I'd find?

I know there will be many hard times and difficult moments, after all, there is very little in this fallen world within our control, but I also know there is so much joy yet to live. It makes me excited for the future. I mean, what if our best days haven't happened yet? How exciting.

Wherever you are in life, I hope you too find hope in the thought that your best days are still ahead of you. Here's to not getting impatient in the meantime...

Intentional Eating Series: Kale Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette

We spent the weekend in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and it was so, so relaxing. 

Here's a gorgeous pic of our view from the front porch (not to make you jelly):

So I have been AH-bsessed with the Kale Salad at Hillstone, formerly known as Houston's, for like, ever. We're trying to work in more salads into our rotation and when I found this recipe online I jumped on it and it was so delicious. Husband approved.

Recipe and picture from Louise over at Kitchen Fiddler.

I used curly stemmed kale, my favorite, but Louise used Tuscan Kale. Choose what you like!

KALE SALAD WITH PEANUT VINAIGRETTE (A LA HOUSTON'S)

For the peanut vinaigrette: 

½ cup peanut oil (the nice kind, not the kind you fry with)

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 Tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1-½ Tablespoons honey

Dash of cayenne pepper

For the salad: 

4 heaping cups chopped kale (I prefer chopped)

1 cup finely slivered green cabbage

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 scallion, slivered

3 Tablespoons chopped peanuts (I use roasted salted peanuts)

Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

Combine all the salad ingredients except the chopped peanuts in a large bowl. Add about half the dressing and toss well, adding more dressing as needed so that all the leaves are lightly coated. (You will probably have leftover dressing.) This salad tastes better if dressed at least 30 minutes before serving. We put our dressing on individual salads, so leftovers would keep for the next couple days.

Add the chopped peanuts right before serving and toss again, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 salad servings, or 2 main course servings.

I hope you agree! Let me know what you think if you try it.