Chocolate Chip Cookies

Aren't chocolate chip cookies just the best? I've had occasion to make a couple of desserts this past week and last night I noticed that both of them were based on this cookie. I must be craving them. Maybe my body is having a chocolate chip cookie deficiency and needs them. Do you think I can get away with that excuse??? I found both yummy recipes on blogs, so I'll share the addresses in case you are interested in trying them out. You won't be sorry; they were both wonderful! Oh and sorry, I have no pictures. Ben took the camera on his canoe trip.

The first was Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. That's right....a pie filled with essentially a great big cookie. We were afraid that it would be super sweet, but it came out great. All of my chocolate chips fell to the bottom during cooking, so maybe next time I will mix the chips in with a little of the flour to try to keep them in the pie suspension. It didn't affect the taste, though. We did whip cream on top, but I think ice cream would be even better.
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/04/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie-oh-my.html

The second dessert I made for my Bible study group last night: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. Oh my goodness...graham cracker crust, cheesecake, and then cookie dough on top. What could be better? I didn't drizzle with chocolate as the recipe suggests. I was just too lazy. But, it was plenty sweet and I don't think I missed it a bit.
http://www.bakeorbreak.com/recipes/2008/04/24/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cheesecake-bars/

Enjoy!

Spring in Kirksville

It finally feels like spring. I swear, this winter felt like it lasted forever! Kirksville really is beautiful this time of year. I had never seen a magnolia tree before we moved here, and now it is probably the thing I look forward to the most. There are so many other pretty trees, bushes, and flowers out this time of year, too. The one thing I do miss from home is lilacs. They just don't have them here, and as some of you know lilacs are my absolute favorite.



The other thing that spring brings to town is Kirksville's annual clean up where residents can make a pile of trash in their yard to be hauled away. I think it makes the town look like a dump for about a month. Don't get me wrong, lots of people love it. They get a chance to get rid of all of their unwanted things and some people even like to go treasure hunting through other peoples junk. I, however, think it makes a perfectly nice lawn look trashy.

Ben Can See!

Ben and I went to Kansas City this weekend so he could have his Lasik Eye Surgery! Everything went great! We were only at the office for about 4 hours and the surgery was 10 minutes long, maximum. I got to be with him the whole time, and even sat beside him during the surgery. It was really cool, actually. They told him that things would be a little hazy and that it would slowly go away over the next couple of weeks as he is healing. Since he had the surgery his vision has steadily improved. He said it is like a fog is lifting. Yesterday, he mentioned that it just looked like he had dirty contacts in. It was expensive, but we both think that it was so worth it. Ben is already loving the results, and if he wants he can go back and get a "touch-up" for free. Here is a picture of us. Doesn't Benj look great?!

That night we went out to eat with our friends Matt and Laura. Ben and I had seen a show on Food Network called "Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives" that featured a segment about a place in Kansas City called Grinders. It looked really cool, so we decided to go check it out. It definitely qualified as a "Dive." But it was really fun and Ben, especially, loved the food. We had a Bengal Tiger pizza with chili cheese tator tots piled up in the center. The menu said something about needing a defibrillator if you order it. Check it out!

Another Tag

Laura tagged me, so here we go…

1. 10 years ago: I was 16, so that would have made me a sophomore in high school. I was just about ready to get my first car at that time—the same car I still have today.

2. 5 things on my to-do list today: Go to the gym, work, cook supper, watch American Idol, call my Dad for his birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!)

3. Snacks I enjoy: Apples are my favorite! I also love popcorn, nuts, and anything with peanut butter in or on it.

4. What would you do if you were suddenly a billionaire: Give some away, pay off these pesky medical school loans, buy a house in the Caribbean, and retire!

5. 5 places I've lived: I’ve only lived 3 places—Beloit, KS; Hays, KS; and Kirksville, Missouri.

6. 5 jobs:
1. Babysitting
2. Joint Effort (hometown Salon where I cleaned and such)
3. Lab Assistant
4. Academic Tutor
5. Chemistry Lab Technician

7. 3 BAD habits:
1. I like to pull out stray hairs (just ask my husband…he hates it!)
2. I always feel the need to eat a snack when I get off of work even if we are just about to have dinner
3. I often run my gas tank down until the fuel light comes on and then tell Benji that he needs to get me some new gas!

8. 5 Random things people don't know about me:
1. One summer in college I did an internship at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation
2. I have been in the middle of knitting a scarf for over a year and a half now. You’d think I would just finish the dumb thing.
3. I eat the same thing for lunch nearly every day—a lean pocket and an apple….how lame is that?
4. I had perfect attendance all through Jr. & Sr. High School.
5. I do almost all of the day-to-day financial things for our family, like pay bills and balance the checkbook, while Benj does all of our long term investment things.

9. I tag Jodie, Man, and Becca.

Osteopathic Fun Run

Every year the Student Advocate Association that I am a part of sponsors a 1 mile, 5K, and 10K race to benefit charity. This year all proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. I decided to participate in the 10K. Unfortunately, it was cold and snowing Saturday morning, so there were maybe a few less runners than there would have been if the weather had been nice. But, luckily for me, having fewer competitors meant that I had a better shot! I ended up getting first place in my age division for the 10K! I think that my time ended up being 51:42. I was excited to get a medal! Ben was at the finish line to take a couple of pictures!



And here I am after the race at home with my medal. This is not the best picture of me, but it was cold, wet, and snowy so what can I say?

Key Lime Pie

Ben has quite the sweet tooth and he really enjoys baking. In fact, he does the majority of the baking at our house. He found a recipe for Key Lime Pie in our Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and made it for the first time on Sunday. It was gone within a day and a half. He had to force himself to leave me a piece and I had to eat it as soon as I got off of work--otherwise, I probably wouldn't see it again! Since then, he has made two more of these. One he took to our neighbors as a gift, and the other met the same demise as the first. This pie is so good. It's sweet, a little tart, and oh so delicious!

Key Lime Pie

1 recipe Baked Pie Shell

3 eggs

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

3 Tablespoons water

green food coloring (optional)

Meringue

1. Prepare baked pie shell and set aside. Separate egg yolks from whites; set whites aside for meringue.

2. For filling, in a medium bowl beat egg yolks. Gradually whisk in sweetened condensed mild; add lime juice, water, and food coloring if desired (we didn't add any). Mix well (mixture will thicken)

3. Spoon thickened filling into baked pastry shell. Bake in a 325 deg. oven for 15 min. Meanwhile, prepare meringue for pie. Remove pie from oven and increase the oven temperature to 350 deg. Spread meringue over hot filling and seal to the edge. Bake for about 15 minutes (until nicely browned). Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Chill for 3-6 hours before serving.

When did this happen to me?

When do people get old? I mean, does it happen slowly over time so you didn't really notice it creeping up on you. Or does it kind of hit you suddenly, like a ton of bricks? I'm not really sure, but I think I have noticed a few things here and there--I certainly can't take those amusement park rides like I used to and I definitely go to bed earlier than I did, even just a few years ago. But, yesterday my age really hit me--hard! We have such a small kitchen that I have to store many of our larger kitchen things on top of our cabinets. I grabbed one of our kitchen chairs and hopped up to put away our stand mixer. I have no idea what happened next; somehow the chair slipped out from under me and I fell backwards into the side of our oven. I didn't go down all the way...the oven saved me from the floor. But man, was I ever sore after that one. My back aches like crazy! I know, I know....I should have gone the extra 10 steps to the closet where I keep our step stool that has the no slip grips, and believe me...next time, I will not be so lazy! But, my point is this: I am positive this little fall wouldn't have fazed me in the slightest a couple of years ago, but now....well, what can I say...I guess I turned old when I wasn't paying attention! When did this happen??

Honey-Do

So, now that Ben has all this time off I feel like I should give him something useful to do. He doesn't feel that way of course, and would be perfectly happy if my honey do list included things like going fishing or playing video games! He has been going to the hospital off an on this week for meetings, so he has managed to fill his time. He is off until July, though and I think he needs some big project to work on. Unfortunately, I am having trouble coming up with a good list for him to do, though. If we had our own house, it would be different. But, we don't, so I'm stuck telling him things like, "Boy, it sure would be nice if the house were clean when I get off of work this evening" or "Our bed sheets really need to be washed." I tried to suggest the sheets yesterday, but somehow he just didn't quite get that done. I'm not holding my breath for the clean house tonight either, but we'll see. He actually is pretty good at helping me clean, but doing the whole thing....well, that's just too much to hope for! Anyway, if any of you have good suggestions for him, let us know. Ben will really appreciate your input!

Benj does have something very exciting coming up, though. In two weeks he is going to have Lasik eye surgery done in Kansas City. He is so excited at the thought of seeing something--anything--without glasses. He has unbelievably bad vision. If not for his glasses, he would be totally helpless and have to be led around by the hand....seriously. I am so happy for him; it will make such a huge difference in his day-to-day life. I think the most exciting thing for him will be waking up in the middle of the night and being able to see the clock! I take my vision for granted sometimes and don't realize all the little things that I can see that he just plain can't. Anyway, he wanted to get this all done before his graduation and our cruise. Now he'll be able to snorkel without those contacts that irritate his eyes so much and he can wear actual, real sunglasses again. It's the little things that will be so wonderful!


Edited to add:
After I got home I found that the bed sheets were in the washer, Ben had swept and mopped the floors (which is my least favorite cleaning job), & he was out fishing......So, I guess we both win.