Bordem + Baking = Delicious Dish

I like to bake. And the good thing, maybe the only good thing, about having a little extra time on your hands is extra time to bake. With all this extra time I probably could have done something a little more ambitious and complicated, but lets be honest, I just really wanted some good 'ol fashioned chocolate chip cookies. Its not like it was a craving or anything. Ok, maybe it was. Just a little. Anyway, I know chocolate chip cookies aren't anything fancy but they are still pretty awesome if you ask me. Annnnd in case you are wondering I happen to be the blue ribbon winner of chocolate chip cookies at the Twin Falls County Fair for three years in a row. (Applause!! "Thank you! Thank you!") It may have been in 1996, but hey, that's when I learned my awesome skills. The recipe I used today is no secret and I must confess it isn't the famous blue ribbon recipe. Its better! Thanks Martha Stewart. *Recipe below. 

Just a little preview to get you hooked. 

The goods: butter and sugar 

A little flava-flave. AKA vanilla 

Mix it good! 

Mmmm look at that! 

I added some chopped walnuts for good measure, and because MountainMan loves them and I'm nuts about him. ;)  

Like my awesome kitchen towel? Me too. 

Ah. Pure perfection. 

This is my newest life motto. 

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Thanksgiving adventures...and then some.

Wooo--eee! It has been a while since I have delightfully wasted time on this silly thing. I'll use the busy holidays as my excuse. Thanksgiving used to be one of my favorite holidays (among most of the other holidays being my favorite, too). It still ranks up there but it has certainly changed. We have decided to make a family Thanksgiving tradition every year. The Mister thinks that this includes celebrating Thanksgiving but really it involves a lot of hunting. I mean, a lot. As in every day from dawn 'til dusk. But don't get me started on that just yet. I am totally OK with this tradition that we have started but I decided I needed to rename it to make myself feel a little better about the reality of the situation. My first idea was to call it "Thanks-hunting" because then its kinda like Scott telling me "Thanks for hunting with me". The second idea I had was "Hunts-giving" because Scott would say that the "hunts give us food for the family". Get it? That is his not-so-sneaky excuse for hunting: it feeds the family. Either way, this "Thanksgiving" trip is really just an excuse to hunt. This year we went with some dear friends of ours that made the trip lots of fun. I think I started to go cross-eyed almost every day looking for deer, and I am convinced that I came much to close to my second encounter with frostbite (dont' ask). OK fine, maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration, but still! It was a bit freezing but I will admit that the snow was absolutely breathtaking. Coming home to a cabin in the woods with a wood stove burning wasn't so bad either. I was not successful this year on filling my tag but I did help MountainMan pack out his deer. He had a perfect shot, but maybe next time he can shoot one that we don't have to drag 250 yards uphill. (I only know it was that far because he told me). Overall, we had a great trip and our tradition is a couple years underway. 

Here are some pictures I snapped along the way... 

This was a somewhat strange little cabin we found while driving along. 

May 2015 be a year of growth, joy, and abundant blessing to you!