Chocolate cookies for Monday

I made these cookies a few weeks ago from a recipe I found on Orangette because I love chocolate and because they seemed intriguing. While making the recipe, the dough was pretty tough and dry, so I thought these would never work. First time trying a recipe is always an adventure and the result did not totally look like what was on her site, but they tasted delish and smelled yummy as well! Here is the picture for proof:

I haven't been baking as much lately because I've been tired and trying to not eat as many sweets. More so the tiredness though :). I did make a kick-ass rice, sausage and zucchini combo from the newest Rachael Ray magazine that I could probably eat every day and not get sick of it. It was that good! However, I did not take any pictures so you will have to imagine its yumminess. Have a fabulous Monday and congrats to my friend Melissa who had a baby last night, Chase. It's getting to be quite the club, the friends who have kids club. Good luck and best wishes to her, Brian and new baby Chase.

Making a difference on the small scale

In all the discussion in the news media about the Obama administration and the new direction it is taking, I am fascinated by the people he has assembled behind the scenes. Now this may be "the West Wing" nerd in me finally being released and trying to find a counterpart to my favorite characters, but some of the people feel more representative of my generation which is exciting for someone who wants to become more interested in politics. Now I will not state my political beliefs or anything like that, but I just wanted to share a bit about the new speechwriter on board: Jon Favreau.


I just read an article today on the Boston Globe website: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/12/21/the_speechwriter_in_chief/ and I am impressed. He's a year younger than I am and just sounds like a guy you would want to be friends with, while at the same time writing brilliant text about the future of our country. In this article, it wasn't necessarily the political side that intrigued me (though the bit about giving Kerry a line during the convention was interesting), rather it was his graduation speech as valedictorian from Holy Cross College. In it he said to his classmates, "Here's some of what we need. Soccer coaches, den mothers, PTA members, neighbors who help you move in and promise to keep in touch when they move you out, friends who come early and stay late, shoulders to cry on, big brothers and sisters, family comedians, T-ball umpires, letter-to-the-editor authors, voters who care about any issue from traffic lights and tax reform to potholes and peace on earth, organizers and activists, critics and supporters, voices for those who are having trouble getting theirs heard, summertime porch-sitters with special degrees in talking about everything and nothing until the mosquitoes bite, mentors, philanthropists, signature collectors, boo-boo fixers, grocers to the hungry, roofers to the homeless, and believers -- especially believers." Not to wax too poetic, but these words really speak to me. In an economy that keeps getting more grim and in a society where we are becoming increasingly more disconnected, especially as we become more connected to social networking via the Internet and communicating more and more through sites like Facebook and whatnot, I fear that we will not be able to live up to those simple goals Favreau mentions. I adore simplicity and the romance of community, and wish I could be closer to my friends and family. I wish that I had people who lived closer to me that I could sit on the porch with and "shoot the shit" and I wish that I volunteered more. One silver lining out of this economic crisis from the cynic in me is that now we have to embrace simplicity, be creative in our endeavors and really try to connect to one another on homespun levels. More potlucks and game nights and park encounters and just sitting, enjoying the breeze and good company of dedicated folk.



So my question is to anyone reading: want to come over and savor some of the simple, small wonders of life?

What happens in the Quigley house....

Here's what happens when Lola eats slippers and I don't clean it up:

Okay, so that's not "totally" true just so you all don't go call the authorities and get mad. Lola was just so cute sitting in her kennel a few weeks ago and I climbed in to pet her. Then of course I wondered if I could fit and lo and behold - I could! Perhaps we need more evening activities...

Anyways, another picture to captivate you! As I mentioned last post, we took Lola to Cannon Beach this weekend and the verdict was success. The look of unadulterated joy on her puppy face, so full of sand and slobber because there were so many birds to chase, so many new friends to sniff and chase, and so much to smell was something else. Lola gets this look on her face like she's drunk when she gets to run like a mad-dog that's just precious. Even though it was cloudy and rainy, it was nice to see/hear/feel the ocean and smell that invigorating salty air.

Enjoy the light snow in Portland and the weather wherever you are! xoxo

Monday Monday

No cooking posts today - didn't really do much baking last week. I did attempt to make risotto which had great taste with chorizo and peas, but just wasn't soft enough. I have heard that making risotto is difficult and it took forever. Not one I will probably do again. This weekend we make scallops with linguini and vodka sauce - thanks TJs! I want to try to make something tonight, but still need to figure out what. A bit of a busy week at school and after school so that is exciting. Sometimes I do better when I have plans in the afternoon.
Ahh, so nice to hear Allison Janney's voice on the radio, even if it is a Kaiser Permanente commerical. I miss my CJ - thank goodness I can watch her whenever I want to on DVD.
Took Lola to the coast yesterday and she was in love: running around trying to catch the birds, meeting other doggies, eating sand, and running with us. She was dog tired yesterday though so now we have to keep up with exercising her this week. Wish me luck! I will have to post the beach picture and the other funny picture - will try to do that tonight when I get home!

Cookie Pie!

The cooking adventures continue...for my friend Sarah's S'more party last week I wanted to make something but couldn't think of anything. Then, after seeing a recipe yet again on bread and honey (I should start paying them..), I thought that chocolate chip cookies would be yummy with marshmallow or just plain. And pie is always good, so I grabbed a recipe, placed it in a pie dish:

It was fun to mostly use my experience with baking - a little of this, a little of that, add some cinnamon, more chocolate chips. Plus, who doesn't love chocolate chip cookie bars? Everyone at the party loved it too, so much so that all that was left was:

Enjoy your Monday - I'll be dreaming of what else I can make tonight!

donut muffins

I read about these muffins on another blog, called bread and honey, and thought, those sound delish. Love donuts, love muffins, the perfect combination. Plus I know some co-workers and husbands who are willing to try it out. (The lovely picture on the left courtesy of JQPhoto).I used nonfat milk instead of whole, and skipped the coating in butter, just dusting the top with powdered sugar. The result? A yummy, lighter but hearty muffin that tasted surprisingly like a donut. Mmm, put some icing on and some multi-colored jimmies and I'll be set! Definitely a keeper! Follow the link above for the recipe.

will write more soon!

It's been an up and down January, from finishing finals at school and starting a new semester to getting over sickness and trying to gain back the energy I lost from sickness. Also the weather has been freakishly cold lately which hasn't been ideal for getting outside and exercising.
Yet, I am working on changing the blog a bit and offering my exploration into cooking and baking more yummy dishes - primarly sharing my experiences and trying my hand at a bit of food photography (thanks JQ!). However, I need to learn a bit more html to make a site I'm proud of and want to share.
Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday and stay warm! I know I'm dreaming of 60 degree weather....