30 Days of Thankfulness - #21

I am thankful for drooly babies.

I soaked up two of the cutest babies on the planet this weekend. And if there was a way that I could actually bottle them up and eat them, I would.

Is that weird?

And don't even get me started on juicy thighs. I literally cannot handle the invisible knee caps, the disappearing ankle bones and the nooks and crannies that are so chunky and fantastic that it is hard to look away. It is the only time in life that cellulite should be praised, adored and photographed.

THE. ONLY. TIME.

I am convinced that I have a baby quota that must be met regularly. And if it isn't met, than I am liable to suck the cheeks right off of the next one I see.

30 Days of Thankfulness - #20

I am thankful for the other Seester.

30 Days of Thankfulness - #19

I am thankful for my passport.

I know it is weird to be thankful for a little booklet of paper, but my livelihood depends on it. Shoot, my entire college and graduate education is based upon it. And because of that, I know Sallie Mae is also extremely grateful.

A passport is your ticket to anywhere in the world (minus Cuba) and it becomes your identity, your lifeline and your security blanket while you are traveling. People have been known to shower with it, sleep with it and even wear fanny packs to protect it. Did you get that? FANNY. PACKS.

My passport has allowed me to sleep in huts, tents, hostels, hotels, houses, apartments, trains, planes, automobiles and one very long night on a trash heap in Nicaragua.

It has introduced me to Cuban rice pudding, water buffalo, french fries with lamb kabobs, Guinness, tapas and dulce de leche.

And it always reminds me of where I am from and how often I love to return home.

Even though I have been to a handful of places, there are approximately 169 countries that I still want to visit. So how about you? Where have you been? Where would you like to go? Do you wear a fanny pack?

Wait, don't tell me the last one.

30 Days of Thankfulness - #18

I am thankful for the Seester.

She's pretty hip. And cool. And a lot funky. And compassionate. And caring. And funny. Not to mention strange and beautiful and nuts.

Obviously we are related...at least on the nuts part. Otherwise we are nothing alike.

Today, she brought me coffee at work. Just because.

Nicely done, sis. You are totally my favorite.

30 Days of Thankfulness - #17 (Recipe Round Up: Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies)

I am thankful for Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies. SERIOUSLY THANKFUL.

If you do nothing else this week but make these cookies, you will consider it a success.

These are perhaps one of my favorite cookies of all time. And I make them year-round. I don't need no stinkin' calendar telling me when pumpkin season has arrived; everyday is pumpkin season in my world. I love my world so I am officially inviting you to join me.

So, how about a little tutorial on these suckers?

First, you are going to need a few things:

Butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg and dark chocolate chips

And you may or may not need stretchy pants.

First up: soften some butter. And try not to stick your finger in it like I did.

SIDE NOTE: I always use unsalted butter when I am baking so I can control the salt in my recipe. But if you feel deeply about using salted butter, I am not going to stop you. I will never come between you and your butter.

Throw the butter in a bowl and add sugar...

and brown sugar...

And then beat the tar out of it until is light and fluffy. That is a technical baking term.

SIDE NOTE: Notice that I still do not have my 90th Anniversary Kitchen Aid Mixer in Candy Apple Red. I promise I am not bitter.

Then add a couple of eggs. I don't know why but the picture I took of the eggs will not post on my blog. It's like there is a conspiracy or something.

Anyway, beat up the eggs once you get them in the bowl.

Your batter should look like this: gloopy.

Next up comes the pumpkin.

SIDE NOTE: The recipe calls for 1 cup, which is 8 oz. But the can has 15 oz. So, I divide it in half and either make a double batch or put the other half in the refrigerator for my next batch, which is usually the next day, which means I should just always make a double batch.

Add a teaspoon of the good stuff: vanilla...

And mix!

SIDE NOTE: You are half-way to perfect pumpkin utopia.

Next up: add flour, baking soda and salt...

Then comes the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

Now quick, grab your favorite red spoonula and stir it up until it looks like this:

Hold on a second! Don't stick your head in it yet. The best part is still to come...

Well hello there fellas.

Where have you been my whole life?

Okay, so after you have sweet-talked the chocolate, throw it in and mix.

NOW you can stick your head in it.

Once you have officially tasted the dough to make sure it is edible, grab a baking sheet, coat it with cooking spray, and scoop out the dough.

Just like that.

And once your baking sheet is full, pop them in the oven for 12 minutes.

Then go run a mile on your treadmill. Or at least think about running a mile on your treadmill.

And by minute 6 your house will begin to smell like pure pumpkin perfection sent straight from heaven.

When these cookies are done, they will come out soft and fluffy and packed-full of flavor! You won't be able to eat just one.

And you may need a glass of milk, you know, if you are in to that kind of thing.

So go forth, my friends, and whip up a batch today! You and your taste buds will thank me.

Maybe not your hips, but what's a little extra padding, right? It will only keep you warmer.

Here is the official recipe:

Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease cookie sheet. Add butter, sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Mix by hand or with mixer on slow speed. Add chocolate chips and stir. Spoon dough onto cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from pan and inhale.

 

30 Days of Thankfulness - #16

I am thankful that God is bigger than me.

As I crawl my way through Isaiah this year, poring over every chapter and verse, I am reminded at how often I confine God to my human standards of measurement. I limit His power to something tangible and earthly, thinking that He must do things in a certain way so that my dusty brain can makes sense of it.

And then He does something so outlandish, so enormous, so God-like that I am quickly reminded at how small and little and unimaginative I am.

I love when He does that.

30 Days of Thankfulness - #15

I am thankful for people who burst out into song in public.


It actually made me cry. Weird, I know.

Enjoy!