The humble, yet complex, peanut butter cookie

Those who know me well, know that I do not have much of a sweet tooth. When I do crave something sweet, I seek something that has a nice balance of savory. Honestly, my idea of a perfect dessert is a glass of red wine paired with a cheese plate. Yet, when I am pregnant, I just love sweets which has led me in search of the perfect peanut butter cookie. Peanut butter cookies have that salty/sweet combination that I look for in a snack. Otherwise, if the treat is too sweet, you find yourself doing the, "well, now I got the sweet, but now I need a bowl (bag) of chips to offset it" routine. That's just a calorie disaster waiting to happen! And, let's be honest- we've all done it!

So let's talk peanut butter cookies. I have never had a great recipe, often they end up too dry. I pulled out all of my cookbooks and started reviewing. I landed on American Brasserie, a great cookbook that I picked up a while ago. I love anything bistro or brasserie related. It reminds me of being in Paris or Italy, sitting outside at a little table with a bowl of onion soup, a salad with goat cheese crostini, or an espresso. Typically, these types of restaurants have limited menus focused on seasonal ingredients. The recipes are inspiring, yet not intimidating. Anyhow, this book has a recipe for peanut butter cookies that I decided to try. Here is the recipe, including their introduction, which is over half the reason I decided to try it.

Big Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
from American Brasserie, Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with Julie Moskin

People always say that peanut butter cookies are great for kids, but we suspect that grown-ups like them just as much. After all, this is a pretty serious cookie, with a salty-sweet flavor and crumbly richness that could even be called sophisticated.


Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. *
2) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3) In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and cream with the butter. The mixture will look a bit grainy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter and beat until fluffy.
4) Mixing at low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. If using, mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
5) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.*
6) Let cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

* I use parchment paper so I don't have to grease the baking sheets, making for easy cleanup. I also used convection bake and lowered the temp to 325F. This made for a longer baking time- nearly 20 minutes.

I have made this recipe twice now. The first time, I just made them as instructed without chocolate chips. The cookies do not look like typical peanut butter cookies, where you roll balls and then flatten with a fork to make the criss cross pattern. They look more like a chocolate chip cookie. They tasted excellent, but it got me thinking, would they be different if I used the traditional method? What about adding chocolate chips? So, I gave it another go yesterday, using all 3 methods. After all, texture and appearance do make a difference to your sensory palate. Yet, I have to admit- all 3 were good. I'm still not completely sold on adding the chocolate chips. I feel like the peanut butter stands very well on its  own and the chocolate is sort of a distraction. Rolling the dough and then flattening with the fork tines, gives the cookie its traditional appearance and I think more of an even outer layer, a little more crumble. The simple drop cookie method, is very chewy which has its own merit. My conclusion is to leave the recipe stand without adding chocolate chips. The next thing that needs to be tested is whether chunky peanut butter would be better... any guesses?

A preview of littlest deMars

At just over 34 weeks along, baby is estimated to weigh 5 pounds and 9 ounces. It was hard to get a great photo because the baby was moving around like crazy and blocking its face with its arm, but here's a glimpse of the little one. It's supposed to be 94 degrees tomorrow- if you need to reach me, my head will likely be in the freezer!

Baby has a button nose and lots of hair. So that's why I keep getting heartburn! 

You can see baby's eyelashes in the photo below. Technology is so cool!

A New England Love Affair

We just returned from a trip up to southern Maine. We had the most amazing time and the landscape of New England tightened its grip on me. I was sitting on the beach in New Hampshire, watching Gavin and Adam skip rocks and I found myself thinking, "what more do I need?" Now, to my west coast friends and family, don't be concerned- you all have a tighter grip on me than living back east. I have to admit, though, if you weren't there, I could live in New England indefinitely. I've been thinking a lot about this and I've decided that our time back here is somewhat like a love affair. It's new, fun, and a little adventurous. We've spent the past two years approaching life more as a vacation (well, not entirely sure that Adam would agree, working as a resident and all). I think this has more to do with why I love living here than the actual location. Let's face it, the Pacific Northwest holds its own with an equally beautiful landscape and there are plenty of beaches with rocks to throw. Gavin wakes up every morning and asks, "Have fun?" While he continues to say this all day long and it can get a bit annoying, I think it's a great approach to living. Why shouldn't we all wake up and decide to have fun? So, when we do return to the Northwest, I plan to explore the area like I never have before. And with that, let me offer a little show and tell of our recent trip through New Hampshire and Maine. There are a lot of pictures, but then again, we had a lot of fun!

Our first stop was to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We stumbled upon Fort Constitution, which is really awesome. This fort was used for several wars and it overlooks the ocean. We had a good time wandering through the secret passages.

The fort has a lighthouse and also these lookouts used for keeping watch for boats.

We found a great beach near Portsmouth and Gavin sat and threw rocks for an hour. Adam and I looked around for seashells and just simply enjoyed being near the ocean again.

We stayed in Ogunquit, ME

This area is Perkins Cove, located in Ogunquit. We had dinner at a little place across the bridge.

This is the beach in Ogunquit. The sand is perfect, but the water is very cold!

This bakery, Bread & Roses, will forever hold a special place in my heart. They serve the best Cinnamon Butter Puffs- it's a cross between an old fashioned doughnut and a muffin. They are moist, sweet, and savory. Basically, the perfect bite! We stopped here every morning to get coffee and treats.

We had fun looking for lighthouses. This one is in York, ME.

This was the first time that Gavin flew a kite. While he still preferred rock throwing, he did have fun!

We drove up to Portland, which is about 40 minutes north of Ogunquit. The town looked fun to walk through but Gavin didn't think shopping qualified as "having fun." We took a long walk down by the water on a promenade that was similar to the Burke Gilman Trail. It led to a public beach, yay rocks!

This is Portland Head Light, located in Cape Elizabeth. It was great because you could actually get up close to the lighthouse. Most of the others are located on islands and you can't get a very good view.

After seeing the lighthouse, we had lunch at the Lobster Shack Restaurant. Everything was very fresh and the view was amazing. The picnic tables are located above the cliffs, looking out onto the water. There were tons of lobster pots out, so we knew our lobster rolls would be top notch!

This photo doesn't do the food justice- we got fried whole belly clams which are a Maine specialty. They were delicious and the breading was not greasy or over the top. Gavin of course went for a cheeseburger!

We spent a day driving through a bunch of small beach towns, including the Kennebunks. Kennebunkport is where the Bush family has a huge compound that's been in their family since the 1800s. Don't worry, I resisted egging it! HAHA

Biddeford Pool, ME- another great place to throw rocks.

The last photo is of the footbridge that leads to the beach in Ogunquit. This really was a perfect family vacation. I can't wait to return. Maybe we'll head back up in the fall with our newest family member.

Happy Mother's Day: Lessons from my mom.

Last year I wrote about how much I've enjoyed being a mother so far and how motherhood has changed me. This year I thought I'd write about how much my own mother has influenced my life. There are the obvious things that I got from her: a love of cooking, home decorating, and, of course, drinking wine! But the single greatest lesson I learned came at around age 17.

Teenaged daughters cannot be easy to raise. I was actually a pretty good kid, rarely caused trouble but I know that I handed out my share of hormonal drama. At 17, I remember being really depressed about not doing well on my SATs and was sure that I wasn't going to get accepted to college because of it. And, even if I did get accepted, I'd never be able to pay for it, etc. So, I was sulking on my bed when my mom came into my room and started on a rant. She told me that I was in charge of my own happiness and nobody was going to do it for me. I could stay in my bed and be depressed or I could do something about it. Her rant included phrases like, "Oh poor Jenny, the world is just so tough..." I remember being a little pissed that I wasn't getting more sympathy. I think the word "bitch" even came to mind. I'm sure she doesn't even remember this because she was probably dealing with raising three other daughters, 2 under the age of 5, and working full-time. Anyhow after a little more sulking, I managed to pull myself out of bed and she helped me get my college applications together. Years later, even after getting a college education, this little life lesson has made a bigger impact on my life.

It's pretty simple advice, really: you are in charge of your own happiness. I'm sure there are thousands of writings on this exact concept. Oddly enough, I've met plenty of people (many, much older than me) that just don't have a handle on this. It's often easier to be the victim of a situation than trying to find a solution. I had a hard time working as a manager because I was often viewed as unsympathetic. (Seriously, I had to take one of those personality tests as part of leadership training and I came across as very unsympathetic.) My mom raised me to have a strong sense of self and an equally strong work ethic. I just don't get people who lack either. I also don't get people who blame others for their own unhappiness. Sure, there are relationships that go sour and cause unhappiness. But, at the end of the day, it's up to us as individuals to make ourselves happy. We can't depend on someone else to make us happy. We need to make ourselves happy and then share that happiness with those we love. I love being married to Adam and he does make me happy. However, if I depended on him as my only source of happiness, let's just say- I don't like golf, NBA basketball, or poker that much.

So when I find myself getting bummed out, I do as my mom would- figure out if it's something big that requires me making significant life changes, or maybe I'm just in a funk and need to paint my bathroom blue, rearrange the furniture, or change the color of my hair. If all else fails, pour a glass of wine and snap out of it in the morning! Parenting isn't easy but I'm grateful for my mom's rant 15 years ago. I consider her to be pretty bad-ass, and can only hope that my kids say the same about me years from now. Happy Mother's Day Mom, love you!

April Showers, Bring May Flowers?

Well, it's April 27th, and again I sit here without much to say. It's drizzly this morning and very dark. I woke up early because my back was throbbing so badly. I haven't been sleeping well. It's not even just the pure physical discomfort I'm experiencing, but the inability to turn my brain off. I used to have that problem when I was working full-time. I'd lay in bed thinking about loan files, if I'd returned a phone call, or what needed to be done to accomplish my monthly production goals. Now I am kept up with thoughts that are just ridiculous. I find myself awake at 1am, thinking about compost and where I should buy my perennials. I think about the fact that I should be sleeping because in a few weeks, I won't be getting much. That leads me to thinking about the baby and what I need to do to be prepared. Finally, I'll think- just count. I'll begin counting to myself and then realize I'm now thinking about why people count sheep. I mean, there are not any sheep to count. It's useless. Somewhere around 2am, I'll finally fall asleep.

As I mentioned, it's drizzly today. It's 8:30am and I had to turn on the lamps in the living room because of the lack of sunlight coming through the windows. Normally, Gavin is up by this hour. He's probably being kept asleep by the lulling noise of cars driving by on the wet pavement. Even the beagles are still in bed. They usually greet me downstairs, eagerly awaiting breakfast and to be let outside. Yet, there they lay, snuggled up together like puppies on a Hallmark card.

The spring rain is necessary though, as it works to green up the landscape. I planted quite a few vegetables out in my garden late last week. I have several growing inside and I can't wait to get them planted. They seem eager too as they grow towards the sunlight. I turn them daily so they don't grow sideways. I have drawn out plans for a cutting garden that is going to surround our patio- I bought seed packets of zinnias, larkspur, and other annuals. I'm not sure how they'll do but if it works out, it'll be $5.00 well spent. I normally don't want to spend money on annuals but this could be a good way to go. I love growing plants by seed. It's not the instant gratification that you get when buying transplants, but I like to watch the plants sprout up from nothing.

We are taking a vacation to Maine next week. We found a cottage to rent in Ogunquit, which is on the southern coast of Maine. I am so excited to see and smell the ocean. We're excited to have some time together as our little family of three before it expands. I plan on indulging in lobster rolls and New England chowder. It should be a fantastic getaway.

And, with that, I hear "Mama" being called out. Better run.

Hello Spring- my thoughts on life this week.

Hi again. I have to admit that I'm only posting because I feel bad when I neglect writing for over a week. These impromptu posts wind up being somewhat of a rambling of thoughts, my apologies in advance. My little family has been battling colds and allergies, like many others I know. Adam seems to have it the worst, with a cough that keeps us both up all night. Fortunately, he started taking antibiotics yesterday and should start feeling better soon. My cold has been more annoying than anything else and it's just adding to my exhaustion. My body is telling me to slow down and rest, while my mind keeps adding to the to-do list. I'm having trouble reconciling the two.

I think one of my favorite things about living in the northeast is the obvious change in seasons. I love watching everything turn green after it was brown and bare for so long. All of our trees are flowering and the grass is coming alive. The birds have returned and even my detested squirrels have revived swagger in their tails.  The beagles are happy to be outside for hours at a time. Even now, when I look outside, Starsky has a clear smile on his face.

I've been working on prepping my garden for planting. I'm glad that I did the heavy-lifting last year and just have to pull weeds and add some compost this year. I have started about 80 plants inside- they have all germinated but they are still very small. Next week, I will plant the lettuces, spinach, carrots, and peas outside. May 20th is the predicted last frost date, so I'll plant out the rest of my seeds and transplant my seedlings then. My mom recommended a book on square foot gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It really simplifies the entire concept of growing a vegetable garden, and, had I read it last year, it would have saved me a tremendous amount of work. I decided to test the method and Adam helped me build a small raised bed on the other side of the yard. Once I get the squares marked, I'll post some pictures. We still have some work to do, but our yard and gardens are starting to come together.

Meanwhile, the little tyke in my tummy is growing rapidly. I feel as though there is no additional space but it still has 10 or so weeks to go. If this one is on Gavin's timeline, he or she will arrive in just about 8 weeks. I'm excited to meet this little thing. (Is it weird to call a baby a thing?) We're going to start changing our guest room over to the baby's room and moving the guest room up to the loft. Yes, I've decided to rename our finished attic, "the loft." It sounds far more chic and once we get it all set up with an a/c unit, it'll be a nice place for our guests. Plus, they'll get a nice leg workout while they visit. Ha, now we can call it Canyon Ranch! Come, stay, enjoy upstate New York and leave with nicely toned quads! There is even a nice selection of yoga and pilates dvd workouts up there!

On that note, I'll end this rambling post. I hope you're all enjoying the beginnings of Spring.

Diannalynn's east coast visit...

Adam's sister, Diannalynn, visited us over the past week. She brought her youngest son Spencer, who is just 10 months old. It was interesting to watch Gavin's interactions with the little guy and get a little preview of what life will be like in a few months. He definitely displayed typical emotions like jealousy and neediness, but also took on a protective role as well. We had to watch him closely because he also tried to beat up the little guy a few times. Even in the picture below, Gav looks guilty of something... Oh, we're in for some fun this summer!

Adam worked during the weekdays so DL and I went on some short outings last week. Mostly just took the boys for walks to the park or down by the Hudson River. Everything just takes 10 times as long with kids, 2 strollers, diaper bags, etc. The weather was beautiful, low-to-mid 70s- perfect for relaxing out on the front porch.

On Saturday, we all went to Boston for the day. Again, the weather was absolutely fabulous! I had never been to Boston on such a beautiful day. Previous visits have always been rainy or dreary. Boston Common was packed with people picnicking and sunning themselves. Spring always brings such great energy to any city or town. We did a lot of walking- this time we walked the entire Freedom Trail. We started at Boston Common and walked down through Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market, over to the North End, and then over the Charles River Bridge. Rather than turning around, we continued walking through Charlestown and then passed over to Cambridge. We walked along the Charles River and then walked over the Longfellow bridge. That led us through Beacon Hill, a fabulous neighborhood that I had not been to before. The sidewalks are all cobblestone and the storefronts maintain old-world charm, even the 7-Eleven looked upscale. After a little more walking, we made it back to Boston Common. I would guess we walked at least six miles, probably more. After returning to the car, we drove back over to Cambridge and had dinner, complete with chowdah. It was an absolutely perfect day.

                                      

Walking along the Charles River in Cambridge, MA

Neighborhood of Beacon Hill

Random shots of storefronts on Beacon St.

Yesterday, I took DL over to Berkshire County to experience small town New England. We started in Williamstown, home of Williams College. I had read about the Library of Rare Books where you could view original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and Bill of Rights. They also have an impressive collection of first edition books. This turned out to be a hilarious little adventure.

We went over to Williams College, where the library was said to be located. There was a sign that stated that the library had moved to a temporary location while the original space was under construction. We got out our walking map and headed to the temporary building. Once we arrived, we saw a call box where you had to be buzzed in. Ok... this is sort of weird. The door opened and we walked down a hallway where a gentleman welcomed us with a puzzled look. Keep in mind, we were each pushing a stroller and this guy was probably thinking, "what do these two moms want?" We followed him into a small room where there was a lady behind the desk and they asked how they could help us. It was beyond awkward. Diannalynn said, sort of sheepishly, "I hear you have some great books." Then I explained that I had read that you could see the founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence. I felt like we were in a scene of a Dan Brown novel, "I need to see the original copy of the Bill of Rights, STAT!" They informed us that during the 3 year remodel of the library, everything was in storage but the founding documents had been moved to the Clark Museum for display. The museum was, of course, closed on Mondays. They were very nice, but it really made for an awkward experience, yet funny. It still makes me giggle, even as I write this.

Outside one of the buildings at Williams College

New England architecture

We took a little break so the boys could play at the park before getting back into the car.

We walked around Williamstown a while longer and then drove over to North Adams, then through part of southern Vermont. We had a nice time driving along the winding roads. Well, Gavin didn't quite enjoy the winding roads. He got carsick as we arrived to Williamstown. He now owns sweats and a t-shirt with the Williams College logo. I knew I should have packed an extra outfit for him- total rookie mistake. Oh well... we had a nice day and met up with Adam for dinner back in Albany. I think we showed Diannalynn and Spencer a good time while they were here. 

Let's Go Huskies!

As most of you know, the University of Washington basketball team made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. The game was hosted in Syracuse, NY, which allowed Adam and me a rare opportunity to see our team in action. With a little family help, (Thank you John and Pam Sothern) we got tickets right down in the UW section, just about 25 rows up! It was so fun to be surrounded by purple and gold apparel. There was actually a pretty decent UW cheering section, considering the distance. Although the Huskies lost the game, we had an amazing time. It was well worth our 5 hours of round-trip driving and the money. For a few hours, we got a little piece of home and an awesome excuse for a much-needed date night. Here are a few pics.
Adam outside Syracuse University, flashing his UW sign.
I thought my purple umbrella was sure to be a good luck omen for the Dawgs. My pre-pregnancy t-shirt is surely never going to be the same after being stretched over my belly!
Huskies warming up before the second period.
The guys down in the front- Nate Robinson, Spencer Hawes, and Jon Brockman came to cheer on their former team. That was sort of a cool thing, although, as soon as they showed up was when the Huskies started losing...

Miami Sunshine

Gavin and I just returned from our trip to Miami. It was great to escape the colder temperatures and absorb some vitamin D. Gavin was a little confused when I put swim trunks and a t-shirt on him. He kept pulling the sleeves down and asked about his hat and mittens! Once he got outside, he adapted very quickly to beach life.

It appears that Laura and Mike have quickly fallen in love with their new home. Miami is a fun city with lots to do and see. Gavin loved the birds, alligators, and other tropical inhabitants. Here are a few pictures from our trip.
Gavin hanging out at South Beach- loved to throw rocks and shells into the ocean, along with the random handful of sand at his mama. It was hard to explain that sand is not like snow- no sand-ball fights, please!
We took a trip to Gator Park in the Everglades, which included an airboat ride. The park turned out to be a bit of a hokey tourist trap, but Gavin really enjoyed it.
We visited Jungle Island, a tropical zoo. Gavin set himself up for this pose to say "cheese!"
This was definitely the highlight of Gavin's trip: posing with "monkey on the head!" He still talks about this several times during the day. This print cost me a small fortune, but I had to have it. Some memories are just a little more expensive than others, right?
He enjoyed walking on the beach with his aunt Laura. The ocean water is absolutely beautiful.

As you can tell, I'm advancing quickly to the "big mama" stage of pregnancy. Had to beat men off with a stick down at South Beach- what, with maternity swimwear being so damn sexy!

So now we're back in Albany and it feels great to be home. The weather has been in the 60s the past few days. It's time to clean up the yard and get ready for planting. We pulled out the barbecue and patio chairs yesterday. Hibernation is over.

A new season is upon us...

I woke up this morning feeling more energized than I have in weeks. The sun is out and while it's only 36 degrees outside, the forecast has us pushing 50 today. The snow has almost melted and it really does feel spring-like.

Last March I was struggling with what seemed like a never-ending winter. Fortunately, we have taken advantage of the outdoors this year and I have thoroughly enjoyed the colder months. Still, I am incredibly ready for warm weather, gardening, playing cards out on the porch, and most importantly, getting this child out of my belly! Pregnancy has not been such a joy this time around but the weeks are passing. Soon enough, I'll be sipping pinot gris out on the back patio, admiring my two kids and watching Adam grill up something delicious on the BBQ. Hey, affirmations are supposed to be effective, right? That seems like a scenario I can realize easily enough!

Gavin and I are lucky to get a jump-start on spring and are heading to Miami on Monday to visit my sister and her husband. I'm sure this has something to do with my new-found giddiness. Laura and Mike moved to Miami just a little over a month ago and after seeing their ocean photos, I quickly booked flights! My little sidekick is a well-traveled two year old and I'm sure he'll have as much fun running in the waves as I will!

We'll return on the 16th, with the official start of Spring less than a week away. I'll chat with you then- after all, there are garden plans to be made!