There's nothing like a good ol' cookie

Snickerdoodles were my favorite cookie growing up, and they still are the ones that are most nostalgic to me. These days though, I have been addicted to the chocolate chip cookie. I used to eat around the chocolate chips as a child, and I still feel like I don't put quite as many chips as some people like- probably a habit from back in my snickerdoodle days!

Over the years, I've figured out some things that make a cookie extra delicious. 

1) A little Fleur de Sel, which is just the fancy name for sea salt

2) Putting them in the fridge for an hour or so before baking them- I find it easiest to roughly ball them up while they're still room temperature and pliable. 

3) Love - it's the best ingredient in everything :)

Here's the basic recipe that I use. 

• 1/2 c butter (room temp)
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla extract (let's be honest, I love this stuff, I usually double it)
• 1.5 c all-purpose flour (preferably the non-bleached and organic kind because I'm a hippie)
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c dark chocolate chips or crushed dark chocolate bars. If I'm going to be choosy about the chocolate, I try to go for ones with a strong nutty or earthy note. (Yes, I'm a chocolate snob)  

You know the drill, cream sugars and butter first, then add wet ingredients, then dry. There's some fancy stuff you can do, like mixing the baking soda with warm water first, but I always forget to do that step. Add nuts and other things, if you're into that. They're fun to include, but personally, if I'm going to make a batch myself (and thus eat half of it) I just want a pile of plain ol' gooey chocolate chip cookies.

Then throw them in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350 F and ... mmmm

Excuse me while I go clean up the chocolate smears and cookie crumbs off of my keyboard...

// What's your favorite cookie?

// What secret ingredients/steps do you have to make your cookies to-die-for?

xx

Weekend Brunch

My brunching habits are getting out of control. 

Seriously out of control. 

The recent trend has been to have family brunch on Saturdays, and then brunch with my friend and fellow brunch-lover, Kristen on Sundays. This photo here is from brunch at Boulud Sud, one of Daniel Boulud's restaurants. This one is Mediterranean inspired. 

Of my prix-fixe meal of house smoked salmon & Spanish omlette and ice cream (blood orange, anice, cinnamon), I have to say that the ice cream was the best. I wish I could get pints of it, though I'm sure that one pint alone would be my weekly dining out budget. 

However, they did have an interesting couscous yogurt parfait in the stater options, which would be amazing to be able to recreate at home. It was honey greek yogurt, large couscous, crasins, pomegranate and pine nuts. Seriously, try this at home. (and then let me know if you come up with a good recipe ;) )

// Do you have any weekend rituals? //

Thick or Thin?

If you asked me before, I would have told you that there was nothing better than a chewy, thick crust pizza with a pint of a local brew, but I'm starting to really like this thin-crust business in New York, NY. 

But who are we kidding? I just like pizza in general. 

Except pizza in Japan. 

Nothing makes mayo on teriayki pizza acceptable.