Cookies

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on several blogs. The main difference is browning the butter.

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp of vanilla

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1-2 cups of chocolate chips. I used 1 bag of Hersey's Dark Chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a small sauce pan melt butter over medium heat until butter starts to brown and give off a nutty smell. (The butter will creat brown bits in the pan which should be used in the mix). Let butter cool.

Mix butter and sugars in kitchen mixer using flat paddle to mix until smooth.

Add eggs, one egg at a time.

Add vanilla.

Add half flour mixture. Blend 15 seconds add rest of flour mixture.

Fold in chocolate chips and refridgerate for at least an hour or two. Preferrably 6 hours. I did about an hour and half because I couldn't wait. I read the 6 hours makes these just fabulous.

Preheat oven 350. Scoop tablespoon size balls onto baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes. I baked 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!!!!

Shrimp

Honey Grilled Shrimp

This was absolutely amazing. Fireworks in my mouth good. I love food and this shrimp was delicious. Also pictured is couscous and spinach.

This recipe is from one of my new favorite

blogs http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com

FOR MARINADE

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tbsp ground black pepper

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp dry white wine

FOR BASTING SAUCE

1/8 cup honey

1/8 cup butter, melted

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Seasonings to taste: Salt, pepper, parsley

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached

Place shrimp in a bowl with the marinade ingredients- allow to marinade for 1 hour.

Heat a grill pan until it is hot and ready.

In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the basting sauce and set aside.

Carefully add the shrimp to the grill pan- allow to cook about 3 minutes per side or until cooked. Coat each side with the basting sauce prior to flipping.

Pasta

Penne Pesto Pasta

I love the flavor of basil and pine nuts.

From Giada

2 cups fresh basil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste. I do not add extra.

1/4 tsp black pepper

About 2/3 cup of evoo. I usually use less as I don't like too strong of an olive oil taste.

1/2 cup fresh grate Parmesan cheese. I buy the shredding Parmesan rather than fresh but I bet the fresh taste amazing!

I use my handy dandy food processor to mix the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper. Next add oil while bender is running to get a smooth texture. The secret to getting the sauce thin enough to go over the noodles is to use some of the liquid from your pasta noodles.

Add sauce and cheese to pasta!

Food

So I have been totally awful again about posting my food to the blog. It has to be because I eat too much! Haha! Actually today I had PB toast for breakfast, kashi bar for snack, penne pesto pasta for lunch with strawberries. We just finished a wonderful dinner of Honey Shrimp with couscous, and wilted spinach. The shrimp and couscous was awesome. The spinach I did not like but I choked down what I had on my plate. :) For dessert brown butter chocolate chip cookies. I think these are going to be freaking amazing. I will post pics along with recipes later. YUM!!!

new addition

this is the new addition to our family. she will be ready early october! trying to think of a good name...

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Food

Agh! Its already 9:40 and I was going to put off this post until tomorrow because of the time but it is more of an excuse to not write what I ate today. Breakfast was the usual PB on english muffin. For lunch I had a leftover brat on a bun with corn and BBQ chips. Yum! I was crazy something sweet so I went to the local candy dish at work and scored a mini snickers and a mini almond joy. Neither tasted quite as I remembered. For a snack later in the afternoon I had a peach and boy was it delicious. I mean it was a sweet, tender, and at the perfect point of ripeness. When I got home for work I grabbed a leftover roll because I had a late eye appointment and was already hungry for dinner. My mom had me over for dinner, chicken enchiladas and a small side of beans. Yum! But after dinner I had yet another sweet snack: a chocolate ice cream cone.

Can you see the pattern? I have a major sweet tooth! And that might be the reason I put off writing this post.

Todays Meals

Breakfast: PB on Thomas English Muffin. Yum!

Snack: I did not get hungry so I did not have a snack.

Lunch: Cranberry Turkey sandwhich with chips (way too much mayo but other than that is was great.)

Snack: Again no snack but I had a huge lunch.

Dinner: My husband was not home for dinner so I choose to throw some milk, ice, bananas, cinnamon, and honey in the blender for a smoothie and at the last minute I decided to throw in some PB. YUM!!! One of the best creations out there. I wish I had a natural PB at home but I keep it at work.

If you read this regularly you will find PB to be one of my favorite foods. It is a total staple in my diet. There are some things people can give up, PB is not that thing for me. I eat PB on toast everyday for breakfast M-F. Some people might burn out, not me! I LOVE IT!!!!

This is suppose to show up under my Food Corner tab but I don't know how to get it there. If someone can let me in on the secret, please do????

Blogs, blogs, and more blogs...

I am totally obsessed with blogging. I know I just started back up and I haven't written anything since Monday but I am really getting into reading others blogs. A few of my new favorite blogs I found today are stephanieinspired.blogspot.com, stephaniecooks.blogspot.com, healthytippingpoint.com, and eatliverun.com. However I have not figured out how to follow the last two blogs. I am not so computer smart! These blogs are very inspiring for those who are interested in eating healthier and exercise.

Everyday is a struggle for me to find motivation to eat better and exercise on a regular basis. I feel that these blogs will help motivate me. I also love cooking and several of these blogs have recipes on them. I love getting new cooking material!!

Happy blogging!!!!

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The best day of my life!!!

The best day of my life. I tried just to pick a few of my most favorite photos but it is difficult!


Corey singing bye bye bye to me! It was a hoot!

The dance floor was hopping!

Dancing with the Father in Law!

Dancing with the little ladies!!!

Daughter Father Dance.

Our first dance!! I love this picture.

Oh the cupcakes!!!! From Baby Cakes. Delish!!!

The toast.

Corey with cupcake up his nose! Opps..

Now announcing Mr. and Mrs. McCall!

The wedding party on the way to the limo.

The flowers and the shoes! Stunning!

Sweet moment!

The wedding party walking the streets. What a tough crowd!

Can you tell we are all excited!

The exit!

Our first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. McCall!!!

Uniting as one!

The ceremony was beautiful!

Daddy walking me down the isle. Can you catch the emotion in his face?

It was one of the most hot days of the summer and it was only early June. The air conditioning unit was my only relief.

Pre wedding photos!

Honeymoon

Corey and I on a sail boat tour. It was awesome!! We got to see dolphins and snorkel. I also got a massive burn! Bummer!

Dinner with a show.

View outside our room.

Between the mountains and the ocean I never wanted to leave this most beautiful place!

Books

I love to read and I try to read daily. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors and I recently read The Last Song.

This is one of my favorite books by Nicholas Sparks. I fell in love with the main character, Ronnie and her family right away. Ronnie is a disgruntled young adult who is torn up about her parents divorse three years earlier. During a summer spent with her estranged father she grows into a beautiful young women who not only learns to forgive but also falls in love for the first time.

I think this is a great book for anyone who loves a love story as well as a tragedy and family.

The Last Song was also written as a screenplay. I am excited for its upcoming DVD release this August!!!

I am back

I started this blog last fall and I got so busy with school and planning my wedding that I did not make the time to post anything about my life. But I am back and with some great new topics. My name is Jen and I am now happily married to my husband Corey. We have one adorable American Bulldog named Lincoln or we call him Logs. Let me tell you a few of my favorite things; reading, the color pink in all shades but I do love a bright hot fuchsia pink, cupcakes, cooking, eating, and of course my husband and dog.

I am still going to school to become an elementary teacher. I love the program I am in most of the time. I have to admit that I do get tired of writing papers. I took a break after my last and stressful semester. I took three classes last semester while working 40 hours a week and planning a wedding. I have vowed never to take 3 classes a semester again; it was very hard on me and Corey. I was signed up for a 5 week class that meets twice a week from June 6 through August 12. I dropped that class! I just couldn’t go back yet! I will go back in the fall with two classes. I have a full year of classes and a semester of student teaching ahead of me. I know I can do it and I will be ready in the fall! I am very excited to start a new career that will be so much more then sitting in a cubicle looking on a computer all day long.

Currently I work in the corporate environment at a large commercial real estate company. My first two years I worked in the insurance department that consisted of looking at loan documents and insurance policies to verify everything matched up. I was also responsible for writing up payments for the insurance invoices. For the last year I have been in the tax department. Currently I pay the real estate tax bills from escrow accounts as well as monitoring the loans that do not escrow taxes. I think it is apparent why I am changing career paths. Although I could probably work my way up to a higher more interesting position within the company I happen to hate sitting in a cubicle working on a computer all day long! So off to school I go!

When I was little I use to play school in my bedroom for hours. I would read to my imaginary students and teach math on my very own chalkboard. I do not know why I decided to go the business route rather than teaching. I believe education to be one of the most important tools in life. Learning new things keeps me alive. I want to give children my same love of learning and reading. I would probably have a different view on the subject if I had not been pulled out of class and into a special reading program while in elementary school. I thank my reading teaching for helping me learn to love books. I also, believe this created the teacher in me. My mom tells me I was kept in the program longer than I really needed because I loved to help the other students in the class to learn to read also. The teacher said it was boosting my confidence!

I think is probably way too much information but I wanted to share a little about myself. Please look forward to more posts about my life, my family, and my many interests.