Chewy Toffee Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Best Cookie Recipe Just Got Better!

I'm sure everyone has heard of the famous Nestlé Toll House cookies. They have the best all-American cookie recipe EVER. Until now...same recipe, but with a twist -- Skor bars and milk chocolate chips! Other cookies pale in comparison to these babies! 


Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3 Skor bars

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

 

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Chop up 3 Skor bars into small chunks and stir into the cookie dough along with the milk chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or waxed paper.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Tip: make sure that each cookie dough ball is 1 tablespoon or smaller. These cookies need a bit of room when they bake!

Picture: 1

Secrets To Finding Your Joie De Vivre

What makes you happy in life? I believe that each person finds happiness in a unique way. Here are some tips to finding your joie de vivre that I noted while reading Bonjour Happiness.

A beautiful exercise that we all should do...

When you come across things that make you smile -- those "Ahhh life is good moments", write them down. Make a list of the things that you like to savor. It's a fun little project that will remind you about the simple pleasures in life.

• Love yourself, and others. Do everything in love
• Take a bubble bath with rose oil
• Treat simple things like treasures ex: serve your mineral water on a tray
• Take the time to enjoy each bite of food -- notice the taste, texture and smell





• Organize and simplify
• Have breakfast on the porch
• Wear lipstick
• Take a walk and focus on fine details; the color of leaves, tiny blades of grass, and the smell of those jasmine flowers that are blooming nearby
• Volunteer in your community; for your church, your neighborhood, your friends etc. Doing something nice for others will make you feel great too
• Ride a bike





• Sip a cup of coffee with cream while reading a good book or magazine
• Enjoy fires in the fireplace
• Snuggle up with your love and a cozy blanket
• Shop at mom and pop stores or farmers markets
• Practice good posture + being confident in yourself and your decisions = sexy
• Grow your own fruits and vegetables in the summer time
• Hand write your letters and save all the ones you receive





• Cook with fresh ingredients
• Display original art in your home
• Teach, laugh and learn from children
• Learn a foreign language...and use it
• Take a class on a subject that interest you
• Buy or pick fresh flowers for your home







• Don't fight aging, welcome it. Aging is a beautiful process
• Accept compliments instead of denying them, but remain humble while doing so
• Wear French lingerie even if no one sees it
• Take time-off for yourself
• Get pampered once in awhile. "An empty well gives no water"





• Travel
• Practice your handwriting. Make it something to be proud of
• Dress the part -- if your sweeping, wear a kerchief. If your cooking, wear an apron. If your gardening, wear a floppy hat and cute gloves. Become involved and excited about each event.
• Tell others how much you appreciate them and love them
• Find joy in everyday things. Focus on fine details within your daily routines. Find everything special and something to be thankful for.

Things to think about...

  

Joie de vivre is "Loving life, loving people loving to be alive, feeling alive. It's about smiling in your heart and being grateful for the things [and people] in your life: being in good health, being able to hear, to see, to walk etc." (P. 13)

Every day is a new beginning

I hope you are having a wonderful day my friends.

-Brittany

Pictures: Chocolate ice cream, girl on bike, letter, newspaper flowers, hair, flower basket, Paris breakfast

Meyer Lemonade with Rosemary Sprigs

Yields: about 5 cups

Meyer Lemonade with Rosemary Sprigs
1/2 cup Meyer Lemon Juice
1 ½  cup Simple Syrup (recipe below)
4 cups Water
1 Sprig of fresh Rosemary for each glass
1. Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Add a few freshly squeezed Meyer Lemon rinds. Stir to combine and serve over ice.

Don’t go overboard with the rosemary, because it can quickly overpower the lemonade. It should give just the subtlest hint of rosemary to compliment the Meyer lemons. Throw in a few of the squeezed Meyer lemon rinds into the lemonade to give it extra flavor. Citrus fruits release an incredible flavored oil in their rinds after squeezing which will add a deeper lemon flavor.
Simple Syrup Recipe
Yields: about 3 cups.
2 cups Water
1 ½  cup Sugar
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 seconds then take off the heat. Allow to cool then store in a sterile jar in the refrigerator.


Recipe adapted from: whiteonricecouple in sunset magazine

A Picture That Will Make Your Day

Picture:bayanjargal

A Nice Morning For A Run

My sweet nanny baby (a.k.a. bug-ah-boo) and I went for a run through the back bay today. What a glorious morning. Here are a few pictures of the bay and things we saw along the way.

Bear Flag Fish Co.

One of my favorite spots! The best seafood in town.

The Los Angeles Times calls it --

"A vision of seafood simplicity, the type that should exist along every waterfront but that rarely does. The Bear Flag Fish Co. in Newport Beach is a fish market that also serves a loyal crowd with fresh seafood, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, salads and more."

 

Dan and I LOVE their Ahi Poke and chips. You might just see us here after our sailing class on Saturdays or in the evenings after work. I can't get enough of this place! They bring in fresh fish daily and use local bread from the C'est Si Bon Bakery for grilled fish sandwiches and bowls of clam chowder. They also have fun drinks like Wild Poppy's, grapefruit ginger, plum licorice, vanilla peach, peppermint lemonade and young coconut water straight from the coconut! 

Vanilla Bean Peach Cake with Peach Soaking Syrup

Oh Yum.

By: Joanne Choi

From Week of Menus

  

Makes 10-inch bundt cake, serving 12 to 14
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups diced fresh peaches

Syrup:
⅓ cup fresh peach puree, strained
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice

Method:
Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour inside of 10 inch bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Using either a stand mixer (paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating for 30 to 40 seconds after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla bean. At low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream. (Add a bit of flour, a bit of sour cream, a bit of flour, a bit of sour cream, a bit of flour.)

Scoop half of batter into pan and spread with spatula. Sprinkle with peaches. Scoop remaining half of batter on top of peaches. Smooth with spatula.
Bake cake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto another rack. Place the cake, on the rack, over a baking sheet.

While cake is baking, make syrup. Combine peach puree, sugar, and orange juice in a small non reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using a pastry brush, dab syrup generously all over surface of the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the cake before reapplying. Let the cake cool completely.

Pictures:Week of Menus