Getting Away

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We're heading out tomorrow morning for vacation!  This week was insane at work and I am SO ready to get away! We're looking forward to just being - soaking up some sun and getting to enjoy being together without the busyness of life.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and 4th of July - see you next week!

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been wanting to make the famous Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies for a while now, and they did not disappoint!  These are cookies for serious chocolate chip cookie lovers.  They are loaded with chocolate, they are super moist and chewy, and they are probably the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had.  They aren't hard to make, you just need patience as the dough sits in the refrigerator for a couple of days so all of the flavors can meld.  As long as you use the dough within 72 hours, you can make several batches of cookies, which I really liked because, as everyone knows, cookies fresh out of the oven are the best.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp cake flour

1 2/3 cups bread flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% cacao content

sea salt, for sprinkling

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light, about 5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla.  Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5-10 seconds.  Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.  Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24-36 hours.  Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Scoop mounds of dough (slightly smaller than golf balls) onto baking sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15-18 minutes.  Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another wire rack to cool a bit more.  Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated with plastic wrap against dough, for baking remaining batches the next day.

source:  The New York Times

The Weekend

This past weekend my parents came to visit.  We had such a good time!  We loved having my parents in our new home enjoying it with us, especially our dinners out back on the porch.  We also went to the farmer's market, played tennis, went shopping, met my aunt and uncle for brunch in a cute French café, and just enjoyed talking and catching up.  We really enjoy having people in our home and are excited to have the room to be able to do it more!

{dinner Friday night}

{Saturday morning farmer's market}

{fresh flowers}

{tennis Saturday evening}

{fresh peaches from the farmer's market}

Easy Summer Dessert: Fruit Pizza

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the bloggers who always seem to make the lives look perfect.  You know what I mean? Pink peonies on the bedside table, a hair never astray, a fresh pedicure at all times? Let me tell you that real life around here does not look like that.  Real life around here is me falling down the steps on Tuesday.  Not my prettiest moment. And how does that even happen?!  Real life around here is leaving work every night this week feeling like I've accomplished nothing.  Real life is a spinach smoothie for breakfast....and a triple chocolate chunk muffin. Real life is us going on vacation in a week without hotel reservations yet (eeps!).  And to top it off, I totally used store-bought cookie dough for this fruit pizza.  This is real life, folks.

Fruit Pizza
16-18 oz package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz cream cheese, softened
7-8 oz jar of marshmallow creme
fresh fruit

Pat cookie dough onto an ungreased pizza pan or cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and done.

Mix together softened cream cheese and marshmallow creme until well blended.  Spread onto cooled cookie crust. Arrange fruit on top.  Cover with plastic wrap or store in airtight container and place in fridge until ready to serve.

A Wedding Moment

Yesterday I was thinking about Father's Day and then I was remembering my favorite moment with my dad on my wedding day. After I was in my dress and before we took pictures, I met up with my dad so he could see me for the first time in my wedding dress.  It was such a special moment:  his seeing his littlest girl in her wedding dress about to get married, and my suddenly feeling like a little girl hoping my daddy would like my new dress.  It was wonderful to have a few moments with my parents before the wedding, especially before my dad walked me down the aisle to give me away.  I love having these pictures of that special moment!

Pepperoni Bread

Have you ever had pepperoni rolls?  When I was in college, my mom would make them and send them back to school with me.  I would eat them for days:  it was a touch of homemade food in my life and they were delicious.  Well this pepperoni bread is like one giant pepperoni roll.  I think it's easier to make than dozens of the smaller version, and it tastes just as good.  Have a great weekend!

Pepperoni Bread

12 frozen bread dough balls 

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

4 oz sliced pepperoni

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine dough balls and roll/pat into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Combine butter with seasonings.  Brush mixture on dough, reserving a small amount to brush on top later.  Arrange pepperoni on top of seasoning mixture and sprinkle with cheese.  Beginning with a long side, roll up dough jelly roll style. Tuck ends under and place, seam side down, on a large sprayed baking sheet.

Brush with reserved seasoning mixture.  Using a sharp serrated knife, cut several vents in the top.  Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.  Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

source:  Rhodes Home Baked Family Favorites

Pretty Mantels

I haven't made too much progress as far as decorating our home, which means the mantel in our family room is still bare. I'm having a hard time deciding what I want to put on it, and how simple or decorated I want it to be.  Naturally I've turned to blogs and Pinterest for inspiration.  Here are a few pretty mantels that have caught my eye.

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