Finally!

I have finally found the best chocolate chip cookie recipe! It's been a long time searching and experimenting but I can now say my mission is complete. I found this recipe in a new cook book I just bought from a good friend. I made a couple of changes... I added both milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips, coconut, caramel, and changed 1 of the 3 cups of all-purpose flour to wheat. I will never use another recipe again!! If anyone is interested in these "fool-proof" cookies you can find them in, "THE FOOD NANNY RESCUES DINNER" by Liz Edmunds. There are a ton of amazing recipes in this book.

A Crazy Kid... And a Good Recipe.

Jaiden seriously cracks us up... all day, everyday. The older he gets the more he learns how to push our buttons... especially my(Mom) buttons. He knows that if I can tell that he is getting slightly out of control he will get "nums" sooner or later. Yes, I gave in once again and he got sweets... and silly me for giving him a messy treat. He loves anything with chocolate. Who doesn't? This is the beginning...

...and this is the end. This picture doesn't look that bad, but it was. He had popcorn and cocoa everwhere. And, of course, it was in his hair by the time we got home. I love those goofy teeth!

Another one of his shenanigans. He's always trying to hide in a cupboard or closet. It's hilarious how he can fit into such small and awkward spaces.

All of this chocolate madness made me want to make something delicious... my second favorite type of brownie. Cheesecake brownies. I love this dessert because it looks great and tastes amazing. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325*. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish/pan with cooking spray. 2. Cream butter and granulated sugar together. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla, beat until smooth. Next, add baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour until well incorporated. 3. Reserve 1 cup of dough, cover, and refrigerate for 25-30 min. Add remaining dough to pan and bake for about 25 minutes(when edges are puffed and base is set). Let cool on wire rack. 4. Mix cream cheese, remaining egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and confectioners' sugar. Spread over cooled base. Crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, 25-30 minutes. Let cool, cut, and serve. Squares will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Goodbye Sunshine

Ok, this blog title sounds sad and well, it kind of is. I have mixed feelings about what we did to Jaiden today. One of Jaiden's best features is that he has had tons of super blonde hair since he was very little. I never wanted to cut it. But since recent comments (like five random people telling me what a cute "little GIRL" I have) I decided to make the change.

Jaiden was so good while my mom started trimming his hair. I told her I needed it short enough to do something with. She was reluctant because she thought Jaiden wouldn't hold still... especially once she turned the trimmers on. I told her as long as we have enough "num nums" he would be totally fine... and he was. He did great!

The most hilarious part was that Dal was the one that wanted to cut it from the beginning and I kept saying, "No, no. It's too cute." So, when he got home from work today he was totally caught by surprise. He told me Jaiden looked goofy and needs his hair back. Well, a little too late for that Dal.

I actually really like it. I do miss his hair...a lot, but this new "do" is growing on me the more I see it. He looks very grown up. I definitely feel like his toddler stage is coming quickly to an end. I love my little man.

Hey! I look just like dad now!

We Love a Man in Uniform

Congratulations Dal! Dal has been at his new job for a week! We are so excited for him and know that he will be a great corrections officer. He has been working hard and we love him for it!

Jaiden was so excited once he spotted his dad. He stood up on our legs and shouted, "Dad...dad...Dal...Dad!" He looks up to his dad so much. You could tell that he was one proud little boy.

Jaiden was also super excited to see his Mimi and Papa. He hadn't seen them for about a week and had lots of loves for each of them.

I love these goofy boys... We can't ever seem to get a family photo just right.

Burgers and Basketball

Most of us know that Jaiden loves sports. He can now say a few "sports words", such as: baseball, basketball, football(aka buttball), golf(golk), touchdown, nice throw, nice shot, pass, hoop, and his new one, soccer(shocka). Yeah, he has a problem with the letter F. Right now it's kind of a good thing if ya know what I mean. We love that he is all boy! At the moment he is very obsessed with basketball. He plays everyday... we are just hoping one day all of his energy can get us some sweet money.

Tonight we had an awesome dinner! One that would make my dad, the Hamburger King, proud. I made sourdough buns with flaxseed, garlic burgers with grilled onions and avocado, and mini cheesecakes. I am having so much fun cooking and I feel like I get better everytime I try something new. It's safe to say I have bread-making down to an art. I feel like I am saving a ton of money making everything from scratch. Also, thank you Kristin D.! I made peanut butter this week and it turned out great!!

Mini cheesecakes with cinnamon graham crust and cinnamon shortbread crust. Super easy!!

Jaiden loved my hamburger more than I did. He kept coming over saying, "bite...bite." I'm glad
he would eat it with all the crazy things that were on it.

Great News...

We just hit our three year mark and Dal planned the best anniversary ever! We had so much fun... it was nice to have that much time to ourselves.

Some really great news... I have the easiest and smartest child ever! Since I now have a ton of free time I decided to change Jaiden's crib into a bed. I would rather have him climb out of a bed than try to monkey himself out of a crib. So, he grabbed a screw driver and tried to help. When all the work was done he climbed up into his bed and looked at me with a cheesy grin. He knew he was a BIG BOY.

Test round #1 (nap time) was a super success! He went right to sleep and didn't even roll out of bed. I love this perfect crazy little boy!!

Honey Bear Bakery White Chocolate Brownies

Preheat oven to 350*

1/2 cup butter (do not substitute)
8 ounces white chocolate chips
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add 4 oz. white chocolate. DO NOT STIR!

In large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar, vanilla, salt and mix well. Add butter/white chocolate mixture. Mix until just combined. Add remaining white chips and semi-sweet chips.

Pour into greased 8 by 8 pan. Bake 350* for 30 minutes.

I hope you all enjoy this super awesome recipe. It's really easy to change or add to it if you want to mix it up a bit.