Cinnamon Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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Adam adored my Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies so much that I just had to make a variation for our holiday party.  These have a similar texture to the originals but have been jazzed up a bit with cinnamon.  If you can’t locate the cinnamon M&M’s (I found mine at Target) you could substitute an equal amount of cinnamon morsels.

Cinnamon Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yield:  50 small cookies;  Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

    • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 3/4 cup butter, softened
    • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 tsp cinnamon extract
    • 2 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup cinnamon M&M’s
    • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.  Prepare ungreased baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs and cinnamon extract.
  4. Working in small batches but taking care not to overmix, beat dry mixture into wet.
  5. Stir oats, m&m’s, and chocolate chips into the dough.
  6. Drop tsp-sized balls in even rows on baking sheets.  Bake for 13 – 15 minutes.  Cookies will not really brown, but you are looking for there to no longer be any areas that appear raw.
  7. Cool on trays for 2-3 minutes then remove to cool completely.

STT; Monday Afternoon – Tuesday Morning

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Tuesday

When I was finished on the computer yesterday I went down to the gym with my mom.  I basically haven’t worked out consistently all year (fail!) but I’m hoping to kick start a routine during my extra free time this vacation.  Just in time for 2012 resolutions, eh?  Last night I did 40 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6, followed by 15 minutes on the stationary bike.

Then my mom took me to dinner at a salad bar.

The salad bar concept is fairly new in St. Thomas and people are more than just a little excited about it.  Between my near-daily Wegmans consumption and extreme Whole Foods lust I consider myself a bit of a salad bar connoisseur.  And this one was pretty good.

I got a small scoop of pasta salads,

a big scoop of cole slaw,

and romaine lettuce with a few chopped veggies (including lots of pickles!), raisins, peanuts, and vinegar for dressing.

And then my dad fed me this peanut brittle bar for dessert.

Monday

This morning I got up bright and early to catch a ride to the gym.  50 minutes on the elliptical at random level 3.  I brought a book to start but ended up just wanting to spend some time with my thoughts.

I got home around 8:30 and crashed into what felt like the most necessary nap ever.  I’m allergic to something in the air here and if my sniffles continue I foresee lots of naps.

Then I came back to school and snacked on a Jazz apple,

and some candy I stole from a teacher gift my mom got.

She’s the lower school (kindergarten – 5th) librarian at my old school and people are crazy about her.  You should see the kinds of looks I get here when people find out who my parents are.

As soon as my mom goes on her break I’m going to run some errands with her and try to find some lunch.  I’m making dinner for my parents tonight, so please think tasty thoughts for me!

Eggnog Loaf with Eggnog Glaze

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This quick bread comes together in a snap and feels festive without being too sweet.  I used traditional, full fat eggnog for this recipe so I can’t guarantee it’ll work with a lighter variety.  Be sure not to skimp on the nutmeg!

Eggnog Loaf with Eggnog Glaze

Recipe loosely adapted from Jenna’s Cinnamon Walnut Bread.

Makes: 1 loaf; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 45 – 50 minutes

  • 2 cups plus 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup eggnog
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  In a small bowl, whisk egg.  In another small bowl, toss butterscotch chips with 1/2 tsp flour to coat.
  2. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.
  3. Stir in egg and eggnog, taking care not to overmix.  Fold floured butterscotch chips into dough.
  4. Pour dough into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes, until top is browned and an inserted knife comes out clean.
  5. Allow to cool completely before cutting.  Drizzle glaze over slices as desired.

For eggnog glaze

Whisk together 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp eggnog.  Store glaze in a covered container in the fridge until ready to serve.

Party through Paradise

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Hello, hello!  It feels good to be back at a computer; I’ve been wanting to check a test grade for days (still not up).  I can only access the internet here when I got to school with my mom, so I plan on posting all of vacation but in every-other-day intervals.  This is a strange recap to start with though, because I don’t have a lot to share.  Blame booze and lack of sleep.

Our holiday party was great!  You know what else is great?  The drink I’ve coined a “Merry Christmas.”  It’s Goldschläger with orange juice.  Cinnamony and festive.  A few friends came over early to watch The Carebears’ Nutcracker and I poured us some Merry Christmases.

I might have overpoured.  Maybe.  That glass was 2/3 Goldschläger.  So, yeah.  And then I proceeded to spend the first half of my party far drunker than intended.  I had a great time.  And since I overpoured every drink, the whole party was drunker than intended, so at least I was in good company.  But the pictures might have suffered.

I have shots of most of the food and drinks.

Important points – 1. That eggnog seltzer was ridiculous good.  2.  My party recipes all came out perfectly and I plan on sharing them over the next few days.

I have a shot of the Christmas cardi I borrowed from my grandma.  (thanks, Nana!)

I have shots of the adorable cake balls my friend Kim brought us.

And I have shots of some party guests.  Minus the ones of party guests actually taking shots, which I promised wouldn’t go on the internet.

We had 20+ people in our little apartment and I’m not sure the dog is going to recover.

The last of our friends left the party around 1.  Adam and I got up at 5:30 AM to get me to the airport.  I didn’t actually get to my parents’ house until 10:30 PM.  And now you understand why I have no photos recapping what I ate yesterday.

You didn’t miss much, considering that I largely subsisted on two bagels and a giant bag of trail mix.  I did make sure to document the tres leches I got in Miami.

Most exciting airport food ever.

And I made sure to document my reading materials.  You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs I knew would be good.  In typical Burroughs style, his Christmas-themed collection made me both laugh and cry.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen was plucked at random from a sale table.  I ended up loving it!  The perfect amount of fantasy blended into Southern small town life.  Plus, cake!

And Good Morning, Killer by Anna Smith was purchased during layover #2, in desperation.  It wasn’t bad, but I’m not exactly clamoring to read the rest of the Ana Grey series either.

When I got home I immediately got started on my main goal this vacation –

I’ve read every comic in that giant stack of Archies at least 10 times each, but I’m hoping to give them all another reread this trip!

No breakfast this morning.  My cell phone didn’t switch time zones for some reason and I stupidly went to bed and got up later than planned.  I spent my late morning unpacking, then drove over to school to write this post.  Lunch was a tangerine and gala apple.

And the baked spinach patty my mom had for me.

Not traditional – usually pattys are stuffed with meat and fried – but still delicious.

The rest of the day looks to be nice and calm.  My visiting family and high school friends don’t get until later this week so I’m looking forward to time at home with my parents.  I’ll leave you with this –

What two items did I forget to pack for my ISLAND vacation? 

  1. sunglasses
  2. bathing suits

?!??!!!

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve forgotten to pack?

Primed to Party

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We have got –

a) a problem
b) a packed to-do list
c) a party
d) a profound preference towards alliteration
e) all of the above

If you guessed (e), you’re correct!  Adam and I have the problem of being crazy people because we stayed up past 2am doing absolutely nothing.  This morning got off to a late, rough start, but our day was packed full of to-do’s to prep for tonight’s party.  We are almost set up and I’m all packed for tomorrow to boot.

Today was a double smoothie sort of day.  First, another round of berry chocolate mint.

For two, 2 cups chocolate mint soy milk, 2 cups frozen strawberries, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, and 6oz 0% plain Greek yogurt.

My second smoothie was a (soy) nog delight.

For one, medium frozen banana, 1 cup Silk Soy Nog, 3 Tbsp malted milk powder, and a handful of ice.

Plus nibbles while we got ready for the party.

I’ll see y’all on the other side, from St. Thomas!

Note – I will probably be blogging every other day or so on vacation (my parents don’t have internet).  If my first post is Monday morning, that doesn’t mean my plane crashed.  But thanks in advance for thinking safe thoughts for me!

Some Merriment

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Amid doing lots of errands and eating lots of crap, I managed to squeeze in some merriment.

First, chocolate berry mint smoothies.

For two, I blended 2.5 cups frozen strawberries, 6 oz 0% plain greek yogurt, and 2 cups of peppermint chocolate soy milk.

Adam and I both love this Jamba Juice knock-off.

Dinner was especially merry.

Cottage cheese gingerbread pancakes! 

My ingredients for 2 servings (which ended up being more like 1.5 servings!) –

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2  cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp gingerbread syrup
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Whisk together dry, then wet, then fold the two together just before griddling.

I topped my serving with Smart Balance Light, syrup, and sprinkles.

On the agenda for tomorrow?

eggnog bread
chocolate Biscoff bars
cinnamon oatmeal cookies
bacon horseradish dip
bagels with lox

Time To Get Merry

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So Wednesday and Thursday I had a slew of exams, and now I’m free until next semester!  They weren’t the best couple of days, but why focus on the bad when there is so much to be excited for this month?

  • December 17 – we’re hosting a holiday party
  • December 18th – I fly home (St. Thomas) to visit my family for 10 days
  • December 23rd – my family is hosting a Hanukkah party
  • December 25th – Christmas
  • December 28th – Adam and I celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary
  • December 31st – we finish 2011!

I have a bunch of to-do’s to tackle before the party this morning and my camera is currently plugged in.  But I’ll be back to blogging this evening with some merry eats I’ve got planned.

Window Shopping Wednesdays

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I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school all day Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Let’s go literary this week –

1. The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McLure.

This memoir is about the author’s experiences trying to live like Laura.  Since the Little House on the Prairie series was my favorite as a kid I’d love to see what she found.

2.  Death Du Jour by Kathy Reichs.

I just read the first Temperance Brennan novel (Deja Dead) and I can’t wait to tear through the rest of the series!  Think murder mystery novel but with actual, factual forensics.

3.  Sellevision: A Novel by Augusten Burroughs.

I know nothing about this book except for the fact that it is written by one of my favorite authors.  Burroughs wrote his first novel while overcoming his drinking problem; and the story describing that time (found in Magical Thinking) makes me cry every time I’ve ever read it.

4.  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.

I will admit that I hadn’t even heard of Mindy Kaling before I picked up this month’s issue of Self.  I don’t watch “The Office,” so sue me.  But her short interview was so funny and sweet that I immediately decided that I have to have her book.

5.  Uncompromised by Nada Prouty.

The memoir of a CIA agent wrongfully accused of betraying her country.  Apparently I’m all about memoirs.

What great books have you read recently?