Orange Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ayla's sister Anthea is staying with us while Jeanine is on her honeymoon.  Ayla is loving having the company even though Anthea will not play with her no matter how hard she tries to entice her.  Still, they sleep with their little heads touching and walk the park shoulder to shoulder showing everyone that they are the coolest.

Baking

Right now, a hurricane is gaining force and heading up the coast.  So, we have no school.  A few years ago, Nate and I had a snow day and walked to the health food store to get cookie making supplies.  We wanted chocolate chocolate chip.  While we were making them, we realized we had no vanilla, but I have all sorts of other flavors.  We chose orange, and the best cookie ever was born.  Since then, these are the official cookies for snow days.  While this is no snow storm for us, being housebound in comfies with cuddly pets sure feels like a snow day.  I asked Nate if he wanted gingerbread or pumpkin bread, but he scoffed.  It had to be the cookies.

Recipe (adapted from All Recipes)

2 sticks of butter
1 and 1/3 cup sugar
Cream in mixer bowl until light and fluffy.
Add 2 eggs and beat until even fluffier.
Add 2-3 t of orange oil.  Depending on the strength of the oil, you may need more.  You can tell by smell or taste the batter at the end (I know - raw egg, yeah yeah, whatever).

Slowly add the dry after mixing the dry ingredients:
2 C flour
2/3 C cocoa powder (use a good organic cocoa)
pinch salt
1t baking soda

After well-mixed, stir in 2 C of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  The key to these cookies being over the top is getting good chocolate chips.  I use the organic ones, and they really taste superior to the others.

Scoop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Cook at 350 for 9 minutes.  They might not look done to you, but trust me, they are.  You want them just done so that they are moist.

Healing

I am continuing to do fairly well after my last injection.  I am finally getting a handicapped tag for my car which feels extremely odd.  I got a new primary doctor (love her!), I mentioned it and she rushed off and came back with everything filled out and ready to go.  Somehow, I thought she would say I didn't really qualify.  It will be nice to walk when I can but use it when I don't have the energy.

The thyroid medicine transition is interesting.  I can no longer go a long time without eating.  I actually get shaky and dizzy.  Perhaps that is a sign that I am actually metabolizing my food?  I don't know.  Overall, I do have more energy and am losing weight.  They cautioned me not to lose more than ten pounds.  Which I don't think will happen given that my appetite is significant.

Physical therapy is continuing to make me stronger and more flexible.  I love being in the pool.  Such freedom!  And always less pain.  The PT wants me to give up working or have a wheelchair at school, but when I am feeling decent, that seems silly.  I realize, however, that if I want to stop having shots (the last one was the most painful 10 minutes ever!) I have to figure out how to do less.  I need to sit my butt down more at work but it's so counterintuitive to me.  I think I might bring my rolling kitchen chair to work or get a stool with wheels so I can move through the room to help kids without being up.  Good idea?

Anyway, I hope all my friends and family are safe and sound for the storm.  Sending light and love to all of you for safety and peace.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Friday, one of my closest friends, Jeanine got married.  It was almost a year of planning culminating in a beautiful event.  It was so gorgeous and romantic.  I have never been to a wedding where everyone was so overjoyed to see these two wonderful people finally find a partner who will love them the way they deserved to be loved.  Jeanine and Joe are a romantic and loving couple.  It was a joy.

For me, I loved every minute of it, but the tired did catch up with me.  So yesterday, I hung out in my pajamas and took it very slow.  Today, I went for a walk first thing but my body is still stiff and struggling a little.  Then, it hit me.  It's time to get in the kitchen.

I have been craving cookies and it is the season of all things pumpkin.  I had oatmeal and chocolate chips, and the answer was obvious.  Raisons might have made them even more perfect, but my husband loves raisons, and it's hard to keep them in the house.

Recipe

5 T of butter
1/2 C cane sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 C pumpkin puree
2t vanilla

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, then pumpkin, and vanilla.
Mix dry and add dry to wet :

1 C flour, 1t baking soda, 1 t baking powder, dash salt, 2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t cloves, 1 t pumpkin pie spice.

Then add 1/4 C honey to the mixture.  Add 2 C rolled oats and 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I used a cookie ball drop thing and put 8 per cookie sheet on parchment.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  They won't look totally done, but they are.  You want them just done so that they are chewy.

Healing:

I have been in aqua physical therapy for 5 weeks.  It's awesome but quite tiring.  It's not changing the pain at all but I am getting more flexible and strong.  I had another epidural injection last week which is helping as always.  

I had a bunch of nodules on my thyroid.  After a thorough examination, the nodules seem fine, but my thyroid functions haphazardly.  So, I've been on medicine for it for about a week.  It's crazy.  I have more energy and then it collapses at the end of the day.  I'm guessing I'm not quite at the right dose.  Regardless, as always, it takes me days to recover from busy days.  It's taken two days to recover from the wedding and I still feel like I could sleep a few more days.  

I am overdo for updating you all on my various health issues, but ironically, I am too tired to tell it all.  Suffice to say that I am holding steady, trying to take it slow, and deal with various aspects of pain management.