over the weekend

i started blogging again.

took me long enough, eh? anyway, after a much-needed family vacation to maui, i came back feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to jump back into the blog world, full-swing. it seems with vacations, for me, with as many goals as i want to accomplish before the trip (tone up, pack light, etc), i come home with even more. i think that is the sign of a good vacation though - one leaving you happy, and refreshed - ready to conquer your everyday life again. so, that being said...blogging is back on the priority list. happy to be back.

mama's beach boy

also over the weekend, we made it over to our community pool for the first time this year. with dallas now officially being HOT - high 90's all week - we thought it would be a good time to break it in, baby n. loves splashing in the water and had a blast soaking in some vitamin d, decked out in his cute sun hat. the sun and water really wear him out, and he crashes. he ends up taking really long naps after anytime we've been swimming (in maui he slept like a champ).

we also hit up joe's crab shack with some friends. i can't even recall the last time i ever went to that restaurant (maybe in high school??) but i have to admit, it did not disappoint. i've got a real love affair with their dungeness crab smothered in bbq sauce. to my delight, the corn on the side was even sprinkled in the famous sauce. i cleared the plate, and then after, ate my weight in frozen yogurt at tutti frutti. 

story of my life. and pretty much the perfect saturday night.

i also made some cookies sunday afternoon to welcome our new neighbors next door. there hasn't been a whole lot of baking going on around our kitchen these days. my husband has put a lock on the oven doors since it was doing a number on our waistlines. so it felt really good to break out the mixer and sneak in a few (or was it 7?) cookies of my own. i stuck with classic chocolate chip, but as i was looking for a good recipe, i suddenly remembered my friend carlee telling me years ago that putting vanilla pudding mix into the batter helped make them a bit fluffier (as I am the queen of flat-as-pancake-cookies) it worked, and they were delicious. thanks carlee.

bake them. and try not to eat all the batter, because the cookies are worth it. i promise.

"puffy" chocolate chip cookies

adapted from a few recipes, here and there, with a key-addition from carlee roderick-wheat

ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (i used 3)

12 oz package chocolate chips

directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in a large mixing bowl, combine the sugars and butter. mix until thoroughly combined. beat in the eggs and vanilla. add pudding mix, stir until incorporated.

in a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the baking soda and salt. blend into egg mixture.

add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. i used 3 cups.

stir in chocolate chips. milk chocolate, semi-sweet, white, butterscotch...whatever.

drop spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheet. bake for 10. cool for 10. eat.

happy monday. xo.