I started writing this post yesterday on a giant rant about food and society. I have beliefs about food, healthy living, and organics. A couple of articles I read yesterday set me in motion to jump on my soapbox and start yelling. Rereading the passage this morning, I realized the three paragraphs made me sound like an angry, angry, angry (and partially crazy) woman. So, I will save those topics for different post (because they are still important) but will be in a very different style. For right now I will ask, have you watched Food Inc.? If not, you should. Just a warning though- the movie isn’t for those who have weak stomachs.
So in place on said rant, I decided to write about something so subdued, so boring, that well, you may not even want to read about it. Today’s topic: curtains! I have been on a curtain kick recently. When we moved into our house, there were “curtains.” Which in reality were half sewn pieces of fabric (ugly fabric) tossed onto the windows. So, early on, I went to the store only to realize curtains are EXPENSIVE! For a nice panel, just one side of the curtain I could pay anywhere from $20 to $75. At that rate, I would spend well of $200 buying fabric to hang in a house we are going to live in for three years. Really, fabric isn’t that expensive so why are curtains!?! I soon dropped my want for curtains and moved on.
That is until a few days ago. I was making my trip to the store (better known as wal-mart here, that is the only store we have) and walked by the fabric department. There was a whole shelf of $1.50 a yard fabric. Moreover, there was this gorgeous, almost dress like fabric in all these amazing colors. I picked up a rose, dark blue, teal, yellow, and baby blue fabric to cover all the windows in my house and the total price? $45 or better known as 30 yards of fabric. It was in that moment that I have never been so happy in my life that my grandmother taught be to sew. Four days later, all my rooms (except one-still finishing) have curtains and not some cheap ugly cotton curtains! I feel so Martha Stewart.
Feeling accomplished, I moved onto the kitchen. I felt like baking something and settle on baking cookies.
Now, a cookie is really not my favorite desert. Give me a creamy cheesecake or fluffy cupcake any day, but cookies… I mean, put a plate of cookies in from of me and I will make sure there are none left, but I never really seek out cookies. Even more so, I never really seek out cookies that I make. Well, until now.
What changed you ask?
My original plan was just to make oatmeal raisin (mike’s favorite) and be done. Then I thought better and spiced that cookie up a little bit. The result was a cookie that is one tasty, round, melt in your mouth cookie packed with oatmeal, chocolate chips, and espresso powder. Yeah, espresso in your cookie. I think I am in love.
- 1½ cup oatmeal
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350˚.
- In medium size bowl, beat together sugars and butter until mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Add espresso and continue to beat. Once espresso is dissolved into mixture, add vanilla and eggs, beating until well blended. Next, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt- beat into batter. Once batter comes together, add the oats. (adding the oats too soon will cause the oatmeal to turn into oat flour) Once oats are incorporated, add chocolate chips and mix just until chips are spread through out the batter.
- Scoop onto cookie sheet (I did large cookies) and bake for 12-15 minutes until cookie begins to set and edges start to brown. Over baking these cookies will cause them to be a slightly crunchy.
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