Cookie Monster

One of my and Lane’s favorite things is a cookie cake from Great American Cookie Company. They are just pure deliciousness. We normally get them for each other’s birthday and that’s our fix for the entire year. Well, the other day, Lane asked if I could make one. I thought, “Sure. I’ll make it and you can take it to work, because there’s no way we can eat a cookie cake by ourselves.”

Famous. Last. Words Thoughts. Not only did I make it, but we ate the entire thing! YIKES! It stayed fresh for over a week and we would nibble on it after dinner or for breakfast (don’t judge. cookie cake for breakfast is the best.)

I just searched for Cookie Cake recipes and this one seemed easy and quick, so it was the winner. Simple and delicious. I didn’t ice it, but you certainly could and I can only imagine how the delicious factor would rise.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie from Allrecipes.com

1 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. AP flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. chopped walnuts (I omitted)

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Gradually add flour, salt and baking soda, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired). Spread in a greased 14” round pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cook cookie in pan on a cooling rack. Decorate as desired.

And, completely unrelated, but for your viewing pleasure, HEEEEEERE’S KNOX! He’s ready for Santa!

I am so thankful…

I know it’s after Thanksgiving, and I’ve said it before, but I am SO thankful for the wonderful friends that God has blessed me with.  I am thankful for the humor and laughter that seems endless when we get together. I am thankful for their daily prayer and support, with Christ at the center of it all. I am thankful for the fact that we have all known each other for at least 10 years, and that they know me sometimes better than I know myself. I am thankful that I can share anything with them and know that they won’t judge me. I am thankful that we can come up with any reason possible to get together for girl’s nights! One of those nights was to celebrate Thanksgiving. We haven’t really done it before, but I just thought it would be a fun thing to do this year.

If you’ve ever been to my house, you know that it’s REALLY small, REALLY old (and not updated) and constantly dusty. But, for some reason, I love it! I love to entertain in it as well. I feel a certain connection to the house. It was built in 1940 and I feel like we are re-creating times shared by the original owners over 70 years ago. So, I volunteered to host our girls Thanksgiving Pot-Luck dinner. 

We’ve been planning it since August, it seems. We worked out a menu and it was set! I got really excited about my table setting. I’ve never hosted Thanksgiving before, so I had a fun time playing around with the table. With the help of some BEAUTIFUL dishes from Williams Sonoma Home that Erin brought, I think the table ended up being pretty darn fabulous.

 

I have NO idea how I’ll create my Christmas table now after putting so much thought into this. Maybe I’ll have it down by December 25th!

Back to girl’s night… all of the food was just AMAZING! I have some talented friends who love food as much as I do!

Appetizers: Cranberry salsa with blue corn tortilla chips from Mary C. and Banner’s famous artichoke dip

Salad and rolls: Spinach with blue cheese, spiced almonds, mango and avocados with a Balsamic Vinaigrette from Jill

Turkey: FRIED turkey from Melanie’s talented husband, Joe

Sides: Erin’s AMAZING sweet potato casserole, Melanie’s delicious confetti corn and I made Lane’s famous mashed potatoes

Desserts: Mini cheesecakes from Mary C. and Banner made the cutest things I’ve ever seen…Turkey cookie dough truffles..

After our wonderful dinner, we sat around, drank pumpkin pie martinis and enjoyed each other’s company…oh, and took timer pictures with our cameras…

 

So, just to say it again…I am so thankful. So stinking thankful.