Another first @ 30: My Baking Experience Blogged

Yes! Yes! Yes! I was able to bake cookies! :) Another milestone in my cooking "career". Lol! Ever since I got engaged I suddenly have this interest in exploring my talent to cook. For the longest time I've been wanting to bake, but my will power isn't strong enough to do it. After many weeks of bugging my colleague in asking for tips on how to bake I finally mustered the courage to whip and mix.

 

My friend gave me this cookie recipe, which I think she got from allrecipes.com- though she tweaked some of the ingredients to adjust the sweetness, saltiness, etc. Here's the recipe:

 

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar minus 1 tsp

1 cup packed brown sugar minus 1tsp

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt (Remove this ingredient if you have salted butter)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

 

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

3.Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

 

 

And here's my finished product. (Drumroll please! Lol)

 

 

A few tips for first time bakers like me:

 

1. Prepare ingredients ahead of time. Our kitchen ended up like a disaster because I didn't do this. :)

 

2. You may adjust the time of baking depending on how chewy/crunchy you want your cookie to be.

 

3. For this recipe, use ice cream scoop to equally distribute the cookie dough before baking them.

 

4. Don't panic if you think that your cookie is too soft after pulling it out of the oven. Allow the cookie to cool and check the texture. If it's too soft, you can put it in the oven again for about 2-3 minutes.

 

That's all! I hope you enjoyed reading my post. Munch away!!! :)

 

XoXo,

 

Chinitangmorena

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How I Counted My Blessings Over Breakfast...

Credits: http://www.pics22.com/blessings-quote-for-friendster-count-your-blessings/

 

While eating my breakfast (my ever favorite pan de sal and coffee) I looked back on how my 2012 has been so far. I recalled all the things that I have prayed for to have and to happen in my life. As I mentally create a checklist I noticed that I never got the material things that I wanted to have when I reach 30 and they are the following:

1. A brand new spanking Louis Vuitton bag
2. A new MAC book laptop to replace my 2 year old lappy
3. A new mobile phone (just because I want a new one)
4. A new SLR
5. A brand new car

Yes, those are the things that I asked from Him. He didn't give me the opportunity but instead he gave me these:

1. A reunion with my family early this year. (They live in US and UAE and this is the first time we reunited after my father died.)
2. I finally got the chance to be with my cutie patootie niece! :)
3. No major health issues for my loved ones.
4. Our first ever out of the country trip as a family.
5. My sister graduated from college.
6. My ex-boyfriend, now fiance proposed and now we're currently engaged. :) (Yihee!)
7. I reached the age of 30. haha
8. I was able to have the courage to eat vegetable salad (Yes, this is already a feat for me)
9. Two of my closest friends safely delivered a baby boy and girl. :)
10. I learned how to apply make up on my face.
11. I learned how to cook -- A LITTLE. :)
12. My fiance and I reconnected with old college friends. Plus I gained new friends. My old friends are still my friends. :-)
13. A U.S. visa - finally I have one after being denied in 2010.
14. A Christmas with my whole family (minus my dad+) this year.

He may not have given me the material things I wanted but instead He gave me more, more than I can ever wish for. I know there's a lot to add but here's what I can remember so far. I must say that 2012, so far has been a great year for me. Yes, I will not lie and tell you that I still want that bag and that car (who wouldn't? Hehe), but may be God said I'll have it in due time.

 

Still, my life is not perfect, I still have those occasional problems, petty fights and I still get stressed out over other things. And that's the reality of life. However, we must always remember to take the time and pause, reflect and look back on all the great things that have happened in our life. And I call that counting our blessings. And yes, my friend this happened over breakfast. :)

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

XoXo,

 

Chinitang Morena