Sunflowers!

My little vegetable garden is a dried up mess. With the triple digit heat and lack of rain, it didn't stand a chance this year. I'm sad about it. However, our sunflowers have never been more beautiful!

I'm in the middle of tackling a big reupholstery project that I'll share later this week. For now, here are a few sunflower pics to enjoy.

Happy Tuesday!

Chocolate Chip Kahlua Pecan Cookies

Have mercy! These are some good cookies! I'm forever fiddling with my chocolate chip cookie recipe and this time I hit the jackpot. What I've learned from all my experimenting, is that I like to use a little extra salt to take the edge off all that sweet stuff and I like using Kahlua instead of vanilla. The Kahlua gives the cookies a more decadent flavor, but it's not overpowering. I use real butter and undercook them just a bit to yield a more gooey cookie. One last thing to note, the nuts are called "puh kahns", not "pee cans". A pee can is something oldtimers used to keep under their beds so they didn't have to go to the outhouse at night. ;-) Hope you enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Kahlua Pecan Cookies

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used a little more than 1/2 tsp)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon Kahlua
2 eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate Chips

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)


Heat oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and Kahlua until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; place on wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.



Don't give up on me yet!

I've been away for awhile, but I'm back. No really, I am! I know you've heard it all before, but this time I mean it...well maybe...we'll see.

We just got back from another trip to the beach. Big fun! Now we're back in East Texas, where it is currently hotter than sin. We've been busy trying to find some creative ways to enjoy the rest of our summer without having a heat stroke.

That's just wrong!

Anyway, this is just my pitiful attempt to jump back into the blog. Hopefully it can only get more interesting from here!