Month: August 2013

Getting the Hang

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So as you may or may not know, I recently moved to Northern Virginia to start a new job in the District of Columbia. The move was definitely a big deal to me because even though I’ve lived in Virginia for the past two years, Williamsburg and DC are two different animals.

At this point I’ve been in my new apartment and my new job for about a month and a half, and I felt a tangible change this week. I did a little bit of on site work for my job at different locations in the city, and had some social engagements in some new areas that I haven’t explored. Even though I continually experience new areas, this week it went from an exhausting experience of relying on google maps every five minutes and looking up the metro map several times a day, to recognizing neighborhood names and starting to piece them together on the map in my head.

I definitely have a better sense of place, and I’ve gotten closer to a decent daily routine so the daily adventures are not such an ordeal. I feel like I caught my wind for the moment. I realize I still have a lot more to explore, a lot more to experience and some unresolved moving details to finish up, but I think the wind changed in DC this week, and it’s starting to feel more familiar every day.

What are you up to this weekend? I’m looking forward to a low key weekend of errands, some shopping, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to go see “Lee Daniel’s The Butler.”

Butler

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sadie3 Comments

Let’s be honest, what is there not to like about the title of this post? This past weekend I needed to bring some food to a cookout, and since I haven’t done much baking this summer, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to put my new kitchen to work. This is officially the inaugural batch of cookies in my new apartment.

As you may or may not know, I eat bananas quite regularly, and I’m always worried about keeping a ripe supply at all times for my morning smoothies. Last week, however, I got a little overzealous and I ended up with some extras that got ripe real fast. And thus: cookies with bananas.

I quickly searched some of my favorite food blogs and ended up with this great recipe from How Sweet It Is. I love that blog!  Let me tell you something. These are the best cookies I’ve made in a while. They are a great chewy texture that make them soft but not too light and cakey. Plus, I feel like the peanut butter and banana add some healthy components to a typical chocolate chip cookie, without making it a full on granola bar.

BTW, These get even healthier when they are transported in an organic spinach container.
BTW, These get even healthier when they are transported in an organic spinach container.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from How Sweet It Is, yields 18-20 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups plus 2 Tbs AP Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 Tbs Butter, melted and cooled
  • 6 Tbs Peanut, Butter melted and cooled
  • 1 egg yolk, room temp
  • 1 cup brown sugar loosely packed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 medium ripe bananas mashed
  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350 (How Sweet It Is recommends 325, but my oven needed to be hotter).
  2. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl: flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

    stuff
    I decided to play the game: use every bowl and every utensil in the kitchen. It makes cleanup a breeze!
  3. Combine melted and cooled butter and peanut butter in a different bowl. Wisk it together with the sugars and egg yolk. Then wisk in the mashed banana and vanilla extract. The mixture will not be smooth. DSCN1856
  4. Slowly add the dry to the wet and use a wooden spoon to mix it (no hand mixer needed). And finally fold in the chocolate chips.ummmm chocolate
  5. Portion out the cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake 10-15 minutes at 350 (again, my oven was way off from what the original recipe suggested so use your judgement). Cookies should be a light golden brown.scoop it outout of the oven
  6. Allow to cool, and enjoy!

Five Things

Sadie2 Comments
I miss about New Jersey
1. The Produce: The Garden State is actually called the Garden State for a reason. During the summer that reason is tomatoes and corn. For example: my mother felt the need to send me pictures of her Jersey fresh dinner the other day.
Tomatoes grilled corn
2. The open spaces: Not that Virginia doesn’t have wide open spaces, but I live and work in a more urban area now. I am not a city mouse, I am a country mouse. That is for sure. So I’m just trying on the city for a bit, and seeing what happens.
3. My friends and family: Again, I have friends that I love in Virginia and DC, but the NJ ones are the originals and I always miss them when I don’t live there.
4. The Beach: I’ll be honest, I have no idea where the closest beach is here, and I don’t want to go to it. I want to go to Stone Harbor.
5.My Hairdresser: I got my hair cut in a mall last week. No offense to my very nice hairdresser, but your name is not Melissa and I haven’t been your client since before you were married and had two children who are now in first and second grade.
Homesick much? What do you miss the most when you’re away from home?