“Balls!” cried the queen.

CarrieLeave a comment

Sadie I am going to have to try that cookie recipe.  Martha is at the top of my list when it comes to role models.  Talk about a woman with some kahones.  Speaking of kahones, it makes the perfect transition into the inspiration behind this blog entry.

Yesterday I went to the Philadelphia Gift Show in Oaks, PA.  I was looking to buy new items for the store.  I look for cute items that I think the general masses would appreciate in order to maximize purchasing.  While I did find many items that fall under this category, there is one item that I found that is up for debate.  Here, why don’t you take a look.

I can’t decide if I find this “ball sack” is highly appalling or slightly intriguing.  Perhaps it is a little bit of both.  I cannot imagine taking this item up to the register to purchase for anyone.  Imagine the onslaught of questions that you might get from the cashier. “Who are you buying these for?” “Is it a birthday present?” “You know this isn’t on sale, right?”
On a more informative note, I lost my IKEA virginity yesterday.  As I am remodeling my bathroom, I needed to look for mirrors with a white frame.  Apparently South Jersey is not the place to find exactly what I was looking for.  After exploring online, I found that IKEA offers the best selection at the best price.  Since it wasn’t far from the trade show, I stopped off in Conshohocken to take a gander.  Well, much to my chagrin, I was amazed!  Talk about quality products at an affordable price.  Walking around IKEA is like taking the yellow brick road in Oz.  The road goes on endlessly while encountering many enchanting stops along the way before you reach the emerald palace or what they call the marketplace.  If you plan on redecorating anytime soon, IKEA is an adventure awaiting you…just make sure to wear your sneakers!

The Best Cookies You’ll Ever Eat

Sadie2 Comments

To start this blog off on the right foot, let’s talk cookies.  I love testing cookie recipes, tweaking them, and making them awesome.  One of my favorite sources for cookie recipes is Martha Stewart.  Now, admittedly, Martha leaves something to be desired in the recipe department.  She’s not always on the cutting edge of new ingredients or healthy alternatives, and some of her recipes are pretty dated.  But she also has some quality basics that are a great springboard to adapt into a more successful version.  Say what you will about Martha, but with her help, I think this recipe is a good thing.

Not only are these delicious, but between the whole wheat flour, oatmeal, dried cranberries, and nuts, how could you go wrong!  Every time I make these, I get nothing but raves.  Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredients list, you have most of it in your pantry, just run out to the store to grab the add-ins!

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

Yields about 4 dozen (this is a big batch)

  • 4 sticks of unsalted butter (2 cups)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or milk
  • 4 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 12 oz package of white chocolate chips
  • 1 12 oz package of butterscotch chips
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1-2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt/milk to butter and sugar.  Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients.  Once ingredients are combined, add in oats, white chocolate, butterscotch, dried cranberries, coconut, and nuts.
  5. Mixture will be relatively stiff.  Make sure that the add-ins are uniformly distributed throughout the batter.
  6. Use an ice-cream scooper to portion out dough into 2 inch balls on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  These will be a great texture if they are closer to golden rather than brown.

Here’s what they looked like when I made them around Christmas.  Enjoy!

Hello world!

SadieLeave a comment

Welcome to our new blog!  Carrie and I are going to take turns posting about a variety of topics.  Basically anything that’s on our minds or in our calendar.

We’re two sorority sisters from college who realized we have a ton in common, which means we always have a ton to talk about when we get together.  Though we are both Jersey girls, these days Carrie is still holding down the Garden state, while I have moved south to Virginia for grad school.   We don’t get to hang out as often as we would like, so this is the next best thing, right?

Get ready for some posts on all of our favorite topics: cooking, shopping, crafting, backing, TV shows, pop and country music, romantic comedies, plus any other issues a girl might have!

Enjoy!