It's snowing again...!

Let it snow!

...which means of course, that all I'm thinking about it eating (also, sweatpants). Cozy soups, piping hot mac and cheese, perhaps some chili or maybe something over quinoa or rice!? Here to keep you warm while the weather outside is frightful are some winter weather recipes sure to delight. Stay safe everybody!

Love me some one-pot goodness! This "Spinach Artichoke Wonderpot" from Budget Bytes is looking like an awesome dinner option for tonight. And maybe add some sauteed chicken or shrimp for a little extra protein? Pin it HERE, full recipe HERE.

Oh man... any recipe with the word "lazy" in it is going to earn a try from me! These simple Egg Pita Pizzas look delicious as suggested and you could really choose your own adventure with additional toppings and seasoning if you're feeling bold. Pita as pizza, so easy and brilliant!! Pin it HERE, full recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches HERE.

The perfect way to use my new Le Creuset Mini Cocottes (thanks Dr. H!) I cannot wait to try out this gooey spinach mac at home (and it's obviously healthy, because hey!! Spinach!!) Pin it HERE, full recipe from Donna Hay HERE.

And if sweet treats are more your winter weather style, don't forget about ms. (parent)thetically speaking's ultimate Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies! Click HERE to get the recipe!!

ps- took that panoramic beauty about 48 hours ago... however NYC's white snow is really an excellent way to show off my sun tan (#silverlining).

This is the beginning...

anything.

This has turned into one of those weeks when I feel like some inspirational words are in order...

take time.

Have Courage.

there is no never.

be wonderful.

And then, of course, we have our 31 Days of Halloween to attend to!!

How awesome are these creepy, crawly spider chocolate chip cookies!? The brain child of Hungry Happenings (full recipe HERE), these spider treats are super easy to create and totally awesome to see. 

Cookie Quest (more like a day trip)

When I found out I was pregnant, 2 (apparently pregnancy made me very specific) concerns crossed my mind after the initial crying, hugging and excitement – I’m going to have to get this baby out and if I’m going to be a mom I have to have a recipe for super yummy chocolate chip cookies. I had 7ish months to worry about labor, so I pushed (ha!) that thought way down deep. That left the cookies. Cookies I could do. So I set out to find the perfect recipe.

Now, nothing against Nesley Tollouze (Phoebe anyone?!) but those cookies just don’t do it for me. I wanted something soft and chewy, with some height to it. I let Google be my guide, recipe comments and reviews narrowed down the field of contenders. The first one I decided to try was from a cookbook, Baking Illustrated, published by Cooks Illustrated. Side note, as a baker (I use this term loosely) I love this cookbook. It’s full of information (the difference between all the types of flour, why baking soda is important, what brown sugar does for a recipe vs. white sugar) and when you take the dust jacket off, the cover is smooth and soft, it makes me want to run my hands over it constantly, but then I’m just alone in my kitchen, caressing a book, so maybe that’s not the best thing.

Long story short (too late!) – this recipe was perfection. There were a few steps that seemed a little high maintenance but these steps proved to be vital to the outcome. I felt a little conflicted that my quest for the perfect cookie was over so quickly, but it was, and I had a tray full of warm cookies, so I got over it just as quickly. Gooey and chewy with mounds of chocolate chips, after starting a bite, it actually takes a few seconds for your teeth to meet again. They are the opposite of the flat, crisp cookies B.P.R. (Before Perfect Recipe). Milk is an absolute requirement – but dunking is a personal preference, these cookies need no softening agent. (for me, milk is such an important part of cookie-eating that at our wedding we had cookies served with milk in shot glasses). These cookies are requested anytime I offer to bring dessert, or for such important occasions as It’s a Wednesday Night. 

The recipe is below (do it) – if you decide to try them (do it), I hope that you eat them all right away and then make them again to share.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - For Full Recipe, CLICK HERE

This post brought to you by the fabulous (parent)thetically speaking.