Not So Manic Monday

Not at work today...the Bug has a bug. :(  His chest is congested, he has a fever and is just all-around not feeling well.  As for me, I still have a pounding headache (today is day 3) and I think I've had a fever on and off.  Whatever this is, it's not fun.  I'm just glad it's not a stomach bug!!  *whew*

I made this recipe waaaay back in early August for an office pot-luck for the August birthdays.  I asked the other August girl what kind of dessert she wanted and she said: chocolate.  So...I went to my go-to online recipe site Allrecipes and printed out a couple for her to chose from.  This was the winner (and it really was).


Chocolate Chews
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Melt the chocolate chips in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. Stir to evenly melt. 

Cream together the butter and sugars until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture slowly. Blend thoroughly. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 12 to 14 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for a minute or two before removing to a rack to cool. 

NOTES:  Even with rolling the dough in to balls, this was super easy.  The dough wasn't too sticky so you didn't have to scrape off your hands between batches.  I really liked these cookies because they baked up picture-perfect and they weren't too sweet.  

Pretty little balls make pretty little cookies!  I forgot to mention that I used parchment paper instead of greasing the cookie sheets.  Parchment paper makes a lot less mess and you can reuse the paper and don't have to wash the cookie sheets between batches.

For once, the cookies came out looking just as good as the pictures.  These were good cooled, but they were super good still warm!

There was SOOO much food!!  When an office potluck comes around, I'm designated dessert maker, which I don't mind because I like to bake.  That day we had pizza and salad from Dion's (a local pizza and sub place), green chile chicken enchiladas (yum!), red chile posole, stuffed sopapillas, an awesome fresh fruit tart and a super cute ladybug cake.  I'm sure there was more than I remember, but even *that's* enough!

So, I'm home with the sick kiddo today, but that doesn't mean I'm lazing around the house (even though I probably should).  I picked up the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook at the library on Saturday and I noted all the recipes I want to try before I give it back (can you say: copy machine?).  One of those recipes is in the oven now!  If you're lucky, I'll post that recipe (and it's a good one!) later on this week. 

Well, I'm off to go do my nails and get my fill of America's Next Top Model (there's a mini-marathon on Oxygen).  Thanks for all the well-wishes to my little one.  I'm sure he'll be better soon, but he'll soak up all the extra cuddles he can in the meantime.