Corn Cookies

My best friend came to visit me in Augusta over Christmas break for my birthday and brought me some amazing cookies.  He's recently been trying out all kinds of recipes from the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, and they are amazing.  The first batch he shared were compost cookies, fruity pebbles cookies and cornflake marshmallow crunch cookies.  They were all tasty but I think the compost were my favorite because they had crushed up potato chips and were very salty/sweet.  Everything is so good it kind of makes me want to go visit the mothership in NYC and try some more sweets.  They sell cookie mixes, but for $16 a pop, you'll definitely want to just get some recipes and try them yourself.  

The first batch I tried to make was Corn Cookies.  It probably sounds strange but they are really mellow with a little hint of salty and so, so good.  If you decide to make these you'll need to order some corn powder from Amazon or Whole Foods or you can just get some freeze dried corn and make your own, like I did.

Corn Cookies (Recipe from thekitchn.com)

Makes 13 to 15 cookies

225 g butter, at room temperature OR 16 tablespoons (2 sticks)
300 g sugar OR 1 1/2 cups
1 egg
225 g flour OR 1 1/3 cups
45 g corn flour OR 1/4 cup
65 g freeze-dried corn powder OR 2/3 cup
3 g baking powder OR 3/4 teaspoon
1.5 g baking soda OR 1/4 teaspoon
6 g kosher salt OR 1 1/2 teaspoons

Freeze Dried corn, before it's blended into corn powder.

Corn Powder (after blending)

 All the dry ingredients (corn powder, corn flour, and all purpose flour) are measured and ready to go.

1. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. *(This step is VERY important, if you don’t complete the creaming process the cookies won’t turn out right.)

This is what the batter should look like after it's creamed and blended, very fluffy.

2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, corn flour, corn powder,
baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together,
no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at  least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature--they will not bake properly.

4. Heat the oven to 350°F.

5. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes.  The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center; give them an extra minute if not. *(The cookies will turn out pretty big, so you might only get 6 or so on a cookie sheet.)

6. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a
plate or to an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will
keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

The best thing about these cookies is that you can keep the dough in the freezer for a while and you can cook them one or two at a time. 

Project 365

Earlier this year I resolved to take a photo a day and try to complete 'Project 365'. Well, I've already missed a few days so far and the only resolution I haven't broken is to take off my makeup and wash my face everyday. (Curiously, I can already tell the difference in my skin. It looks and feel so much better.)  Here's a look at some of my days/photos so far.

Jan. 6 Homemade Lasagna

Jan. 11 Attempting to make lemon extract

Jan. 13 Chinese Food

Jan. 14 Enjoying ice cream with my Sis at Sweet Dreams

Jan. 23 New Christmas watch and nail polish

Jan. 24 My Cousin's wedding invitation arrived

Hopefully I can get back on track and at least try to take a photograph most every day. It would be pretty cool to have a record of every day of the year from 2012.

Randoms

I've been taking a lot of photos for work lately and I'm loving the beautiful fall sunshine and cooler weather.

The Hubs and I finally got a chance to explore a little more of Jacksonville. We went out for a date night and enjoyed dinner at European Street (they certainly know how to make a good Sangria!) and the Jacksonville Symphony. I wore my polka dot dress for the first time and I'm loving these earrings from F21.

My Sis visited and we went to see the Grandparents down at The Villages in Lady Lake, FL. If you've never been there, it's quite a sight. Thousands and thousands of retirees scooting around on custom golf carts, playing golf and enjoying happy hour. I wonder if they let 30 year olds in...I could totally enjoy that speed of life...

And enjoy cupcakes too, obviously.

So we've been in Jacksonville a little while now and it has been crazy and busy. We finally got out on the town the other day, since the majority of the weekends we have still been back and forth to Gainesville. Last weekend I went to the opening of Sweet at the Town Center with my new friends Tricia, Natalie and Sonja to enjoy some tasty, tasty cupcakes!

Boston Cream Cupcake (my favorite!)

Finally Fall

It's still not quite chilly in Florida yet (obviously), but at least it's starting to feel a little bit more like fall around these parts. I got to go out to Micanopy yesterday for some photos for work and we got to see the cutest little corn maze. Coon Hollo is the most adorable little farm! Take a look for yourself...

They even have a donkey named Paco, he was quite friendly.

I am so ready for some more chilly days, hot chocolate and the holidays right around the corner!

A Carolina Weekend

Last weekend I hit the road for Columbia, SC to see one of my best friends and watch the Gamecocks play. And it was awesome! I miss living so close to Columbia and being able to see my friends whenever I want. I've definitely been homesick lately. I got to Columbia after supper time and we all decided to visit Rockaway's for burgers and some delicious pimento cheese fries. If you're in the area, these are not to be missed!

Saturday we did the requisite tailgate shopping with a quick stop by Target so I could get some jeans. I hope it's not a sign that I'm getting used to the Florida weather, but I packed nothing but shorts and skirts for the weekend and it was a little chilly in SC, which was fabulous. It felt like football weather all weekend long! I enjoyed a fabulous little tailgate with Twyla, Amanda, her husband Lenny, and my new friend Lt. Jill.

I had a great time at the game, even though there were some ridiculously over enthusiastic fans in front of us. I'm all for cheering, but I don't think it's necessary to stand up the entire game, holler until you can barely talk, and wave your spirit rag so hard that you could take someone's eye out. That's just me, but then again I didn't drink a 5th of Kentucky Gentleman and start chugging straight Canadian mist by the 4th quarter like the fellows in front of us. Thankfully, the weather was cool with no rain and the Gamecocks pulled out a win!

My favorite part of the game is always when Cocky comes out of the box to 2001.

(Please excuse the crazy 'spirit rag' in front of us for 1/2 of the video!)

The next morning we had brunch at the Liberty Tap Room (pretty tasty!) and got on the road for Florida. This was the most 'normal' weekend I've had in a while, hanging out with friends and not worrying about jobs or mother in laws. I must start having more fun in my life, soon! Thankfully there is plenty going on this fall, so I'll just have to make the best of it!

Lately...

Long story short, things are crazy lately. I've been feeling really homesick and far away from all my friends and family. Here's what I've been up to...

I jumped on the anthropologie bandwagon and now have a stylish jewelry holder for my dresser.

I joined Weight Watchers and have been eating lots of yummy summer produce and healthy foods!

I went to the Gator Football Women's Clinic, which was actually really, really cool! We toured the stadium, locker room, weight room and trophy area, met Coach Muschamp and did drills on the football field.

I got to meet the Pouncey Twins!!!

In June we hit the road for St. Augustine to catch up with one of my bffs...

We spent a fabulous afternoon on the beach

Stopped by our favorite watering hole in downtown

In St. Augustine Beach we found a delicious new food spot, Taco Shop

This place had amazing mexi-treats and was so tasty we visited it two days in a row!

I hope everyone is having a fab summer so far!