These cookies became my favorite and almost surpassed traditional chocolate chip cookies in my house.  I made these last week and the kids went crazy. That’s when I realized I’d never posted them here! I’ve been making them for 100 years and I can’t believe I haven’t shared them with you yet. These are really good. Like really.

The trick is to use the best quality cocoa powder you can find.  Cheap ones often leave a chalky flavor to the finished product.  The good stuff creates a smooth chocolate flavor that permeates the cookie entirely.  I also discovered in my testing of these cookies that the critical step is to blend the cocoa with the butter and sugars. Cocoa powder is a dehydrated product - I discovered that if I “rehydrate” it with the butter, it cooks up to a gooey texture. Most recipes include cocoa powder with the dry ingredients, but then it doesn’t have time to rehydrate and it turns to a dry flaky consistency.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Dutch Process cocoa powder

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy.  Add cocoa and incorporate on low speed.  Increase to high speed and beat until mixture lightens in color. 

STEP 2

Beat in vanilla then eggs, one at a time, incorporating completely after each egg is added. 

STEP 3

In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture slowly and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

STEP 4

Drop one inch balls of dough on a cookie sheet using a small ice cream scoop.  Place cookie sheet in hot oven and cook 10-12 minutes until cookies are no longer shiny on top.  Let cool on cookie sheet 10 more minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

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Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you prefer the classic? Here’s my chocolate chip cookie that is literally the perfect chocolate chip cookie!

One pot dinners are THE BEST DINNERS! It sounds like most people I know switch out the cooking duty and the cleaning duty with their partner or kids - but isn’t it still delightful when only one pan is used?

This is like a sheet pan dinner, only it’s a pot dinner. Is that a thing? Sheet pan dinners have been a hit because you pop it in the oven and walk away. Same-zies here. The chicken gets browned the sauces, vegetables and rice gets added and boom. You’re off the hook for the next 25 minutes to do homework, etc.

The secret here is harissa paste. I’m a major fan of anything that can be added and it brings literally ALL of the flavor. If it saves me time, I’m in. When you pair it with the green olives and fresh vegetables it’s suddenly an epic weeknight dinner. It’s also an amazing Sunday night dinner idea.

Harissa Baked Chicken & Rice

Serves 4

4 lb bone-in split fryer chicken

4 tbs olive oil

2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks

½  cup chopped Green Olives

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

¼ cup Harissa paste

1 cup rice

2 ¼ cups chicken stock

1 can undrained garbanzo beans

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat.  Add 2 tbs olive oil and brown the chicken, skin side down.

STEP 2

When the chicken is browned on the skin, remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 3

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and cook onions and bell pepper until soft.  Stir in harissa to coat.

STEP 4

Pour in rice, top with chicken, stock, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and olives.  Cover and pop into the oven.

STEP 5

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 when inserted. 

 How to pull it off

1.     Preheat the oven and start chopping vegetables.

2.     Brown the chicken.

3.     While the chicken is browning, measure out the rice and chicken stock.

4.     Add the harissa, vegetables, stock, olives, and beans.

5.     Cover and pop into the oven.

6.     Set the table and pour a glass of wine.

7.     Serve hot straight from the pot!

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Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

The perfect inspired mocktail for a harrisa dinner.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and I will be out of town eating brunch at a new restaurant in Palm Springs. In the event you haven’t planned to be out of town and in the sun, here are some ideas for your Mother’s Day brunch. I like when we celebrate first thing in the morning - usually, if we are in town, we go out somewhere for brunch. My favorite spots are near the market. Then we walk the market, buy some flowers, some fish for dinner, and have tiny doughnuts. It’s a delightful morning.

Scroll down for more ideas for shopping, dinner, and cocktails!

For Brunch

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for dinner

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More!

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bottoms up

I love a good spring cocktail - but sometimes the situation calls for a mocktail. I can’t stand a mocktail that is all juice based, too sugary or is just clearly designed for kids. A mocktail should be made for grown-ups too - everyone deserves something to sip on regardless of if they want the booze.

This one is SO SPRINGY and it made me desperate for my roses to bloom. They are waiting for some sun, and I have a feeling this weekend’s heat will do the trick. I cannot wait.

The trick with rose water is to be careful - it’s a lot like any other flavoring and going easy is your best bet. The tiniest amount of rose water makes a huge flavor impact. I like to start with 1/4 teaspoon per cocktail and you can increase after that if you’d like to - I don’t think more is needed, things get a little too much with more!

Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

makes two

4 ounces fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

1/2 teaspoon rose water

seltzer

fresh grapefruit to garnish

Squeeze the grapefruit into a glass and stir in rose water. Add ice and top with seltzer water. Serve with a grapefruit garnish.

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It’s almost Mother’s Day! Is Mother’s Day something you get excited about? Care about? Hate? It’s such a fraught holiday. Some people have lost a mother, some people want to be a mother and aren’t, some people have a strained relationship with their mother. And then there’s a group of us who just don’t care.

I’m a mother all the time. I don’t do it because one day a year I might get breakfast in bed. But I do use it as an excuse to buy myself something. Are you looking to buy yourself something this May? Mother’s Day is a great excuse - if you aren’t a mother, we all had a mother - buy something in honor of that.

5 quart braiser :: Westman Atelier Lipstick (I wear Bright Tomato) :: Capri Blue Candle :: Sisal Handbag with Sequins :: Gardening Shears :: Yoga Mat :: Games!

I personally go to Palm Springs with my best girlfriend and her husband every Mother’s Day. If Mother’s Day is hard for you, I highly recommend jetting out of town for the event. ESPECIALLY somewhere like Palm Springs. We have been out to brunch at a grown up hotel the last few years and it has been delightful.

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Pink Lemonade Mint Julep

The perfect easy drink to match your brunch!

My kids call this spider eggs. But I can’t tell you how much I like it. It’s also really good for you. Chia is packed with fiber so it helps with digestion and keeps you filling fuller longer. Fiber is also supposed to do amazing things for your heart and what not too. Bottom line, nothing but good news when you eat chia seeds. Unless, of course, your children call them spider eggs in which case it makes them a little less appealing.

I’ve never talked about my daily eating pattern before because it seems really boring to me - but I do get asked questions so here goes…

I take a handful of supplements in the morning - for my hair, my stress, and a probiotic - but I cannot tolerate anything in my stomach without food in there too. So I have a bowl full of chia pudding with my supplements. This time of year I mix in fresh strawberries to jazz things up a bit. Plain old chia seeds are not delicious. In a few weeks I’ll switch to raspberries but for now - strawberries are the best.

I like to go with chia pudding first thing because I know it will fill my stomach, give the supplements something land on, and give the probiotics something to work with. It’s also a healthy start to the day and if I start healthy, I find I do better throughout the rest of the day. Or I at least know I started healthy so if things fall off, then I at least tried.

Strawberry Chia Pudding

1 1/2 cups milk alternative

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup smashed strawberries

1 teaspoon vanilla

STEP 1

Smash the strawberries in a large measuring cup or a small bowl.

STEP 2

Add the milk alternative and vanilla and stir.

STEP 3

Stir in the chia seeds and refrigerate at least one hour but ideally overnight. Stir every 15 minutes for the first hour. Serve with sliced strawberries and granola.

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I’ve been marinading chicken thighs in the morning and then cooking them in time for dinner. Sometimes I’ll cook them around noon and pop the chicken in the fridge. Then at dinner I can just slice it. Especially on something like this. This is totally something you can serve up cold or hot.

Which does mean you could make it for baseball night! It’s a perfect dinner to have in the bleachers. Or if you’ve made the chicken ahead, you can whip up the rest as soon as you walk in the door. Sometimes you just want to eat at home - even after a long baseball game, sometimes especially after a long baseball game.

I’m kind of obsessed with this dinner right now. I even made it for Mr. Hedin’s lunches this week. I think you’ll love it too. Adding the sriracha on the side is a perfect way to zip up dinner for the grown ups.

Fresh Thai Inspired Chicken & Noodles

serves 4

For the marinade:

2 pounds chicken thighs

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 jalapeño, sliced

For the noodles:

7 ounces rice noodles

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sriracha

2 tablespoons reserved pasta water

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

STEP 1

Mix all marinade ingredients into a shallow dish and pop the chicken on top. Flip the chicken around in the marinade to really coat it. Let it rest about one hour or up to overnight.

STEP 2

Preheat the barbecue to medium heat - no hotter than 300 degrees. Pop the chicken on the grill and let it cook slowly. Flip occasionally cooking until it’s done throughout. It takes about 20 minutes.

STEP 3

While the chicken cooks, bring water to a boil. In a small bowl, mix together the sauces for the noodles. Cook the noodles then toss them in the sauce in the bowl. Add the pasta water as needed to keep the noodles from sticking together. I use tongs to pull the noodles out of the pasta water and then I can use them to toss the noodles around. Add the vegetables and toss them in too.

STEP 4

Divide the noodles among four bowls and top with chopped chicken. Sprinkle basil and cilantro across the top. Serve with extra sriracha.

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Basil Martini

Toast your dinner night with a perfectly basil martini - it’s so simple because you barely need any ingredients!

We spend A LOT of time watching baseball. As if it weren’t enough that we spend time watching 12 year olds play baseball, we also seem to watch MLB, college ball, and the occasional t-ball game when we see one at the park. It’s sort of taken things over right now.

So my brain is making way more baseball style meals and treats than any family actually needs. If you are done with family, then sorry - you can just move on and wait until later this week. BUT if you have a kid playing baseball or t-ball, then this is THE PERFECT SNACK!

You will be parent of the year if you do. If there are peanut allergies on the team or concerns of peanut allergies, you can just leave them out. But the parents will think you really went over the top and make things extra special - and after all, isn’t extra special what we’re going for?

When you make these, make sure you check the popcorn so they don’t have kernels. There can be a lot of kernels left with some popcorn and even when the kernels pop, they sometimes leave hard casing parts. Especially if you are serving to children, make sure there is nothing they can choke on!

Cracker Jack Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup Spanish peanuts

1 1/2 cups popped popcorn (make sure no kernels!)

1 cup carmel bits

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars until creamy and lightened in color.

STEP 2

Add eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

STEP 3

Add in dry ingredients until just barely incorporated.  Then add in the popcorn, peanuts, and caramel bits and mix well.  It’s great if they break up a little bit.

STEP 4

Scoop dough onto a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are browned but the center is still light brown.  Let rest 5 minutes on a cookie sheet then transfer to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week – but no longer!

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It’s Spring Cocktail Season! The baby showers have begun in earnest, the bridal showers are right around the corner, and soon, we’ll just invite people over to sit on the porch and have a drink. That day is not today because today is pouring down rain and cold. It’s actually gross out. Earlier this week we got a glimpse at what spring will look like and she was perfect. Until then, let’s plan our cocktails and a little dip or something to go with.

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We have had a family beach place as long as I can remember. When my kids were little we spent the entire summer up there with family and had the best time. Not only was it a great way to entertain my kids all summer and have plenty of babysitters around BUT we also made memories. The first part felt more important than the second part at the time. Now I’m so grateful for the second part.

The beach house has become a favorite place for so many of us. My cousin had his rehearsal dinner there, my sister was married there, we’ve celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and LITERALLY every Fourth of July.

Every spring I start craving beach house days. It’s time to be up at the beach, it’s time for no schedule, it’s time for crab cakes and rosè at noon. Join me in dreaming about beach days at the beach house.

Rope Door Stop :: Rechargeable Outdoor Table Lamps :: Sailboat Pillow Cover :: Gray Malin Coastal Book :: Beach Cottage Candle :: Chart Wallpaper :: Signal Flags :: Giant Old Bay Seasoning :: Le Creuset Everyday Pan

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World’s Best Crab Dip

You cannot have a summer cocktail party without the best crab dip you’ve ever eaten!