Zonked Out … aka The Husband Cooks Wednesdays

Laid down to watch TV with Nicholas last night and before I knew it, I must’ve fallen asleep, because here I am, the next day, with no post up! I guess I was more tired than I thought.

Came home to the delicious smell of Spaghetti with Clam Sauce. The Husband made dinner, including a big pot of steamers. I was starving and everything was so good; my favorite part being using the warm bread to mop up the yummy steamer sauce. He did great tonight, his first time at making Spaghetti with Clam Sauce. Not bad!

Nicholas and The Girlfriend can’t seem to get enough of each other. Even though they saw each other yesterday morning on the way to school, and then at school, from the time I walked in the door from work last night, all I heard was, “Mama, is my girlfriend home yet?” “Mama, is she coming over?” “Mama, call her mom and see if she can come over.”

The telephone rang after dinner and Nicholas came running to see who it was. Luckily, it was The Neighbor and as soon as Nicholas got wind of that, he nagged me until I put him on the phone to talk to The Girlfriend. They seriously had a good 10-minute conversation by themselves — too funny. When I finally got the phone back from the lovebird’s grips, I caught The Girlfriend saying, “I’m coming over, Nick, just hold on.” It cracks me up. And yes, she came down to visit; they got an hour of playtime before we could pry them apart for bedtime. Parting is such sweet sorrow… Every morning when they go to school, they walk in holding hands together. Young love…

So, The Husband’s car is STILL in the shop, which means he has mine, which, of course, means I’m carless. The Neighbor is kind enough to schlep Nicholas and I to our respective destinations, so I made her a batch of Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies as a thank you. We taste-tested them last night and pronounced them a winner. Crispy on the outside and softer on the inside, I love the cherries in them. These will travel well, which is always an important criteria. They will definitely be a repeater. I also made a batch of Chocolate Kahlua Brownies, but haven’t tasted them yet.

OK, gotta dash and get ready for work. We’re going to a Hoedown tonight. First time I’ve ever been to one, and can’t say they’re real commonplace in New Jersey, but it’s to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, so should be fun. Until then…

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2-1/2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Add butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white; beat 1 minute. Stir in dried cherries, chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips.

Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

PRINT