A-mazing Cookies!

It is my week to bring "something sweet" to small group tonight. This last week we had like 4 different kinds of brownies, I thought it would be nice to have something less-chocolaty(nothing against chocolate of course!)

I remember the oatmeal-dried cranberry cookies we had in Denali National Park on our honeymoon. We took the all day bus tour. That might sound lame, but it's the only way to get inside other than on foot. They don't allow cars because there is only one maintained dirt road in the whole national park. And Mt. McKinley is like 80 miles from the entrance, so walking was not an option. Not to mention the wild grizzlies and the fact that we didn't have any equipment. So the bus it was. Our guide was very entertaining and had the eye of an eagle to spot the wildlife in the far distance. If I remember correctly, the bus left at 6am, and it was about 45 degrees IN JULY.














Ok, ok, you're reading this post to find out about cookies.

So, by lunchtime we were starving and the bus finally arrived at the Kantishna Roadhouse, where lunch was served. It was an amazing lunch. That's probably because we were stuck on a bus for 6 hours without a "proper" break. Turkey club wraps, homemade vegetable soup, lemonade, and..........oatmeal dried cranberry cookies with macadamia nuts. A-mazing! Before this day I don't think I even liked oatmeal cookies. Or dried cranberries. OR macadamia nuts(well, to tell the truth, I could live without the macadamia nuts). I used to think a cookie had to have chocolate to be good.

The cookie made me happy(here I am still talking about it almost 2 years later). Which was good because the wraps were small and we couldn't get seconds, so that made me sad. Finally, I have a reason to search for a similar recipe. I never wanted to do it unless I had people to share them with(awwww). No really it's because I didn't want to feel rushed to eat them all in 3 days before the get stale.

Ok, without further adieu, let me present:

Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and White Chocolate:














Yes, I stole this image from the blogger where I found the recipe. I don't take pictures and cook at the same time.

1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Fiori Di Sicilia (optional)
1 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Oatmeal
1 cup unsweetened Dried Cranberries
1 cup White Chocolate Chips or 8-ounce bar of white chocolate, cut into small chunks

**Note: If you are using sweetened cranberries, which most are, cut the granulated sugar in half**

Preheat oven to 350°F
Beat Butter and Sugars until creamy
Thoroughly mix in Eggs and Flavorings
In separate bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, and Salt
Add to Butter mixture
Mix in Oatmeal
Stir in Dried Cranberries and White Chocolate
Place rounded tablespoons of cookie dough 2 inches apart on baking sheet
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are set and edges are slightly golden
Remove from oven and leave on baking sheet for 5 minutes
Remove cookies to rack and cool completely


Yes, they are as good as the look. If you are in my small group, you lucky dog you! You get to eat them tonight. To bad, so sad for the rest of you.

Craft Room and a Sneak Peek

Remember this chair?















I finally found a buyer. So, here is a sneak peek of it in my "craft room". I think there are about 4 different projects going on at once.














Sigh.....what am I going to do without this extra space? I have been super spoiled by 2 living rooms and 3 bedrooms. 1600 sq ft cut down to 800 sq ft. That's not really the direction you're supposed to go in, are you? At least it will be mine.

Stay tuned for the big reveal, coming soon.

Goodwill Side Table

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted this side table at my Goodwill. The finish was in poor condition, but I loved the pedestal center leg. That's the key when shopping for furniture that you plan on painting and updating. Look for good lines or some kind of charming detail. In this case, I liked the curves.














The best part was this(click to enlarge)...














Yeah, that's the price. It says $4.99

How could I say no?

I don't have a place to put it, and it might be too short for the rest of my furniture, but I could always sell it, like I did with this antique vanity bench, and this bedside table.

I wasn't sure what color to do, but I was getting a bit tired of painting things antique white. I've been seeing quite a bit of light blue furniture, and I found out that Lowes sells little sample cans of paint in ANY color for $2.99. That's a great deal when you only have a little project. The bummer part is that it only comes in Satin. For furniture, I always use Semi-gloss paint, but satin is just enough sheen to work. Especially if you plan on distressing it, you don't really want very shiny furniture. If I end up selling it, it's ready to go. If I end up keeping it, there's no guarantee it will stay this color, since I don't know what my colors will end up being when we move to our new place. But, I'm always looking for an excuse to paint something!!

Here is the finished product: