sally francklyn

I made cookies for my roommate, because she was moving in- and they were really delicious. I have more of a sweet tooth than I used to have, which is bad because I make desserts all the time. Anyway, here’s the recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 1/2 cups raisins

Heat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. One at a time, beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in the oats and raisins by hand.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

From Real Simple: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies-00000000046654/

Well, I had a lot of sweet potatoes, so I looked up what I could do with them. Casseroles? Nah. Pie? It’s not Christmas time. Soup? Now that’s what I’m talking about! It was easy, and so yummy- I might even make it again. (And that’s a terrible photo because I forgot to take one!)

Here’s the recipe:

1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cooked sweet potatoes (I cooked mine with a little water in a pyrex in the microwave)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
Salt (I put pepper in also)

In a heavy saucepot, over medium-low heat, cook the flour and butter, stirring constantly until roux achieves a light caramel color. Add the broth and brown sugar, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Stir in the sweet potatoes and spices, bring to a simmer again, and cook for 5 minutes more. In a blender, puree the soup in batches and return to saucepot. Add the milk, and reheat soup. Season with salt and pepper (then why only salt before?!?), ladle into warm soup bowls and serve.

Recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sweet-potato-soup-recipe.html

Since it was snowy out in Boulder=
(and I’ve never said this before, but I wish it was summer!) I stayed inside and baked cookies. They’re delicious- soft like cookies should be, but a little bit chewy (I think that’s because of the salt that was added).

Here’s the recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet (I used semi-sweet) chocolate coarsely chopped (I forgot to chop them and they turned out just fine)
Maldon or other flaky sea-salt (I used kosher because it was all I had!)

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 mins. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla (I forgot to do this so REMEMBER!). Beat, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 4-5 mins. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just to blend. Using a spatula, fold in chocolate.

Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of cookie dough onto 2 parchment-paper lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Sprinkle cookies with sea-salt.

Bake cookies until just golden brown and firm on the edges, 10-12 mins. Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Going to the TBI meeting in Boulder is great because even though the people are older than I am, there is still a lot to learn. For instance, I’m learning that there are many ways that you can get a TBI- car accidents and icy skating accidents, not just ski accidents.

I also learned that certain things that I’m having from my TBI- like speech and balance- are not only related to only me- every TBI person has balance issues, and some have speech issues. I thought these were caused by my injury (and they are) but I was the only one who struggled with them- but I’m not! That’s a relief to hear. Even though these issues are bothersome and cause trouble, I’m not the only one who’s dealing with them.

It’s snowy in Boulder, and even though the place I’m living right now is far away from the bus stop, coffee place and grocery store, it feels even further because right now, I can’t walk outside and do anything because it’s slick outside. I’ve never said this before, but I’d like it to be summer!!