Be Gentle with Yourself. And Eat a Cookie.

As indicated by the radio silence around here, it has been a doozy of a week - we've had a painful goodbye, 18 hours in the car, a little baby scare (don't worry, baby girl and I are both fine), a national exam, 30 hours of work training, a disaster of a house, an ongoing car problem, and a stack of work that is multiplying like rabbits.  The humans at this little White Hot house are just emotionally and physically exhausted. It has left me feeling a little bit weepy, a little bit defensive, and a little bit like snapping - we are doing the best we can.

I was thinking that over and over to myself yesterday morning while I was blow drying my hair, getting more and more upset with the world, when the realization struck me: that the person I needed to be talking to was myself. I am doing the best I can, and that's really all I can do.

Source.

So, I decided that I would control what I could and let go of the rest - I sat down at my desk, took a deep breath, put my head down and worked for 10 hours. And, you know what? Everything is looking a little more manageable this morning. 

I woke up early to gigantic baby kicks, feeling lighter and happier and ready to face the day. I got to talk to Hugh (on the phone, mind you) for fifteen minutes while he studied and I had coffee and fed the boys breakfast. It's Friday. Yesterday marked three months until baby girl's due date (!!). I spent a whole uninterrupted hour working on the nursery last night. In other words, I'm remembering today just how peachy my little life is.

Oh, and I have a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe to share with you. Because it's the kind of week where I can justify eating a two cookies after lunch and dinner. And you should, too. Because, man, oh man, these cookies are good:

 

A Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
Barely adapted from Apple a Day
makes approximately 3 dozen

The thing I love about these cookies, aside from their deliciousness, is their texture. They are chewy, and they stayed that way until the very last one was gone. Because, really, who wants a crunchy chocolate chip cookie? Not this girl.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream butter and sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until completely combined, scraping bowl as necessary.

Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined.

Add chocolate chips and pecans. Mix by hand with wooden spoon to avoid over beating. 

Drop cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets in heaping tablespoons. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Note: the edges of these cookies should be golden, but do not let the tops brown. This ensures their chewy texture. 

Remove from oven. Cool cookie sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheets and cool completely on wire racks.

Eat them up!