Yummy delicious deserts!

This model home I get to sit in today is one of my very favorites -- definitely my favorite in Utah County!

In it is this super fun book called Small Sweet Treats.

Today I found some of the recipes I am so excited to try! 

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1 c all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c superfine sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 lg egg yolk

3/4 c finely ground lightly toasted almonds

raspberry or strawberry preserves, or orange marmalade

powdered sugar (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt; set aside. 

In a mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg yolk, beating until well combined. Mix in the flour mixture and nuts until the dough is well combined. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment -- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Make a depression int he center of each cookie using the handoe of a wooden spoon or your fingertip. Add 1/4 tsp. preserves or marmalade in each indentation. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F until very lightly browned; cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. Makes 24 cookies. 

TRIPLE GINGER PECAN COOKIES 

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 c brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/3 c molassses

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 c finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 c finely chopped pecans

Sugar, for rolling the cookies

Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper or Silpat; set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ground ginger, grated ginger, and salt; set aside. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, butter, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and pecans and mix until combined. 

Use a small 1-inch diameter ice cream scoop or a teaspoon to form 1-inch balls with the dough and then roll each in the sugar. Press the dough down with the bottom of a glass. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

LOVE THIS MOMENT

Something I learned from my Mom and Daddy:

GIVE MYSELF PERMISSION TO LOVE THIS MOMENT, THIS STAGE IN MY LIFE 

If I don't, I'll spend my whole life thinking when I am married, when I am more spiritual, when I have this baby, when the baby can hold her own bottle, when our kids are all in school...

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A Realization

I AM A PERSON OF CHANGE

I often (once a week/every other week) step back from life and evaluate my choices, my path, my values, and my goals. This is great, but usually accompanied by a little crying, sometimes a blessing, and always lots of talking with roommates (in the past) or Danny dearest.


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In addition, I have a unique quality where I choose a new focus about every 3 months and give EVERYTHING to that goal. Often it involves succeeding in classes each semester, when I was younger it involved doing a beautiful drawing or painting, perfecting a skill such as piano etc. Well, I have been working with Ivory for 3 months and hit that time where I felt ready for some change.

I did the discovery process yet again and Danny taught me something amazing. For this stage of my life, I don't choose only one thing to be completely devoted to. Truthfully, at this time in my life nothing is quite worth all my focus (e.g getting "toned" or extremely in shape, painting a gorgeous painting, selling ___ homes). He pointed out something that I had never thought of before. And, you know, you are completely going to laugh -- but this was a REVELATION to me!

My responsibility in life is to be a great wife, do well at work, cook and sew and do artsy things as bring me happiness, live an organized life, have fun, and scripture study. All these things will be done in moderation and I will just do some each. I'll try to do my best in each and enjoy preparing for motherhood and being a wife and that is the most important. That is my goal! It's not to get an "A" but to live each day doing little bits of work, indexing, boating, skiing, my last class at BYU, selling homes, journaling, photography, read about investing etc. What a change of mindset!

I don't have to prepare to run a marathon, become a great wedding photographer, become a virtuoso pianist. I just should enjoy running, photographing, and music.

I am so grateful to have the best husband in the whole world.

Stupid ways to lose money/why old apartments stink:

1. Get a $150.00 ticket for speeding

2. In trying to save money, we didn't run our air conditioner = 80 degree heat. It backfired bigtime. A couple days ago I felt like I had food poisoning. We assumed our beans went bad. Then today Dan opened 3 cans of tuna, which popped when he opened them meaning they were likely bad. And we are STILL discovering cans of food that went bad from the heat in our apartment.

3. Dan is an awesome mosquito killer! One night we closed our bathroom door and while I brushed and flossed my teeth Dan killed 16 mosquitoes in our bathroom alone!!! Then two nights ago we found 30 or so little spiders crawling on our bedroom wall. We tried to kill them all. Yesterday we killed some more but I still have a bunch of spider bites all over my legs.

One of my favorite quotations yet!

I love this quotation because it applies so strongly to danny's career path.
Just one great idea can completely revolutionize your life.
Earl Nightingale, Timeless Wisdom p. 188

Favs

I love these pictures -- is it the color scheme? Or that everything seems home-made? Or that they're reading and contemplating? Because when I went home I had a realization of who I really am -- I'm not as extroverted as I've made myself to be. I LOVE snuggling up and reading a good book either in the sun or under a warm hand-made quilt. I realized that I've been pushing myself to live a high-stress life and I thought it would end after school or once I got married or once I had a baby but I have to make it end. I have to make time to paint and ponder and do the things I love! I have to develop the skills that matter to me. And I really enjoy working with people too, maybe it's just time to slow down.

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I like this one too!

Happy Thought