Oatmeal Raisin Crisps

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Oatmeal Raisin Crisps

Oatmeal Raisin Crisps

This weekend has been about the balancing act of relaxation and productivity. It's a delicate harmony to achieve; so often the scale tips in one direction over the other. Either nothing gets done and guilt is felt the moment you turn away from the television or computer. Or, everything gets done but, with no detox from the stressors of the week before, Monday morning is definitely started off on the wrong foot.

At times this balance seems impossible to accomplish, especially if you happen to be like me.

Oatmeal Raisin Crisps Oatmeal Raisin Crisps

I woke up early on Saturday morning to go to the gym. Though I set my alarm for seven (two full hours later than I get up on weekdays), the sun hadn't yet thought about rising and the morning was darker than the dead of night. I struggled to pull myself out of bed and wipe the sleep from my tired eyes. It wasn't exactly the start to the day I imagined. Nevertheless there were muscles to be worked, so to the gym I went.

I juggled the rest of the day between working and falling asleep midway through episodes of reality TV. Sometimes I managed to do all three activities at the same time (does this make me good at multitasking?). Despite the spontaneous and unsatisfying naps, a lot more work (or stressing about doing work) was done than relaxing. Balance was not achieved.

Oatmeal Raisin Crisps

Today, thankfully, was a different story. I slept in until after the sun had said its hellos and, after a week of little sleep, it was exactly what I needed. I started off my morning with a honeycrisp apple and pumpkin spice latte. Even though several hours of work followed shortly thereafter, the day felt brighter. It was brighter.

And that made all the difference. Though I accomplished more today than I did yesterday (I even had time to make you a batch of cookies. It's true), I hardly feel like I spent more than a few moments surrounded by my endless to-do list. My attitude made all the difference. I think that just might be the secret to balance after all.

Well, that or caffeine...

Oatmeal Raisin Crisps Oatmeal Raisin Crisps

These Oatmeal Raisin Crisps have a dark depth of flavor. The cookies are made with heaps of oats, plenty of raisins, and extra molasses to bring out a deeper flavor. The cookies spread out quite a bit while baking, making them relatively flat and the edges crispy. If you are anything like me, you might just find yourself reaching for a second (or third) from the cookie jar.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte

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Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Let me start by saying the pictures don't do this drink justice. If I could, I would have captured this drink on a long walk beneath red, yellow, and purple trees. I would have photographed it between two warm mittens, as conversation among friends flowed between sips. I would have found it resting on a kitchen counter, enjoyed during an early fall sunset after a long day at work.

These are the places this Pumpkin Spice Latte would find itself at home.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Pumpkin Spice Latte

The Pumpkin Spice Latte is most well known as a seasonal treat you can find at your neighborhood coffee chain. Though available only a few months out of the year, its popularity keeps people coming back. At least, this is what I have been told. After being urged to give it a shot, I bought my first real Pumpkin Spice Latte a couple weeks ago. Dropping $5 on a drink wasn't easy (lordy, that's so much cash) and I am sad to say I was not impressed.

Truth be told, it was lacking flavor. I tasted the pumpkin but couldn't seem to find the spice.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Still, this drink buzzed around my thoughts during the last week. I knew it had the potential to be so much better, to have real flavor (with none of this fake pumpkin sugar syrup nonsense coffee houses love so much). And so, after a week's worth of thoughts and daydreaming, I finally blocked out some time to make it—to perfect it.

And I think that's just what I did.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

This Pumpkin Spice Latte is warm and inviting. The pumpkin flavor is prominent, with tones of cinnamon and nutmeg, a trace of heat from ground ginger, and a hint of warm vanilla to round it out. To begin, pumpkin spice infused milk is heated on the stove until steaming (your home will smell fantastic). Next, and perhaps a bit unusual, the milk is blended in a blender until light and frothy. Though coffee shops have the advantage of using a steamer to froth the milk, the blender works as a worthy substitute. Hot coffee is mixed in and whipped cream is spread on top, with a sprinkling of cinnamon to finish it off.

I love this recipe because it is completely adaptable to your tastes. If you want more coffee and less milk, you can do it with ease. If you want more cinnamon (or less spice), the choice is yours. While I have given you the recipe for my perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte, you can freely play around a bit until you find yours. And did I mention it's much, much cheaper?

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Chocolate Cherry Bread

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Chocolate Cherry Bread

Chocolate Cherry Bread

I feel a bit ashamed to admit this, but I am one of those people who judge a book by its cover. This is particularly true when it comes to cookbooks. Maybe I am a bit shallow when it comes to these things, but I just can't seem to help myself. I'm a visual person. I need the pretty pictures and lovely layout. Well, maybe I don't need them, but I certainly want to have them around.

I think, secretly and deep down, you do too.

Chocolate Cherry Bread

I was in my local bookstore this weekend when I spotted a gorgeous cookbook in the bargain section. A loaf of bread on the cover caught my eye, gave a little wink, and I was immediately smitten. After paging through it in its entirety (do you do this too?), I knew I had to have it, if only for this Chocolate Cherry Bread recipe.

Well, this weekend I tried out a couple recipes and I've decided that maybe being pretty isn't what it's cracked up to be after all. I loved the ideas in the book but, in reality, the recipes didn't measure up. They were poorly written, the method for baking some of the bread was off, I questioned the quantity of certain ingredients, and I didn't love the finished product. It was edible, yes, but that's not exactly my criteria for sharing recipes with you.

I ask more of my food than simply being edible.

Chocolate Cherry Bread Chocolate Cherry Bread Chocolate Cherry Bread

Nevertheless, I took the idea of the Cherry Chocolate Bread and ran with it. On the second try, this beauty was born. Stuffed with cherries, chocolate chips, and a hint of delicious, the idea for this bread was worth the cost of the cookbook.

Which just so happens to be $7.10.

Chocolate Cherry Bread Chocolate Cherry Bread

This Chocolate Cherry Bread is, no doubt, a dessert bread. It makes for a seriously decadent snack (or breakfast, if you can't resist a bite or two). This bread is made with yeast, which brings a light quality to the bread and great flavor. Chocolate chips and dark sweet cherries are kneaded into the dough before baking and litter the finished product with pockets of decadence. Happily, this bread uses canned cherries so you don't have to wait a year for cherries to come back in season (no one should have to wait that long in anticipation). This bread does not need anything to taste delicious—no butter spread, no jam. It is perfect just the way it is.

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