10.10.14

HOLDING ON TO FALL


October keeps hold of some of the last precious moments of fall here in Beauval. I would not be at all surprised if the first days of winter are upon us by the end of the month. We are making most of the sunny, snow-less days and preparing for the long winter ahead. All the winter gear has been organized in our front closet and mudroom, as we are now adding a layer or two when we venture outside. Our spare bedroom is half way finished being cleaned out and the next step is to arrange all the furniture to make room for baby number two. 

We've been talking to Thaddeus quite a bit about the baby growing in my belly, and he seems to be catching on. He probably understands more than we think he would. We are all loving Baby On The Way and What Baby Needs by Dr. Sears. If you are expecting a new baby and looking for some good reads for your children, I highly recommend these books. They are full of helpful information for children of all ages!

Lately, Thaddeus has been falling asleep for all his naps on my belly. He always asks me to "open" (lift) my shirt so he can see baby sister. He loves to rub his hands over my belly and snuggle his cheek on my warm skin as we rock together in the glider. Now that he has felt her move a few times, he has been asking me throughout the day if "baby move?", and to be honest, I sometimes make my tummy jump on purpose because he gets so excited! But I think it also helps him understand that there really is someone in there. It really is the sweetest thing. 

I can't say enough how much I am enjoying this season of life. It's really busy, and I still feel some fear creep on me every once and a while, but overall I am having a blast. I am so blessed and I love my growing family so much. Plus, it's really nice that the past few days have actually felt like fall. After my last post about how October was my favourite month, it snowed. Thank goodness it has warmed back up again, even if just for a little while. I also got my David's tea order (thanks M!) this week and my morning cup of Pumpkin Chai tea has seemed to make things even better. I've been letting it steep extra long, because the smell warms my home and my heart. Oh fall, please don't go too soon!

"O hushed October morning mild, 
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; 
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all. 
The crows above the forest call; 
Tomorrow they may form and go. 
O hushed October morning mild, 
Begin the hours of this day slow. 
Make the day seem to us less brief. 
Hearts not averse to being beguiled, 
Beguile us in the way you know. 
Release one leaf at break of day; 
At noon release another leaf; 
One from our trees, one far away."

 -   Robert Frost, October


7.10.14

FAREWELL, FRIEND


I know, right? Baby play-dates (and of course, tea and a great conversation between mamas) are my favourite. We will be missing this little man and his wonderful mommy as they soon embark on new adventures outside the world of Beauval. We wish you all the best and send with you our love!

6.10.14

RECIPE: WESTMAN FAVOURITE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


This recipe is hands down our favourite cookie recipe of all time. We have tried several oatmeal cookie recipes, and none even come close to matching this one. In fact, I've honestly not had any cookie that can beat these! They are the thickest and chewiest golden cookies, not too sweet, and loaded with chocolate chips (of course, you can leave them out or substitute them with raisins if you like that sort of thing...). 

Our recipe has been formed by combining a few good recipes (originally based off of the standard Quaker oats recipe), tweaked and perfected into what we are calling our Westman Favourite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!


Over the past 3 weeks I think I made 4 double batches... and there are no leftovers. I'll definitely be needing to pick up a big bag of chocolate chips at Costco the next time we go! They were gobbled up by us (of course), friends, co-workers, and even Thaddeus was allowed to have a taste! For a boy who rarely ever EVER gets to eat anything with sugar, he LOVED them. He had no time to smile in these pictures though. Eating cookies is a very serious matter, of course.


We have been asked by a few friends to share our recipe, so here it is! We hope you like them as much as we do!

Let me know how they turn out for you! Hope they help kick of a great start to a new week!




WESTMAN FAVOURITE
OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP
COOKIES



INGREDIENTS
  • ½ C butter, softened
  • ⅔ C brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ C all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ C rolled oats
  • 1 bag chocolate chips



DIRECTIONS



  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg & vanilla until smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Add the oats and chocolate chips.
  4. Allow the dough to chill in the fridge for a short while. Make some small balls of dough and place on a lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Do NOT press the dough flat!
  5. Bake 10-12 minutes (I only do 10 minutes in my oven), taking them out when golden at the edges and still a little undercooked-looking on top.

REBECCA’S TIPS:
♥ Most cookie recipes advise you to let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the hot cookie sheet before transferring, but I recommend carefully transferring the cookies while still hot onto a fresh sheet of parchment paper or a rack to cool. This keeps the bottoms perfectly golden!
♥ Call me a perfectionist, but I always place some chocolate chips on the tops of each ball of dough. They look magazine-worthy every time!
♥ The key to getting the most thickness and chewiness out of your cookies is the chilling time. If I'm in a rush, I'll make my first batch straight away and throw the remaining dough that is sitting in my mixing bowl into the freezer while the first batch is baking.
♥ One of my favourite tips when making cookies is to make up a bunch of dough balls and freeze them in a large Ziploc bag. Then when you have company over, you can bake them right from frozen in a jiffy! Just add a little extra baking time, or let them defrost a bit on the cookie sheet first.
♥ These taste great with either semi-sweet chocolate chips (as seen in the pictures above), semi-sweet chocolate chunks (best for amazing gooey chocolatey heaven cookies), and milk chocolate chips. All delicious... I'm really not sure what my favourite choice would be!




EAT & ENJOY!