Today was a good day

"shake em up, shake em up, shake em up, shake em!" yep, Ice Cube.

After work I surprised myself with a good 4 mile run. Maybe the secret to running is hitting the pavement when the desire hits. But then again some of our best work outs and runs come when we least want to be running. Anyways, this week I have thoroughly enjoyed other forms of exercise: yoga, body pump, walking...but today my body was yearning to stretch the legs and I loved every step of the four mile run. Absence makes the heart grow fonder in every other aspect of life, why not running?


Upon returning to my door step out of breath and parched something out of the ordinary caught my eye. Two brown boxes. Mail? Birthday packages? Nooo, I am seeing my momma next week. OH! Could it be? Lia Sophia jewels?! (All of our guests jewelry, plus mine and Amanda's, was delivered in less than a week!) I immediately texted Amanda who was out on a kayaking adventure,"jewels jewels jewels!" Before I even had a chance to guzzle h20: "omgaad I'm coming home. kayaking done."




15 minutes later it was play time! Excited doesn't even begin to explain our emotions.





You look like a pirate, arrrgghhh!


What to wear tomorrow!?



Then came the creation of the perfect summer cookie! Chocolate, graham cracker, marshmallow, oh my! S'mores cookies found on Baked Perfection and adapted to suit my personal preferences.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
*1 tablespoon flour*


Steps to cookie glory:

-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees


-In a medium bowl combine the 1 and 1/2 cup flour, graham cracker crumbs (about 5 smashed graham crackers), baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.





-Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.




-Take a minute to asses the dough. Is it super sticky? Wet? This is where you can add the *one tablespoon* flour if your dough is too sticky. If you do add the tbsp make sure to mix it in well! Then, drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes (set your timer!) and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows into each cookie.




-Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.




*Notice how the cookies on the left are flat and the ones on the right are plumper? If your first batch comes out too thin you can still add a tablespoon of flour before putting the second batch in the oven*

Sweet land of liberty these are a treat. I will eat you (sorry started talking to the cookie for a moment) when celebrating my independence this weekend.

All I need now is a fire pit and a glass of milk.






Question: while baking does anyone still lick the finished bowl of batter or spoons? Or has salmonella scared us away from this childhood favorite?