I promise I am here and the best cookie ever

I am so busy here. I swear. I want to blog. I have plenty to blog about....just no time.

Quick run down of the past 3 weeks

-James put up a jungle gym out back

-I broke a sprinkler pipe out back while digging up over grown herbs in the garden

-I am working on something secret....I would write about it but I can't mostly because I don't want to jinx myself....I will post it another time

-Nolan sprained his ankle

-Easter festivities with family (pictures later)

-James got a cyst on his adamsapple the size of a golf ball....he will have surgery to remove it next Tuesday or early May. Please keep him in your prayers. I think I am more worried than he is!! He is actually looking forward to have a cool scar, lol.

Here is a video of a "trick" he can do with his cyst. It pops from one side to the other....watch at your own risk! lol.

-de-grouting and re-grouting around counters

-Gabe is starting to read

-walking to lose some weight

-we were without a computer for a whole week (darn power cord!)

-finding family though family search

-spring cleaning the house

Things seem to be slowing down a bit. Somewhat

On another note. I made some of the best cookies on the earth:

When I am feeling stressed/crabby....I crave these babies:

Well I couldn't go to the store to buy them....plus, I hate buying them because they are so expensive for so little. So the cheap person I am, I set on a quest to find a good milano cookie recipe. The results?? :)

Ta da!! So easy to make, and taste very very much like the real deal!

So here is the recipe with a few changes of my own. I found the recipe on Foodnetwork.com by Gale Gand.

Cookies:

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 egg whites (I used egg beaters egg whites) 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter, then add powdered sugar. Pour in egg whites slowly till combined. Pour in vanilla and lemon zest and beat till combined. Add flour and stir till incorporated. Pour in pastry bag or gallon ziplock bag and cut a whole in the corner about 1/4 inch. Pipe in 1 inch lines on parchment paper about 2-3 inches apart. They spread big time!! Bake at 300 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until edges begin to get golden brown. Let cool on sheet before removing.

Filling:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Either melt over double boiler and pour a little chocolate on each cookie and find a close match for it. Or do what I did and put chocolate chips in a gallon ziplock bag and melt in microwave for 15 seconds a time until completely melted...altogether it was about a minute. Cut the corner tip and pipe onto a cookie and find a match and press together and put onto wax paper to cool.

They were crunchy, chewy, chocolaty, and wonderful.

**also, tomorrow will be 8 years since I joined the church...I think I am the only one who celebrates it like its a birthday!lol. Best decision I ever made, I am truly blessed **