Simply Norma – Page 140

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch

Thought I’d do a little baking and cookies from scratch always seem to taste better.

This is the original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie recipe.

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. Oops, I forgot the salt. And, I only made half the recipe as otherwise I’d eat all the cookies.

1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (I used unsalted)

3/8 cup granulated sugar

3/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions — Preheat oven to 375F

Combine flour, baking soda & salt in a small bowl. (I like to use a whisk to take any lumps out).

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer until creamy. I used the whisk as we didn’t have a mixer. Add egg and beat well.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in morsels (the recipe calls for nuts but I didn’t add them).

After mixing, it will look like this.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for approximately 2 minutes.

The final product will look like this.

Enjoy!

Click here for the original recipe

Ray J’s American Grill in Woodbury

We went to Ray J’s American Grill last evening for dinner.

It feels and is a sports bar although the bar section is on one side and the restaurant is on the other. It was pretty busy when we arrived.

We ordered onion rings which were delicious. Unfortunately, they got gobbled up before I was able to take a picture.

The three entrees we ordered are below.

Ray J’s Angus Beef Hamburger

Angus beef is used for this hamburger. Normally that’s a good cut but this was almost tasteless. One pickle on the side was all you got along with the french fries. No lettuce, no tomatoe, no onions. It did state on the menu that there was nothing but a pickle with french fries but we didn’t read the menu that closely and just assumed the hamburger would be like all the others with the normal “sides.”

Chicken Marsala

I heard no complaints about the Chicken Marsala which came with garlic mashed potatoes.

Chicken Dumpling Soup

The chicken in the dumpling soup was a little dry but otherwise the soup okay.

Chicken Pot Pie

The chicken in the pot pie was also dry and they used frozen vegetables instead of fresh. Not a good rating for this entree — maybe a two on a scale of five.

We’ve been here one other time and the food was good so maybe another trip would be fine.

Ray J’s is located at 9854 Norma Lane in Woodbury, MN.

Puerto Rico

I’m liking the snow in Minnesota. I received so many warm clothes for Christmas that has made it easy for my body to acclimate to the cold.

The real estate agent we’re working with, Bridget Crepeau from Edina Realty, told us that people in Minnesota tend to get away in January and February as those are the coldest months.

A trip to Puerto Rico right about now sounds pretty good, especially with the arctic cold that we’re in for this weekend.

WaterPik Sonic Toothbrush

Before moving to Seattle the SonicCare toothbrush, that friends had given me, stopped working. I thought that a regular toothbrush would suffice so I didn’t bother to replace it.

Unfortunately, my teeth weren’t feeling very clean so I decided to buy myself a new electric toothbrush. I ordered it through a company called WaterPik Online store.

Waterpik Sonic Professional Toothbrush

The toothbrush takes about 16 hours to charge before it can be used. It comes with three brush heads and two speeds, the second is a harder speed to remove more plaque.

Waterpik Sonic Professional Toothbrush

This is what the inside of the box looks like when you open it.

Waterpik Sonic Professional Toothbrush

This is what it looks like all put together.

Makes for great clean teeth!

Waterpik Sensonic Professional Toothbrush

The Sky Still Falling in Arkansas

Reuters reports that the death of thousands of Arkansas birds is probably due to New Year’s Eve fireworks.

I don’t buy it. I’m not into conspiracy theories but I think common sense would tell us that thousands of birds falling from the sky dead in more than one state along with even more thousands of fish dying is not normal.

This article states that more tests are being requested.

I hope so.

And I was not particularly pleased with David Letterman last night making fun of the problem. Perhaps if they were falling on his head he would be a little more sensitive.

Auld Lang Syne by Sissell with nature pictures

Just received this video from a friend. It’s a beautiful rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

The nature pictures that accompany it are awesome!

Thanks Kath!

Papyrus Cards

When shopping for birthday (or other types) of cards, I like to shop for Papyrus ones.

They are very unique and the sentiments inside the card are very simple.

Papyrus Hummingbird Seal

When the card has a special piece of artwork on the front, Papyrus gives you a thicker stock small sheet to put over the artwork so the card doesn’t get damaged in shipping.

It also includes a sticker to seal the back of your envelope with a hummingbird on the seal.

I hadn’t read the text on this sheet until recently.

The text reads as follows:

“Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.”

I like the part that says “every personal connection has meaning.” It’s so true. We humans need to recognize that every person we see has an impact our our life. A homeless person you see on the street might elicit feelings of sadness, regret, helplessness or maybe even a remembrance of someone you know who is homeless.

It matters not whether you talk to a person, we each touch each other – physically, emotionally or spiritually.

MacBook Pro

Decided to buy a new computer for myself as the 5+ year one I have is very slow. (Fortunately I don’t replace people when they’re slow or we’d all be in trouble. haha)

I was very tempted to get the new Apple MacBook Air. Very light to carry and feels good on the fingertips. But it does not come with a DVD drive.

MacBook Pro 13 inch

Instead, I opted for the 13 inch MacBook Pro. It is very sleek and works beautifully. It also has 4GB of memory (the MacBook Air had 2GB).

MacBook Pro 13 inch

Apple thinks of everything when they put their computers together. From the adapters to the ease of transferring files from one computer to another, everything runs perfectly smooth.

Currently, Apple also offers a free HP wi-fi printer (via rebate).

HP Photosmart

Way to go Apple!

Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

Oprah Wisdom

Near Calgary, Alberta, Canada

In the January 2011 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine, Oprah says “Once you clarify your purpose for doing something, the way to do it becomes clear.”

I have personally found that to be true. It’s easy to go through life with no direction. Nothing really gets accomplished. But when you define what your purpose is then your mind takes the steps necessary to make that purpose a reality. Your heart follows and anticipates the accomplishment.

Minnesota Living

After attending an open house in North Oaks, Minnesota, we stepped outside to the sight of deer on the property.

Standing in the snow, they looked at me and then continued what they were doing.

Minnesota is so white this winter. I’m told that sometimes they don’t get a lot of snow but this winter we’ve had a blizzard and two snowstorms. The weather has not been warm enough to thaw the snow so everywhere I look, it’s white.

I’m starting to get used to the whiteness, the cold and the warmth I feel when I step inside the apartment. It’s a good contrast.