Tear Here to Create Memories

It's somewhat hard to tell, but the bag of mini-chocolate cookies says, "Tear here to create memories."

I was making Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe follows) for the first time. It was in a cookbook that I bought in the checkout line at the grocery store - I see one dynamite looking recipe and I bought the whole thing. But it has a whole section devoted to chocolate, so I did OK.

As I was opening the bag of Nestle mini chips, there's a cute little message that says, "Tear here to create memories." A creative way to indicate that that was the place I was supposed to open the bag. However, the tear kept going, quickly, until I had slit a whole down most of the length of the bag and the chips were spilling out all over the counter and floor. Thankfully, most were salvageable by falling on the counter top.

They weren't kidding about the memory part.

Being a connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies, the chip-to-cookie ratio is key. Too few chips and you're missing what defines the cookie. Too many chips and it's too much of a good thing. Now, I realize this ratio is a delicate one and that it might vary from person to person. But I think a well-researched chocolate chip cookie will have a proportion that satisfies the masses.

The cookies were good enough to share the recipe. Though these are the revisions I would make: I would use only half to three-quarters of the bag of mini chocolate chips rather than the whole thing; and add more brown sugar or some white sugar.

Pudding Chip Cookies

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Servings: 24 cookies (2 dozen)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 pkg. (4 serving size) instant vanilla, butterscotch or chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour and pudding mix in small bowl. Beat butter in large mixing bowl on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar and baking soda until well combined. Beat in egg and egg white. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool on baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

As you see from the picture, they turned out a little darker than the recipe's picture. However, they weren't especially crispy...which I appreciate. Chocolate chip memories.

I'll be right Bek

Philip and I make that cheesy comment all the time...his sister's name is Bek and y'all should know this super-cool gal.

And here's your chance! Bek is a very strong woman and deserves independence. Here's a note from her:

My name is Bek Soen and this is a part of my story. For those of you who don't know, I was born with a genetic nerve disease called Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT). CMT affects my hands and feet from a young age. I have now been using a wheelchair full time from the age of 17. I have never driven on my own and have had to depend on many family and friends to transport me everywhere.

Right now I cannot even live away from home or take myself to work. My brother drives me to and from every day. I am now in the process of taking specialized lessons and hopefully getting a specialized vehicle by the beginning of the year. The unfortunate piece of this is that these things are extremely expensive. I have been able to get some help from the government (for the lessons which are 5k alone), our state is in poor condition and not able to offer much more help. I have also been saving as much of my own money as I can.

This is where you can help!!!! I am asking for you to tell my story to your friends and family and join in the mission of independence. Can you donate $5, $10, $20, $100 or more dollars to help me fund my car? Can you share my story with your friends through facebook, email, twitter or more? I need your help as an adapted car is very expensive! I know forwarding emails is not our favorite but I'm asking that you do that with this email or at least share a link to the chipin website.

http://bekstir2drive.chipin.com/accessible-vehicle Donate at this link!You can donate here through your pay pay account which is safe~!!! To hear more about my story, send me an email at bek.soen@gmail.com or call me at 630-967-4628!! I love talking with anyone and everyone about it.

Eating Meat

I work 20 hours a week at a larger local company here in the Jackson, Mississippi, area. Because I am there only part-time, I'm not able to get to know my co-workers as well as I'd like.

However, there was a discussion today that helped me get to know them better. There was obviously some history to said discussion, but essentially, it was regarding eating pork; more specifically, what the Bible says about eating pork.

This was so interesting to me. First of all, because of my interest in Judiasm and Jewish heritage. Also, because, as an outsider of sorts, it seemed that they weren't using the most pertinent Scriptures for the argument. Which, if adhered to, there would be no argument at all.

I asked someone sitting close to me who wasn't actively participating in the discussion if many people in Customer Service (where I work) didn't eat pork. He said that there are several. I asked if anyone was Jewish and the answer was, "No." So, that determined to me that most people place themselves in some variety of the Christian category.

To summarize, one party proposed that the New Testament does not expressly allow us to eat pork after the Old Testament had expressly forbidden it. The other party proposed that the New Testament lifted the prohibition because we live under a "new law."

I'm going to skip my personal defense of which party is correct on the issue of eating pork and go directly to what I'm deeming the most pertinent pericopes from the New Testament: Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8.

What made this discussion so fascinating to me is that I have been in situations in the past where Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians were applied. But in the groups that I've run with in the past, it's never been about actually eating meat (which are what Romans 14 & 1 Corinthians 8 address). It has always been about drinking.

But to get back to the story at hand, both of those passages would tell the person whose conscience is clean to eat meat to not bind the conscience of those who don't see it as OK'd by Jesus. In other words, the person/group that was trying to convince the other party that there is now no longer any condemnation for eating pork is wrong.

This is a delicate topic that shouldn't be avoided by those who eat pork or meat in any form. 1 Corinthians 10 tells us not to refrain but to deal lovingly with those who see otherwise on this issue. Last note: I was a vegetarian for 10 years. :)

Norwex

My friend Lisa sells Norwex. I had never heard of it before her, but I have loved their cleaning stuff! My favorite has been the dish cloth.

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed when I first saw it - there's not much to it. But it holds the lather as well as a regular dish rag but doesn't hold the odors!! I've also enjoyed the Kitchen Cloth set. Those little suckers really do stay dry!

Norwex uses some anti-bacterial technology using silver. The very fine silver in the cloth sucks and holds the bacteria into the cloth. Then you rinse the cloth out in very warm water and the bacteria wash down the drain! The Enviro-cloth aslo did a bang-up job on some spots we had in our carpet from Philip's wheelchair.

So, do you walk?

Philip was outside with Anastasia today when she spotted some kids picking up pecans. It was a family with 5 children. She darted over and instantly was one of them. While they were busy with their activity, one of the children asked Philip, "So, do you walk?"

Philip didn't tell me what he responded, but I imagine it was some form of what he tells most kids when the question is asked, "God made me this way." This answer usually doesn't satisfy the child, but hopefully it will communicate the truth that God controls his creation.