Cooking: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bacon chocolate chip cookies. Sounds weird, right? It's something I've been hearing more and more about, these days. I think it's something to do with the "sweet and savory" craze in the baking world; I've also heard about adding bacon to muffins and even to chocolate bars, but I digress. I'd been hearing so much about bacon chocolate chip cookies that I just had to try making them myself. Using Google, I located a random recipe and decided to give it a shot. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that the bacon flavor might be a bit overwhelming, but it actually balances quite well with the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the cookies. To be honest, the cookies tasted even better the next day; maybe the flavors balanced themselves a bit as they settled.

Want to try it? Here's the recipe that I used.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
1/3 cup chopped cooked bacon
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray them with non-stick cooking spray). Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add one egg and beat until blended into the butter mixture. Add the remaining egg, the vanilla extract, and the maple extract; beat until blended and slightly fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing just until combined. Stir in the bacon and chocolate chips. Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

...So, if you tried it, what do you think? Better than you expected? Worse?

Hyakugojyuuichi! Memories.

I think I discovered this sometime during my freshman year of college. Wow, memories. Give me back my sweater or I'll play the guitar!

The Drive-In

Up until the summer of 2011, I had never been to the local drive-in. I was fairly antisocial in high school. I moved to Louisiana for college. I was just too busy with life once I returned to Utah (after Hurricane Katrina in 2005). I guess it's not surprising that my parents never took me to the drive-in when I was younger; it's not really their "thing." Needless to say, I'm happy that I was finally able to experience the drive-in.

The excitement builds even as you stop for snacks at a nearby store; you can hear various patrons talking about the drive-in while they select their snacks and drinks. Cars line up to pay for their tickets; the lines are quite long, usually. Smaller cars tend to park closer to the screen, while bigger cars (and trucks like our Tundra) park towards the back. Bringing the truck just makes the entire experience so much better; we throw our air mattress in the truck bed and have a cozy spot to enjoy the films.

Concessions are cheaper than your average movie theater, which is nice. We brought everything except for a bag of popcorn; we bought that at the drive-in. I mean, you just can't see a movie without popcorn, right?

I love how "eventful" the drive-in can be. Families set up little camps; they eat dinner and let their children run and play afterwards. Everyone waits for the sun to set, anticipating the moment the movie screens come to life. Since each screen is a double-feature, most of the cars will remain in the lot until almost 2:00 a.m.

At first, I was afraid that I'd be too distracted by all of the activity, that I would miss the movies and not enjoy the experience quite as much. I was a little surprised, because I wound up enjoying the drive-in more than any other theater I've been to. The drive-in is an experience that I'll cherish above other movie viewings, simply because of the environment. I'll never forget the warm summer breeze, the giggling children in the next car, the distant fireworks in the night sky, or holding my girlfriend close to me as we lay under a blanket of stars.

My kids are definitely going to experience a drive-in. Everyone should, really.

Sexy and I Know It

This song is definitely on my "workout" playlist. I just had to share the video, though. It's the most random video that I've seen in awhile. Really, I think they just wanted an excuse to shake their crotches for the cameras.

Thoughts.

I've been giving a lot of thought as to what I want to do with this blog, exactly. It hasn't been easy to find time for updates; I've moved, I'm working on school stuff, I'm trying to score some writing/editing gigs, and we've been finishing parts of my parents' basement, to name a few of the activities I've been engaged in. I do need to make more time for blogging, because honestly it's a great way to relieve stress and organize my thoughts. I've also found writing to be a more effective way of connecting with other people. Verbal communication may not be one of my strengths, but I wield the written word as effectively as a saber.

While I want to chronicle various episodes in my own life, I'd also like to "broaden my horizons" a bit. You may start to see posts on politics, the business world, and life on the autism spectrum. It's fun to share my own experiences with the world, but I'm restless and in need of a challenge. Maybe writing about different topics will help me to defeat my old foe (writer's block) and to develop my abilities in the process.

Either way, it'll be fun, and isn't a good part of life all about having fun?

Rain Over Me

Great, another song that will be stuck in my head all day...!

Pitbull talks from one side of his mouth. Random observation for y'all.

Indecisive.

I can't decide which blogging site is best suited to my needs: Tumblr, Blogger, or WordPress. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses. I feel like I should be able to just pick one and go with it, but I find myself wavering as I debate the pros and cons of each.

So many changes are occurring in my life right now. Welcome changes, to be sure, but also changes that are keeping me pretty busy. It's nice to feel like I'm truly focused on my goals, but I also feel like I've been too busy to indulge my creative side. I need to create some downtime in the near future, and indulge my creativity to its fullest.

I might be more inclined towards a creative spurt if the powers that be could fix my "crippled" left hand. I've been passed along to a specialist, but I have to wait until the 14th to hear what they have to say about my situation. Sure would be nice to have full use of my left hand once again; you never notice how much you rely on having two hands until one of them is out of commission.

What a hazy night. Smells like smoke. Is there a fire burning somewhere? Or is it just the pollution settling over the valley and searing into my lungs?