coffee + sun (and also the best, no-fuss Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip + EVOO Cookies ever)

The cold, winter months of January through March are when I am repeatedly consumed by thoughts of white, bright light, shades of pastel, greenery, and all things breezy and warm. It never fails. I coax my way through the pushy, winter funk blues by basking in the bursts of sunshine we are sporadically graced with (deceivingly, providing little-to-no warmth, if only to my heart), baking, lightening up my home and wardrobe, and reading. New sheets, go-to tee and Levis, and as of late, starting on another gem by Joan Didion, which essentially dates back so much of her family life to sunny California and Honolulu. At any rate, I am pushed forward by remaining present, living the little things, and finding comfort in the happiness all of that brings. These simultaneously gooey and crunchy oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies with EVOO (even days after sitting in the cookie jar), are the perfect, no-fuss cookies to throw together, bake, and sit to enjoy as the last bit of daylight lingers. They are perfection.

*Note: Recipe is as follows, which was adapted from Half Baked Harvest and tweaked to include extra-virgin olive oil and a few measurement changes here and there. 

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip + EVOO Cookies 

Ingredients for about 2 dozen, nice sized cookies

- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats

- 2 cups of all-purpose flour

- 1 cup (tightly packed) brown sugar

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1 cup of EVOO

- 2 large-jumbo eggs

- 5 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips (how gooey do you like 'em?)

Directions

I am a cook, not a baker, and when I say this is an easy recipe, I mean it. Seriously, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While that gets warm and toasty, sift all your dry ingredients into a bowl to eliminate clumps, add your oats, and mix it all together. Then, in a separate bowl, mix all your wet ingredients and wisk until nicely incorporated. You will then combine your dry with your wet ingredients in thirds with a good wooden spoon and put in some arm work. No fancy mixer needed. Mix in your chocolate chocolate chips at the end to your liking, and begin to combine about a tablespoon of dough or so into your hands. Squeeze the dough tightly to form balls and place them on a prepared cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, and while you wait, get yourself a good coffee/tea pot going. Heaven will be a place on earth in just a few short minutes. 

You're welcome.

xx

a little (big) update.

And so it is that the once golden hues accompanying autumn have dissipated into shades of leather and grey. We are without question in the thick of winter here in the northern east coast now, and with that, has come the welcoming of brisk temperatures and gusting winds, shorter days with (seemingly) increased amounts of hustling and bustling, and a good deal of hibernating practices in our toasty abode. Tons of candle burning, lining of windows and corners with twinkly lights, sipping on my husband's home brews (the latest of which have been the most delicious, caramel laden and hop-forward IPAs), and cozying up with books, blankets, and around the table. Lots of roasting and baking and putting the cocotte to good use, too.

For documentation purposes, Thanksgiving was spent with both sides of our families at my mother-in-law's, and Christmas Day brunch (as tradition would have it), was spent at my mom's. We enjoyed Christmas Eve and rang in the new year in the best possible way we know how, and that is cozy in our home, and in our jammas. Just us two, growing our very own Perez traditions.

Chinese take-out and Belgian ales
jazzy tunes on the stereo
kazoos and balloons. 

"Traditions can be as simple and sweet as you make them."

I cannot remember where I heard that but it is a line that rings so true to my understanding.

Perhaps the biggest explanation for my absence has been the period of adjustment which has accompanied the start of my new job as a speech language pathology clinical fellow, working within the early intervention system. I am now fully up to pace with managing my caseload of babes, and have a healthy and comfortable, new rhythm of normal going about my daily therapy visits, carrying on with developed treatment plans, attending meetings, managing home life, etc etc. It has taken some time but I am content with my scheduling, and have a really nice sense of rapport going for each and every one of my kids and their parents on caseload. We are pushing forward slowly but surely, mostly with language therapy, and making gains. Baby steps. Tiny leaps from point a to b, and up the ladder we continue, given whatever level of support we must share in order to guarantee success. In addition, we are now also a double-income household after nearly three years of grad school and working clinical rotations without pay, and the fruits of that labor are sweeter than we could have ever imagined. Eternal rejoices accompany that last bit of news, which I am sure can be heard ringing from miles and miles and miles away. The prospects of life are truly exciting and rivetting to fall into as we move forward and make our apartment more of a reflection of who we are, make plans for the future, and enjoy a new-found sense of lightness. Cue in the sun bursts.

That seems to be a good vibe to close with today.

I have now good intentions to return to this little blog space of mine more frequently, even if only with iPhone photos to share. Truly, the no-fuss, no-pressure, and always-readily-available camera is pretty akin to my photographing process, and I appreciate the barebones simplicity of keeping it all about collecting the little moments and not getting lost in technicalities. Because we can always do simple, right? Right.

Until the next. xx