Not for lack of trying

If I were a regular reader of a blog, I would start to get concerned after a certain point. I'm alive, I promise. I just haven't been baking as much since I'm trying to deal with some weird cards the universe decided to deal me. I'll cover the baking first, because that's the good part.

A couple of batches of Grandma's reliable chocolate chip cookies. We've had a few birthdays in the office and these are always crowd-pleasers.

Alton Brown's Moo Less Chocolate Pie. I altered this since it coming to the office with me. I'd feel a little weird since the recipe calls for Kahlua and the alcohol does not cook down. In the past, I've brewed strong coffee or used instant, but I just didn't have the time. I went to Starbucks and asked for a triple shot of espresso. Apparently, espresso "turns" quickly - I don't normally drink it, how would I know? - so the barista offered to put some soy milk in there. The pie uses tofu, so that worked out well. No one was able to guess the secret ingredient and were shocked when it was revealed. I like adding some drama to my goodies.

Martha's double chocolate brownies. I'm a convert to making brownies from scratch. I don't know what's taken me so long! These were rich and straightforward, mixing melted chocolate with cocoa powder. These brownies don't need nuts or frosting or anything like that - just a cool glass of milk.

Life

Some background. I moved into my house nearly 10 years ago, fresh out of college and rather shocked that I could get a mortgage and become a homeowner. My neighborhood is what Planners like to consider a transitional neighborhood, meaning a mix of homeowners and renters. I've been relatively happy with the neighborhood (I wish I had more parking to have people over, etc) and most of the people are great. I've had some run-ins, mainly with renters who no longer live there. Until this summer. Some rather unsavory folks have moved in on end and brought some unwanted elements to the street. We can't really do anything but ask the police to patrol more, which they have, but it's still uncomfortable.

A few weeks ago, I enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon doing laundry when I noticed some movement on my driveway. The windows on my door are frosted so I could see but I could tell someone was out there. So I peeked through the blinds and discovered a strange car in my driveway, blocked in by a police cruiser. I decided that it was time I got dressed, in case the police needed to talk to me. Now, don't panic. I was never in any danger. I never spoke to the police so the rest is speculation. On of my good neighbors had a better view of everything from his house and told me his thoughts. The police signaled to the car to pull over and rather than pulling to the curb, they decided to act like my house was their destination and pulled into my driveway. They tried to convince the officer that they intended on coming to my house. While he was talking to the driver, the passenger dumped a suspicious substance out the window (my neighbor is certain it was cocaine). The officer called for back up and by the time they arrived and searched the car, they didn't find anything but empty baggies. No one was arrested and the police left. The strange car remained on my driveway for about half an hour - it seemed like they were having a hard time getting it started again. But eventually they left.

It was bad enough to think of some of the things that were happening in the alley or down the street but now it's in my driveway! So, I called up my mortgage company and got myself pre-qualified for a home loan. I'd thought about moving closer to the office when I first started but the timing wasn't right. I'm working on purging the house of clutter before contacting a realtor and moving forward, but I'd like to be moving by New Years or close to it. That's the plan.

On top of all of this, my hands have been giving me trouble again. My mother had rheumatoid arthritis so it's very likely that I will too, eventually. A few years back, I woke up one day and my hands felt strange. That's the best I can describe it. My joints weren't swollen and the pain wasn't sharp. Just constant. I've always been a little clumsy and seemed to get worse - dropping my keys, alot. I went through the whole process of tests and x-rays with the specialist but it was all inconclusive. And then one day, I woke up and my hands felt better. Apparently, this does happen. So right about the time of the driveway incident, my hands started bothering me again. I actually dropped a knife on my foot while baking and that's when I decided I needed to see the doctor again. Don't worry, I was wearing shoes! I see the specialist the first week of November.

As if things are complicated enough, I got a wild hair to bake and ship cookies to out of town friends (that means you, Patty!) for the holidays. I think I'll use the fixed price boxes from USPS but I need to double check the sizes. It will a mix of my usual suspect cookies - chocolate chip, grandma's frosted & sugar cookies. I'll take special requests, within reason.