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Birthday Goodness (and the Very Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe)
By Kerrie Smyres | September 28, 2012
In response to All Migraineurs Are Different — So Stop Judging Me!, a reader (who happens to be my mom) commented that I share with you my frustrations and failings, but not what I do manage to achieve. I was ready to dismiss it as just my mom being a mom, but then another reader of no familial relation backed her up. Sadly, I realized that I don’t share my accomplishments because they are so often miniscule. I compare myself to “normal people” and come up way short.
I’m trying to overcome my feelings of inadequacy and share the good with you. This is made a little easier since cyproheptadine is reducing my head pain and the fatigue that has drug me down all summer suddenly lifted on Monday (fingers crossed that it lasts!). Also, today is my birthday. This week has been less about accomplishing and more about having fun. And eating foods that aren’t on my migraine diet, though only ones that I’m pretty sure aren’t triggers for me.
Here’s my week in food!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream — My first time making caramel was successful thanks to the fantastic tips from David Lebovitz. The ice cream is superb. Now I want to try making caramel candies. Can anyone recommend a good recipe?
The Very Best Chocolate Chip Cookies — These really are perfect, especially with a couple tweaks.
- After rolling the cookies into balls, refrigerator for 36 hours. (If the dough is too soft to form balls, refrigerate it for 20 minutes and try again.) This step is a must. From the famous New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, it allows the dry ingredients to fully absorb the liquid, resulting in a better texture. Either bake or freeze the dough after the 36 hours is up; it starts to dry out if left in the fridge too long.
- Use a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flours or all white whole wheat flour to add a little depth and nuttiness.
- I vary the cookie size depending on the recipient. However, the ideal size about the size of a golf ball (3.5 oz), according to the New York Times and me.
- Use real, unsalted butter and real vanilla. And be sure to use dark brown sugar for the fullest flavor.
Yellow cupcakes from Baking Illustrated
Quinoa Porridge — My new migraine-diet-friendly favorite. Quinoa mixed with a little plain rice milk and sugar, then frozen in 8 oz. canning jars to pop in the microwave for an easy breakfast. When I want dessert, I add some more sugar and call it pudding.
Happy birthday to me! Hope you have a lovely weekend full of delicious food and as little head pain as possible.
Topics: Coping | 5 Comments »
September 28th, 2012 at 7:57 am
I think that it’d be entirely impossible for me to have cookie dough sitting in my fridge for 36 hours.. I can guarantee that ALL of it would be gone before I’d be able to actually cook them.
haha
September 28th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Happy Birthday!!
Quinoa pudding – must try that!
September 28th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Before migraine you were an over-achiever. Then, how many of your acquaintances felt inadequate compared to you????
I saw the quinoa pudding recipe in a magazine recently and thought it sounded good.
September 29th, 2012 at 11:36 am
HI Kerrie,
I’ve been following your blog for months, and deeply appreciate your honest posts. I know that we have much in common (although my headaches are different than yours, with lots more vertigo, and it seems, significantly less intense pain at the moment, keeping my fingers crossed) but it seems we also share a birthday! My celebration yesterday included a grain-free fudge concoction that my sister made me (quite delicious!)and a quiet, early dinner out with my husband, kids, and kids-in-law.
So, Kerrie, happy birthday! May this be a sweet, healthy and successful year for you, and may you celebrate for many years to come.
October 2nd, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Love these recipes! Thanks for sharing!
I recently had a Sunday with no migraine and I baked a loaf of bread, made homemade veggie burgers and soup. I also was the one to go to the store to get these items, and I helped clean a bit after. I set it all out on a nice table and my husband and I ate together, face to face, and laughed and joked. Before this year, this may have been a normal summer, but I realized it was the first time I was able to shop and follow special recipes that involved more than a step or two all year, and to do all of that in one day. So, like you, I may feel like I am underachieving, but it really did feel good to do something “normal”. And to smile and enjoy it, not try to get through it waiting for when my head could finally hit the pillow again. THAT is the achievement.
Much love to ya.
Lisa