Stress is the new black

Is it just me or is everyone just totally stressed out lately? I might be just staring at the big elephant in the room, aka the economic depression, but I think it's a little more than that. Or is it just that? I guess the poor economy makes everyone stressed out. Myself--graduating in a couple months--for one. Everyone tells me that I'm graduating at the worst time: trying to jump start a career while there are tens of thousands of people getting laid off. Eeek!



I'm really feeling the pressure of having to find a job soon, let alone just trying to get all my school projects done in time. My parents are amazingly supportive and wonderful to me, yet I still feel the pressure of getting the first steps of my career right constantly from them. Sighhh. I have surging desires to move out and be independent too, but how could I if I can't afford it!



But I'm not alone. Most definitely not. It's all around me. My fellow graduating class, all of the fellow new young professionals, not so new and young professionals, not necessarily professional workers, and... pretty much everyone trying keep their chin up during this hard time. And so maybe this is the perfect time to just reach out and get through the dark together! Everything will eventually get better, that's for sure, because there's a season for everything. So wouldn't it be great if we got out of this with a little more peace in ourselves, and with each other? Wouldn't it be awesome if we actually got something good out of this in the end?

I loove this song: Everything is everything by Lauryn Hill. (It's on my music player to your left!)

Now, everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually

Sometimes it seems
We'll touch that dream
But things come slow or not at all
And the ones on top, won't make it stop
So convinced that they might fall
Let's love ourselves then we can't fail
To make a better situation
Tomorrow, our seeds will grow
All we need is dedication



Okay, that's enough rambling on my part. What brought me to talk about this in the first place? Oh right. These cookies. Hehe. I baked these cookies for my boyfriend who had two exams yesterday and he seemed pretty stressed out with everything too. So in order to cheer him up and give him a sugar boost, I baked some cookies and brought them to him. And yes! It worked! (Right Andrew?) There's always a way to make life a little brighter and sweeter, and cookies are definitely one.



I had some great macadamia nuts I got as a gift and I realized I had white chocolate left in my pantry so I searched for a good recipe. Ugh.. it's always hard finding a good recipe isn't it? I guess I sorta judge the recipe on the photo a lot, but that's not always a good idea. Anyway, after a few hours of browsing through the web, I decided to pick this one because it seemed simple enough and sounded about right for a soft and chewy cookie. The verdict? Almost there. It was much more dense that I thought it would be, but it was surprisingly chewy. Kinna on the hard side, but still softish when you chew into it. I would probably look for another recipe next time, but please try it for yourself and see if you like it!! :)

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies

about 3 dozen

ingredients

2 c. plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. white chocolate chips
3/4 c. macadamia nuts, toasted and halved

directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Adjust oven racks to upper & lower-middle positions. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.
3. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients slowly and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips and nuts.
5. Drop cookies by 1 tablespoons (or mini ice cream scoop) onto baking sheets.
6. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy, 12-15 minutes depending on size. Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

A ghetto ziplock bag of cookies for the boyfriend. Hehe. He ate like 8 in one setting! :P