Shalom Zachar!

One of the nice things about having four little {boy} monkeys is that we are old pros at Shalom Zachars. A Shalom Zachar literally means "Welcome Male" but in truth its a lot of fun. Basically, the first Friday night after the baby is born, we have a small, or large get together to welcome the new baby and people send over lots of cakes and treats.  I loved seeing all the creative and delicious goodies everyone sent over*-it amazed me how nice everyone is to take time out of their busy day to send stuff over! My grandmother couldn't have put it any better:

"Wow, I didn't know you had friends there!"

Anywhoo, its basically a given that my sisters are awesome. Every single one of them. And one of my super awesome sisters made these adorable cookies for us to enjoy, even though she was not at the shalom zachar. I know, I told you she is awesome!

'

So here's to awesome sisters and friendly neighbors! Hope you guys have a great week! And I'll be back with a yummy recipe next week!

* Would the person who sent over those amazing smores bars please raise their hand? They were delicious, and I don't know who sent them over!!

Buns out of the oven...

...and its a boy!

And then there were four little monkeys...

Born November 15th, 1:54 AM.

 We have 3 little monkeys who could not be more excited to welcome home their little baby brother. 

I could not put up this post without a huge shout-out to the amazing nurses at Monmouth Medical Center- specifically Donna. That lady totally deserves an award! I'm sure it helps to bribe your nurses with cookies....but still, they were above and beyond awesome. 

Don't worry, I'm not disappearing again. I have a whole arsenal of recipes coming your way soon. Just wanted to share the good news!

Soft Baked Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Is it tacky to base the bulk of my post on my thoughts on Pinterest? Kind of like writing a blog post about not having something to write about? Cheap material? Not sure. 
This is the truth though. There is a problem with Pinterest. Albeit a minor one, yet a problem just the same. Pinterest makes you dissatisfied with your tried and true recipes! Seriously it does. I have been making the same chocolate fudge cookies for ages and ages. Never even occurred to me to look for a different recipe. Then BAM, one day I come across this on Pinterest. Mouthwatering  right? How can you pass on a recipe that looks like that!?

 Enter: The Recipe Worm.

 You know how those go by now, right? Its just like a song stuck in your head, except its a recipe. Bizarre, I know. Hey, you can't argue with it. It's the life of an obsessive baker.

Ok, now obviously I would not post a recipe if I did not believe it was The Most Amazing Recipe. I would like to point out the differences though, between this recipe, and my usual chocolate fudge cookie recipe. This recipe was unbelievable straight out of the oven. Melt in your mouth, delicious, chocolatey, cannot eat just one goodness. Once the cookies sat overnight, they had the same texture as a soft baked cookie. If you are looking for a chewy, thinner cookie, best stick with the old recipe. 

Soft Baked Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Found on Annies Eats, originally inspired by Levain Bakery

1 cup butter or margarine
1¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup cocoa 
2¼ cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2½ cups  chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Using an electric mixer, beat the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until light and fluffy;about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add remaining ingredients. Mix just until combined. Dough will be very thick. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet. Using the bottom of  a glass, flatten each ball slightly. Bake in preheated oven for 11-12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from tray. 

Now go have yourself an awesome week, ok?

Moral of the Story...

....Don't ever insult a hurricane. 
Apparently, they are very sensitive little things...

Hope everyone made it through ok!