Whiskey-Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't let bacon go to waste so you know I saved the bacon used in my whiskey infusion. I also don't like to let bacon fat go to waste either so I had a container in the fridge just begging to be used. Enter this recipe and we have a match made in bacon heaven. I had always been curious about bacon chocolate chips and really didn't know what to expect out of these cookies, especially since the bacon wasn't regular bacon but whiskey tasting bacon. The cookies are definitely a novelty and not anything I would be able to eat a ton of in one sitting, but they sure were good. Alex didn't like the cookies but everyone else who tried them did like the cookies. If you want to start a conversation, definitely give someone one of these cookies!

Whiskey-Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Slightly adapted from Recipe Girl
Yields 2 dozen cookies

Half of leftover whiskey-infused bacon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup bacon fat, chilled
6 Tbsp granulated white sugar
6 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp whiskey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.

In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, bacon fat, sugars, whiskey and vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Then stir in the bacon and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets- about 2 inches apart. Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned.

Remove from oven and let stand on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes, then remove the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely

Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or store in a covered container or zip bag in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
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Bacon-Infused Whiskey

I'm going to admit something: we are bacon freaks. As in, we love bacon and will try anything that has bacon as an ingredient. A few months back we had seen an ad for a bacon vodka  and it got us thinking about how hard it could be to make an infused liquor like that at home. Christmas rolls around and we decide to give infusion a try as a gift for the whiskeylover in our lives. A quick search yielded plenty of recipes and, while all seemed similar, I went with this recipe because I liked its thoroughness. Getting everything together was easy, filtering out the fat was just plain tedious. We filtered ours three times and each time took between 45-60 minutes. The end result was pretty spectacular as the whiskey really picked up the bacon flavor and the bacon soaked up the whiskey flavor. I think you can get drunk off of eating the bacon bits alone.

Bacon-Infused Whiskey
Source: Adapted from Matthew Walrath on What Is Bacon

1.75 liter bottle of whiskey (we used Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey)
16 oz bacon
Large jar
Coffee filters

Cut up bacon into 3-inch strips. Over medium heat, cook all the bacon until slightly crispy. Yes, cook all of it.

Place cooked bacon and all of the bacon fat in the large jar. Pour in whiskey, seal jar, and store at room temperature. For the next 48 hours, shake the jar every 4 to 6 hours.

After 48 hours, place the jar in the refrigerator for a few hours. This is key as it helps the fat solidify so that it is easier to remove once you start filtering. Spoon out whatever fat you can (there was at least an inch worth of fat accumulated on top of the whiskey for me) and, using coffee filters, begin filtering out the leftover fat into another container.

Filter at least two times or until you get a semi-clear liquid. Pour whiskey into a new container or back into its original bottle. The bacon can be saved to garnish drinks or for baking (recipe coming soon!).

Serve and enjoy! Our whiskey lover served it with orange juice and said it was like breakfast in a cup.

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I'm Coming for You 2014!

Happy New Year! Since we found out that we'd be moving to Chicago in July 2014, the year 2014 has seemed so abstract to me. Now that we are in 2014 I feel as if a fire has been lit inside of me and I can't help but plan and dream big. I even chose the word "adventure" as my word for the year and my hope is to treat everything like an adventure. I want to have fun and enjoy this crazy rollercoaster of a life in 2014. Now that it is 2014, I have been emailing schools and places of employment (!!!) in Chicago and we are planning our trip up there to find housing. So many things happening that I feel I might explode with excitement.

2013 was an amazing year. It had its ups and downs like all years, but everything that has happened has made me really appreciate where I am today. I am still striving to be a better parent, person, friend, spouse, and professional. I am striving to be happier, more content, and more graceful in the face of stress. I'm a work in progress and that's ok with me.

2013 was the year where I actually started taking care of myself. Running has been the single biggest change in my life because it has given me that time to myself. I have found a love of something that belongs to me and is for me. Sure, it has benefits that extend to those around me and that I can see taking root in the hearts of my daughters, but running has been my release and my form of freedom. In 2013 I ran a total of 21 races: 6 half marathons, 8 5Ks, 6 mud runs, and 1 duathlon. My legs carried me over 650 miles. I am amazed and in awe of myself.

My running goals for 2014 are 2:00 half marathon time, 12 half marathons, 1014 miles, and the Chicago Marathon. My professional goals are to pass the comprehensive exam, graduate school, pass the licensing exam, and get my first real job. My personal goals are simple: love in the moment, enjoy each minute as the gift that it is, blog more, laugh more, and do something memorable to celebrate turning 30.

2013, you were good to me. I'm sorry we have parted ways, but we had to because 2014 wasn't going to wait. 2014, I'm coming for you to make you the best year yet!

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Merry Christmas!

From my family to yours: I hope you have a great holiday celebrating with those you love and stuffing your face with those foods you love.

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Pretzel Chocolate Chip Bars

This is my third post this month. Woo hoo! I've been off from school for almost three weeks and I'm starting to get back to what life was like before the craziness of this past semester. The biggest lesson I learned was that I needed to organize my life a little better by prioritizing and cutting back on things. I was doing too much and was spread too thin. I guess the best way to put it is that I made myself too available and had a lot of trouble with saying no. Not a good thing when you are going to be a therapist and part of your job is to dive into the lives of others and help them come up with more effective boundaries! Next semester will be different and I think I have done a better job at consolidating things so I'm hoping that these small changes will have big effects at home. I'm sure the girls will love having me around more and will love having me be less distracted all the time.

To celebrate the end of the semester and the little bit of downtime I have before school starts again, I made these Pretzel Chocolate Chip Bars. I found this recipe after doing a quick "pretzel chocolate chip cookies" search and I am never letting it go. The sweetness, saltiness, crunchiness, really just everything about this recipe was great. I'm a chocolate chip cookie lover by nature so my expectations for these bars were a little high and I am happy they did not disappoint. I had to keep these hidden from the girls just so that I didn't have to share.

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Bars
Source: Just A Taste
Yields: 16 bars

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided
1 cup crushed salted pretzels, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over two sides. Coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, mix together the melted butter and the sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined

Slowly mix in the flour and salt just until incorporated. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top before sprinkling the remaining 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels on top.

Bake for about 30 until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cookie bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, remove the cookies using the parchment paper overhang.

While the cookie bars are cooling, melt the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in in the microwave, heating for 20 seconds at a time until melted.

Drizzle the cookie bars with the melted chocolate and allow them to cool until the melted chocolate hardens. (I poured the chocolate into a ziplock bag and piped them onto the bars)

Cut the cookie bars into 16 squares. Serve and enjoy!

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Late for the Holidays: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I started my Christmas shopping last Friday. This is a first for me. I am usually very on top of things and done with all of my holiday shopping the first week of December. Considering the first week of December coincided with the end of the semester and the finishing of some of my programs at my internship site, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I am this behind. The worst part is that I am so stumped when it comes to what to get people. Last year I made this Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix and handed it out to the teachers at Cati's school and I'm doing the same this year. Except, I'm thinking I will be handing these out to family and friends with a note attached that says "IOU a more thought out, personalized gift."

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
Source: Slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yields 20 servings

3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ cups cocoa powder
1½ cups chopped milk chocolate chips (or any other variety of chocolate)
¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse the ingredients in a food processor until the chocolate is finely ground. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

To make hot cocoa, put 1/3 cup of the cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or miniature marshmallows.
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Fun & Fit: November

How is it December already? November was such a great month in the fitness department that I'm sad to see it go. December, however, will probably be just as awesome with a mud run (The Challenge) I'm doing with my friends and Alex and half marathon #6 (Live Ultimate). I honestly can't get enough of all these races!

In November, I participated in DIVAS 5K. This wasn't a race for time as I was doing it with my girls (and the new stroller) and with two of my friends who were new to running. The race was fun and a great first race for my friends because of all the cheering and goodies given away. We left that race with  crowns, boas, and pretty medals. And Cati was happy there was no color thrown her way ;)

I also participated in the Fort Myers Beach Half Marathon and got myself a personal record. I ran that race not thinking about time, ran how I felt, enjoyed myself all 13.1 miles, and scored a 2:09:47 time. I was so happy! My only goal for this race was to beat my best time of 2:23 from my half in March, then as the miles went by and I saw that I was running faster than I thought or felt, I really pounded out the last 5K of that race. I ran 1:30-:30 intervals the whole time and am proof that running intervals does speed you up. My first half marathon in January 2013 was done in 2:30:06 so the Fort Myers Beach Half was an improvement of 20 minutes. I'm a believer!

Registration for my virtual race opened up and thanks to all those that registered in November, I was able to donate $260 to Give Kids The World. The best part about this virtual race has been running the distance with friends who have signed up. I seriously love the running community and am so glad to be a part of it. For more information, visit the Facebook event page or sign up on Active.

Lastly, November was dedicated to yoga, increasing flexibility, and tackling head- and handstands. I love how yoga makes me feel and I think that has also contributed to my improvement with my running.

I'm already thinking about what fitness goals I want to set for myself for 2014. I know I want to do more races, including a full marathon, and I need to think of something epic and memorable for my 30th birthday!
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Around Halloween Target had caramel squares on sale. I bought them. I didn't know what I was going to do with them but I figured I would find something. After a particularly stressful day this week, I asked the family what they wanted me to bake them and they all said, "cookies." I decided I would find a recipe using caramel squares and make them cookies. Imagine my happiness when I found a caramel chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love chocolate chip cookies! These cookies were simply amazing. Everyone loved them and you could tell right off the bat they had caramel in them. Cati has already requested that I make them again!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod
Yields: 3 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Kraft Caramel Bits (or chopped up caramel squares)
Sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda and sea salt together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.

Stir in the chocolate chips and caramel bits. Form cookie dough into tablespoon balls and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each cookie with sea salt.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
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Virtual Race for Charity

My favorite half marathon has been the Disney Princesses one. I did that one back in February and loved almost everything about it; I loved the course, the entertainment on the course, the crowd, and the costumes. The only thing I didn't love was the wake up time, but even that had it's benefits because half the run for me was done in the dark. I'll be running that race again in February, but this time I'm running as part of a charity team. Since I signed up with the team back over the summer I have been trying to think of ways to raise money. I've got some items for a silent auction and people have been extremely generations with their donations. I have 2.5 months to reach my $3,000 fundraising goal and I'm hoping that doing a virtual run will bring me closer to my goal.

I first learned about virtual runs on Facebook and I love the idea of it. You sign up, run the distance whenever and wherever you want, and then you get a medal. My race is a 5K and is called The Cookie Runner Virtual 5K and the medal has the logo of my little cookie runner. I wanted to share the information for the race in case anyone wanted to sign up for it or in case you know of anyone who might be interested in doing something like this. I completed the run last week and dedicated one of my training runs to Give Kids The World.

This is the site with all the information: The Cookie Runner Virtual 5K. The race is $20, includes a medal, and the net proceeds go to Give Kids The World. Thanks for all your help and support!

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Fun & Fit: October

Oh my, October was a fun month! I started doing yoga, participated in three events, and challenged myself to run 100 miles by Halloween. Of the 31 days this month, I didn't run 8 of them. Can you believe that? My butt was constantly on the move and it felt so good to be so active. I felt really weird on those days that I didn't workout or run. This past month really drilled in the idea that being healthy and active is a lifestyle, not just a phase.

The month started off with me trying yoga. Friends have recommended yoga to me and I have seen plenty of pictures and videos of people in various positions, but I was always unsure of whether this was something for me and whether my brain was even capable of quieting down for meditation. You know what I learned very quickly? My brain can shut down! I am so focused on my breathing, learning new positions, and holding those positions that my brain doesn't get distracted with thoughts of making dinner, picking up the girls, or everything else on my to-do list. Yoga is hard work, but it is also so relaxing for me. I want to keep practicing and learn as much as I can learn.

 My first event of the month was The Color Run. That run was a true experience. We did this run as a family, but soon after the start line our stroller broke. We ended up walking most of the distance and neither of the girls were too into getting color bombed. We survived it, did it as a family, and had popsicles at the finish line. I made sure to get more colorful this time around and, I don't know if they changed the formula of the color or what, but the color washed off so much easier this time around. 

The day after The Color Run I participated in my first duathlon, the Columbus Day Duathlon (1.5 run, 11 miles bike, 1.6 run). If it weren't for my aunt, I would have never done this race because I thought I was content with running alone. I barely trained for the cycling portion and I was riding on my cruiser instead of a nice bike, so I didn't have any expectations of greatness. My aunt tried to keep up with me on the running portions and I tried to keep up with her on the cycling portion. I ended up getting first place in my age group and I was beyond thrilled. The whole experience was great and I realized that I really do like getting on the bike and being competitive with riding.

On October 26th I participated in my first half marathon of this racing season. It was the Miami Beach Halloween Half and I ran it with my running partner and her friend. That morning we decided that the race would be more of a training run than an actual run and that helped set a fun tone for the race. The costumes were great and I was amazed  at the things people were able to run in. My favorite was the runner who ran as the Mad Hatter and carried a tea pot pinata with her the entire way. Towards the end I was ready to be done--the course was a little choppy and crowded and it was windy--and I left my friends to sprint it out to the finish line. My time wasn't my best (2:32), but it was a lot of fun and, in a month where I was running 100 miles, I needed to take all the distances I ran easily.

And speaking of running 100 miles...I'm trying to challenge myself each month to do something new. October was the month for running 100 miles by Halloween. It was pretty hard getting to that distance because my body wasn't used to running that much, but I managed it. I had a running partner on most of my runs and that really help get through the miles. I felt so proud of myself for having actually ran 100 miles. I have never felt like more of a runner than I do now.

I'm sad to see you go October, but I am definitely looking forward to November. There will be more yoga, two races, and maybe even a bikini body challenge. With the holidays coming up, I need to keep myself motivated and challenged!
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