And the Winner Is.......

Kelly!!!!!

claim your prize by e-mailing me your mailing address @

freshparsley@yahoo.com

Congratulations on winning the

100th Post/1 Year Blogiversary Celebration contest!!

and to the losers: sorry, you'll just have to try again next year

A Double Celebration

Happy 1- year Blogiversary/100th Post!!!!!!

To celebrate I am giving you all a recipe and a chance to win a fabulous prize.

Sometimes I think there is nothing better than a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven with a big glass of cold milk. That's why I wanted to share my best ever chocolate chip cookie recipe with you. Because truly they are the best ever. I have tried many a recipe trying to find the perfect choc-chip cookie. Then I married Jonathan. He won't settle for anything less than a soft, chewy cookie, and that's all that was made in his family. It took awhile for him to convince me, but I finally caught on- his family's recipe is the only way to go. So here it is- go make these and your family and friends will be begging for more.

Nelson's Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies.

1/2 cup margarine (has to be margarine, not butter)

1/2 cup shortening (once again, no substitutes here people)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

12 oz chocolate chips

I think you know the drill from here, but just to make sure- mix the dry ingredients together. blend the fats and sugars together in a separate bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture with the fat mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until they are light brown around the edges. (don't overbake or you'll be sorry!) Word to the wise: you can beat the heck out of the fats and sugars, but for pete's sake after that, take it easy! Don't over-mix after you add the eggs and flour mixture. Just mix it until everything has been blended in.

Don't worry about all my naggy little instructions, I think you will be pleased no matter what.

Now for the fabulous prize. The prize is this brand new cookie scoop-

The reason it is fabulous is because it makes your cookie making experience so much more enjoyable. First of all it allows you to get perfectly shaped, rounded cookies that are all the same size easily and effortlessly. Secondly, if you want fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies every day just bake however many cookies you can eat or want, and then simply use your handy scoop to scoop the rest of the cookie dough into a tupperware. Separate the layers of balls of dough with wax paper so they doesn't stick together. Stick the tupperware in the freezer, and viola- A couple nights from now when the craving hits just pull out a couple of dough balls, stick them on a cookie sheet, and by the time the oven heats up your dough will be ready to bake. Isn't that great?

Thirdly, the scoop is handy for getting other sticky things out easily. Like sourcream, refried beans, muffin/cupcake batter, peanut butter, the list goes on and on people!

So either go buy a cookie scoop- or.... try your hand at winning this one. Simply leave a comment on this post by 8 o'clock central Tuesday night. Then I'll put every commenter's name in a hat and draw the winner. Good Luck!

Sage Says...

1. Happy Valentine's Day

2. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a bloggin' fun time!

I'm a scratcher, picker, puller, poker

I decided to blog because I drank so much coffee (six cups) that I'm too buzzed to do any more homework. The other alternative would be to sleep it off but I don't want to waste time and besides I haven't blogged in forever.
Some random thoughts-
I am compuslive. I can't let things be.
If I have a scab, I pick it.
If I have any sort of loose skin I pull it and pick at it until it comes off.
If I have a zit I pick it, squeeze it, or pop it until it is bloody.
If I have any type of sore in my mouth I poke it with my tongue so that it takes forever to heal.
The skin on my thumbs are constantly suffering attacks from my fingernails.
Mosquito bites are scratched until they scab over.
If I have dry skin on my scalp I scratch it until I am covered with dandruff.

Currently my compulsive picking/pulling/scratching behaviors are:
- a sore on my gums right in between two of my teeth which I can't stop poking with my tongue and my fingernails (it's driving me crazy)
- a scab on my right middle finger that I have had for three weeks because I have picked it off three times; even though I have been scratching at it I have resisted picking it all the way off again
- hanging skin on my left thumb that I am trying to leave be. My right thumb is in surprisingly good condition.

I don't know what it is about pain. The pain of any sore just makes me want to make it worse. It's weird, I know. Stress only makes it worse. I pick at my thumbs the most when I am nervous or uneasy or stressed or bored or irritated. Sometimes I just do it without thinking. So if you want to know how I am doing just look at the skin around my thumbnails. Normal thumbs mean I am pretty normal. Red, swollen and scabbed mean I'm not so good.
Just thought you all would like to know my disgustingly bad habits.