Comfort food: Chocolate chip cookies and beef vegetable soup.

Chocolate chip cookies.  Every mom makes her own special-no-other-mom-makes-them-better variety.  I know my mom did.  I hope someday my own girls make them for their children and think of me.
Funny how something so simple has me thinking of my own mommy legacy.

Well, that and it is my mom's birthday.  Happy Birthday Mom!  Thanks for all the chocolate cookies.  I hope I can do this as good as you.

I have been making chocolate chip cookies since my mother showed me how to break an egg in a cup to avoid getting shell in the mixer.  I asked for a Kitchen Aid mixer for my 21st birthday.  Mainly so I could make my own chocolate chip cookies in my very own college apartment.  So with a little experience I have tweaked the classic Tollhouse recipe to my own taste.  See what you think.

2 sticks butter

3/4 c white sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

cream together

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

mix each in separately

2 1/4 c flour

1 t baking soda

2 t salt

whisk together separately and slowly add to other ingredients in the mixer

I like to use about 3 equal parts of Ghirardelli milk, semi sweet, and dark chocolate chips.  I usually have a few open bags, so I just eye ball it.  I generally feel that there should just be enough batter to make the chips stick together.

Cook for about 10-13 minutes in a 375 oven

And for supper?  America's Test Kitchen Beef Vegetable Soup.  Ruby (6yrs) has a thing for soup.  Would she eat steak, carrots, and potatoes on a plate, no.  But put them in a soup and magic happens.  She will eat it!  

I am excited about this recipe because of the deep rich flavors... soy sauce, red wine, anchovy paste (my own addition), and tomato paste.  Let me just say this smells fantastic.  I added the link to the recipe, we'll see if it works!

America's Test Kitchen Beef Vegetable
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=8629&incode=M**ASCA00