05 April, 2010

Things That Make Me Tired and Happy

This blog was only meant to be a hobby. A few recipes snuck in on my quilting blog, but I wasn't really thinking of going back to the food world in any way other than as a dedicated home cook and mother. And what was I thinking, a working mom maintaining two blogs in my copious amounts of free time? Apparently, I was thinking of the future without even knowing it.

After a year or so I started to think about writing, especially food writing, as a career option. Despite working in catering kitchens, running my own muffin company, and dropping out of journalism school it wasn't something I considered before. But the more I wrote here the more I wanted to write.

Insert some amazing mentors, loads of inspiration, and a serious lack of sleep and I am now a two job lady. A tired, but happy two job lady. I am now writing as Food Editor for What's Up and doing a little freelancing and teaching on the side. The day job stays, and I'll always be a mom, but my little hobby is turning into something exciting. And I couldn't be happier.

And when I'm happy (or sad or mad or glad) I like to bake. That's why I'm sharing this cookie recipe for you. The combo of chocolate and dried cherries is better than any chocolate box cherry, and guaranteed to fix any emotion you've got. (This recipe actually appears in the Spring issue of What's Up, along with more on Litterless Lunches.) So come on, celebrate with me!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Cherries
Makes 2 1/2 -3 dozen, depending on the size of the cookie

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

1. Preheat your oven 350 degrees F. Grease your cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
2. Cream together butter and sugar for a few minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.
3. Stir in the flour, cocoa, oats, baking soda, and salt. When it is all together as a dough add in the chocolate chips and cherries. 
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly firm around the edges. Let cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

11 comments:

  1. yay! for you & for the chocolate-cherry combination, one of my absolutely favorites.

    I want to be like Cheryl when I grow up--funny, a great cook, with a beautiful family and two great "day jobs."

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  2. Congrats to you...how great that everything has lined up and wow...two jobs! The cookies look delicious..I love the combo of cherries and chocolate!

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  3. Good for you, Cheryl. You took a leap of faith with all of this and now look how busy you are.

    Congratulations, this is exciting news!

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  4. Congratulations. I'm not sure about 'two paying jobs' as you do more than that and each one has a pay day! Good for you!

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  5. Yum. So happy that you're doing what you love.

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  6. Congrats on your two jobs! Happiness is the important thing :) And you ran a muffin company?! That's way cooler than Muay Thai.

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  7. Cheryl,

    I just wanted to tell you how thrilled I am that you wrote and submitted a book proposal (I know you didn't mention it in this post, just in comments on my blog)

    You are so talented, clever, and a great writer. I think you are so ready for this.

    I wanted to thank you for being such a support to me on my blog. You have always been a consistent commenter (I am sporadic and helpless at that, I'm afraid). I just wanted you to know how much it means to me to have you there, cheering me on, and know that I will be glad to do whatever I can to support you, your writing and your book. Please do not hesitate if you ever need anything.

    You deserve all the best with your writing. I'm so happy for you. Please keep me posted on how it's going.

    As they say in Australia, "Good on ya".

    xo Kim

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  8. Congratulations Cheryl! That's amazing! Those cookies look pretty good, too.

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  9. Wow! That is one full plate. Don't burn out Bella! Keep a little "me time" and remember: if it quits being fun to rethink it and feel no shame. Life is short and being busy is great as long as it doesn't take a toll on you.

    Can't wait to see you work in the magazine! I"m so glad that our little email exchanges have been helpful to you. I'm always happy to offer my $ .02 if you ever need me in the future.

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  10. Congratulations, Cheryl!

    Love the sound of these cookies. Chocolate and cherry is such a decadent (yet surprisingly healthy) combination!

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  11. Hurrah! Okay, so I'm way, way, waaaaay behind on blog-reading (it's been an insane year so far), I am so happy to read this post! Congratulations on the freelance gigs! Also, Food Network? Freakin' awesome. Go girl!

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