Crossleyreports.com

Good morning 6 year old, Wal-mart blender! What? Oh, you can't really blend a fruit smoothie without crushing the gigantic chunks of ice you conveniently leave at the bottom of the jar? 

I'm done with you.

Here we go! 

Black and Decker Cyclone vs. GE Digital Blender

              Cyclone                    GE

Price (5)             5                                            3

Presentation (10)    5                                           10

Blenderness (10)   1.3                                         10

Total           11.3                                       23

I'm proud to announce Aaron and I as proud new owners of the GE Digital Blender. I'm SO excited!!!

Hot and Heavy Bread Twists

Tried and True, from our kitchen to yours...meet our favorite dinner pal! Hot and Heavy
I can't remember the first time I made these bad boys but guys, Aaron and I felt it. The carbohydrate love connection. These are even more fabulous than Olive Gardens and if you live here in Utah it's quite comparable (in appearance!) to the ones at Pizza Factory. These Hot and Heavies sit fat and happily alongside Spaghetti, Pizza, you name it! We made them for dinner last night. Yep, that's right, just the breadsticks. And I really do mean 'we' because Aaron will not leave the kitchen or house until these are plump, hot, and risen. These really are the best breadsticks around! And if this testimonial alone doesn't convince you, let me share with you their winning merit--they are really hard to mess up! If you're a yeast virgin, the dough is very, very forgiving. Trust me. You can even chase down this garlic experience with a cinnamon/sugar fatty goodness. Three course meal in one. Oh, divine.

Hot and Heavy Bread Twists
Ourbestbites.com
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. bread flour

Combine water, sugar, and yeast in your mixer (or large bowl.) Let stand for 10 minutes or until it's bubbly.
Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2c. flour and mix well. Add the remaining flour or until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.. You may need less or more depending on elevation/humidity.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.
Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll (or mold with fingers--how is it that i've gotten away with not having a rollin pin?) into a rectangle and cut into 10 strips.

                                      

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough and place on baking sheet. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

                                        

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. Look how fat and happy they are...

                                        

Preheat your oven to 425 and bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with homemade garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. If you have spice rack that you're dying to start using, this is as easy as it gets.

Garlic Bread Seasoning

1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Kosher salt 
2 Tb. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsley

Ps. That's right, no pictures of these Hot and Heavies baked and gloriously dressed. They were gone before we finished the second episode of LOST : )

Sincerely, Little Bakin' Blonde

The Best Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

Dear Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies,

I want to first off, apologize for judging a book by its cover. I am not a cookie fan. I never make cookies because frankly I haven't found a recipe that makes me want to ball up little chunks of dough so they can bake into perfectly plumps little disks. Cause, well how do I put this...they uhh never ever bake up into little plumps of anything. Aaron is the cookie baker in the fam. It's his breakfast if they're in the kitchen. I'm more of a cheesecake kind of gal; a chocolate ganache and moist cake kind of chick. I came across you on the pages of William-Sonoma's Essentials of Baking and I flipped right by you not giving you the time of day.

Yet something caught my eye. Your simplicity and ease. The very few ingredients required to make you. With the money I am trying to save and the little time I have on my hands, I thought maybe we could make this work. Maybe we could make it happen; me, you and the oven. And all I have to say is thank you. Thank you for allowing me to find my inner cookie-goddess. For teaching me how glorious all your chocolates taste when you dive into a plump and perfectly baked cookie. I hope we can meet again. Real soon. Like tomorrow maybe?

Sincerely, Little Bakin' Blonde

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c butter at room-temp. (unsalted)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 c bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 c milk chocolate chips
3/4 c white chocolate chips

Sift flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Slowly add the flour mixture, a little at a time until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lined baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes and transfer to finish cooling on plate. 


Try to let them cool before enjoying; but who am I kidding? You'll dig in like we did : )

Beautiful in 2010

I got to thinking a lot about my life recently and where I am in comparison to where I'd like to be. And sometimes even though I'm not quite where I want to be, I understand that eventually all the pieces fall into place. This new year was quite refreshing for me! I had the resolution to secretly be happier with myself, my looks and who I am. I can easily get discouraged when I am so prone to acknowledge my imperfections. I think my eyes aren't blue enough, my metabolism is getting slower, instead to viewing my long hair as beautiful, I see it as dry and brittle(thank you Utah!); and my natural hair color with hues of strawberry blonde, always trumps over any type and amount of hair bleach. No amount of skin care product could possibly give me perfect skin. Every gram of fat I consume, I promise you goes straight to my belly. I can easily get discouraged that the outside of me doesn't reflect how beautiful I feel on the inside. Granted I can alter the way I physically look with a little exercise and some minor lifestyle changes (better food choices; going to bed earlier), it can often feel like many elements of my physical appearance are out of my control.

However, In spite of these insecurities, I am trying to be easier on myself in 2010. I'm seeing all of these with open eyes and choosing to love them and enjoy the person I'm becoming . Because while I can never be perfect, I can always try to be the best version of me. And the longer I get used to loving, truly loving my own skin, the more I see that that is more than enough.  I've been blessed in incredible ways throughout my life. So here's to positive thinking and changes for this year!

I've heard it takes two things to make a woman beautiful. First, that she believed it, and second that she had a man telling her it was so. Thank you, Aaron. Thank you for seeing me as beautiful on the outside as how I am on the inside. Thank you for always looking at me like you have never seen such a beautiful girl when you roll over and kiss me in the morning and when I come home from a long day at work. And thank you for being a man to tell me so. Thank you for loving me like how I want to love myself.

Yours truly, Me

Welcome!

Hey there friends and family, thanks for stopping by! And welcome to my little corner of Crossley lovin' and bakin' ! I have a love for anything beautiful, a weakness to my kitchen and craftiness, and an addiction to my sweet Aaron. We were married in the beautiful Houston temple in August of 2008. He's my best friend and the love of my life! I hope you'll enjoy my blog. Yours Truly, Me