Optimism

My boss tells me I'm too optimistic.He wonders where I get it. When everything around me seems to be crumbling down.

He tells me that's good. But I should try to be cautiously optimistic.

I agree. But I don't have the slightest idea how to do that. Because I feel that the minute you start doubting your optimism (and creating plan B's, plan C's and D's) that's not being optimistic anymore.

So I would just rather remain as is right now. Cancer probably does that to you. Grows your faith. Keeps hope afloat on your side of the world.

Is being overly optimistic bad? They say anything in excess is always bad. Sigh.

AT this point though, I think staying a little more optimistic is the best thing for me to do. When I come to work, colleagues would ask where I get my energy or how do I keep my sanity intact despite every thing that's been happening around me lately. From my faith I guess. I learned how to surrender. And believe that every bad thing has an ending. And there is always a chance that tomorrow is going to be way better.

Right?

***all photos/quotes grabbed from Pinterest

Recipe: Very Dark Chocolate Cookies (Just The Way We Like It!)

Did I mention baking pastries scares me?

But like a true-blue masochist I never give up. Today I tried baking another pastry recipe. I had a big bottle of dark chocolate spread that nobody wants to eat and an upcoming playdate for the little miss. I thought what perfect excuse for me to try testing my luck at failures once again.

I scoured food blogs for a cookie recipe that's easy to follow and one that lists most of the ingredients I already have on hand. And this is the closest recipe I found. Except for the mixer, I have everything else on the list. So off I went to get my hands busy.

After about 12 minutes of baking, the cookies just came out perfect! Perfect even if just in my book.



Yields: 2 dozen 2 inch bite sized cookies
prep time: 1 hr and 30 (including freezing time)
baking time: 10-12 mins per batch

What You Will Need:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salter butter)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate spread (the recipe called for nutella but I only have Nusco dark chocolate spread on hand)
1/3 cup full cream milk
chocolate buttons for topping (I used Goya dark chocolate buttons)

How I did it:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit (about 200 degrees Celcius)

2. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.

3. Cream butter and sugar until smooth (on electric mix 2 mins medium speed). Add the extracts and beat for another 30 secs. Add chocolate spread until thoroughly mix and consistency is smooth.

4. Add half of dry ingredients and mix. Next add milk and mix. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix completely.

5. I took the mixture out of the bowl and shaped it into a log after. I covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it for about 20-30 minutes (You can also make this 2-3 days ahead and just store in the fridge)

6. When you are ready to bake, grease your baking pan or line it with baking sheet/parchment paper. Cut the cookie dough in your desired thickness and size (our was about half an inch thick and 2 inch wide, just bite size piece). Roll it into a ball and flatten with your palms. I pressed a piece of chocolate buttons in the center since I'm a real chocoholic but you can opt to add a piece of walnut (or pecans or marshmallow) as well if you would prefer to use other toppings.

7. Bake for about 10-12 mins. Take out of the oven and let cool for about 5 mins.

Enjoy with your favorite tea, coffee or ice cream!