Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
{topped with sea salt}
My parents recently came to visit. Per usual my dad requested that I make him chocolate chip cookies. Since salty sweet things are my absolute favorite I figured I would jazz up the chocolate chip cookies with a little bit of salt. They were a huge hit. Now it\’s your turn to go to the kitchen and make up your own batch.
{topped with Cypriot Flake Salt}

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
• 1 1/4 c. unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks)
• 1 cup + 2 Tbls. sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 2/3 cups bread flour
• 1.5 tsp. baking soda
• 1.5 tsp. baking powder
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 pkg. semisweet chocolate chunks cut into quarters
• Salts for topping the cookies (I used Sea Salt & Cypriot Flake Salt)

Directions
• Place cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking power and salt into a bowl and stir. Set aside.
• Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together until very light; about five minutes.
• Add eggs and mix well.
• Add the vanilla and give it a whirl around. 
• Reduce speed and add the dry ingredient mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Remove from mixer and stir in your chocolate pieces.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 36 hours.
• When ready to bake; preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop mounds of dough onto your non-stick baking sheet.
• Bake for 7-18minutes. *** note:  one cookie sheet took 7 minutes while around took 17 so just watch it.
• When you remove the cookies from the oven sprinkle them with your salt.

Trendy T-Shirt Necklace

While in college the t-shirt necklace was a fall staple. I had a variety of colors and would wear them instead of scarfs. Sometimes I would even layer them or create them with multiple colors mixed in.  It was a chic look that dressed up any outfit.

 You will need one t-shirt and fabric scissors. I made two different necklaces thus the two shirts. My shirts are from Old Navy and they cost about $5 a piece. You want to get fitted tees.

 Cut the t-shirt into strips up to the arm pit.

 Once you have all the strips cut out you will want to stretch each one individually.

 and stretch it some more

 Now you are going to lay them on top of each other to make a circle.
• note: you want to make sure that the seams line up so your necklace is not weird.

reserve one of the stretched fabric circles – you will use it later.

 Once you have stacked them on top of each other you are going to want to make a figure 8.
• note: your seams will now be lined up.

Your necklace will now be half the size – and will also seem small… it definitely stretches so have no fear.

Use the reserved fabric circle and wrap it around the seam end and tie it. This will be the back of your necklace.
• note: sometimes I would bread scrap fabric so a more polished finish. 

New Season, New Shoes

Last week on my way to Target I noticed that some leaves were already changing colors while others were already dead on the ground. August has just begun and it seems like autumn is approaching quickly. I am not ready for summer to end yet, however I have already started autumn shoe shopping.

Have you started fall shopping yet?
What are your favorite shoes/boots for fall?

Friday Five

 {new favorite hair style is a bow}
Welcome to the weekend! Friday is finally here and I felt like this week would never end. My parents will be here today to visit – I am so excited! I haven\’t been home in forever and my mum and I haven\’t gone on a shopping trip together in far too long…so hopefully some serious shopping will happen this weekend! What are your weekend plans?
 {salted chocolate chip cookies and milk}
 {cucumber lemonade}
 {already breaking out You Don\’t Know Jacques…. thinking fall}
{new cookies Enjoy Life Crunchy Vanilla Honey Graham}
made some s\’more brownies with these goodies! 

Trend Watch: Feathers

 
From outfits to earrings and in your hair feathers are everywhere. This is a trend that has definitely taken over for 2011. I know I own multiple feather earrings and even have a feather extension in my hair. So I am definitely one who loves this trend. How do you feel about the feather trend?