Change and the Unknown.

Like my father, I have a hard time with change. Like my mother, I like schedules and spend a lot of time looking at the clock to stay on track. It wasn’t like that when we got here. I knew I’d struggle with change, but also wanted to really make the most of it and put up a happy front for Lawyerboy because he’d leave in a heartbeat if I wasn’t happy.

In a word, I was sad. I knew in my head that I really didn’t have it that bad, but my heart took over and it was a hard time for me.

When I look back, there were many things and people who got me through, and some that made it harder than it should have been. I can however pinpoint the three constants in my life that got me through moving to a new place, with no set expectations for what I was supposed to do, which I felt was to earn the income to pay our bills.

My three constants were running, cooking/baking, and Kelly.

I knew she would put a smile on my face and make me laugh, usually out loud! I had been watching her faithfully since college at Minot State when my friend and roommate at the time, Melissa, would tell me to come watch snippets of funny things Kelly had said or done while she was watching. I would DVR LIVE! and watch it after I got home from teaching while I ate my bowl of cereal or bag of microwave popcorn before I went to work at SuperTarget. Kelly was a bright spot during the weekdays. Not everyone shares my love for her, but I proudly support her and have even looked into getting her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Writing a letter to nominate her is the easy part. It costs roughly $30,000 so that steers me in a different direction! If anyone wants to give the money for this great cause, let me know and I’ll write Kelly a letter to get her ‘Approval of Nomination’. If I win the lottery, it will be on the top of my to-do list!

I love how Kelly has an active lifestyle and a lot of the same interests as myself. She does however eat way different from the way I do! She isn’t much of a sweet eater, but she does love a carrot cake. Not only am a fan of Kelly’s, but carrot cake, too! I recently experimented with Carrot Cake Cookies. Here is the recipe. I think they’d be Kelly approved.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees – Prep Time: 20 minutes – Bake Time: 12 to 15 minutes – Makes 14 cookies (Keep in mind, I like large cookies! You could get 28 smaller cookies.)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 golden raisins

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (Most carrot cakes have pecans. I am not a pecan fan, so I omitted them from my recipe!)

Melt butter in a medium-sized glass bowl. Add the brown sugar. Mix together. Add one egg at a time and mix together well. Then add the vanilla.

Next add the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir until blended.

Then fold in the carrots, raisins, and golden raisins. (You may use 1/2 cup of one type of raisins. I like the coloring and taste of the raisins mixed.)

Using two teaspoons, drop the dough onto a cookie sheet. I put seven on a sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, turning half way through.

Let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet.

Transfer cookies to cooling racks or place a clean dish towel with wax paper on the counter.

Lemon Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

5 to 6 tablespoons of cream, depending on consistency you like

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Mix the ingredients for the frosting together in order listed. You may need to add more or less cream depending upon if you like it thicker or thinner. You can always use half and half or milk in place of the cream. Cream is just so yummy!

I sometimes freeze some of the cookies without being frosted. I make a small amount of frosting just for what I need at the moment. When I pull cookies out of the freezer, I make fresh frosting for them. You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want as much frosting at one time!

Cream the butter and brown sugar.

Add the eggs and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients.

Now add the carrots and the raisins. Colorful!

Fold into batter.

I put seven on a cookie sheet.

Turn them half way through baking.

Fresh out of the oven!

Almost perfection.

Lemon frosting! I made a small batch to frost only a few for Lawyerboy and I to eat. I froze the rest of the cookies without frosting. When I pulled them out of the freezer to eat them, then I make fresh frosting!

This one was still a little warm when I frosted it so it melted into the cookie and your mouth! Perfection!