summer called. it's over.

you can thank starbucks

Zoe Barrie Soderstrom

Aug 25, 2023

Well, well, well…

The day has come.

I never thought we’d end up here, but it has finally happened…

I am over summer.

Controversial, I know. I blame it on 2 things. 1. Moving to Arizona at the beginning of spring when it was already 90ºF, resulting in having to endure hot weather for 5 months straight, AND 2. Starbucks releasing their PSL this week.

Considering I am ~actually~ a reptile and love the heat, the latter is most to blame.

Here’s some of the produce we get to look forward to for early Fall:

Fruit: cranberries, apples, pomegranates (eeeeeek!!!), citrus fruits, pears, figs

Green veggies: arugula, broccoli, spinach, kale, brussels sprouts, celery

Root veggies: onions, carrots, squash, pumpkin (!!), turnips, sweet potato (!!)

Like?????

Okay, all that said, let’s just jump into things, shall we?

Something I made:

“Grandma-Style” Chocolate Chip Cookies

Earlier this week, when our dessert jar’s bottom was showing, I asked the sole consumer of the jar (my boyfriend) what he was in the mood for. He challenged me to make the least extra chocolate chip cookies…in his words:

“something like what my grandma would make”.

Considering I love being the most extra, especially when it comes to food, I decided to be extra about the assignment rather than the recipe itself. I tested a variety of ways to make said cookies and came up with this very version.

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, I’m a believer that there is no real “best” recipe. People value different types of CCC - texture, level of sweetness, type of chocolate, saltiness, taste, yada, yada - so rather than slapping a “best” label in front of this recipe, we’re merely stating that this cookie is crispy on the outside, chewy in the center, sweet enough, and nothing. too. fancy.

Also, no need to refrigerate for 48 hours. That’s just not something grandma would do, capeesh? So if you like all of those things, this is the recipe for you :)

Recipe:

Makes 12 cookies (this does take into account the dough you’ll probably eat)

1 cup (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned*
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract or paste
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 3/4 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brown butter and both sugars. Once combined, add eggs and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is glossy
To the sugar/butter mixture add flour, salt, and baking powder and stir until a dough forms. Once the batter is mostly combined, stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, or until the batter cools down slightly
Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Shape out 2-inch rounds of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave enough space in between rounds of dough (1 baking sheet should fit 6 rounds of dough at a time)
Bake for 13-14 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden

* if you’re wondering what brown butter is, here ya go: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_brown_butter/

Something I learned:

You don’t need to helicopter-parent your sourdough starter.

6 months ago, when I first acquired my starter, I fed it around 5 times a week, I checked on it daily, and I was precise with all of my measurements.

2 months ago, I realized it’s not that big of a deal (after reading up on it online), I stuck it in the back of the fridge and I left it there to rest.

This week, after allowing my starter to mature on its own, with limited supervision, I fed it once and the very next day, I used it to make sourdough focaccia. And it worked just fine.

The moral of the story is your sourdough starter is strong and independent. Don’t baby it.

Something I ate at a restaurant:

If you’re ever in Sacramento and craving Indian, check out Bombay Bar & Grill. Their Garlic Butter Naan is divine.

Something I tried (with a rating):

I went to Costco (shocker!) earlier this week and they were giving free samples of Tru Fru’s “ruby” (white) chocolate-covered strawberries and I did not return for seconds. Honestly, in addition to not being the biggest white chocolate stan, I’m not much of an eating-frozen-strawberries-outside-of-smoothies type of person. I can’t really get over how frozen strawberries feel on your teeth when you bite down (*wincing while thinking about it*)

I am a fan, however, of how they were able to make red-white chocolate sound good by calling it “ruby” cacao.

It was obviously not terrible because it’s a fruit covered in white chocolate (what’s not to like?), but like, would I ever buy it? Nahhhhhhh.

I give them a 5.8/10.