So today marks my fourth day post wisdom teeth extraction. I had all four removed at once. I was also wide awake (crazy I know), so if you're squeamish with the thought of hearing your own tooth crack, I would recommend being fast asleep and having them surgically removed instead. Honestly, for me, it got worse as the days passed by. I was in SO much pain the past two days that I began to question whether my medication was strong enough because my face was constantly throbbing. My medicine also knocks me right out so even if I try to fight it, my eyes just automatically shuts... pretty much throughout the entire day. Also, my gums are still swollen and me cheeks are still HUGE, like a chipmunk, so my parents are having a blast taking pictures of me whenever they can. I still can't eat anything solid but thank goodness for ICE CREAM, right?! and Jello. Thinking about getting your wisdom teeth out? Don't do it.
A Basketball-Filled Weekend
So this past weekend, I took the bus to NY and spent the weekend over there. One of Kyle's Christmas gifts for me were tickets to the Lakers vs. Nets Basketball game this past Sunday. I was SO excited for that! However, at the time when he bought the tickets, Kobe (my all-time favorite player) was not injured... and now he is so I didn't even get to watch him play. Ugh, it was such a heartbreaker not even seeing him in the stadium. Anyway, it's cutting down to the end of March Madness so we also watched the NCAA games on Friday and on Saturday.
Once in a while Kyle and I try to eat someplace new and we LOVE to use Foursquare to check out the cool places to eat/do nearby. The stand-out food I ate this past weekend was on Friday at this BBQ joint in the city called Mighty Quinn's BBQ. They had the most amazing beef brisket sandwich I've ever had. Check out my tip HERE, and if you're ever pass by, be sure to give it a try!! YUM!
Kyle and I also tried being news anchors for a day... and it didn't turn out so well. We'd be horrible on TV but check out this quick video we made.
Homemade Milano Cookies
IT'S FRIDAY! That means I made it through the week and therefore I deserve a treat... right? Sure. ;) Anyway, I remember always eating Milanos when I was younger and the other day I was really craving some of these cookies! Everything is better homemade so I decided to try to make them at home. I used a slightly adapted recipe from here. I'm a little more into savory foods than sweet so I left a few cookies without the chocolate. You'll have to give it a try and see for yourself!
Yields: Approximately 3 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz of your favorite chocolate (I used 3 oz dark & 3oz milk)
- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 sticks of salted butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 whole egg (room temperature)
- 1 egg white (room temperature)
PROCEDURE
- Preheat your oven to 325° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed until a creamy consistency. Incorporate each egg and vanilla extract one at a time and leave on high speed until it becomes light and fluffy. Remove from the stand and fold in flour slowly until just incorporated.
- Cut an inch off the end of a ziplock bag and place the batter inside. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet, measuring 2 inches long. Bake in the oven for about 14-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown. Transfer onto cooling racks and repeat for the rest of the batter. Make sure to let the cookies cool completely before adding the chocolate.
- Separate the cookies into pairs of similar sizes and begin making your filling. In a double boiler, melt your desired chocolate (this is where you can add lemon zest, orange zest or mint extract). Let the chocolate sit and cool for 15 minutes before you begin making your cookies. Spoon onto one side of the cookie pair and place the other one on top. Repeat with the remaining cookies, let the chocolate set, and enjoy!
TIPS
- If you forget to soften your butter ahead of time, you can cut the butter into cubes and have it sit on your countertop next to your preheated oven - it'll soften much quicker
- If you only have unsalted butter, just add one teaspoon of salt
- You can add orange zest, lemon zest, or mint extract to the filing for different flavors
