Nature Versus Nurture

There's a story behind this photo:

Normally the chalk portraits are Alexis' idea. She comes up with the ideas, she sketches them, and I make them come to life in our driveway with a little help from her. This one, however, was all me.

Go ahead. Tell me I'm twisted. I already know.

When I pitched the idea to Alexis, she was vehemently opposed to it. "But, momma! That's not nice!" she said.

Twisted obviously is not genetic. No worries, I can teach that. Just give me time.

"Momma, the Easter Bunny will find out and he'll be mad. I can't make him mad," she continued.

We chatted for a bit and a bribe or two later, Alexis was perfectly posed in the driveway. Is it wrong to know exactly which buttons to push when you want your kid to do something? Wait. Don't answer that. Unless the answer is IT'S SO WRONG IT'S RIGHT. Regardless, Alexis decided to play along.

(Lest you think it's unfair of me to bribe her into something, please know that I attempted to bribe her to touch a person in an Easter Bunny costume on Saturday. My offer was $5. All she had to do was run up, poke the bunny, and run away. She got within 20 feet of the bunny and bailed. So, I can try to bribe her, but she really does have a mind of her own. I totally respect that.)

(Wait. I just dug myself a deeper hole, didn't I? WHOOPS.)

(Bribes are fun!)

(Why the heck is the kid so scared of the Easter Bunny? IT'S SO WEIRD.)

So Alexis posed perfectly for that photo and waited patiently as I snapped a few photos. As I climbed down from the ladder, she stood up. A determined look crossed her face as she began to walk over to the bunny's face. She stared intently at his wonky eyes for a moment and then ...  BAM! BAM! BAM!

Alexis kicked the chalk bunny in the face. Repeatedly. With a giant grin on her face.

Maybe twisted is genetic after all.

Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies

One day WAY back when I first moved to Pittsburgh, I was headed to Starlake for a concert and found myself stuck in horrendous traffic. I have the patience of a gnat, so I took the first possible exit and attempted to wind my way around and through and back again. It was during that detour that I first set eyes on the place.

Andy's Candies.

It's a hole in the wall in the absolute middle of nowhere (near Burgettstown, if you prefer that "nowhere" has a name). The signs in the window proclaimed that they had ice cream, so I stopped. Why, yes, I should have a bumper sticker that says "Will brake for ice cream." So what?

Anyway.

Skip the ice cream. Andy's sells some brand that is easy to come by. What I ended up discovering that was worth talking about ten years later was chocolate that is, in my opinion, some of the very best chocolate that money can buy. I bought a chocolate-covered marshmallow, some chocolate-covered pretzels, and I ventured away from my normal. I bought chocolate-covered potato chips.

If you've never had them, GO FIND SOME. Go to Andy's, make them yourself, whatever. Just try it. Salty with sweet is the bestest thing EVER. PERIOD. END OF STORY. AMEN.

Alexis is familiar with the majesty that is chocolate-covered potato chips, and she is a HUGE fan. She's a salty kind of girl, so it makes sense that her sweet tastes need a little salt added. One day we were talking about how she wanted some chocolate-covered potato chips and one thing led to another and before I knew it, this happened.

 

Potato chips. In chocolate chip cookies. YES, I DID.

It was a genius idea.

These are a nice crispy cookie that has hints of salty mixed in with the sweet. Alexis LOVED them. A lot. I think they might be her most favorite cookie I've ever made, actually.

Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies (Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup crushed potato chips
1 bag milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla, and egg using a mixer at low speed.

4. Gradually add the flour.

5. Stir in the potato chips crumbs and chocolate chips.

6. Roll dough into 1" balls and place on cookie sheets. Press flat with the palm of your hand.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes. The cookies are done when they are lightly browned on the bottom.

8. Allow to cool on the cookie tray for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

So Long, Easter Bunny