ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

today was it. as far as fall days in southern california go, you know? no changing leaves to play in, or 35 degree weather to brave. but for me, and what i'm used to here in san diego, it was perfect. by 10am i was out of the house on time , to run errands: the bank: to withdraw our weekly cash allotment. walmart : paper plates, party decor, halloween candy, cute little pumpkin candy bucket for my little trick-or-treater. [she was sort of excited about that, can you tell?] trader joes: groceries then home: mac & cheese for R, and turkey chili for me then i finished up this wreath for a birthday gift. i love it and secretly wish i could keep it. luckily i know the gal who makes them so i could probably convince her to make another one ;) then it was nap time. and i worked [my "real job", which is tech support via email and online chat] . while making this: and this is where it got real, you guys. an already good, pro...

my mother-in-law is probably the best cook [and baker] that i know. we lived with my in-laws for 9 months, so i benefited from her talents for awhile [no, i didn't cook one dinner those entire 9 months!] i took notes, though, and left with lots of wonderful tips and yummy recipes to add to my collection. by far thee best thing i learned: how to make her signature chocolate chip cookies . these took her about 15 years to perfect, and you'll see the secrets that make them so incredible. [she won't mind that i'm sharing with you :) she's the sweetest person on the face of the earth and loves nothing more than sharing her wisdom] forgive me, because i don't have photos of every single part of the process [and they're taken at night so they're not the greatest quality].  alright, enough excuses... here's what you need: preheat your oven to 375 degrees 1 & 1/4 cups light brown sugar. packed 3/4 cup  butter flavored crisco [this isn't pictured, bu...