Mindful Monday: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Mindful Monday: On Monday's I'm going to share what's been on my mind. I by no means have any of this figured out, I'm just thinking out loud here.

Over the past month I've had two opportunities to serve meals to others less fortunate than myself.  One meal consisted of leftover food donated by local grocery stores and restaurants and was available to anyone who wanted a free meal.  The other meal was for families staying  at the Ronald McDonald House and consisted of food made by volunteers.  I signed up to bring desserts, then hemmed and hawed over which recipe to make.  I have so many recipes to try I wasn't sure where to start.  It couldn't be too weird, like the recipes I often try here.  But, I also didn't want it to be plain and boring.  If I have the opportunity to bake, I might as well learn something along the way.

My brain was going far too many directions when I realized the irony of the situation. Once again, I was lost in the details and missing the big picture.  I was worried over what to make instead of being thankful for the ability and supplies needed to bake in the first place.  I had hundreds of choices and possibilities, while the people I was preparing the food for had neither the resources nor health to do so.  How could I be so ungrateful, so wrapped up in my own little world?

In my indecision I ended up making 3 different things.  Two of the desserts were chocolate chip cookie recipes I've had my eye on.  I've realized the recipe I used growing up is a little lacking and set out on a quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The first recipe resulted in flat, slightly greasy cookies.  The second recipe brought my search to a screeching halt.  Seriously, you have to try these cookies over at Espresso and Cream.  I think the key here is whipping the butter before creaming in the sugars.  I was a little wary of the amount of chocolate chips but went with it anyway.  Yes, it seems like way too much chocolate (is that even possible?), but it totally works.

These cookies were so incredible I found myself feeling sick from too much 'taste testing'.  I was frustrated with myself for eating so many cookies and once again realized I needed to shift my perspective.  I was bringing these cookies to families of sick children.  Feeling sick from too many cookies is nothing in comparison to being sick from chemo.  I bet some of those kids would give anything to feel well enough to eat a cookie, let alone make and compare various recipes.  Once again, I find myself blessed beyond measure.

Food for Thought: "In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life can not be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer