30 Things Before I Turn 30

This summer I'll be crossing the threshold into the wonderful land of my 30's (being optimistic here).
It's definitely a milestone. I'm not particularly dreading or fond of the idea of turning 30. Kinda seems like just another year passing so I tried to come up with some sort of list of things I would like to do before I turn 30. Unfortunately the only things I could come up with that wouldn't require a substantial amount of money (for places I'd love to visit and whatnot) were things I have yet to try to make myself.
So I guess that's what I'll do. I've started a list of the things I have yet to try to make myself or things I made a long long time ago that I'd like to give another go. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them!

1. Bagels
2. Sally Lunn bread
3. Butter
4. Pineapple pie
5. Naan bread
6. Tortilla soup
7. Barbecue sauce
8. Strawberry strawberry cheesecake
9. Chocolate chip baked donuts
10. Smothered chicken and biscuits
11. Olive bread (mostly for Phil since I'm not a huge green olive fan)
12. Boston Cream Pie
13. Sweet potato biscuits
14. Bread pudding
15. Tres leches cake
16. Spritz cookies (I have never been able to get these to work properly)
17. Eskai's recipe for vanilla ice cream
18. Paella
19. Chicken and dumplings completely from scratch
20. Caramels
21. Double Fudge Oreo Cookies
22. Rum cake
23. Marshmallows
24. Hmmm... I'll have to add to this as I think of things...
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

Bakespace Contest #2

Bakespace is a new site to me that I've gotten all sorts of ideas from already! I decided to take on a challenge they recently posted...

The mission: Recreate a dish from one of your favorite movies, or a movie you didn’t particularly care for, but still liked the food.


So here's my movie: Stranger Than FictionHere's the clip for the movie:

And here is my recreation: Easy enough. Beautiful chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk made especially for the love of my life.
Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

I'm always looking for an excuse to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. This one was probably the closest to my perfect one I've tried! I love this movie. This scene rings so clearly with me and why I love to bake so much. I'm the girl who spends time baking and looking up recipes when I should be working or studying. Change the world with cookies. I can do that!