Week In Review...Favorite Cookie Recipe!

Hi Y'all,
I hope all of you have had a good week. Mine has been kind of depressing because of the weather...I hate winter! The older I get, the harder winter gets for me. I hate January and it is really taking a toll on me this year. Usually, I am OK if the sun is shining, but not so much anymore. I guess my old bones need to feel the warmth! When I was flying, it was not such a big deal because I would pick up a trip to the Caribbean every couple of weeks and it would pull me through until my next trip to some place warm. However, this year has been really tough. Even though my birthday is in January, I am hating this cold and dreary month. Every year I hate January and February, more and more. What about you? Do you get seasonal depression? I really need to sink my toes into the sand about now! I can feel the warm breeze blowing my hair as I lift my cold drink to my lips. Oh, I am sorry! Back to reality!

Anyway, I have had a long week. My sweetie was out of town for the beginning of the week, but thankfully, he returned home last night. He is usually gone from Monday to Friday when he travels, so I am glad he is home early this week. I just hope it warms up a bit for the weekend. We do not have any plans as of now, but if the weather is nice, a trip to the park makes all the difference!

I know some of you have been checking in regularly and have even sent me emails asking about my next post. I felt bad, so I wanted to let you know why I have not posted this week. Well, to be quite honest...the Obambi inauguration, in addition to the January weather, has thrown me off track too. Not so much because he is our President, but because I am sad to see President Bush leave. I know so many people hate him and have been so disrespectful to him, but he has kept us safe since September 11, 2001. I don't know about you, but I personally felt safer at the beginning of the week than I do today. All I can tell you...well, as a flight attendant who was flying on September 11, 2001, my daughter didn't know if I was dead or alive that entire day. She was in 6th grade and spent the entire day wondering if her Mommy was OK. Can you imagine the terror and horror that those events of that day inflicted upon her life? To this day, she remembers vividly! I can't even imagine myself! Thankfully, I was safe, but I will never forget her anguish. No person, child or adult, should ever be subjected to that terror and horror...and her Mommy was alive and fine. Her Mommy finally came home a week later (I couldn't get back into the country). Can you imagine the families that experienced the same terror and horror, yet their loved one never came home? It breaks my heart to this day.

So, when people want to bash President Bush and talk trash about him...take it somewhere else. I don't want to hear the vile come from those that have no respect for him. I am sorry, but I have every right to feel that way and say those words! I am thankful that President Bush kept my family safe all these years and I am grateful that we had such a kind and descent human being as our President. I truly believe in my heart that he loves this country and always did what he thought was best for her. If you disagree, I respect your right to disagree. But don't bash me for respecting my President. As a matter of fact, we should all respect our President...whether or not we agree or disagree, that is the southern way...be respectful! That should be the way of every US citizen. We should all respect our President. That is just the way it should be! You may not agree with every position the President takes, but every US citizen should respect him. After all, I believe in treating others the way you want to be treated.

Enough said there! That should have been placed on my other blog! Haha! I just wanted to let you know I am alive and well. On another note, I have received some very exciting news that I will be sharing soon enough. No, it is not about me! I will spill the beans soon! Promise!

In the meantime, I wanted to leave you with a favorite cookie recipe that we love in our house. When the Princess was cheering at LHS, I made about 6-8 dozen cookies every Friday for her squad. I made an assortment of cookies for them, but the cookies that were always eaten first and disappeared the fastest, were the Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies by Paula Deen. They are like little mini chocolate cakes! Ooh La La! Can you think of anything better? I can't unless it is a bathtub of chocolate at my disposal...with a little hazelnut...OK, Nutella it is!

So anyway, everyone in my entire family loves these cookies! When the Princess went back to school earlier in the month, I made her a bunch of them to take back and share with her roomies. I hope she shared with them! She has been taught to share! We made them at Christmas too...among many other occasions! If you ever need a cookie that everyone will love, these are the cookies! If they don't like them, send them to our house! I hope you and your family enjoy them like we do! I keep a frozen batch of dough in the refrigerator at all times now!

OK y'all...I will be back over the weekend. Let us pray for warm weather. Thanks for checking in with me! I hope you are all well and good!

Nite!

Southern Belle


CHOCOLATE GOOEY BUTTER COOKIES
Ingredients

* 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 stick butter, at room temperature
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.