FREEDOM!

We are officially minivan-ers!

Robert swore that he would never own a minivan--that's why this is in my name. :) We got more back in our taxes this year than expected, so we decided we would get either a van for me and the kids or a commuter car for Robert. After much searching, disappointment, and two very long, tiring days of driving around Mesa/Phoenix looking at cars with no great prospects, we found this through a private owner on Craigs List. It's a 2000 Honda Odyssey and has all the features we were looking for. The back seat folds into the floor, so that means when it's up there's a whole bunch of extra storage in the back. It has the two chairs in the middle rather than a bench, which we wanted to keep Craig away from Ethan :). As a bonus, it has a new DVD player that the guy who sold it to us installed just to make it sell faster. The guy also replaced a bunch of stuff like the brakes, tires, even the transmission is new! And, since he was wanting to get rid of it so quickly, we got a screaming deal on it. It's emaculate, too. Everything inside and out is clean and intact. We got REALLY lucky on this. I love it and I love the freedom!

Funny thing: when we were looking at dealerships, we went to a lot of the little hispanic used card dealers in downtown Phoenix. I used the bathroom in one and it had a list rules (all in Spanish) to the employees. I read very little Spanish, but I got the message in #4 loud and clear. Basically, it said, "If you have to go 'el mejor 2' go to the McDonalds down the street." I thought that was hilarious! Needless to say, we didn't go to that McDonalds for lunch.

Updates

Here are a few things we've been up to lately:

Robert bought a little plastic remote control helicopter and now we can't keep Craig away from it unless we hide it. (This picture was taken right after dinner and his shirt was particularly messy, so I just took it off.) As soon as Robert showed Craig how to work the controls, he was off and flying. He does better with than me, for the most part. It's starting to fly a little sideways, though, because Craig likes to watch it ram into the walls. He is such a little techie. With language skills, he's still working on pronunciation and using two and three words together, but give him something electronic and he'll figure it out in no time.

Bumbo seat...booster seat. It's all the same.

We've lived here for almost 9 months and finally hung curtains on Monday. I've actually never hung curtains before since most places we've lived have either already had them or we didn't really need them. It's just so darn sunny here all the time, we need a break from it once in a while...:) I really like the way they add so much warmth to the room.

And here's Craig, throwing a fit since I won't let him play with the camera. What'd I tell ya? Mister Techie.

And finally, I made these cookies on Sunday. They're SOOOO good and really easy. Here's the link for the recipe: Chocolate-Marshmallow Pillows.

I also made this soup last night for dinner. Robert and I both thought it was blog-worthy: Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

Cheesecake, blue aliens, and a light sleeper

Since Robert usually works on holidays (especially Valentine's Day) we've gotten in the habit of going out on a day other than the actual holiday. So on Tuesday night we went out on our first date (all by ourselves) in over 7 months for Valentine's Day. I've been wanting to go to the Cheescake Factory for a while, so we went there for dinner. I've never been there and it was awesome! I would highly recommend it. Robert was even impressed, which is hard to do. Then we went and saw Avatar, which was an awesome movie. It was a great night altogether. Our neighbor babysat for us and everything went smoothly until 10:30 when Ethan woke up and she couldn't get him to go back to sleep. They were both up when we got home at midnight and she had to go to work the next morning! We felt really bad. Ethan normally doesn't wake up until around 2 or 3 in the morning, so she just happened to get him on a bad night. The next day we offered to watch her son in the afternoon so she could take a nap. All in all, it was a lot of fun and I can't wait until our anniversary next month when we get to go out again!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle (this is what I had...well this and dinner, which was good, but not picture worthy)



Great movie! I think this is blu-ray worthy--no pun intended.

You wouldn't mind losing sleep over this, would you? :)

Blessing Day (Finally)

Today we (finally) blessed Ethan!

Ever since we moved to Mesa Robert's had to work most Sunday's. Therefore, we haven't been able to bless Ethan. Here, they pretty much only do blessings on Fast Sunday and Robert's had to work every Fast Sunday since Ethan's been born. The only other Sunday's Robert had off were in December when we were coming back from California and then one week when we were all sick. The other times he's been at church there's been one reason or another why we couldn't do it that week. So, we finally did it. Poor Ethan...it was right during his nap time and he wanted to be good, but he did whimper and squirm a tiny bit during it. But he's now officially a child-of-record in the church. :)

I was surprised that he still fit into the blessing outfit. This is the one Craig wore and it's a size 0-3 month! (Ethan is 5 months already--crazy.)

Things I love about Robert

We think the same things are funny.

Craig lights up when Robert comes home.

He tries hard to pay as much attention to Ethan as Craig (it's hard when your almost-2-year-old demands so much attention and your 5 month old is so mellow).

He is extremely talented in his craft...and I wish I could somehow make his employers see that.

Because of the previous statement, I have learned SO much about cooking/baking and have gained a greater appreciation for it.

He's developed great patience in many ways, and I don't think he knows it.

Our time together can be just as fun and meaningful if we go to the store as a family or on date (but dates are still nice).

I've had many people tell me throughout the years, "Your husband loves you so much...he's always talking about you."

He really likes having people over for dinner, dessert, games, or just to get to know them better.

He's always thinking of ways to do something nice for someone or helping someone who needs it.

I can tell he's always thinking of ways to make things better and more comfortable for us.

He is ambitious. Very ambitious.

He's quite a skilled handyman. He's always surprising me with his ability to do random household things.

He really wants to be a great husband and father.

He doesn't know it, but he already is a great husband and father.

O Canadians

Now that Vancouver will be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, these are some questions people from all over the world are asking.

Believe it or not these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website.

Obviously the answers are a joke; but the questions were really asked!

Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? ( England )
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? ( USA )
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto - can I follow the Railroad tracks? ( Sweden )
A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada ? ( Sweden )
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada ? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto , Vancouver , Edmonton and Halifax ? (England )
A: No, but you'd better bring a few extra furs for trading purposes.

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada ? (USA )
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe Ca-na-da is that big country to your North...oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary

Q: Which direction is North in Canada ? ( USA )
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada ? ( England )
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )
A: Aus-t ri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary , straight after the hippo races.

Q: Do you have perfume in Canada ? ( Germany )
A: No, WE don't stink.


Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Where can I sell it in Canada ? ( USA )
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada ? ( USA )
A: Only at Thanksgiving.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada , but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. ( USA )
A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.


Why do the Americans have to be the REALLY stupid ones? Sigh.

Watch this with your spouse

I had to post this. It's called "Tale of Two Brains."




There's also a 10 minute extended version on YouTube, if you're interested.

Another baked item that I probably shouldn't have made, but am really glad I did

Maple Pecan Scones

Again, these are from the Pioneer Woman. I love her recipes because they always turn out just they way she said. Usually, the only variations I make are for personal preference or because I wasn't prepared and had to make substitutions. I would recommend these. The maple icing is awesome and the sweet, nutty flavor of the pecans in the scone is a perfect match. Try 'em. Since these are from her cookbook and I can't seem to find them on her website, I'll type the recipe here for you. You're welcome. :)

Scones:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
5 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 pound butter, chilled
1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine
1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream

Icing:
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
4 Tbps. butter, melted
Dash of salt
2 tsp. maple flavoring or extract

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cold butter into the flour mix until it resembles crumbs. Add the chopped pecans and stir. Mix the egg and cream in a separate bowl and add to the flour/butter mix. Stir until just combined. turn onto a lightly floured surface. The dough will be very crumbly. Just press it together with your hands into a pile on the counter. Don't knead or press too much, though. Very gently roll out the dough into a 10-inch round about 3/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut into eight equal-sized wedges. Transfer to a baking sheet either lined with a silpat (or a silicone baking mat) or spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Bake scones for about 22-26 minutes until they barely begin to brown. Do not allow the edges to become dark. Allow them cool completely before icing. For icing, mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour generously over scones. Allow to set before serving.

Love You Forever

For the past three nights, Craig has been wanting me to read this book to him for his bedtime story. The first night, I couldn't get past the the first page without breaking down. The rest of the book I sounded like I was talking through a mouthful of cotton balls. The next night, I lasted until the boy begins to grow into a teenager (my boys are never going to grow up, I've decided). Then last night I was doing pretty good and thought I was home free, until the page where the boy is all grown up and holds him mom in the rocking chair and says:

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My mommy you'll be."

I can't even type it without getting blurry eyed!

I love being the mommy of two little boys.

Especially these two little boys.

Things I love about Ethan

He is so smiley and happy, even when he's fighting off sleep.

He is a great sleeper (after a lot of work, but not as much as I thought it would take).

He's very low maintenance. He's content to just be near me when I have an hour's worth of homework to do.

He has the greatest little belly laugh, which he reserves for only the extremely funny things, like tickling him in the "tickle spot of the day"--it varies.

He can be occupied for a long time just observing Craig and the world around him.

He is so cuddly.

He's always surprising me by doing something new, like falling back asleep in the mornings after I feed him and I think he's totally awake. Then I can get Craig set up with his breakfast and go back to sleep myself.

Because of his constant state of contentment, I can easily take him with me to primary if Robert has to work. Then the only distraction are the little 8 year old girls who seem to be hard wired to ignore everything else when a baby enters the room.

Since about 6 weeks old, he's had an amazing ability to simply close his eyes and drift off to sleep on his own. I've never known babies so young could do that. It's the staying asleep part we had to work on.

My evenings have opened up a lot sooner than I expected because of that ability to fall asleep on his own. (Temple, movies, dinner, we can do anything!)

Now that he no longer needs to be swaddled, he very resourcefully found another use for his blanket:

Totally Team Jay

If you haven't heard, NBC has decided to put Jay Leno back at 11:30 on the Tonight Show and Conan O'Brien is leaving NBC with currently no potential job in the future and a fat severance that he should be able to live off of for 30 life times. I'm not worried about him and his family (as Jimmy Kimmel implied we should be when he said to Jay last week on Jay's "10 at 10" segment, "Conan and I have families! Leave our jobs alone! You just have cars!" Also in bad taste, though, because we don't know why Jay and his wife of 30 years never had any kids...maybe they can't and it's a sore spot. Bad form, Jimmy, bad form).

I wanted to post this and state my opinion (not that any of you care). I like Jay Leno. Conan is funny, too, but he's more modern and more crude. Jay will have some jokes about inappropriate topics, too, sometimes, but he does it in more of a "Pillow Talk" kind of way. You know...like back in the 50's and 60's when people joked about uncomfortable subjects and sort of beat around the bush a little. ("Pillow Talk" was a Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie in case you didn't know.) A lot of people out there are pushing for Conan, but I've been watching Jay's primetime show (one of the few, apparently) and I really liked it. I'm glad he's staying on the air. I will be sure to DVR the Tonight Show, and I never did that before.

I also think people need to remember that Jay and Conan had very little to do with much of these decisions. It wasn't Jay's idea to take the Tonight Show over again. Of course, it's a job and he did it for 17 years and he loved it, so now that they're offering it back, it would be hard to say no. Especially if Conan is willing to settle. Everyone talks about how bad Jay's ratings were, but Conan's weren't much better.

I'm just here standing up for Jay, who I feel is an honest, hard working, down-to-earth guy taking a lot of flack in a very dignified way...who just happens to have a garage the size of an airplane hangar full of multi-million dollar antique cars. But can you blame him?

Things I love about Craig

Things I love about Craig:

When we pray, he folds him arms. Then, when he sees a toy near him during the prayer, he'll struggle to keep his arms folded as he reaches his fingers out to pick up the toy.

As I close his bedroom door at night, sometimes I hear a quite little "Bye."

I just figured out that when he's saying, "doom doom," he's trying to say, "vacuum."

Before he called me Mommy, he called me Sherry. (At least, he pronounced the vowels--like "Yeah-ie".)

Even when he's mad, he'll stop his tantrum if I ask him to give me hugs and kisses. And then he starts up again (but that I don't love).

He loves to sleep with the baby quilt I made my freshman year at college in my creative stitchery class. That was 10 years ago and I didn't know why at the time, but I made it blue for a boy.

I love picking him up from the nursery on Sundays. He's just SO excited and happy to see me--he makes all the nursery workers laugh.

He's so expressive.

He picked up on saying "Thank you" just by hearing us say it to him when he does something we ask him to do. Now he says it when another kid hands him a toy.

When I count, "ooooone," he very clearly says, "twooooo."

He can spot a battery or electrically operated object from across a crowded room.

He fell asleep in his high chair today while eating a corn dog.


Stay tuned: Ethan is coming next!

The Man

I've been wanting to blog about this, but I haven't been able to find the original article online, so I'll have to paraphrase. I was reading the back-cover story of last month's Parents magazine and thought this story was hilarious. Of course, the way the author puts things makes it that much better, but I hope I can convey it somewhat properly. Here goes.

A woman who has two young children wrote this story about her guilty indulgence while grocery shopping with the kids. They notoriously brought out their worst behavior in public and when bribes of candy and trips to McDonald's didn't work, she'd threaten them by saying, "If you don't stop, The Man will come." At first, this worked. They thought The Man would be the store manager or police officer and they'd be thrown out of the store or pulled over and given a ticket. After a while, though, they got wise and realized that The Man didn't exist. One day while grocery shopping, they were particularly nasty and, at her wits end, the mom pulled the cart over, put on her sunglasses, and began to cry! Right then, a handsome, muscular, good looking man walked over and knelt down to face her kids. He said something like, "I know your mom asked you to be good, but I don't think you're being as good as you can be. We don't act like this at the grocery store. Can you be quiet and do as she asks?" The kids, with mouths gaping and eyes wide, nodded their heads. The mom said she could see their thoughts: It's The Man! He DOES exist! Which is what the mom was thinking to herself, too. The stranger stood up, nodded to the mom, she mouthed a Thank You and he left. Then she looked at her kids and said, "See? I told you." The kids were angels the rest of the shopping trip. And any other time she threatened that he'd come back.

I just thought this was hilarious and a good example of someone who was in the right place, at the right time, and did the right thing. Too often people have poor judgment and step in when they're not needed and not welcomed, and they are often not as nice and appropriate as this man was. It helped, though, that there was that history of the mom's previous threats of the mythological "Man". I guess he was lucky he picked this woman and her kids to do this with, and not someone who'd just get angry and pushy with him. I wonder what I would feel like in this situation?

What do you guys think? How would you feel if you were this mom?

Marmalade Muffins

Pioneer Woman's Orange Marmalade Muffins...check.

Just so you know, I wouldn't blog about them if they weren't totally awesome in every way.

Update

I still haven't found out who left the stuff at my back gate the other day, but upon perusal, I think it's pretty obvious that someone was dropping stuff off at a friend's house to be used in a garage sale or to be taken to a thrift store and they just got the wrong house. Here is the inventory:

*Wide variety of new-with-tags or slightly used women's clothing (tops, pants, skirts, shorts--some REALLY cute stuff, too, dang it)
*One Denny's uniform shirt, seemingly never worn (great Halloween costume!)
*Various bras and thong underwear
*One teeny bikini (hopefully not from a member of the ward)
*Three "how-to" party books: How to have a Mexican Fiesta, How to play Poker, and How to mix the perfect Martini (I REALLY hope not from a member)
*About 8 gift card boxes
*One child fingerprinting kit
*10 decorative mirrors with matching individual bags
*Plum eyeliner with sharpener in packaging
*A variety of sticky note pads
*A small package of bath salts
*Two miniature frames
*About 6 leatherette book marks that read "remember" and "inspiration"
*One mysterious gift card to a local home furnishings store called Razmataz (I have to take it into the store to find out how much is on it, if anything)

I've decided that since it seems that these things weren't meant for anyone in particular no one's come to reclaim the stuff yet, I'm going to call one more friend to go through the clothes and stuff and let her take what she wants and donate the rest to DI. My only dilemma is what if the gift card is worth a significant amount of money? I think that was possibly in there and the donater didn't know it. It doesn't have an expiration date, but I think it's about 4 years old because of a date that was on a flier for the store that was also in the box. I guess we'll have to see. I hope to get down to the store tomorrow to see how much is on it. I'll let you know if I find out anything more.

Weight Watchers

I've been concerned about my weight lately and have been working on it. I walk or jog (depending on if I have kids with me or not) 1-2 miles a day most days and I've been eating healthier. That's pretty much all I can do while breastfeeding.

When I pulled up to our back gate last night after running some errands, I saw this:


...an anonymous bag of womens clothes, a small box with some clothes, and a dusty old VCR on top (not the kid). My first thought was, "Oh! Someone thought I might need some post-pregnancy clothes!" However, when I looked at the sizes, they were all 8 to 10 and mediums. Then I hopefully thought, "Did someone leave these, thinking I would actually fit into them?" The next thought, and the most liekly was, "These just must have been left at the wrong door."

My final thought the flitted through the back of my mind was this: "Maybe someone is trying to give me a subtle hint. Maybe there's someone out there who thinks if they give me all these cute, stylish clothes in my pre-pre-pregnancy sizes, it will motivate me more." Kind of like Tea Leoni did to her daughter in Spanglish. My fleeting inner-reaction was kind of like the daughter's outward one in the movie. But I pushed that aside, being the least likely explanation.

I called a thin neighbor friend of mine to see if she wanted to come rifle through the clothes before I donated the rest to DI. As I picked up the VCR, I wondered if there was a tape inside. And yes there was. My "fleeting final, least-likely" thought came rushing to the forefront when I plugged it in, pushed the eject button, and this popped out:

(Sigh)

Tonte Verde (doesn't that translate to "green stupid"?)

Ever since the week of Christmas, Robert has been working at a private golf club called Tonto Verde. I actually found the job for him on Craigslist in November sometime when Sbarro's decided to NOT make him a manager and to NOT pay him more than $10 an hour, despite the fact that they promised that when he was hired. I actually replied to the ad for him and told him about it later as a side note. I didn't think anything would come of it. Out of the (literally) hundreds of jobs we replied to since he started looking in June, he's gotten about a dozen return calls and maybe about 5 interviews. In the last 6 months. We didn't expect to hear anything, but we did! In November, Robert interviewed for it and was told that they had been closed for a year doing some major renovations and were going to start training in December sometime but he wasn't given a start date. We thought to ourselves, "Well, it's nice to think there's a possibility out there. We'll see." Needless to say, we were skeptical.

He kept getting emails from the the Executive Chef, Mark, and finally got a start date. So, Robert put in his notice at the catering company. He began working a position called Chef de Parte, which basically means the stocks/soups guy. Kind of mid-level kitchen management. The pay is way better than he was getting before and there are benefits! He really likes Chef Mark and the Executive Sous Chef, Chef Gavino, but there was this one guy, Chef Mike, who was the third upper-management chef, the morning Sous Chef, who was nice but kind of a putz.

Robert worked his rear off during the training and when they found out he can carve fruits and vegetables, they asked him to oversee and create the entire "cold" display--fruits, vegetables, deli meats, cheese and crackers, antipasto, etc.--for the grand opening last Saturday. I mentioned it the other day when I said he had taken the camera for his "career-altering" display. Well, it did. Alter his career, I mean.

He did such an awesome job that Chef Mark asked him to step up as the morning Sous Chef and Chef Mike was demoted (too bad). This means a huge change in his leadership responsiblities, a better title (great for resumes), $2 per hour raise, and just the feel-good feeling of finally being appreciated and recognized. He'll be supervising the entire kitchen for the morning shifts. The Sous Chef pretty much works as the Executive Chef when he's not there. He's THE guy in charge. They even have to call him Chef Robert. :)

So, congratlautions Robert!

Here are some pictures from the fruit he carved the other night.

By the way...

That lasagna recipe is REALLY good. Just wanted to let you know.

Three Recipe Reviews

I was hoping to take some pictures of my own of these things, but when I went to get the camera yesterday, it was gone. I realized that Robert took it to work with him to take pictures of the big, possibly career-changing fruit display he is building for an event at the golf course tonight. But that's another story. As a result, I am having to use the pictures from The Pioneer Woman website, since these are all her recipes anyway.

First, we have Iny's Prune Cake. Pioneer Woman talks this up, and she ain't kiddin'. It is truly, very delicious, and it must be served warm. I reheat my pieces whenever I have one. At first, I didn't even think about the prune-elimination connection until Robert made a comment and now, two days later, one thought has crossed my mind several times. Where was this cake during my last trimesters and the first three months after delivery!? If that's TMI, then I'm sorry, but I thought it was worth putting it in there for all you mothers out there still in your child-bearing years. This cake is probably the most delicious medicine, or cure, for any of those pesky problems. Okay, enough. Here's the picture and go here to get the recipe.

Mmmm, it's even better than the picture. And I love the story she tells about her husband devouring a piece before she could tell him what was in it, and then not having the heart to tell him until she published her cookbook!

Next is the Cauliflower Soup. I made this for dinner tonight with some frozen Rhodes rolls. All I can say is it's really good. I did make a few changes, though, because I wanted to thicken it a little. If you follow the recipe exactly, the flavor is awesome and it is what it is--soup. And it's good that way, but, like I said, I was going more for chowder. So, I used about 1 1/2 quarts of chicken stock instead of 2 quarts, then when the soup was done (before I added the sour cream part), I strained half of the vegetable bits and pureed them in a blender then added them back to the soup. I also added a half a pound of grated cheese. It still wasn't quite chowdery, but more to my liking. But do what you want. Here it is.

And finally, for dinner tomorrow, I made PW's Lasagna. Since we have church at 8:30 tomorrow (yikes!) and we're going to visit some friends from Montana tomorrow evening, I figured the best way to make the Sabath as "easy" as possible was to just assemble the lasagna today and bake it tomorrow. So, I haven't tasted the whole thing yet, but just the meat sauce was amazing. This is going to sound lame, but it tasted just like the Stoufer's lasagna meat sauce to me. That's usually the only lasagna we eat and we love it, what can I say? In fact, this is the first lasagna I have ever made from scratch. I'm really excited to try it tomorrow. I'll let you know what my final word is. Here you go.

Cinnamon-Spiced Hot Chocolate Cookies

These are the cookies I made and sent to my brother in Qatar for Christmas (along with some Honeycomb) but I forgot to take a picture before, so I had to make them again (darn it :)). The recipe is from Aaron Sanchez from the Food Network and it is pretty much spot on, so here's the link rather than me retyping it. I do have a few notes, though, of things that I found to be slightly different.

1. He uses Dulce de Leche to drizzle on top, but I just used white chocolate chips. Just melt about 1/8-1/4 cup in the microwave in 15 second increments (if it becomes crumbly, it's burned and you'll have to start over) then just add about 1/4 tsp. vegetable oil to smooth it out and make it drizzle-able. I refrigerate them to help them set quicker.

2. I used all butter the first time since I forgot to buy margarine, and they were great. The second time, I didn't have butter either (weird) so I used shortening. The taste was good, but the texture was off. They were kind of grainy. I recommend first following the recipe exactly, though, if you can.

3. This one is important! He says to make the log about 9-10 inches, but I'd say more like 8. He also says to slice them 1/4 inch thick, but look at my picture and his--they have to be AT LEAST 1/3 inch, if not 1/2 inch thick to cook right. I don't know what he was thinking when he put that. They'll burn on the bottom, they won't rise, and they'll be hard if you do 1/4 inch. You can tell the ones in his picture are more than that! This changes the yield from 36 to more like 18.

4. He mentions how they puff and crackle on top when they're done, but know that this is very slight. These can be really hard when over cooked, but nice and soft and chewy in the center when done right, so err on the side of "under-done" if at all. It's just hard to tell since they're such dark cookies.

Good luck!