Last night, at 10:oo pm (as we were watching the Georgia Bulldogs unravel before our very eyes), I wanted something sweet SO BADLY that I almost asked Dan to drive to the gas station to buy me a Kit-Kat. Then I remembered - "Oh, he's already done that this week." I didn't have one cotton-picking dessert item in the whole house. No ice cream, no chocolate, no cool whip, not even any fresh fruit.
So at 10:oo, I drug out my mixer.
I laughed a little bit thinking of my brother, Michael. A few years ago he was living at home with my Dad and Dad's wife, Christie. Christie is a FABULOUS cook - brilliant. She worked as a pastry chef and a caterer for a while, and makes truffles so divine they can make a grown man cry. She taught me how to blanch green beans and bought me an expensive set of knives for our wedding because "everyone needs a good set of knives." But because she can make such delicious food, she has no need for pre-packaged, store-made ANYTHING. She even makes her own salad dressings, and breads.
So one day, poor Michael walked into the kitchen, took inventory of the fridge, and made me jump out of my skin when he yelled, "THERE IS NO FOOD IN THIS HOUSE - ONLY INGREDIENTS!!"
I laughed out loud and gave him a hug. I think about that often, when I'm hungry and the THOUGHT of thawing meat exhausts me. "There is no food in this house, only ingredients!"
That's the state I found myself in last night: just ingredients. So while I should have been crawling into bed, I was pulling out flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. A dessert addict jonesing for a fix - it wasn't pretty. Hello, my name is Kate and I'm a chocoholic. I started throwing things haphazardly in the mixer - flour everywhere. Thankfully, Nestle Tollhouse cookies have a pretty forgiving recipe.
And that is how it came to pass that Dan and I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning, eating fresh chocolate chip cookies and watching old John Grisham movies on USA. It's a wonderful life.