Overwhelmed

Taking a moment to feel overwhelmed and indulge in a cookie {or three}.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies 

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove (I did not have this ingredient, so opted for all spice instead)
1 cup quick-cooking oats (I didn't  have quick-cooking oats, so I used the regular kind, this may have contributed to their flatness)

 2 cups chopped pecans (I used what I had on hand - about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (I substituted 1 tsp of orange extract - the orange gives a beautiful, unexpected flavor to the cookie)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I used 6 oz because that is all I had on hand. They turned out really chocolaty and I am thankful I didn't use the full amount) 

Preheat oven to 350°F

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment.

Beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy.

Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed (about three minutes).

Stir in eggs, one at a time.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. 

Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips. 

Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. (I actually had to bake each batch for closer to 20 minutes and mine turned out huge and super flat. But they are oh-so-scrumptious). 

Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. 

Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

Unexpected Change

Change is not always fun, but unexpected change is always much worse. This morning, after our staff meeting, our creative director announced that Friday would be his last day. This CD has been the best boss that I have ever had and I will be sad to see him go. I was definitely shocked at the announcement - the bagels he brought in were of little consolation (even if they did taste good). So now we are looking at a significant change to our team.

After the meeting, I checked my email and had a message from Daniel asking me to call him. I gave him a call to find out that his company just had another round of layoffs. Thankfully he was spared, but this is the second such round of layoffs in the last couple of months.

This was definitely not how I expected my Monday to go. I am somewhat overwhelmed by all of these sudden changes...